KAVA presents a vibrant culinary journey rooted in authentic Greek and Mediterranean traditions, expertly prepared with a modern grill sensibility. Patrons can anticipate a robust selection of time-honored dishes, from tender souvlaki skewers grilled to perfection to flavourful moussaka layered with rich béchamel. The menu showcases the freshest ingredients, emphasizing bright, zesty flavours characteristic of the region. Each plate is a testament to the art of Mediterranean cooking, offering a satisfying and memorable experience for any occasion. Discover the true taste of the Mediterranean, meticulously crafted for an exceptional dining adventure.
Kava offers a beautiful and sophisticated atmosphere that consistently impresses guests with its stylish decor, great music, and vibrant energy, making it an ideal destination for nights out and special celebrations. Many visitors highlight the delicious, fresh, and well-presented Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, complemented by high-quality cocktails. The service is frequently described as warm, professional, and attentive, with numerous staff members receiving praise for their dedication to creating a welcoming and memorable dining experience for their guests.
Unfortunately, my experience at KAVA Griffintown was extremely disappointing. What started off as a nice evening quickly turned into one of the worst restaurant experiences I've had.
When we first arrived, the restaurant was fairly empty there were maybe three or four other tables & our waitress was genuinely very sweet & pleasant. We had absolutely no issues with her personally, & she was probably the only positive part of the experience.
We ordered drinks, calamari, salmon tartare, a bavette de boeuf, & lamb chops. The calamari & salmon tartare were good, although the calamari portion was quite small for the price. The biggest issue started with the drinks. Our appetizers arrived BEFORE our drinks, & we ended up waiting another 15+ minutes. When we asked about them, we were told the bar was having trouble finding lychee for one of the drinks. We eventually got them after waiting even longer.
Then came the mains.
$42 for three very small lamb chops with tzatziki & no sides. Fortunately, the lamb chops themselves were actually quite good. My friend's bavette, however, was absolutely awful. The outside was burnt while the inside was extremely mushy, & the entire dish looked & tasted terrible. The potatoes/fries that came with it were cold & unappetizing as well. She took a bite & couldn't eat the meal.
We politely asked our waitress if it could be changed to the lamb chops since we knew those were good. She was very accommodating & said no problem. At this point, we were already there much longer than expected, so we eventually asked if we could simply take the replacement food to go because we had somewhere else to be. We paid our bill around 9:00 PM, & we were told the food would be brought out shortly.
We then waited.
& waited.
& waited.
Almost an hour passed.
At one point, we even asked another waitress to check on the food, & she never came back to us. We eventually asked our waitress again & were repeatedly told,'just a couple more minutes.'
The strangest part was that we could actually see the bag of food being moved around the restaurant. We watched what appeared to be our takeout bag go toward another table, then later toward another area, & eventually behind the bar. When our waitress finally checked, she told us that our food had been'given to the wrong table' & that it was now ready.
At that point, we obviously did not want it anymore. We had been waiting close to an hour for three lamb chops, & the food had apparently been sitting around & being moved from place to place. We simply asked for the cost of the meal to be refunded since we had never received it.
This is where things became even more frustrating. The manager came over & initially told us they couldn't refund us because they had already'wasted two meats,' essentially making it sound like this was somehow our fault. He then told us that the best they could offer was a $50 credit for a future visit.
A future visit?
We explained that we absolutely did not want to come back, especially after this experience.
The manager went back to speak to the owner/boss & came back saying there was nothing else they could do. My friend had to repeatedly explain that she had paid for a meal she never received, waited almost an hour for it, & was now being told that the restaurant couldn't refund her because they had'wasted' food.
Eventually, the manager personally gave us $50 from his own pocket.
& honestly, I felt terrible for him. He was clearly put in an awful position because of the restaurant's poor organization & customer service, & even when my friend asked to speak directly with the owner/boss, they refused to come speak to us.
The restaurant itself is beautiful & our waitress was lovely, but the food quality, timing, organization, & especially the way the situation was handled by management were unacceptable. But when you're paying close to $50 for a meal & don't even receive it after waiting nearly an hour, I think it's completely reasonable to expect your money back.
My reservation note literally said:'We're just stopping by for a drink before our night out. 22:00 we wanna be at the bar.' Yet when we arrived, we couldn't get a seat at the bar or terrace, & were just told'first come, first served.' Fair enough, until it took 20 minutes just to get some water & the menus. I finally went up to the bar (where there was actually space) to order directly, only to be told they weren't serving drinks anymore with no apologies.
We left right after, with the start of our night completely ruined.'
I just want to say that kava is a beautiful restaurant with great vibe & music however their food are served cold & portions are very little. Also, at night since they let the door open & the don't have a mosquito net, me & my friend didn't appreciate that mosquitos were all over our food . Even though we where inside. Tbh I recommend to go there during breakfast & in the evening only for drinks .
Aug 3, 2026
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j'ai eu une super expérience dans ce restaurant, le dj était super bon, l'ambiance très cool,le manager très chaleureux, les drinks super bons & la nourriture tout autant! Je recommande & reviendrais avec plaisir! Prix & qualité 100% 👍 Parfait pour un souper en ville! Situé en plein milieu de la ville 🏙?
I had a reservation on June 17 at 7:00pm. Me & my party of 4 had the woman who was white & blonde as server. The food was okay & service was pretty slow considering the fact that there was only less than 10 other people dining in. When it came time to pay I hesitated since I really did not enjoy my experience there & the server was quick to jump at me saying that tip isn't included & 15% isn't enough & that 18% is usually what people go for. That being said I then proceeded to tip 15% under the pressure of my server. After I had already paid, she proceeded to start going back & forth with me & started talking about how she has to pay 8% of every bill when she works & asked me, & i quote,'have you ever been a server before?' I replied yes because I actually have. She then adds something between the lines of'oh you were a server? how did you feel when customers walked out & didn't tip?' I said how it's normal A LOT of people actually do it & it doesn't bother me because at the end of the day it's my JOB to SERVE. She adds on again saying'oh you were working at 12$/hr? well when I go out I always tip 25%.' I find this very rude considering I had already paid & tipped & she continued to argue with me. Tips are based on service & your experience, mine wasn't good so I wanted to reflect that on my bill. It took her 15 minutes after giving our initial round of drinks to come & take our order of food. Very unpleasant experience.
UPDATE: They never got back to me!
I went here for New Year's with three girlfriends. We had a reservation for four that was booked in advance. Thirty minutes before our reservation, we received a call saying that we could only do bottle service. For four girls, this is unreasonable, especially when the reservation was already confirmed.
On the phone, I clearly explained that there were four of us & that we would not be able to finish a full bottle. I asked whether we could instead order individual drinks. We were told,'Come in & we'll talk & find a solution.'
When we arrived at 11:45 PM, a manager was called over & immediately told us that our only option was bottle service or nothing at all - meaning they would not host us otherwise. This directly contradicted what we were told on the phone.
We reluctantly agreed to bottle service, assuming we would at least receive proper seating (a table or bar seating, as expected anywhere else). The restaurant was completely jam-packed, yet instead of accommodating us properly, they squeezed a tiny, short table into a corner with zero seating, expecting us to stand around it. It was not even a bar-height table.
The behavior felt extremely money-driven. They took our payment opportunity but provided no real service or space.
The waitress brought the bottle immediately & came back with the bill right away. There was virtually no service afterward. Despite this, she insisted that we had to tip 15% because it was New Year's. I would genuinely like to know where this rule is written, because mandatory tipping without service is unacceptable.
When we asked for water, she brought two Red Bulls & two club sodas. Once those were finished, we asked for more drinks & water. She said'okay' & never returned.
Overall, this was a terrible experience. Poor communication, misleading promises, overcrowding, pressure tactics, & lack of service. We will absolutely never return.
I'm leaving this review so others can make an informed decision before choosing this place. This felt like a cash grab, not hospitality.
Terrible New Year's experience. We were four girls with a reservation booked in advance. 30 minutes before arrival, we were called & told we could only enter with bottle service. On the phone, we explained that four people can't finish a bottle & were told to come in &'talk it through.'
When we arrived around 11:45 PM, management told us our only option was bottle service or they wouldn't host us at all. We agreed, assuming we'd at least get proper seating. Instead, they squeezed a tiny table into a corner with no chairs, expecting us to stand the entire time.
Service was basically nonexistent. The bottle came, the bill came immediately after, & the waitress barely checked on us. She even claimed we had to tip 15% because it was New Year's - not sure where that rule exists. We asked for water & additional drinks & never received them.
Overall, it felt greedy, misleading, & poorly managed. Definitely not worth it. Won't be returning & wouldn't recommend.
Worst experience ever, the drinks were mid, the steak taste like it was frozen, the entire meal felt like I purchased something at frozen at the grocery store.
Rude & aggressive management, lack of transparency, & glaring double standards' Take it or leave it' attitude made the whole experience uncomfortable & unnecessarily hostile. This level of management is honestly ruining what could otherwise be a great restaurant.
We had a New Year's Eve reservation but were met with a manager who was rude & dismissive. We weren't informed that only a highly limited two-option menu would be available. When we simply asked for a drink at the bar, we were pressured to order from a menu we had no interest in & told that refusal would mean leaving, & an $80 cancellation fee. Meanwhile, other guests were clearly enjoying drinks at the bar without issue.
I ended up leaving because of the management there's no way I would spend a single dollar on service like this.
