When I first approached L'Ambroiserie and L'Espace Canal to host my wedding they were very excited to have a January 3rd event. The event coordinator, Alexandra, responded quickly to all of my emails and questions and was very accommodating. I live in Northern Quebec so I was not always in Montreal, and it was always possible to work around the dates when I was in town. The restaurant was supposed to be closed at that time, but was willing to open to host my wedding.
I visited the venue with my then fiance during the summer and returned later with my parents for a tasting. All of this went fine. I had booked to have a winter wedding with an outdoor ceremony on the terrace facing the Lachine Canal. The terrace was empty when I booked the venue.
In November I happened to be in the area and stopped by the restaurant with my sister, who had not seen the venue yet. When we went I found that they had installed a carport toward the front of the terrace, basically right beside where we had discussed having my ceremony take place. I was horrified, and made it clear that I did not want this tempo to remain there during my ceremony. Suddenly the staff's attitude changed dramatically. Alexandra was on vacation so I assumed the disrespectful and dismissive attitude that I (and my parents and future husband) received from Alexa would go away when the event coordinator returned. This was not at all the case. I was told the chairs for my ceremony were being stored there and it was absolutely non-negotiable to move it. I received this response from Alexandra as well. Suddenly L'Ambroiserie hosting my wedding was cast as a huge favor to me since they technically were not open at this time ---which they weren't, but if it means treating clients poorly then don't agree to dates that inconvenience you. I was extremely put off by this whole performance, but they refused to back down on the tempo, even though it was not there or even mentioned when I signed a contract and gave a deposit on the venue. I would also like to know where they store all of the chairs for their summer weddings, since they use them then as well yet there is no tempo during those months. We ended up having to purchase Christmas trees to cover this eyesore as well as have my ceremony face the complete opposite direction that I had planned.
Fast forward to the wedding...well it did not go as planned for several reasons and I will forever be disappointed since I only intend to get married once. I had drawn a picture-map as well as explained to Alexandra in person how I wanted the decorations done on the terrace. I had also asked that she decorate outdoors before the reception hall since my photographer wanted to be back at the venue for 5:15pm. Alexandra said it may take until 5:30pm, which I was fine with. My ceremony was supposed to begin at 7pm, we were doing all the wedding party and family photos beforehand. When I arrived with everyone to take photos outdoors on the terrace, I found that she had done the exact opposite of what I had asked. The inside of the venue was ready to go, and the chairs had not even been set up on the terrace. Furious does not even describe how I feel about this. I ended up taking my family photos in a parking lot, which was incredibly disappointing. These are photos that were extremely important to me that I will never have the opportunity to take again. In fact, they scrambled around trying to set up the terrace for so long that I ended up having to go inside the building and hide because guests were not being seated outside for the ceremony. The terrace itself was not shovelled except for a path down the aisle, so our guests sat with their feet in a few inches of snow. My ceremony started 15-20 minutes late, not because I wasn't ready, but because the staff at L'Ambroiserie weren't. Alexandra did not start seating guests until 7pm. Not to mention that we walked down an extremely steep'wheelchair' ramp to get out of the reception hall and go down the aisle. There is no chance it is to code, it was not salted and fortunately no one was in a wheelchair. The best man had to push my sister back up the ramp when the ceremony was over because it was so steep and slippery. We had to use this ramp or enter the aisle from another door that would have put us in the middle of our rows of guests since we had to change the placement of the altar due to the tempo that L'Ambroiserie refused to move. This was not the only area that was not shovelled or salted, even though we had provided salt for L'Ambroiserie to use. The front entrance to L'Espace Canal was not shovelled or salted either, so people trampled through what became slush and slipped for the entire evening.
To add to my frustration, following the ceremony I felt as though I was being rushed by Alexandra to complete things like my first dance and wedding speeches because we were behind schedule. In reality, it was her lack of professionalism that resulted in things being off schedule yet she could not seem to understand that I was frustrated and wanted her to leave me alone about these things so that I could socialize with my guests for the hour or so following my ceremony like I had planned. It was actually a huge relief for me when her shift ended, I felt like I could start to forget how angry I was about this whole thing.
Eugenie, another employee, tried her best to arrange the Nordique Terrace we had wanted beautifully outside so I could take more photos. Unfortunately, the ceremony didn't finish until almost 8pm and I could not keep my guests waiting while I went to do more at this hour.
The food that was passed out seems to have been cold half of the time, based on my own experience as well as what I heard from several guests. This was disappointing since it had been so good at the tasting. There also did not seem to be a plan for passing out the hors d'oeuvres, we did a cocktail style reception, and so some tables were served while others received very little. I worked in the restaurant industry for 10+ years (including serving weddings) and usually there is a plan with sections for serving food, this did not appear to be the case.
My last comment will be about the DJ services provided through L'Ambroiserie et L'Espace Canal. I strongly recommend against them. I had requested a song to be instrumental only during my ceremony and much to my horror it was not. The lyrics to the chorus were still being sung. This meant that in preparation for my wedding this DJ was not able to spend more than 20-30 seconds listening to songs that he was planning to use during my ceremony. It was probably the worst thing that could happen before walking down the aisle (aside from having to start putting down your own wedding dress train because Alexandra let me walk out the door with my parents and then disappeared after she had said she would put it down, leaving us in a state of panic). I can't say the DJ stuck to the list he was given, which was a list of requests from my RSVPs so I knew what the guests wanted to hear. Then at the end of the night he played about 30 seconds of Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me" before abruptly cutting the music and telling us all the night was over. I could have asked him to stay longer but it slipped my mind, oddly of all the things the staff wanted to harass me over on my wedding night, asking the DJ to play an extra hour was not one of them. They had the lights on within seconds and began dismantling the reception hall before guests had even had a chance to figure out what was going on.
Overall, I would say my experience was disappointing to say the least. I would not recommend L'Ambroiserie et L'Espace Canal under any circumstances. It was a terrible mistake and I regret having my wedding there.

Review


If you're looking for the perfect wedding venue I highly suggest L'Ambroisie restaurant. They are very accommodating, staff is super friendly, our guests loved the food. The event coordinator, Alexandra is quick to reply and will answer every and all questions you have throughout your time planning. She is amazing and was so helpful in this process. I never had to stress with anything about the venue and that's all because of how confident I felt with Alexandra.

You have 3 options where you can do your ceremony. Inside the restaurant, outside in the terrace, or outside in their beautiful garden.

Again, if you're looking for an amazing place to hold your ceremony and reception then Restaurant L'Ambroisie is the place to do it!!

Group of 35 guests.
The venue is interesting but the food was not good and the service wasn't good either. They seemed very inexperienced. There were no glasses on the table nor wine which we pre ordered. We had two checks. One for the bar bill and one for the restaurant so I think the two are separate and this could have caused some of the issues. One of two appetizers was also the side with the entree. The beef Wellington was under cooked and very soggy. Not appetizing at all. Also service was extremely slow. I would not recommend this place ever.

Was just here for a wedding. The food was delicious and the service excellent. I am gluten intolerant and the staff was wonderful in making sure that my meal was gluten-free. The room itself is beautiful and they have a large terrace just a few feet away from the terrace. I would definitely recommend this wonderful venue to anyone getting married or organising a party.

When planning our wedding, my husband and I (American) were looking for a destination wedding. We chose Montreal based on its European flair, and stopped by L'Ambroisie on a whim after reading a review. On that first day, Kevin sat down with us and gave us the personalized visit we had been missing at the other venues. He answered our questions, and didn't pressure us into committing. After looking at other venues, we decided on L'Ambroisie. From there, Nathalie answered all my questions, even the crazy ones, with rapid response. There were no "packages" no uniform choices. It really was the only venue we visited that encouraged us to have a personalized wedding. On the actual wedding day, the staff was incredible. They were all complete professionals and the wedding went off better than we ever dreamed. We were both relaxed, happy, and actually enjoying our day. Everything that was promised to us from the first meeting came true and more. The food was fabulous, the DJ was fabulous and everyone had such positive feedback. The staff even navigated the event through a rain shower mid-ceremony. I really cannot say enough positive things about my wedding experience. Thank you all at L'Ambroisie!

I was able to visit this restaurant twice. Once for a summer wedding and the second for a Christmas party. Although the location is great and you can't beat the beautiful garden. I wouldn't recommend it for large functions. It doesn't seem like they are equipped to handle big events. Food arrived late, and some was cold. Portion sizes were really uneven. Staff were noticeable stressed and arguing a lot. This place has lots of promise, but would skip it if you are having an event.

Ce resto a une belle et grande terrasse tout près du canal et de la piste cyclable. Le service est impeccable et chaleureux et les plats sont délicieux, frais, et bien présentés. De plus, le rapport qualité prix est excellent.

Je suis allé à ce restaurant cet été, j'étais avec un assez grand groupe (11 personnes), nous avions donc réservé plusieurs jours à l'avance.

Le restaurant se trouve dans un vieux bâtiment rénové de style industriel, en face du Canal Lachine.
La première chose qu'on voit en rentrant est la grande terrasse. Personnellement, je n'aime pas vraiment le décor, je le trouve un peu... exagéré. Mais certains de mes amis l'on trouvé réussi.

Notre table se trouvait à l'intérieur du restaurant, une fois dedans on ne peut que remarquer les imposantes colonnes de style grec antique, et le décor qui va avec. La encore, je ne suis pas vraiment convaincu.
Notre table était prête, mais mal disposée, elle formait une sorte de demi-cercle qui rendait la communication ardue.

Le serveur nous présente le menu, en particulier la table d'hôte: fish & chips, spaghetti à la puttanesca, et un plat asiatique. Je vois pas vraiment ce qu'il y a de cuisine française là dedans... En fait si, il y a un seul plat français, le poulet chasseur, mais le serveur ne l'a même pas présenté! (Dans les plats à la carte, il y a heureusement plus de plats français)

Je décide de prendre le poulet chasseur avec une soupe (je ne me souviens plus exactement laquelle). La soupe était bonne, tout comme le poulet chasseur. De la cuisine honnête, mais rien d'extraordinaire.

Le serveur est sympathique, mais manque de professionnalisme, on ne l'a pratiquement pas revu du repas.

Y retourner? Oui, peut être l'après-midi en été sur la terrasse.

Mon party de noël du bureau s'est déroulé au restaurant l'Ambroisie cette année et ce fût, de loin, le plus réussit auquel j'ai assistée.

Situé dans une vieille usine du quartier St-Henri appelée "Le Château", le décor est dramatique et très théâtral. Certains collègues on trouvé ça too much, mais personnellement, j'ai trouvé ça amusant et rococo. La salle à manger était juste assez grande pour notre groupe - une centaine environ, avec des plafonds très hauts qui laissent respirer.

Mon humble avis : franchement mieux que ces restos branchés où il faut jouer du coude ou les halles d'hôtel froids et impersonnels.

En plus, le personnel était très professionnel, sans prétention et surtout, toujours courtois et agréable.

Mais, ce qui m'a le plus franchement épatée, c'est la nourriture. En commençant par les bouchées servies au cocktail, en passant par le plat de résistante (dans mon cas le canard confit, miam !), le tout arrosé de bon vin. Rien à voir avec les buffets ennuyants que j'ai côtoyé par le passé. Pour un restaurant soi-disant bistro-français-cuisine-international, le Chef n'a rien a envié à personne !

Puis vers 11h, la musique est montée d'un cran et le DJ à fait son entrée en scène... Wow ! J'ai vu plus de jeux de lumières et entendu de décibels dans cette disco-là que dans bien d'autres boîtes de nuit en ville !

Bref, j'ai découvert cette année un petit bijou pour les réceptions. J'ai même aperçue une immense terrasse sous la neige...

Je vous recommande l'endroit sans hésiter !

attended a wedding at this cool little place, its tucked in an old factory in st henri. very dramatic decor with big columns and arches. the food was much better than i expected, definitly not banquet hall stuff, the duck was perfect and my dates salmon was amzing. the service was fast and efficient all through the coctail hour and dinner, and after dinner they have a disco with all the lights and a dj.
theres a big terasse that looks like it could be fun, its kind of in the parking lot but the architecture is cool and the canal is just a few meters away. this would be a great place for a small wedding or office party. i would return to a party there without hesitation.

If you get stuck in the area on a nice summer day than this is a smart choice for a tasty lunch and a cold beer. If you are into faux antique painted walls and Roman columns, than you may like dinning there too. I find the decor overwhelming. The prices are higher for dinner. There is plenty of parking in the back, you can look at your car if you are sitting on the terrace. The food was good, no doubt about it, but it was not memorable. Would I make a reservation to go back? I don't think so.

Nice resto huddled secretly in St-Henri. Had a very nice and large terrace. Service was a bit spotty, altought it was made up by a very friendly and chatty waiter. Prices was excellent for the quality and quantity of the food. I had the steak-frites. Yummy fries and steak cooked to my liking. My other dining companians all enjoyed their meals as well- mexican burrito, chicken dish and filet mignon. All in all, a decent meal in a nice location!

J'adore ce resto! Tous les plats essayés sont délicieux. Les frites sont dans les meilleures en ville...
Le décor est magnifique et romantique. Le service est très cordial et aimable. À découvrir...!

Bonne bouffe. Bonne atmosphère. Excellent rapport qualité/prix. Les assiettes du menu 5 à 7 constituent un souper léger en soi à un prix intéressant.

J'ai surtout aimé la terrasse l'été et les brunch en hiver.

Une fois un des serveurs s'est trompé: il a dit qu'il n'y a pas de café dans leur crème-caramel, sinon le service est assez professionnel.

Location: This restaurant is located in a lovely old building right next to Lachine Canal. Parking (in the back) is plentiful and there is also a huge terrace (no view, except if you like the view of a parking). Inside the restaurant you will see huge Greek columns that are little over the top.

The food: I had the bavette and my date had the salmon. The presentation was very well done. The taste and cooking were ok. The crème brulée was supposed to by the highlight of the meal and again a little disappointed as it was just ok. All in all it was not bad, but it was lacking a certain something, a little ‘oumphf’ if you will. It was missing the kinda thing that make you wanna go back.

Service: friendly but not professional, you can see that this restaurateur is new to the business and not in full control of its offering.

My advice: This restaurant is perfect for a lunch menu and corporate functions. As for diner, the prices are jacked up by about 10$ for pretty much the same offering.

All in all: too bad the terrace is in the parking and not on the canal. Great for lunch but not for an evening date.