La Catrina offers a vibrant dining experience in the Old Port, featuring an array of authentic Mexican dishes and handcrafted cocktails that many visitors find delicious and well-prepared. The tableside guacamole is a frequent highlight, often praised for its freshness, while menu staples such as birria and al pastor tacos are frequently noted for their generous portions and bold flavors. The atmosphere is generally described as lively and fun, particularly on the terrace, with many guests appreciating the welcoming and professional service provided by the staff. While experiences with wait times and noise levels can vary depending on how busy the restaurant is, the majority of visitors feel the overall quality, festive vibe, and attentive care make it a destination worth visiting again.
Food was very good - however, service was horrendous.
For reference, waited 30 minutes to be seated, waited 30-40 minutes for our order to be taken. Following the waiter taking our order, it took about an hour to see the appetizers & drinks we ordered.
We didn't get our main entrees for about 2 hours after we were sat.
When I asked about the delay, was told the restaurant was very busy but the wait times are inexcusable. The restaurant didn't seem too busy to warrant a 3 hour wait time end to end.
All in all, food was good but don't go there expecting to dine & leave within a 1-1.5 hour timeline. Plan to call PTO & block your calendar for a couple of days if you want to eat here.
May 23, 2026
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Went here for a quick drink & dinner with my friend! Super cool ambience -there's a downstairs where the bar is, that has a speakeasy type vibe & a massiveee terrace - cant wait to try it out this summer! Our waitress was Lili - she was super sweet, & made me a great mocktail!
Unfortunately there were some other clients in the restaurant that were mistreating her & even began to raise their voices (embarrassing for grown women) but Lili remained calm & handled the situation well despite their bad attitudes.
Drinks were good. But I can find good drinks anywhere in Montreal. My issue with this place was the service was poor & the attitude of the waitress was beyond rude. Do yourself a favor & go to Nomai, which is next door. If you're in the mood for Mexican, visit Three Amigos on Rue Saint Jacques which is within walking distance & where they have great food & amazing service!
Food was absolutely amazing. Guacamole made tableside, delicious tacos, & an awesome quesadilla. My friend & I could have shared either the tacos or the quesadilla & it would have been plenty to eat after the guacamole. The cocktails were exquisite-Mexican Mule & French 75.
I marked it down just a bit in service because the woman who took our drink order never returned & after about half an hour we got the waiter's attention to order our food. Also the atmosphere was mostly good but it's very small & kind of noisy. I would go back again in a heartbeat for the food & drink!
The drinks were genuinely good, which is the only reason this isn't one star. Service was a different story. We tried multiple times to get our server's attention & were ignored. When she finally came over, she yelled at us. When we raised it while paying, her response was that she yelled because we had been yelling at her, which was not true. We were not raising our voices at any point.
Mistakes happen in service, & a simple acknowledgment would have gone a long way.
Being yelled at & then accused of the same behavior is not how you treat a paying customer. I'd come back for the drinks if the service were different, but based on this experience I can't recommend it.
The menu posted online & the one at the restaurant are different, it is much more limited & the food was only okay. The view was nice & that is part of the experience. The waitress was rude, she said I had to get meat on the side with my tacos despite not eating meat instead of just not having it. She also said my food would be gross without it, perhaps reconciling the online menu with the true menu would help everyone know there is only 1 vegetarian option on the menu & 0 vegan ones. Would not recommend unless it is only for overpriced drinks, not the food.
