La Spada, a love letter to Roman cuisine, offers a warm and vibrant dining experience. Located in the heart of Notre Dame Ouest, La Spada features classic Roman dishes made with the finest ingredients. Enjoy classic traditional recipes that celebrate the rich flavours of Rome in a lively atmosphere.
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La Spada is described as a stylish, warm Italian spot that feels like a little piece of Rome in Montreal, with a cozy yet upscale atmosphere, a welcoming bar area, and a menu built for sharing that shines with house made bread and focaccia, burrata and arancini, and a strong selection of pastas made in house alongside standout mains like duck ragù over pappardelle and fresh seafood; the wine list and cocktails are frequently praised, and several reviews note the service as attentive and friendly, though a few visits cite slower pacing, miscommunications, or dishes that were overly salty or overpriced, along with occasional reservation mishaps; still, La Spada is viewed as a top Italian dining destination in the city, beloved for vibrant flavors, thoughtful preparation, and a lively yet welcoming vibe, with many guests planning returns to explore more of the menu and celebrate occasions.
From start to finish my experience for the first time at La Spada was top tier.
The ambiance was exactly what you want in a restaurant. It was trendy, high energy, welcoming, buzzing but not uncomfortably loud.
Great location with valet parking on a corner.
The service was impeccable
Highly knowledgeable wait staff. Friendly, attractive, smiling, & full of recommendations on what to drink & eat.
Now the food…
AMAZING!!!
I started with the Caesar, which if you judge a restaurant based on this salad like me, then you'd heavily approve
Then the carbonara which was delicious, creamy & rich in all the right ways
& shared a delicious med rare lobsters that was truly Devine!
Will I come back?
I want to live in the janitors closet & do the dishes everyday for free meals! 🤣
Definitely one of my favourite Italian restaurants
🙌🏼👌🏼🙏🏼🫶🏼❤?
Mar 11, 2026
on Google
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I have been eating here for quite a while, since the opening & haven't been disappointed. Love the fact that everything can be shared family style. Free pouring of wine at the table, cold refreshing cocktails. The owner Scott pops into tables to see how everyone is doing. The music isn't too loud & the servers are smiling. Love starting off with some house made bread, moving to a Caesar salad, & then a couple of mains. I've done the specials before & they are indeed special. Hot & full of flavour. Love the valet parking on the weekend. Thanks for bringing some life & love to Notre Dame! Always love going back.
Man, I've been looking forward to finally checking out La Spada for a year now. I don't get out to eat nearly as often as I'd like these days, so when we walked in, it hit different right away. Coatcheck, tablecloths, proper dim lighting that actually feels cozy instead of stuffy, attentive service without being over-the-top-hospitality done right. The decor's fun & playful in this relaxed, homey way that's elegant but totally unpretentious. & the playlist? Classic hits with a modern spin-think Boney M flowing into funky'Stayin' Alive' covers. It kept the vibe light & enjoyable the whole night.
We started with the green salad, & honestly, it blew me away. So light & fluffy, way beyond what I expected from a simple salad. They really nailed it. Then the fritto misto-crispy as hell from the first bite to the last, perfectly seasoned. No weak links there.
The homemade charcuterie & focaccia was an absolute highlight for me: the cotechino sausage & coppa (two ways) were spot-on, rich & flavorful without being heavy. We also got the side of mushrooms in garlic cream sauce, which was killer-super creamy & garlicky. Only thing I wished for was some extra focaccia or bread to mop up every last drop of that sauce. Next time, I'm definitely asking.
For mains, it's all about that comforting Italian soul: we went with the braised duck ragù over pappardelle & the pork shoulder with polenta & gremolata. Knowing all the pastas are made in-house just makes it better. The flavors were so balanced-everything married perfectly, no dish felt one-note. Portions are seriously generous too, which makes sharing easy & fun.
Desserts sealed the deal. They've got a pastry chef on site (which is rarer than it should be), & nothing fell short. The tiramisu was huge & classic, there was this playful take on Ferrero Rocher that was indulgent & playful in the best way, & then the cherry mascarpone cake-man, that one was my personal favorite. It left such a good, memorable finish to the whole evening.
The experience was genuinely wonderful from start to finish. A huge thank you to Scott for creating such a special spot, to the chef & the pastry team for the incredible food, & to the entire service staff for making the night feel so welcoming & effortless. If you're in Montréal & craving real, thoughtful Italian without the pretension, La Spada delivers. We left happy, full, & already talking about when we're going back. Highly recommend.
Mon conjoint & moi avons visités le restaurant pour la première fois & avons été déçus de notre expérience.
Je tiens par contre à remercier notre serveur pour son excellent service & à souligner l'ambiance chaleureuse du restaurant. La première déception est survenue lorsque nous avons commandée la burrata qui est arrivée sans tomate ni basilic contrairement à l'assiette que nous avions vu en ligne. Le pain n'était pas inclus & nous l'avons pris en extra. La burrata était simplement déposée sur un assortiment de viandes froides & couverte d'huile d'olive. Nous aurions aimé une entrée plus relevé avec des légumes ou une salade/ une vinaigrette. Nous avons également pris l'assortiment de fruits de mer frits & leurs deux sauces qui étaient excellentes. La panure était légère & la cuisson parfaite. En plat mon conjoint a prit les pâtes avec guanciale & celles-ci étaient beaucoup trop salées, il n'a pas terminé son assiette. En plat j'ai opté pour le spécial du jour ( des pâtes à la bisque de homard )& celles-ci m'ont aussi déçu par leur manque de saveurs. La portion de homard était généreuse mais la sauce manquait d'un petit je ne sais quoi.
Après avoir consulter le menu en ligne je présume qu'il a récemment été changé, car la carte présentée sur leur site n'est pas la même que celle que nous avons eu au restaurant.
Shortly after posting my initial feedback, Scott, the owner, reached out directly. He was genuinely concerned about the experience we had. It is rare to see that level of care. He invited us back for a meal so we could experience La Spada as it was intended.
We returned on November 13, & this visit was a completely different story.
The service was exceptional. Our server was attentive, knowledgeable, & took the time to walk us through the specials & the origins of the dishes.
We ordered the Foccacia, Polpette, Casarecce alla Funghi, & the Agnolotti di Zucca e Ricotta.
The meal was outstanding. La Spada truly is the hidden gem people talk about.
The Funghi pasta was one of the best I have ever had. The balance between the sauce & the pasta was perfect. You could taste the depth of the mushrooms in every bite. Many restaurants serve Funghi pasta, but often the flavor disappears into the cream or the seasoning. Here, the mushroom remains the hero of the dish from start to finish.
The Agnolotti was another standout. Creamy, rich, & perfectly al dente. The subtle crunch of hazelnut added a layer of texture & flavor that tied the dish together beautifully.
The Polpette was the star of the night. Juicy, tender, & served in a generous amount of sauce. Simple ingredients, elevated execution. It was incredible.
The Foccacia was very good, although overshadowed slightly by how exceptional the other dishes were.
Thank you to Scott for inviting us back & showing us what La Spada represents. An elevated Italian culinary experience tucked away in Saint Henri.
We will definitely be returning to try more of the pasta lineup.
Visited on Wednesday, October 29. I had high expectations after hearing incredible things & seeing glowing reviews online.
The evening started strong. The hostess was warm & welcoming, & we were seated quickly. The space itself is breathtaking. Elegant, sophisticated, & thoughtfully designed, La Spada feels like a hidden gem the moment you walk in.
Unfortunately, the service & food did not live up to the setting.
We ordered the Pappardelle Ragù d'Anatra, Carbonara Special, & the Arancini Specials. Our friends chose the Caesar Salad & Radiatori alla Vodka.
The servers were kind, but the execution needs refinement. One of our appetizers was missed, & when it finally arrived, the plate was dropped onto the table, splattering cheese onto my pants. They apologized & cleaned up quickly, but the experience set the tone for the rest of the meal.
When our mains arrived, the same server accidentally dropped half a block of grated Parmesan into my pasta. Thankfully, I like cheese, but it added to an already shaky service experience.
As for the food:
The Carbonara Special was nearly inedible, overwhelmingly salty to the point where even water would not have helped balance it.
The Arancini were excellent, crisp, flavorful, & well-seasoned.
The Pappardelle Ragù d'Anatra was also very good. Tender duck & rich flavor brought that dish together beautifully.
The Radiatori alla Vodka & Caesar Salad were fine, but unremarkable.
Overall, La Spada delivers a gorgeous ambiance but fails where it truly counts, which is consistency, flavor, & service. At this price point, expectations are naturally higher, & unfortunately, the experience did not meet them.
It is a shame, because the space & potential are there. But after this visit, I highly recommend everyone to avoid. You can easily find better Italian food with better service elsewhere.
La Spada is a fantastic new addition to the dining scene. From the moment you walk in, the vibrant atmosphere & welcoming staff make you feel right at home. The owner Scott & waiters (especially Liam) are attentive & quick, ensuring a seamless dining experience.
The food is simply exceptional. As someone who usually skips salads, I was surprised to find myself finishing the caesar salad, which was fresh & flavorful. The veal was the juiciest I've ever tasted - cooked to perfection. The pasta with mussels (forgot the French name) was also a standout, offering a perfect mix of quality ingredients & mouth watering flavours.
La Spada is a must visit for anyone looking for an authentic & enjoyable Italian dining experience. I can't wait to return next time I'm in Montreal.
Nov 3, 2025
on Google
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The overall experience was average. The Caesar salad was very basic & didn't stand out, especially for the price we paid. The pasta ragu was relatively good, but the lamb chops were disappointing - not what I expected in terms of flavor or tenderness as compared to other italian restaurants.
Service started off quite slow, though it improved as the meal went on. To their credit, the manager came over personally to address my dissatisfaction, which I appreciated. They even offered a complimentary dessert, which was a nice gesture & showed good customer care.
Overall, decent service but the food quality didn't quite justify the price.
Food & service were amazing!
I was recommended this place by a friend & it did not disappoint. The only thing I'd like to point out that the beef tartare was a bit sour to my liking but other than that the pastas we ordered was spot on, the garlic potatoes was good & the Caesar salad was great.
Excellent restaurant. The place is really nice with friendly staff. The food was excellent. From the octopus, calamari, caesar salad, meatballs, pasta & the lamb. Everything was wonderful. Looking forward to be back soon.
Service was really nice & food was pretty good. We tried the caesar salad (huge btw), special of the day (cacio e pepe arancini), ragu & carbonara. Appetizers were excellent. Ragu was full of flavors & depth but a bit too salty for us. Carbonara was good but something was missing (sauce was not sticking to the pasta). Overall nice experience!
Jun 22, 2025
on Google
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One of my new favorite Italian restaurants. We've been back 2 times & loved it both times. They're menu changes here & there but the squid dishes are always fire. The Caesar salad is amazing too!
We ordered 3 appetizers (Cesar salad, suppli, meatballs) with carbonara & duck tagliatelle. Everything was just ok, this place did not add up to the social media hype. It was average at best.
Beautiful restaurant but the waitress wasn't attentive to what we were saying & kept cutting us. We will not go back.
Overall nice ambiance & decor but the waiter was very pushy & we felt rushed. Rushed to order, rushed to eat, & rushed to pay & leave. Examples include coming to take the order within minutes of arrival & coming back quickly after we told him we hadn't looked at the menu. Another example is when he took unfinished appetizer plates while still eating. He then forgot to bring an appetizer which he later brought. After done eating mains he offered desserts & when we declined he said "well it's time for bills then". Minutes after ordering a 2nd bottle of wine, he explained we needed to leave within 30 minutes because they had another group coming. Food was decent. The green salad, suppli & calamari were great. The orecchiette alla stracciatella & the carbonara were cold. I know these plates aren't supposed be scorching because of the fresh cheese & egg yolks but it was too cold. The carbonara felt they added too much pasta water, thereby lacking creaminess & taste. Quality of the pasta was very good.
Feb 1, 2025
on Google
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First time here after hearing about this place through chef Steve. Went with wife & friends & family visiting from France The decor & ambiance is nice. As it's on notre dame parking will be a bit an issue but you can find few spots inside. We shared few appetizers: - burrata insalate - polpo alla griglia: nice grilled octopus on chickpeas & capers - Fritto misto: a mix of fried calamari shrimps cod & veggies - Caesar salad: they put the bacon in a cup & not mixed so it was easy to put away. - tortellini in brodo: cheese tortellini & they pour chicken broth on it. Delicious The main meal we tried the : - Gnocchi funghi & tortellini awesome & must try Didn't try dessert but next time hopefully
Coming La Spada is like taking a trip to Italy right in the heart of Montreal with having a beautiful restaurant where the ambiance matches the food that is being served. High-quality casual so that anybody who does come there has an amazing fun night with a journey of flavours. The restaurant itself is designed very well with the very casual type of nighttime dining where there is a bar there are multiple areas where you can see the kitchen from, overall the photos & painting all around the restaurant just give it a more cosy & vibe. With having that fine dining feel. & the iconic photo on the outside just gives it everything that you need to know that this is a simple but amazing Italian restaurant. Going to the food, the dishes that we were given were all high-quality, & made with the upmost care for the best combination of flavours. I would definitely recommend the bone broth tortellini, which is just Out Of This World & in flavours, the Caesar salad was made with care, & was so good. The veal wrapped in prosciutto was amazing as well. Overall, the food here is definitely worth the price that it is being served at & I definitely will come back again to try other items off their menu. My overall experience with the service, & the people who were there was amazing, the waiters & the maître d' were very attentive. My hats off to the host Liam, who gave us the best experience we could ask for & shout out to to one of the owners, Scott, who explained how the flavours were being combined to equal what I was tasting. Everything was top-notch to the point where I feel like this place deserves a Michelin star. I was done with one plate. The servers came & gave me a new one, water was always filled no matter when I looked at it. I definitely can't wait to see this place grow into an iconic location in Montreal.
