Discover L'Autre Saison, established in 1977 in Montreal and located on Crescent Street. You will be charmed by this precious restaurant placed in a majestic Victorian house built in 1897. An impressive, antique staircase leads you to our private room, where a magnificent fireplace reigns.
The owners, Kazim Tural & Alain Boucher, will be delighted to welcome you to their cordial restaurant and offer refined dishes! Savour excellent tartare, perfectly prepared, or enjoy their freshly poached salmon filet prepared with white wine and mushrooms... Even the most discerning palates will be delighted! Consult the impressive wine list and choose from the best bottles available to pair with your meal. The efficient and courteous staff will be more than happy to recommend one of Chef Alain Boucher's delicious meals.
Enjoy an unforgettable evening from Friday to Sunday in the company of a talented pianist who's present every week to brighten your meal. Live a magical experience in our romantic 19th century decor where you will spend an exquisite moment in our company!
Reviewers describe L'Autre Saison as a standout classic French dining experience where the food, service, and atmosphere are all praised. The setting is warm and elegant, with a romantic townhouse feel that remains welcoming. Dishes such as French onion soup, escargot, duck confit, rack of lamb, filet mignon, and seafood options are highlighted for quality and generous portions, while desserts like tarte tatin provide a memorable finish. The staff are described as proud and attentive, able to elevate the evening with thoughtful recommendations. A sense emerges of good value for the quality, a well curated wine list, and a versatile bar area that complements the refined dining. Some visits are noted to have hiccups with service or pricing policies, reminding that experiences can vary. Overall, L'Autre Saison stands out as a beloved choice for a special night out in Montreal.
When I worked for a large software company a few years ago, I was coming up to Montreal from Chicago on a regular basis, & I ate at L'autre Saison pretty regularly. I always ate at the bar because I felt funny taking up a table just by myself. I brought a colleague there once, & a couple of years later I brought my wife, daughter, sister & her husband up here for a trip & couldn't wait to take them to this place. Always amazing food & service, & one of the owners regularly takes care of you. Last night I brought my wife for an incredible romantic dinner. French onion soup, escargot, filet mignon, & cod. He even made her a custom martini.
The decor, the music, the service, always top notch. I've probably eaten here over a dozen times now & always stupendous. This is an absolute must-visit place for any special dinner.
First & last time at L`Autre Saison. The atmosphere was pretty nice. The decor is very old-fashioned, albeit in good taste. The food was decent, a bit more expensive than I would've payed for what we got, although this was to expect for a restaurant like this. Visually, our plates looked amazing. This being said, weirdly enough, all of the guest I dined with ordered different proteins that were all paired with almost exactly the same sides & vegetables, which gave the impression that little thought was given on how to make the best out of each unique dish. Said vegetables were cooked to perfection, but barely seasoned, so they tasted bland. I expected more from a restaurant that labels itself as fine french cuisine.
The service, however, was very unpleasant, which soured the whole experience. I'll admit there was little wait, which was a plus. The younger gentlemen that waited our table looked inexperienced, which wasn't an issue at all, & they really sounded like they were trying their best. This being said, the older gentleman's (the owner???) attitude was anything but professional, which is not something you expect from a restaurant of this caliber. He was loud, overly friendly in an awkward way, touched guests' shoulders without their consent to get their attention & make unsolicited comments or jokes. At one point, we got the impression that he was laughing at us. He also made us feel like he was in a rush to get our order even though the restaurant was almost empty & could not get a hint that we needed more time to discuss & decide--asking us what we wanted to drink before we even had the drink menu in hand. One of the guests at our table ordered the tuna steak, & the waiter asked how he'd like it done. This was extremely odd & showed poor knowledge of his own menu, since a tuna steak is always served lightly seared (tataki style, raw in the centre) & giving a guest the choice to get their tuna steak cooked'medium-rare' was nothing short of bizarre. One other guest ordered the lamb rack which, in addition to being paired with the same vegetables as everyone else, wasn't accompanied by any kind of sauce, as you would minimally expect from any fine dining establishment.
On top of everything, the very first thing our waiter asked the table once we were seated was who would get the check. We later realized, while reading the back page of the menu, that the establishment policy was one bill per table, but it was our first time there & some gentle context on that would've been appreciated instead of pouncing & asking who would be paying for the whole meal before we even had a chance to look at the menu. The back page of the menu also weirdly stated that a fee would be added to the bill if you shared a plate (?) which made no logical sense to us & felt like some kind of strange cash-grab.
All in all, I had a decent evening because the company was excellent, & we did get some laughs afterward out of the awkwardness of the experience. Downtown Montreal (even just Crescent St.!) has loads of better options, both cost- & quality-wise. I will not be dining there again & will advise anyone who asks against doing so.
Jul 30, 2025
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Excellent! My son & I came here for the first time tonight & we will surely be back again. The food was delicious & the service was great. The waiters were attentive & the owner, Kazim, was charming & personable. We shared the escargot dish & they so kindly split it into two dishes for us. Their unique preparation with the puff pastry is a must try. The French onion soup was delicious. The salade L'autre saison was crisp & fresh & the duck confit was so tender. The ambiance & decor was lovely. We didn't have time for dessert this evening, but we will be back another time to try! Thank you for a lovely experience!
Update - We came back for another visit. I recommend the scallops. The sauce was tasty & scallops were cooked perfectly. This time we did have dessert. The tarte tatin (French take on apple pie), was delicious. The ice cream with berries was abundant with fresh berries. Kazim was a charming host as always. Thank you!
My wife & I & another couple had dinner here while visiting Montreal last week (we are from Ontario & they are from England). We all agreed we had one of the best French dining experiences we have had in a very long time. The owner was funny, charming & engaging, while the décor was both cozy & classy, but not pretentious. Service was prompt & attentive. Particular standouts from the menu were the French onion soup & the duck confit. Five stars all around. Highly recommended.
L'Autre Saison is a place with the decor that reminds me of meals & restaurants in Montmartre, Paris. This place serves excellent dishes which I would definitely rate it as a 5-stars establishment had there been good services. Almost as soon as we walked into the restaurant, the owner's attitude was borderline racially prejudiced against Asians. From the shaking of his head to remarks like "the days of free bread are long gone" or "Is that all you ordered?", he definitely treated us very differently than to the 3 white customers who sat at the table next to ours. Those customers ordered less than we did but were treated with courtesy & friendliness. The owner also came by several times to have small talks with them while totally ignoring us. Service here is a 0 since there is no negative 5 for rating. Food-wise, this place is easily a 4.5 stars. 1. The snails were served in vol-au-vent style with a delicious garlicky creamy sauce. Since it was not served with bread, we had to order a basket of 6 excellent bread rolls at $10.50. 2. The creamy foie gras was excellent & paired real well with the house pinot noir one of us ordered. No, the owner did not suggest anything. 3. The onion soup was good but had too much onions & not enough soup. 4. The duck confit dish is possibly one of the best I've eaten. It rivals with good French restaurants in major cities such as Paris & Washington, D.C.. 5. The tarte tatin served à la mode was delicious. Each bite of apple reminds me of a great bistro in Montmartre. This restaurant offers a great dining experience for non-Asians who would be treated with courtesy & great service. Based on our own experience, I cannot & will not recommend this racially prejudiced restaurant to non whites. In short, there are other French restaurants in Montreal that offers the same level of food quality with much better service.
Un restaurant soit disant Français qui a des fautes d'orthographe dans son menu, ça commençait mal. ('confi de canard' & 'arrivage du marcher'). Certes le décor est superbe, mais la nourriture est sans aucun raffinement. C'est correct au gout, mais très cher pour ce que c'est. Le canard avait la même finesse que dans un restaurant Chinois bas de gamme.
Aussi comment peut-on avoir une aussi belle carte des vins (Petrus, Cheval-Blanc, Palmer...) & ne proposer au verre que du 'cabernet' ou du 'shiraz' duquel je n'ai même pas pu voir la bouteille ?
Pour le dessert, La crème brulée est simplement catastrophique. chaude & non craquante sur le dessus, je n'en ai mangé que le quart. Je m'attendais à un questionnement du serveur, qui a simplement débarrassé mon assiette.
Je me demande comment ce restaurant a obtenu une recommandation du guide Debeur.
Très très mauvaise expérience.
Voici un restaurant au décor très classique, disons que ça vise une clientèle assez âgée. Par contre, qu’on aime ou pas le décor, le service est vraiment exemplaire, très discipliner & juste assez présent pour que ça ne soit pas trop dérangeant. A l’image du décor, le menu est très classique, rien de très innovateur. Nous avons commencé avec l’entrée de champignon, tout y était, très bon comme plat. Ensuite, ma conjointe a pris le carré d’agneau qu’elle a adoré & pour ma part j’ai pris les pétoncles sauce épinard, un vrai délice. Dans les 2 cas, la cuisson, les accompagnements & la présentation étaient parfaits, dignes d’un très grand restaurant. La carte des vins est très impressionnante & le prix des grandes bouteilles est très respectable (pour certaines bouteilles seulement 50% de plus chère que la SAQ, mais dans de vieux millésimes). Seul point négatif, lorsqu’on demande de l’eau régulière, il nous charge une bouteille à 7.50$ & cela sans nous en avertir au préalable.
