Le Nil Bleu on St-Denis Street in Le Plateau is a rare Ethiopian restaurant to offer flavourful, yet exotic meals that patrons keep going back for. The cuisine at Le Nil Bleu is composed of lamb, chicken, beef, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Le Nil bleu also offers combo plates which allow diners to sample several offerings. The exotic decor features art, musical instruments and print fabrics. The environment is intimate and relaxing. We now offer delivery!
Le Nil Bleu is described as an exceptional Ethiopian dining experience in Montreal, with flavorful, authentic dishes that showcase rich spices and generous portions, and a tasting menu that allows guests to explore a wide range of flavors. The atmosphere is warm, elegant, and inviting, with attentive, friendly service that makes guests feel welcome. The vegan options are highly praised, and the presentation and quality of ingredients are frequently highlighted. Occasional feedback mentions slower pacing or busy periods, but the overall experience is considered memorable and well worth a return visit, confirming it as a standout in the city.
One of the best restaurant experiences I had in Montreal. Food was excellent & presentation was magnificent. The atmosphere is superbly enjoyable. I would definitely revisit this restaurant when I am in Montreal next time.
Jul 28, 2022
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Nous avons du attendre notre une heure de temps avant de recevoir le repas alors que nous étions avec un enfant de 5 ans. Nous leur en avons faites part que l'attente était vraiment long & que le plus jeune des enfants avait faim tout comme nous d'ailleurs.
De plus, lorsque nos repas sont finalement arrivés, ils étaient froid. Nous l'avons mentionné à notre serveuse (très gentille d'ailleurs) & nous lui avons demandé de mettre la paume de sa main au dessus de chaque plat pour qu'effectivement elle confirme également que les plats étaient froids. Elle a eu la délicatesse de nous offrir d'autres plats, mais ayant attendu 1 heure pour être servis, nous avons préférer garder nos plats.
Aucun compensation n'a été offerte !
De plus, l'une d'entre nous avait un verre de vin spécifique, on le lui a amené sans qu'elle puisse voir la bouteille choisie. Elle a du réitérer à trois reprises son désir de voir la bouteille pour qu'enfin elle le lui présente. C'est le minimum lorsque tu sers un verre de vin. C'est pas un casse-croûte, c'est un restaurant.
L'ambiance est bien, la serveuse souriante, gentille tant avec nous qu'avec les enfants.
The service was great as was the food; this was our first experience with Ethiopian cuisine & we very much enjoyed all of the dishes that we tried. I would say that the one drawback is the temperature in the restaurant. It's a hot time of year & we didn't feel any AC or fans while we were there, which made things uncomfortable & less enjoyable.
This place is a gem. The decor although very modern remains truthful to its origin. The food is very traditional & authentic, leaving one wanting more.
With a very subtle ambiance & an extremely attentive yet discreet staff. We will definitely go back.
We certainly enjoyed our meal (see below for details), but we have also had the good luck of being able to enjoy excellent Ethiopian food in various other cities (e.g., Dakar, Washington, DC, Atlanta) & have to say that, while the food at Le nil bleu in Montreal was flavorful, it was bland by comparison. Maybe Le nil bleu thinks that it needs to tone down the flavors (&, especially, the heat) for the local clientele. For anybody who is new to Ethiopian cuisine, Le nil bleu offers a reasonable introduction. For us, not needing any such introduction, eating at Le nil bleu whetted our appetite, leaving us hungry for something more authentic. We wouldn't mind eating at Le nil bleu again, but we'll be checking out its competition first.
We had the vegetarian fixed-price menu for two people. The appetizer platter had three items (rather than four as advertised). Our favorite for the entire meal was the yeberdjane (eggplant puree topped with another puree involving a lot of garlic). The yetimatim (tomato) salad & carmelized vegetables were good, if less impressive. The main platter consisted of gommen (spinach), yekik alicha (split peas), yemesser watt (lentils), zucchini sire (zucchini & – a few - beets), & yatakelt watt (carrots, cabbage, & - a little - potato), with a kale salad in the middle. Of these dishes, we agreed that the gommen was the best, followed by the yekik alicha & yemesser watt. The zucchini, presented as somewhat spicey, tasted a little of curry but was very mild. In fact, none of the dishes were spicey in the sense of being hot. The kale salad felt out of place &, while innocuous, didn't add much. The quantity of food was just right for the two of us. In particular, there was enough injera; we didn't need to ask for any extra rolls.
My daughter had the hibiscus ginger drink. She really enjoyed it, despite the fact that it was unexpectedly fizzy & she doesn't like fizzy drinks in general. The flavor of ginger was somewhat stronger than that of hibiscus. My glass of red wine (Vega Tolosa nature) was fine if unexceptional. I was surprised not to see Ethiopian honey wine on the menu.
We chose to eat on the terrace & thus to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. A bus & a couple of garbage trucks reminded us that we were next to the street, but it was otherwise easy to ignore the street noise, at least on a Saturday evening in late June. On the other hand, our table was somewhat wobbly; looking around us, however, the others seemed more stable. Inside, the restaurant has rather low lighting; this could be an issue for anybody with low vision, especially when going downstairs to use the toilets. I noticed some large paintings or prints with generic African scenes (i.e., not particularly Ethiopian) & the zebra-print upholstered chairs.
