Paris may be an ocean away, but the art of casual French bistro dining is not lost at Le Pois Penché in the heart of downtown Montréal.
The menu reads like a who’s-who of Parisian comfort food favourites, with beloved classics the likes of steak tartare and duck confit in mustard sauce alongside an array of spectacular seafood platters. Boasting one of the most interesting wine collections in the city, Le Pois Penché offers an impressive selection of imported bottles and wines by the glass.
This authentic French brasserie delivers fine cuisine in simple opulence: plush red velvet, checkerboard floor tile, crystal chandeliers, large paintings and a blackboard listing the daily specials on the wall. In the middle, a large bar; around it, busy waiters flitting to and from, outfitted in the traditional white shirt, black vest and apron. French bistro, through and through.
Le Pois Penché’s terrasse buzzes with animated conversation while its private banquet rooms reserve their splendour for group functions. Le Cellier, in particular, offers a sumptuous venue for events up to 70 guests, with vibrant Parisian settings by artist Pierre Pivet, a vaulted brick ceiling, and the restaurant’s prized wine cellars displayed behind sleek glass panels. Connected to the brasserie, Salon Chez Swann, in the boutique hotel of the same name, is ideal for groups of 24 guests or less.
Our Specialties
Oyster bar, Tartares (salmon, tuna, beef) & shellfish platters.
Le Pois Penché offers a refined French brasserie experience with classic dishes given a Montreal touch, set in an elegant yet comfortable space where attentive service and a warm atmosphere pair with a standout wine and oyster program. Oysters, escargot, bouillabaisse, duck confit, mussels, and favorites like Paris Brest and creme brulee are frequently praised, and the bar area along with occasional live singing adds a charming, convivial vibe. The dining room works well for intimate celebrations or relaxed meals, with reliable, knowledgeable staff and thoughtful touches that make guests feel welcome, from wine pairings to easy reservations and a private room option for special occasions.
Absolutely amazing experience! Marwa took care of me so well! I had such a delicious meal! I highly recommend the oysters & smoked salmon (it's not salty!! Just right) with the baguette. The dessert was so yummy too! 100% would come back!
Mes attentes étaient assez élevées pour ce restaurant, compte tenu des prix. J'aurais donné 3,5 étoiles. Pour ce que ça coûte, il existe de meilleures options.
Le service était très correct.
La nourriture aussi était correcte.
Par contre, le dessert m'a vraiment déçu : ma crème brûlée était littéralement brûlée, ce qui explique ma note plus basse.
Apr 5, 2026
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Excellent service, le serveur Marco était très sympathique & courtois, ainsi que le maître d'hôtel Hugo qui connaît bien les vins. L'ambiance est charmante, chaleureuse, agréable & conviviale. Pour un souper en amoureux, c'est exquis & je le recommande fortement. La nourriture est absolument délicieuse, de l'apéritif au dessert. De plus, pour notre anniversaire de couple, la maison nous a offert les desserts.
I went to this beautiful restaurant & had such a lovely waiter that showed great hospitality. It was so nice that I returned a few days later with my husband & sat at the bar. What a different experience. The young woman tending the bar was brusque, condescending & started spray cleaning the bar on either side of us after we ordered dessert! We were well within closing time but I guess she wanted to start her cleaning early. Not great.
Arrived for supper on a snowy Montreal evening. Reservations are recommended. We were given our choice of two tables. Our server was courteous & knowledgeable, recommending a wine for my wife, which she truly enjoyed. We chose the fish of the day to share for our entree. The sea bass was perfectly cooked & delicately seasoned, accompanied by a selection of root vegetables. Perfect! Dessert was profiteroles, which were delicious, especially when smothered in warm chocolate sauce. The atmosphere was not too noisy & the tables are spaced sufficiently to permit private conversation. Overall, a very enjoyable dimimg experience.
Le Pois Penché was the perfect way to end our Montreal trip. My husband & I went on our last night in the city & it ended up being one of the highlights of the whole visit.
Our server Andrew completely elevated the experience. He took the time to ask about our preferences & made thoughtful recommendations that were spot-on, & he was so attentive & warm the entire evening without ever being overbearing.
The ambiance struck that rare balance of feeling elegant & special without being stuffy or pretentious. It's the kind of place you can dress up for a nice dinner but still feel relaxed & comfortable.
The food was fantastic. We started with the calamari, I had the lamb, & my husband had the duck & everything was beautifully prepared & full of flavor. The glass of wine we had was also excellent, oaky & dry with no fruitiness, & it paired beautifully with the meal.
To top it all off, they even comped us dessert & the crème brûlée was hands-down the best we've ever had. I'm still thinking about it.
We would 100% come back the next time we're in Montreal. Highly recommend for a memorable, genuinely enjoyable dining experience.
Endroit agréable & service impeccable, cependant les prix sont assez exorbitants.
Payer 25 $ pour cinq crevettes servies sur glace pilée, accompagnées d'un petit récipient de sauce & d'un quartier de citron, me semble excessif - d'autant plus que les crevettes sont sans saveur.
La bouillabaisse à 42 $ se compose de deux crevettes, trois morceaux de poisson & quatre moules, & souffre malheureusement du même manque de goût.
La carte des desserts suit logiquement la même tendance tarifaire : des prix élevés pour des portions très modestes. La crème brûlée est réalisée avec de vraies gousses de vanille, ce qui est un gage de qualité, mais l'expérience serait bien meilleure si la vanille restait homogènement intégrée à la crème plutôt que déposée au fond du bol.
À noter toutefois un bon vin blanc à 65 $ la bouteille, que l'on peut retrouver à la SAQ pour environ 25 $ - une marge assez impressionnante, à mon avis. Quand on rentre dans un bistrot on s'attend à une bonne quantité dans nos assiettes.
En résumé, si vous venez pour dépenser votre argent sans attendre une quantité raisonnable ni une expérience culinaire marquante, Le Poids Penché est le bon endroit.
Jan 17, 2026
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I really enjoyed dining here! The food was very good, but I found that the courses came out too quickly. I had barely finished one piece of bread when the appetizers came! The salmon tartare was excellent, & easily my favourite dish that I tried. The duck confit was cooked very well, & the sauce was delicious. For dessert, the paris-brest & crème brûlée were both very good but not better than I would expect from a pastry shop (paris-brest) or regular steakhouse (crème brûlée).
The salmon tartare was spicy but not too spicy with such great flavours. The mussels were delicious & that sauce was scrumptious. The Paris Brest, dessert, was one of the best we've ever had. Thank you to Sarah, the wonderful hostess for being so graceful. Thank you to all the staff for such great service. But mostly thank you to Imad, the owner, for your wonderful hospitality.
Best French food in Montreal hands down! I easily made a reservation & from the time I walked in, I was promptly seated at a lovely table on the side of the bar. It was a bonus the server was able to speak English, he even offered to speak French or English. We end up ordering wine & the waiter made an amazing recommendation. Along with food specials, he suggested to us some great items. We end up ordering a couple of appetizers, a few entrees & desserts! Every so often he'd come by to check in with us, & it's the little things that he does that makes our dining experience superb like pouring wine for us, cleaning any empty plates & maintaining a clean table. Other servers & even the hostess stopped by our table to make sure everything was to our liking. You can see a whole team effort & it doesn't go unnoticed! Everything was just absolutely incredible, unforgettable dining experience & I'll be sure to dine here again on my next visit back to Montreal!
Service presqu'impeccable! Rapide & attentionné, un ptit oublie au départ qu'on a vite fait de me faire oublier.
Nourriture: pâte fraîche & champignons. bon dessert & café goûteux.
Très bel arrêt sur une terrasse parfois bruyante, normal! nous sommes sur la rue.
This was an unexpected delight! From the moment we walked in, we were transported back to some other timeline. There was a man standing in the restaurant with the microphone singing old tunes… Think Frank Sinatra, etc.… With a very easy on the ears voice. We could also see a gorgeous oyster bar. The vibe was very happy immediately. The restaurant was full, but not overly loud. The service began the moment we walked in the door. We felt very welcomed. We were seated immediately at a nice round table… There were five of us. The bread & butter served to the table was delicious. I know it's just bread, but it was very very good bread. Some of our appetizers included escargot, fresh oysters (hand chosen by the oyster master... they were served in a specific order.) & were all delicious. Our mains included Steak Frites (except we requested Dauphine potatoes instead of frites) & Moules Frites with some amazing crème brûlée for dessert. Cocktails & wine were delicious. The service & the vibe were splendid. We almost went back the next night, but we decided we should diversify. Highly recommend!
It was our first time at this restaurant -- & it did not disappoint! From the moment we walked in, the service was warm & attentive. The food was flavorful & well-prepared, & the dessert was absolutely delicious. A wonderful highlight of our Montreal trip -- highly recommend!
This renowned French restaurant offers a taste of Paris in downtown Montréal. The décor was elegant & the service was exemplary. The long & complete wine list offered excellent choices. The food was delicious, featuring classic French fare with a local twisted. The duck confit boasted crispy skin & tender meat. The bouillabaisse was outstanding, simmered perfectly to extract all the flavor. The Paris-Brest was a must-enjoyed dessert.
May 16, 2025
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Restaurant très agréable & peu bruyant malgré l'effervescence. Les escargots & le confit de canard étaient délicieux, une cuisson parfaite. J'ai craqué pour le Paris-Brest en dessert, pour finir un repas déjà copieux, & ne regrette absolument pas :)
I really liked the atmosphere of this restaurant. It's beautiful inside, the service is excellent, but the food I found just ok. Kids really liked the dessert.
No doubt the food here is excellent: the oysters were perfectly complemented by the mignonette, scallops with sea urchin emulsion was buttery & luscious, & the confit canard was crispy while still being fall off the bone. We went on New Year's Day evening & these were standout dishes that we would definitely come back for. However, the cocktails & more importantly, the service was really where they dropped the ball. The cocktails were too dilute, like they were overmixed or otherwise let to stand too long so the ice has melted significantly & made them too watery. Our server was friendly enough, & he started us off well with a warm welcome, the menus, & specials. After that, he appeared to ignore our table for pretty much the whole meal. Different servers brought us water, wine, & our food while he was preoccupied with other tables. We thought it was because we were a party of two & he was just busy with the bigger tables he had, but then we noticed he was more attentive of other tables with parties of two (for example, two other couples were seated after us, & they received their bread & butter without asking within minutes of being seated, whereas we waited around 30 minutes for bread service & had to ask the server that brought our wine for it--it came just as our appetizer was dropped). Throughout our mains, we did not get so much as a check-in, a re-pour of wine, or a top-up of water. We were not asked if we wanted to order more wine while the couples beside us & the family behind us got multiple check-ins. When our dessert came, we also didn't get a check-in. When we asked for the bill, it took close to ten minutes to get it while he was attending to other tables, topping up their wines & waters. Overall, it was a pretty disappointing service experience especially since we were visiting the city & were really excited to try out the restaurant. We were at a loss as to why it went downhill so quickly while others appeared to have decent service. Was it because we are a queer couple that did not speak French? The place was busy but it didn't feel slammed to warrant how we were neglected. Either way, the food was quite impressive but we would be wary of returning because of the service especially with the amount we spent (& we could have spent more).
It was an overall great service & the meals were cooked very well. Personally, I had the lamb, it was cooked at medium & the texture was soft & very tender. The chocolate mouse log with vanilla ice cream inside was a great dessert. I felt as if the ice cream really balanced well with the mouse. The selection from the menu was satisfying & varied, although the menu was limited due to the Christmas addition, the items that were served on the menu were still delectable. The service was great, I had my water refilled multiple times throughout my dinner without requesting. Furthermore, the food came out relatively quick.
Good location, downtown but not overly busy area. Expensive, but worth a try & worth returning to. From the appies to the dessert, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience.
