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 impresses with an elegant yet welcoming brasserie vibe, refined French fare, and a standout wine list that pairs with attentive, warm service to create consistently memorable meals. Guests praise dishes ranging from duck confit, bouillabaisse, and onion soup to escargots and fresh oysters, all prepared with balance and depth, plus desserts like paris-brest and creme brulee that delight. The atmosphere is stylish and cozy, with a lively bar scene and occasional live music that adds charm without overpowering conversation. The staff are repeatedly noted for friendliness, knowledge, and timely, thoughtful recommendations that make guests feel at home, and reservations are often advised for prime seating. The bread, seafood platters, and well curated pairings further elevate the experience. In short, Le Pois Penché is a premier spot for high quality French cuisine, gracious service, and a memorable dining experience in the city.
Excellent restaurant pour son ambiance, sa cuisine raffinée & son excellent service, je vous le recommande pour un souper d'amoureux ou une rencontre conviviale. Le seul bémol est l'addition qui est au-dessus de 100 $.
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.
Mar 28, 2026
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Le Pois Penché is love at first spoon. The best onion soup in Montreal - rich, perfectly balanced, & absolutely unforgettable.
The service is outstanding: very attentive, professional, & genuinely warm staff who make you feel truly welcome. The atmosphere is elegant & cozy at the same time. I was extremely happy with my experience & will definitely be coming back.
Le hasard fait bien les choses ! Nous avons découvert un petit bijou en matière de restaurant ! Avec ma fille, nous étions en route vers le Holt Renfrew Ogilvy mais on voulait manger un petit quelque chose avant. Le menu sur la devanture nous a séduit & nous sommes entrés. L'établissement était bien rempli en cette fin de matinée de dimanche, de grandes tables arborairent des bons plats, de la bonne humeur, entre célébration & touristes qui ont trouvé une belle place pour bruncher. J'ai opté pour les OEufs à la Turque (Yogourt labneh, noix de pin, beurre noisette aux épices d'Alep), je voulais tester quelque chose que je ne connaissais pas & ça a été une excellente surprise, le yogourt labneh, noix de pin & pain se mariaient très bien. Ma fille a pris le pancakes & pommes caramélisé avec un
glace babeurre & des pacanes, là encore, c'est savoureux. Nous avons pris le temps de déguster nos plats, je regardais la salle qui est vraiment un bel endroit & c'est toujours un vrai plaisir de voir des clients heureux, joyeux, profitant du moment présent & bien sur les plats qui vous font de l'oeil portés par des serveurs attentionnés. Il va falloir revenir pour goûter à la carte du souper !
We had a nice dinner for NYE & we love this wonderful restaurant, the people who work here are very gently 😊 Special Thanks to Gregory! he make us feel like home, we love the ambiance with th Dj that we enjoy & Dance highly recommend ❤🤩 we definitely come back for that soupe d'oignion soon
Visiting Montreal a week ago. Visited the first of three nights. It was so good, we came back the third night! Wonderful French bistro. Many classics on menu, with interesting alternatives. The escargot was delicious. Expertly prepared tasty duck confit. Loved the onion soup & hanger steak as well. The baguette was perfect. I could have eaten two baskets. Nice, warm & inviting decor, with red banquets. Service was excellent. A special thank you to our server Marwa. Highly recommended!
What the hell this the best French meal I've ever had. & I don't use the word'ever' lightly. The price is average for French fine dining but the taste & execution punches way above its weight.
I had the best duck confit ever. Best foie gras ever (& I usually don't like them.) Best French onion soup ever. Incredible restaurant & the servers are amazing too.
Oct 7, 2025
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J aime bien ce chic bistro à la francaise! Que cela soit pour le brunch, le lunch ou le souper, il est toujours agréable d y prendre un repas ou simplement s installer au bar pour un déguster un verre champagne & des fruits de mer.
Personnellement j aime y aller pour bruncher le weekend. Un mimosa ou un verre de sancerre (les deux la plus par du temps!)ensuite le plat de croissant au crabe est un must pour moi (ou le croissant au homard selon la saison), un bol de frites croustillantes, une salade fraiche un peu acidulée mais combien savoureuse & pour finir un excellent café! Il est certain que j y retournerai dès que l occasion s y présentera.
This restaurant was recommended to us by hotel staff. We weren't particularly hungry after a late lunch, but also wanted a nice glass of wine. We were not disappointed!
We walked in about 6 pm without a reservation & were offered seats at the bar. The server was very friendly but a tad slow for just about everything.
After ordering our wine, we opted for some French Onion soup - it was amazing! Nothing like the overly salty mush of bread topped with cheese we often see. We followed that up with two appetizers - the Octopus & Escargot.
The Octopus was excellent - topped with salad & on a beet sauce (excuse the photo - we started to eat before we remembered to take a picture!). I love, love, love Escargot. This did not disappoint. There were at least 10 pieces, & it was perfectly cooked with just the right amount of garlic & seasoned butter.
I wish I could comment to the dinner selections other than to say everything being served around us looked delicious!!
Absolutely delicious bread, soup, & salmon. The salmon was cooked perfectly, & probably was the freshest, tastiest salmon I've ever had. I'd go back in a heartbeat. The one little complaint is that I had to ask a few times for ice water before they brought ice to me.
Aug 25, 2025
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I ate here during f1 weekend. The service was top tier, our waiter was very patient & kind. The food wasn't anything special but it was still good, a tad overpriced for me. I had the French onion soup & steak frite.
We went twice during our trip & would recommend to anyone! We first went for lunch & had the best French onion soup I've ever had in my life. Our waiter Andrew was wonderful & so kind as to recommend several other dishes, so we ended up changing our dinner plans the final night of our trip to return.
The salmon tartare, mushroom cavatelli, lamb steak, & profiteroles were all 10/10. Big thank you to both Andrew & Tony for top notch service & recommendations!
Pour une première fois c'était impeccable malgré une erreur de réservation de ma part, l'équipe, courtoise & réactive, a su arranger la situation avec souplesse en ajoutant des places à notre table.
Leur menu comporte énormément d'option, je reviendrais plutôt que prévus.
We picked this restaurant from the Google review & search. Overall , we enjoy our dinner right from the start to finish. The seafood platter has two types of oysters. One is from PEI & the other is from Northern Quebec. We ordered extra local Quebec Choux oysters. The French onion soups use sweet onion. The New Steak is well made with nice French Fries. The Crème brûlée is very tasty. The Strawberry & Mango sorbets are high recommended as a finish of the highly enjoyable dinner.
Jun 1, 2025
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My family & I had an amazing dinner here tonight. Clement was extremely welcoming & attentive. The manager & other staff were also very gracious & accommodating, working with Clement to make sure the meal was executed flawlessly. Everything we ordered was excellent (le parisien seafood platter, escargot, soup à l'oignon, steak frites, bouillabaisse, canard confit). The canard confit was the best I've had anywhere.
I did want to highlight that the staff's attention to detail is excellent. When the manager escorted us to our table tonight, there was a high chair & toy ready for my son. (I dine out very frequently & always leave a note requesting a high chair; Le Pois Penche is the only restaurant I've been to in the last year that had a high chair set up before our arrival.)
I cannot recommend Le Pois Penche enough! Reservations are easy to make via OpenTable. Amazing food, flawless execution.
Quelle belle découverte que ce restaurant! Nous avons visité Le Pois Penché en équipe pour le lunch, & tout le monde a adoré. Il y avait un menu spécial en l'honneur du Pays basque, & les plats étaient à la fois appétissants, originaux, & surtout délicieux. L'ensemble du groupe a été conquis, & nous avons déjà prévu de revenir. Personnellement, j'ai hâte d'y retourner pour un souper, car si le dîner était aussi savoureux, je suis curieuse de découvrir plus de cet établissement. L'intérieur est magnifique, avec une attention particulière portée au confort des clients. Les sièges sont très confortables & l'atmosphère chaleureuse. Le service était globalement excellent, mais j'ai été un peu déçu qu'un serveur tente de débarrasser mon assiette alors que je n'avais pas encore terminé. Bien que mes collègues aient fini leur repas, je prenais encore mon temps &, avec ma fourchette en main, il a pris mon assiette sans s'en rendre compte. Ce n'était qu'un léger accroc dans une expérience sinon impeccable.
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Le Pois Penche on Friday 11/1/24 based on a recommendation from my hotel Le Nouvel Hotel. The quality of the food, the hip atmosphere, & the service were all exemplary, so much so that I went back Saturday night as well. I was seated Friday at the Oyster bar & had the pleasure to meet Julien a talented Oyster Man & amazing ambassador for Le Pois Penche & for Montreal in general. Julien described the available oysters in culinary detail & presented an artistic & delicious plate of oysters along with suggestions on accoutrements to complement the various oyster flavors. We'll be awaiting your oyster video Julien... My server Marwa was attentive, helpful, & pleasant. Based on my superb experience Friday, Marwa helped me book a reservation for a return Saturday with my daughter. On Saturday Julien thoughtfully introduced my daughter to raw oysters since she had never had them before & she loved them. After a delectable course of oysters, we dined on tomato & onion soup before moving on to a course of NY steak with mashed potatoes & mushrooms based on great suggestions from our premier server Marwa. She also suggested some fine wine to complement our meals. We both can't wait to return to this fine restaurant to experience the food, great atmosphere, fellow diners, & especially the superior service!!
The duck confict is very good & the onion soup was excellent. The meat of the hanger steak beef isn't soft, but the sauce is great. The dessert was delicious.
