Le Pois Penché

Renaissance

2.0

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).

Jan 2, 2025

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Yancey

5.0

We stumbled onto this lovely place for lunch after a visit to the art museum. It truly felt like a trip to a top restaurant in Paris! Delicious food-possibly the best frites I've ever had anywhere-& a terrific & knowledgeable waiter. My husband's oysters & moules frites were memorable, & our wines were lovely.

Nov 15, 2024

on Google

Jean

5.0

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!!

Nov 5, 2024

on Google

Vincent

5.0

Top place for oysters! Julian is not only an expert shucker- he is a true sommelier. Beside this, there are Unique menu items like walleye fish, wonderful wine selection, fresh soups, but the service & atmosphere are what really will bring you back. Our waiter engaged us & helped us discover some of the best gems on the menu. Highly recommended, our favorite restaurant in Montreal!

Sep 1, 2024

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Adoni

5.0

Visited this restaurant on Saturday night with a woman I met on bumble The food was impeccable The wine was great Her oral skills back in the car were astonishing Overall a wonderful night

Jul 2, 2024

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Dan

5.0

What an amazing dinner & service. The night started with a cheerful greeting by India. She went out of her way to get us the perfect table ( not an easy feat ). Then our server Guillaume gave us the best service by showing up on time every time for every course. We asked Guillaume to select our menu based on some criteria & he absolutely killed it. Every course & wine was perfectly paired. He did this on his own & in other places you have to pay double for this! My daughter called this place a 10 out of 10 & I could not agree more! Thank you India & Guillaume for proving why Montreal dinning is next level!

May 18, 2024

on Google

Kasia

5.0

Excellent night, amazing first time at Le Pois Penche. I asked our waiter his name, & of course, it slips my mind now (Francois maybe, oh he was so knowledgeable about the wines, was friendly enough to talk about his home in Monaco, & was wonderfully warm about all of our menu selections. We had a beautiful champagne with dinner, oysters, starters, & Brittany had the canard confit, & I had the Atlantic salmon with leeks for mains. Insanely good. Truly fine french cuisine (I have been to Paris, & this takes me there.) Would go back in a heartbeat. Make that, half a heartbeat. Merci beaucoup!

May 13, 2024

on Google

Zuhal

4.0

A great place to experience the French bistro. By stepping in, you feel the Parisien atmosphere the interior decoration, the elegant guests, the French accent & the kindest service staff. The food is amazing, the complementary sauces are making the extra notch & they have a good wine cella

May 7, 2024

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Red

5.0

We had a lovely meal with great service. The sommelier picked a delicious wine to pair with our seafood.

Apr 30, 2024

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Tj

5.0

This place is a must stoo on a culinary tour of Montreal. The staff the open kitchen & the food was amazing. Our server Guillaume was very helpful in choosing entres & wine. They have sourced out a farm that has certified Wagu cows limited to only 14 animals.a year. Although didn't have time to try will definitely partake next time. I have been to many Michelin Star establishments as you can see from my posts & this place is by far one of the top 5 restaurants I have been to. The flavor was outstanding in everything & you can feel the passion in the food that is prepared. The oysters were perfect. The grilled octopus is comparable to Octopus I have had in Rome. The Duck Confit was the best I have had. Well done! I will be back!

Apr 13, 2024

on Google

Chantal

5.0

We flew from Toronto to Montreal to celebrate my birthday a few weeks ago. Stayed only 2 nights one of which had to include Le Pois Penché for dinner. It was amazing as always! Beautiful shrimp then we had the Steak Frites, the meat was so tender & tasty & the frites were heaven! Wonderful wine, beautiful atmosphere & superb service! Every trip back home I have to drop in its that special. Thx to LPP...Chantal

Feb 11, 2024

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Luis

3.0

DO NOT SIT AT THE BAR. If you do, you have the chance of being seated near a male customer who will not take "no" for an answer. He is apparently a daily regular & the staff seem to tolerate him well, but I ended up being cornered in a very awkward conversation. When he started saying racist things about his Mexican-American in-laws, I begged for the bill & left behind an expensive glass of wine & half-eaten dinner. The food was very fine, but my memory of this place will always be how uncomfortable I was made to feel while I was there.

Nov 2, 2023

on Google