Reviews consistently describe Le Vin Papillon as a standout Montreal dining spot with inventive, shareable plates, a strong, thoughtfully curated wine list, and a warm, relaxed atmosphere. The menu shines with items like ham and cheese, crudo, beef tartare, a comforting charcoal fish dish, and the famous carrot cake ice cream sandwich, while desserts and maitakes mushrooms are praised for their creativity and quality. Service is noted as attentive and knowledgeable by many, though a few comments mention occasional slow service, a lively but noisy room, and tight seating. The open kitchen and intimate yet welcoming vibe contribute to a memorable dining experience, making it a recommended choice for celebrations or casual nights out with friends. Overall, Le Vin Papillon is regarded as one of Montreal's top dining options for flavorful, innovative cooking and a standout natural wine program, with many guests already planning a return.
The physical restaurant is cozy & not overly packed. The outdoor terrace is very casual with nice gas fire heaters & a solid roof that covers it, but our table & several others had benches with no back support (ouch). A decent view of the neighboring track/sports field. Reserved & indicated it was for a special occasion. Was no mention of it/acknowledgement from the staff which was too bad as we were celebrating a friend's engagement. Waitress was not overly friendly & after we mentioned it was our first time dining there, did not really guide us through the standard menu or indicate if we were ordering too much or not enough. We ordered multiple dishes which she mentioned would come in courses but the choice of what was served & when was up to the staff. It came out in random orders & often one plate at a time which kept the table looking a bit empty/sad as it's geared for family-style servings of small portions. Most of our dishes were extremely tasty & I'd recommend them (especially the steak & calamari skewers). The carbonara bread & rhubarb tart were extremely boring & lacking flavor. The caramel sauce with the ice cream sandwich was amazing but the sandwich on its own was bland. All in all it was an OK experience but it didn't leave me wanting more. Maybe we just caught them on an off night but we were definitely hoping for more.
Amazing food, a lot of fun specials, & delicious drinks. I really liked their Elderflower Sour Mocktail. The suggestion was to order 4-6 dishes - we got 7 & still had room for dessert (of which we ordered 2). We left the restaurant reasonably full, but for the price, I expected a bit more food for each portion. We even considered for a moment going to another restaurant for an extra dish.
The vibe was immaculate, the staff really friendly & helpful (they were super attentive to my allergies), & the food was so good, with some surprising combos that worked super well.
A solid dining experience, just didn't get the bang for the buck we wanted in the end.
Apr 3, 2026
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It's quite an experience to come to this place & try their delicious dishes. The service isn't the best; our waiter forgot to take our order & ask us if we needed anything else. They also gave us a table next to the entrance, & when the door opened, the cold winter air came in...
We really wanted to love this place but the experience was really bumpy- for the price & the serving size things would need to be smoother.
Our waitress clearly had opinions about what we should order but she voiced them AFTER we ate mediocre dishes.
The stuffed squash blossoms were lovely, the tomatoes & haddock- also exquisite- & if the dinner had continued on this note all would have been divine…. but then a tiny mysterious leek patty arrived that was utterly blah…& a tiny, singular, dry chicken thigh (two bites each between us) served with a bizarre pile of sunflower seeds.
The worst part of the meal was the rock hard (could barely cut with a steak knife), dry, burned shortcake that came with only a sprinkling of strawberries to mask the acrid, tough dough.
After so much good food in Montreal - it was hard to spend so much on a'special' meal & have it be so disappointing.
Horrible writing a bad review but how else anyone is supposed to improve?
Beautiful terrasse in the back, amazing wine selection & delicious dishes. Must have the carrot caramel cake for dessert. Everything was top notch! Perfect ambiance for date night !
Superb place serving delicious & interesting tapas style dishes. The staff are incredibly friendly & also very knowledgeable about the huge wine offering they have ... do ask them for guidance! A real foodies paradise with a wonderful vibe as the restaurant has an old cozy feel, full of warmth & laughte
Had an absolutely amazing dining experience at this restaurant!! Came here for dinner (3 people) & the staff & our server was just so wonderful & friendly. The vibes inside the restuarant is cozy & has a warmth to it. The decor is also pretty to look at.
The menu is written in all French (I can't speak or understand French), however, our server was so kind & gracious to go through each dish on the menu (one-by-one) & tell us the ingredients of the meal in English. He gave us recommendations & we ordered those items. I cannot express enough how lush each dish tasted. It was packed full of flavour with different textures & everything was just so delightful! You can really taste the craftsmanship of how the food was cooked & presented. For three people - five dishes were enough to share. The portion sizes were great & you can always add more if you're still hungry. I am definitely coming back here again & I highly highly recommend for people to stop by this restaurant if you are ever in Montreal.
Had a concert across the street & reserved a spot at this resto upon reading other reviewers noting 2/3 of the menu items were Gluten Free for my spouse. It was our first visit. Our server, Charles, took the time to explain the menu with gluten free options & indeed 2/3 of the menu were GF. Each dish that was brought to the table was also explicitly stated by the server if it had gluten (I ordered gluten containing dishes). The gluten free items we had were Shaved ham, Chicken dish, Maitake mushrooms, Charbon Fish (Monk fish) & Carrot cake dessert. Non GF item ordered were the Chouquette with tuna, Bread, & Crostata apple pastry dessert. Initially seeing the reviews of complaints of portion size had us doubt our choice & only the fish dish was a bit out of proportion but it was immediately made up with the prep & flavours of the dish. You have to taste the food here to understand why it's so highly rated & not judge it by pictures alone. The service, the food ingredients, the excellent prep & flavours of every dish we had were extraordinary with wine pairing recommendations. The GF carrot cake dessert was incredible. Even the final double shot espresso was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed our first dining experience here & will be back for the service & attention to excellent gluten free options & dessert.
Far cry from when we were last here a few years ago: within minutes, a manager said something rather unkind about us after we politely asked if we could change tables. She didn't even try to speak quietly, we both heard what she said loud & clear. What a start to the evening! As for the food, some of the plates' portions were less than 1/2 the size of what we were expecting, (& we were expecting small plates to begin with) & a couple of dishes were meant to be returned outright: like the potato dauphine with mussels which was essentially just a deep fried pocket of air that tasted of burnt oil served with precisely 4 tiny smoked mussels which is a pairing that, well, doesn't pair at all. Visually, it made me gag & you'll see why if you order it. Or the delicata squash which was served as 4 baby bite-sized bits of vegetable: at that point it's just insulting to two grown adults. But I guess I should have taken the hint when our waiter greeted us not by wishing us a happy anniversary the way every other restaurant has done in the past after reading the reservation notes, but instead by asking if we know how their renowned restaurant concept works. Now we do.
Oct 5, 2024
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If I had stumbled upon this place, I would have probably been more impressed, but my group came to this restaurant specifically because we were in town just for a few days, so we decided to try one of Canada's top 100 restaurants. This is probably where our disappointment came from, as I think we were expecting a bit more. Pros: •Everything was tasty! •Our server was very knowledgeable about their wines & took the time to help my table with our questions regarding wine & the food menu. •The ambiance was good! I would consider it a cool place to grab dinner. •We had two servers as one was finishing up, & they were both excellent. I would have only liked better guidance on the portion size of some dishes while ordering. Cons: •The signature dish was prosciutto cotto with cheese & black pepper. While tasty, I think a little less emphasis on it being their "specialty" would have gone over a lot better with our table. •The razor clam portion was pitiful. Two shells with diced clam & veggies (ceviche type) served on a bed of salt? Again, this was tasty, but the portion & presentation fell flat. My friend accidentally took a spoonful of salt & was convinced it had to be some riced veggie as the portion was so small. For reference, we were a group of three, & each got a spoonful of the dish, not including the spoonful of salt. •Some dishes were dropped off without a peep; nothing was described or pointed out about them. This could have saved my friend from a spoonful of salt 😂I definitely expected a little more table service in this regard, considering the restaurant's rating. •One employee worked in a paint-stained jumpsuit, which we felt was an interesting choice for this casual fine-dining restaurant. •We left a little hungry & underwhelmed
This place has amazing food & a really cozy vibe. Their dishes are perfect for sharing with friends. The server recommended that we get six dishes for our group of 3, & it was just the right amount. & the dessert was out of this world - we had a heavenly chef's special: a carrot cake ice cream sandwich with toffee. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great spot to hang out with friends & enjoy good food & drinks.
From start to finish the service, atmosphere (even amid the pouring rain), & seasonal menu are above & beyond Our server was very attentive & helped us choose very interesting wines that paired with the meal absolutely perfectly - the complexity of the wine evolved with the meal, in unexpected ways The plates not only came out quickly (within minutes after ordering), but used unexpected combinations such as radish with the most buttery biscuit you'll ever taste. For a party of 4 we had 9 dishes total, plus 3 desserts The difference between a great restaurant & a good restaurant leaves you thinking about the interplay between the flavors of the dish long after you leave, versus serving flavorful dishes you may have enjoyed before. This is a great restaurant. Many thanks to the staff here for such a great evening.
Uninspiring! Do not understand the hype of this place. Only had three nights in Montreal & was extremely let down by spending a dinner here. Food was very underwhelming, the squash was watery & bland. The dishes were not well thought out. So many items were smoked, there are other techniques to make food interesting. Lacked diversity & imagination. Felt like I was eating random sides that had nothing to do with one another. I ate at Monarque the night before & Damas the night after, both were much better dining experiences! Ordered several dishes, didn't enjoy any of them. Searched for another place to go afterwards...
Aug 8, 2024
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I visited while on a work trip & sat at the bar. The bartender was excellent! The service in general was great, & it was such a cute environment. The wine list is unique & the dishes I tried were really good, especially the rabbit sausage. Perfect place to share small plates with friends.
We came here at the recommendation of a few friends, & it did not disappoint. Instead of choosing our own dishes we opted for the Blind Menu where they curated the entire dining experience for us, considering our food preferences. The jambon & fromage was the best of all that we got 2 plates! The tomato dish, & the biscuit & radish round out the top 3 for us. As for dessert, we got the carrot cake ice cream sandwich, which was also one of their bestsellers. Overall, a nuit parfaite!
All dishes are meant for sharing, but please note that the serving sizes are small. While ham with slices of cheese is out of the ordinary, nothing else impressed me at all. Desserts are so-so.
We went there yesterday & the vibe was amazing! The waiter was super helpful to choose the dishes & drinks. Food was quite nice & they have great selection of wines🍷
Great wine selection & delicious food. Exactly what you would expect from a high quality wine bar/resto in Montreal. A great selection of small dishes to share as well, it does get busy during prime dinner hours. We did feel a bit rushed at the end of the dinner, as the reservation was already there, but it is to be expected at a busy popular spot.
