Le Violon presents a sophisticated market-driven approach to seafood, sourcing the freshest catches to showcase their inherent quality and flavor. The culinary team expertly transforms premium fish and shellfish into elegant dishes that highlight regional influences and seasonal availability. Patrons can expect a focused menu featuring expertly prepared seafood preparations, from delicate crudo to robust grilled entrees, all designed to celebrate the ocean's bounty. The environment is curated to provide a refined yet approachable setting for enjoying exceptional aquatic ingredients. It is a destination for those who appreciate the art of seafood preparation at its peak.
Le Violon consistently earns praise as a standout culinary destination in Montreal, celebrated for its intimate, warm, and elegant atmosphere that makes it a perfect setting for special occasions. Many diners highlight the food as exceptional, noting the creative, flavor-packed dishes and the superb mastery of sauces that define the menu. The service is frequently described as top-notch, with staff often noted for being passionate, knowledgeable, and genuinely welcoming, which significantly enhances the overall dining experience. While some guests find the pricing high for the portion sizes or encounter inconsistencies, the majority of visitors are captivated by the unique, high-quality ingredients and the vibrant energy of the space, leading many to plan their return to this highly regarded establishment.
Au Violon, l'atmosphère est feutrée & intime, ce qui en fait une excellente adresse pour célébrer un événement. On démarre fort avec des mocktails impeccables & un petit pain de mie tout simplement incroyable.
?La cuisine brille par la maîtrise exceptionnelle de ses sauces, à l'image de l'assiette tomates, homard & sauce choron. Seuls petits bémols, le thon était ultra-frais mais manquait un peu de goût, & les desserts sont restés un cran en dessous.
?Les portions demeurent très mesurées & réclament la totale entrée, plat & dessert pour vous rassasier, même si la pintade Antoine fait exception.
?Tous les plats restent très bons, mais le grand coup de maître réside dans ce service irréprochable & l'excellence des sauces. Une très belle table pour une grande occasion !
We came here upon a recommendation from Eater. We made a reservation, but we showed up early hoping that we could get seated earlier. To our surprise, they had space available for us!
The dishes are designed to be shared family-style. Our server made a few recommendations & we ended up taking all of them. We started with the bread & the tomato lobster. The bread was quite hot (a great sign) & the herbed butter was lovely. The tomato & lobster dish was exquisite as well - the flavors of both foods really stood out! We then had the lemongrass cod & the guinea fowl. The cod was a great summertime dish (lighter), but the guinea was still pretty tasty. We ended up sharing the pistachio soft serve for dessert, which I really enjoyed.
The dining room is quite bright thanks to many windows. It looks out onto a seemingly residential street, which adds to the charm. This may be off the beaten path & on the pricier side, but you won't leave disappointed!
We had been looking forward to dining here because of all the great reviews, so unfortunately the experience didn't quite live up to our expectations.
The atmosphere was beautiful & the food was well prepared, but nothing really stood out as particularly memorable or innovative. The dessert was much sweeter than we expected, & the wine pairings didn't complement the dishes as well as we had hoped.
What disappointed us most was the service. It felt rather cold throughout the evening, & we never felt genuinely welcomed. Great hospitality can completely elevate a meal, & unfortunately that was missing for us. Overall, it was a good dinner, but with so many outstanding restaurants in Montreal, this wasn't one we'd rush back to.
Jul 24, 2026
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Beautiful restaurant, fantastic cocktails & great food.
My one concern is that my partner has a nut allergy, which was communicated to our server many times. He confirmed that he is anaphylactic to all nuts, with the exception of almonds. This was also confirmed by who I assume to be a manager. This was going well, until dessert came out. It was brought out by a new server, so I clarified again that there were no nuts other than almonds in it. The server immediately said that it was a walnut crust & took it away.
For a restaurant of this calibre, it's mind boggling to me that this was missed, after clarifying so many times. We received a lukewarm apology for this, but generally it seemed like it wasn't a big deal to them. We had a great experience before this.
I'm writing this as I wait for dessert because I doubt that will make me change my mind. Perfectly average food made with zero love. Technically well cooked & I'm sure well executed against the recipe,
but not particularly flavorful or inspiring in any way.
Honestly I don't understand the hype at all. It wasn't bad but I wouldn't return. I could name about 10 restaurants off the top of my head in Montreal that I think are superior for each of the dishes on the menu.
The best dish was the bread they source from L'Artisan across the street.
It's rather sceney since being named in North America's Top 50 restaurants, but I'm convinced the people who eat here care more about instagramming their dinner than their palate.
Nous avons apprécié le service & en général le goût des plats.
Par contre, nous avons pris le menu dégustation de 125$ chaque & cela nous a laissé sur notre faim. Nous étions 4 à notre table & nous étions tous d'accord que les portions étaient tellement petites que chacun avait seulement un petit morceau de chaque plat.
Les plats étaient bien équilibrés, mais rien qui sort de l'ordinaire. Pour le dessert, nous eu 2 desserts à partager & 1 coupe de crème glacée à partager à 4… comment partager une coupe de glace à 4 en nous donnant 4 cuillères alors que nous sommes 2 couples? Pour un resto qui est dans le top Canada, je m'aurais attendu à mieux.
Avec une facture totale de plus de 400$ à deux & en sortant du restaurant en ayant encore faim, nous n'y retournons malheureusement pas.
C'était notre première fois au Violon, & j'hésite entre 3 & 4 étoiles. Tout d'abord, l'endroit est très joli, & nous avons eu un très bon service. Nous avons opté pour le menu dégustation à 125$ par personne. Nous étions 4. Notre couple a terminé avec une facture de 475$ avec taxes & tip... & je ne bois pas d'alcool. Le mocktail était à 19$... Aussi, si on compare le menu dégustation avec d'autres comme celui du Mon Lapin, pour nous il manquait un service. & finalement arrivés aux desserts... Nous devions nous partager à 4 une seule coupe de gelato & une seule pointe de tarte & un seul chou... Tout cela se sépare très mal à 4... bref, pour le prix, la qualité y était, mais pas la quantité & les plats n'étaient pas très recherchés. Pas certains d'y retourner de si tôt malheureusement, nous sommes restés sur notre faim.
Absolutely fabulous place. We had beef tartare, white asparagus, pork, ravioli, & for dessert we had marenque & citrus tart. Tried 2 different white wines & 2 different res wines. Excellent recommendations by the staff. Dong Ding tea was delicious, reminded me of oolong tea. High quality service & sooo comfortable ambiance & energy. Just fabulous!
I am very disappointed with my experience at Le Violon we had such high expectations. We got seated at the bar & right from the beginning the server was not friendly at all with us. We told her it was our first time in the hope to get some guidance, she told us we should get this specific amount of dishes, did not explained the menu we had to ask her what are the really good stuff, she goes on to mention every most expensive items on the menu without providing any additional details on the dish to help us make a decision while there are literally 3 ingredients listed for every dishes ?! Also sure the most expensive plate may be the best but like tell me more ?! Obviously with her attitude we didn't wanted to bother her with questions so we just ordered…
We ordered some wine & the wine came after we got the appetizers which I find unacceptable for a restaurant with such a reputation.
She set us up for the pasta dish with only a fork no knifes so we had to cut our ravioli with the side of our forks, which I'm sorry but why do I have to ask the server for proper ustensils with a 40$ pasta plate.
Food was good, maybe a little overrated, maybe I just had too much expectation, but the attitude the server had towards us completely ruined our night. I genuinely wonder if we did anything wrong because 2 people got seated next to us while we were having desserts & they got a beautiful smile from her so I'm clueless as to why we got this cold attitude since the moment we got sat.
Honestly most of the small issues could be totally forgave if it wasn't for the server attitude we really felt not welcome. 400$ for two people, I am never going back there.
