Restaurant L'Express, located in Le Plateau Mont-Royal, Montreal is one of Montreal's best-known French bistros. The menu rotates somewhat, and there are always daily specials, but l'Express specializes in: pâté, foie gras and bouillabaisse appetizers; steak tartare, steak-frites and veal kidney main courses; and cheeses, crème caramel or chocolate mousse desserts.
L'Express comes across as a Montreal institution that conjures a classic Parisian bistro with damier tiled floors, dark wood, mirrors and a lively, intimate atmosphere. The menu sticks to timeless French brasserie fare with touches of Quebec, delivering crowd pleasers such as bone marrow, celery remoulade, beef tartare, duck confit, octopus and ravioli alongside a dependable steak frites, all complemented by a strong wine list and the simple abundance of house pickles and bread at the table. Service is frequently praised as attentive and friendly, with guests noting warm welcomes and guidance in ordering, though some visits describe occasional lapses or a dining room that can become very noisy when busy. Desserts like creme brulee, profiteroles, baba au rhum and other classics are often highlighted as memorable finshers, while a few diners report dishes that were only good rather than outstanding or prices that feel high for the value. Taken together, the sentiment is that L'Express offers authentic French comfort with a nostalgic vibe, solid quality, and a reliable, if sometimes imperfect, experience that keeps guests returning and reservations advised.
L'express truly lives up to its hype & praise. Pleasantly greeted at the door & with reservation i was seated in minutes. I had never eaten duck meat before & Gabriel assured me it would melt in my mouth & it did! I'm glad I took the recommendation. The Confit duck with its crispy skin & the potatoes was *chef's kiss! Finished the meal off with a Crème brûlée which was perfect. The service was great. The ambience is 💯. Made my last night in Montreal memorable :)
Sep 9, 2024
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Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I felt ultimately disappointed with L'Express. No complaints regarding the service, which was pleasant & efficient, but there were several misses with the food itself. The sorrel soup was great, & seemed like a promising sign of the meal ahead. However, the green salad arrived completely-not lightly, but completely-undressed. The mains were decent, but underwhelming. My steak was rather tough. The duck confit itself was fairly nice but had some areas which were poorly rendered, & the accompaniments were under-seasoned & bland. I enjoyed the atmosphere, though my partner found it overly loud. Overall, this was the restaurant I most anticipated visiting, & which disappointed me the most.
I'm not sure this place needs another positive review-nevertheless, a stand-out restaurant in a city full of wonderful food. Classic French bistro atmosphere, perfect service, & cornichons & mustard are provided gratis. Duck confit & celery remoulade were perfection. The waitress suggested a wonderful cab to go with them. My wife very much enjoyed her risotto. Would very much like to sit at the bar next time. All in all, a worthy 20th anniversary dinner.
Grilled octopus 4/5 The octopus was soft & the grilled peppers were nice. Beef tartare - Tartare de boeuf 3.5/5 Average, with options for spicy or no spicy. Duck confit - Cuisse de canard confite 5/5 The duck skin was perfectly crispy & absolutely delicious. Roasted quail with wild rice - Cailles rôties & riz sauvage 3/5 The quail was tasty, but the wild rice was too hard. Shrimp & chorizo risotto - Risotto aux crevettes & chorizo 5/5 My favorite! The heavy cheese flavor paired wonderfully with the cornichons. Maple Profiteroles - Profiteroles à l'érable 5/5 A delightful surprise! Freshly baked & crispy profiteroles filled with maple ice cream, absolutely the best I've ever had! Chocolate tart - Tarte au chocolat 4/5 Rich chocolate flavor, but too bitter for me. It definitely needs extra ice cream on the side. Strawberry tart 5/5 I couldn't find its name on the menu, but it was very fruity & delicious. The most delicious restaurant I had in this trip to Montreal, from main course to dessert, all delicious!
10/10. where do i even start?! book in advance! Must have french bistro cuisine experience when you are in town. wine selection is exceptional. just wow. service is perfect, they were awfully nice & helpful, super attentive. bone marrow was out of this world. duck confit was one of the best & well made meat ive had. cooked & seasoned to perfection ile flottante au caramel is what you need to order for share.
Three of us came to dine for an early dinner on Friday night. I was not a fan that they sat the 3 of us at a two person table with one of us sitting at the "aisle". It wasn't particularly busy at this time so I think we could have been better accommodated. Other than that, the food is delicious, well seasoned & perfectly cooked. Portion sizing is quite large too! We had the duck confit, hanger steak & fries & the chicken. They also provide fresh bread & a large jar of pickles - a very nice touch. We also had the espresso creme brulee to share at the end which we would highly recommend. All in all, very well done & would recommend to anyone who is looking for great french food!
Jul 13, 2024
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Excellent experience. The service was impeccable with great wine suggestions. The strawberry & peppers ceviche was fresh & exciting. The beef carpacchio had a lovely texture. The duck confit was fantastic. Crispy skin, perfectly cooked meat & the greens & potatoes & sundried tomatoes it came with were all delightful. The floating island dessert was a true treat. Paired well with some apple brandy. I'll be coming back every time I'm in Montreal.
At first, I thought L'Express was a tourist trap, but was I wrong. Packed at 2:00 on a blistering hot Tuesday in the middle of June, L'Express would feel comfortable in any arrondissement in Paris. We settled in at the expansive bar, ordered wine & a cocktail, & didn't miss Paris at all. Romanik took great care of us, & his graciousness was welcome after the often self entitled servers in the United States. Maybe Canada's universal health care has something to do with that. The menu covers every classic French dish, & we ordered calves liver with frites & Duck Confit for nostalgia's sake. Ooh La La. They were both fantastic. Our late lunch was long & so relaxing. Regrettably, we left the AC of L'Express to take a stroll in 93 degree heat. Mistake. We should have stayed at L'Express & ordered dessert.
I enjoyed my overall experience here at l'Express! We went on a Saturday night & I found the staff friendly & efficient. The decor & ambiance wasn't my favorite (a bit plain & outdated, no music) but it was my first time eating at a brasserie. The food however, was delicious. We had the rillettes, goat cheese, duck confit & steak. Our cocktails were decent & we finished with a light dessert.
Nous sommes venus pour la première pour fêter notre anniversaire. Le service était excellent, les serveurs très gentils & au petit soin. Mon mari a pris le canard confit & j'ai choisit les moules/frites. L'expérience était très bonne mais nous avons été déçu par le plat du canard confit qui était certes excellent mais en très petite quantité - notamment sur l'accompagnement où trois patates se battaient en duel sur 3 feuilles de salade ... Pourtant nous avions regardé le menu au préalable avec les photos des commentaires précédents...
May 3, 2024
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A great French restaurant, with amazing food, wine list, & service. If you go during the day time, try to book à table under the glass ceiling! I really liked their appetizers & desserts the most, their paté was amazing, & the bone marrow, chèvre salade, grilled octopus, duck confit were also really tasty. The lemon tart was one of the best I've had in Montreal.
This is a spectacular French restaurant. My friend & I took a day trip to Montreal & found this place on google. We walked in without a reservation & the maître d' was kind enough to seat us as long as we'd be finished by his next reservation. The service was excellent. Since we had to drive back to The States after our visit, the waitress recommended a half bottle of Chardonnay, which was very good. We shared the arancini & bone marrow to start. For our entrees, I had the hanger steak with mashed potatoes & my friend had the duck confit. All of the was delicious & perfectly cooked. The ambiance here is excellent as well. I'd highly recommend coming here if you're going to be in Montreal.
We had Duck Confit & Veal kidney It met our expectations in the fullest Great food, environment & very friendly & knowledgable staff Highly recommended!
Mar 2, 2024
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Beautiful decor that has an old soul vibe. The service was very good. You are served warm baguette with butter as well as their homemade (sour) pickles & dijon mustard. That mustard is potent & delicious! Just a dab & it'll clear your stuffy nostrils. We had the duck confit leg, which was very nicely cooked & the steak/frites.
Tout ce qu'on a commandé était delicieux & le service était impeccable. Par ordre de préférence : Mousse de foies de volaille aux pistaches (à ne pas rater, mais très gras naturellement) Onglet beurre échalote- frites Cuisse de canard confite Chèvre frais en croute de kataifi Pieuvre grillée (rien de special, le seul plat que je ne reprendrai pas)
This was the BEST duck confit I've ever had! It was so perfectly done. The place is quite packed & even when I made a reservation a few weeks before we could only get bar seating so make sure to book well in advance. If I'm in Montreal again I'm definitely going back. Pretty reasonable prices too!
My husband & I visited Montreal for the first time & we were impressed with the fabulous restaurant scene here. We didn't get to go to a lot of restaurants here but L'Express quickly became one of our top choices-so much so that we visited twice in a row, both for dinner. First visit was for a late night meal right after our check-in. We had sorrel soup, duck confit & a lemon pie. We loved the soup & it was also our best duck confit. The mushrooms & potatoes had depths of flavors having been cooked in (what I assume to be) duck fat. For the second day, we shared french onion soup, hubby had salmon with lentils & spinach & I got quails with wild rice & we were both amazed once again. The French onion soup instantly warmed us up & the main dishes were very well balanced in terms of seasoning & also cooked to perfection. We also enjoyed quick service & friendly & very professional staff.
Best meal I've had...hands down. Was blown away. Duck confit was by far the best meal but nearly everything on the menu looked amazing. Texture of the duck's delicate skin with the tender meat inside made me want to savor every bite. Surrounded by crisp brussel sprouts & mushrooms only added even more greatness to an already perfect meal. Filling & affordable. Was able to make a reservation that same day an hour beforehand & even walked in early & was seated for a large party of 8. Maple Porfitoroules & creme brûlée also highly recommended. Meal came with tons of complimentary pickles, spicy mustard, & bread. Perfection. Wouldn't have had it differently any way
