L'Express
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L'Express
11:30 am - 1 am
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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.
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Reviews for L'Express
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Display Allfrench(101) dessert(57) duck(52) recommend(52) wine(49) bistro(48) steak(47) classic(42) confit(41) duck confit(34) pickles(34) bread(26)Page 1 of 3 - 44 Reviews
Lloyd
An excellent traditional French bistro. Atmosphere was buzzing, even late at night. I started with the bone marrow, which was good but not great (wish they offered the steak tartare as a starter). The main, though, was incredible. Best duck confit I have ever had; it was cooked perfectly, including the beans it was served on. Crème brûlée was also excellent. A must visit when in Montreal.
Lawrence
It had been years since I had been here & heard that they had redecorated. Our kids had actually made a reservation the following night unbeknownst to us. Went back with our friends & we arrived a bit late due to parking troubles. It didn't help that the resto was difficult to find as the signage isn't in view. We sat & chatted a bit & were not impressed at the way our waiter greeted us. Nonetheless, we proceeded to order our food & the attitude continued when my wife was asking questions about the menu. I had the smoked herring which was the best thing I had that evening. It was well prepared & delicious. My wife ordered the salmon which she enjoyed as a main & I had the steak tartare. My tartare wasn't great. Mid at best. The meat was fresh but lacking flavour although they did get the spice level correct. Was tempted by the maple profiteroles but at over $17, I passed. Not sure why dessert prices have gone through the roof especially for a bistro. Sadly, my kids had an even worse experience with service the following evening. Suffice it to say, I won't be back as there are better bistro experience like Lemeac, Chez Lévesque or Brasserie Bernard in Montreal to name a few all with better service & food.
Jason
Ok, so the food is tasty, everything is good, but its a bit too expensive to me personally, the value proposition isn't really there. The hanger steak is very good though.
Mathieu
Experience super désagréable & le staff pas super non plus. Potage a loseille goutait trop amer
Jai commander longlet avec frite & je demande comment je veux ma cuisson avant quil me le demande (ce que jai trouvé vraiment bizarre btw)
Medium saignant, longlet arrive tres tres saignant. Les frites goutait meilleur que le steak a 40 dollar. On reviendra pu
Michael
Steak frites, cod fritters, amazing wine choices, & the can't miss maple syrup profiteroles!!! These are truly life changing & absolutely a fantastic Canadian twist on a French classic. Probably one of my favorite desserts I've ever had.
William
Food was amazing! We started with bone marrow & smoked herring which were both good. For our main dishes we had steak tartare & duck confit both were excellent. The service & atmosphere were spot on
Jennifer
Honestly, everything just tasted very average & I don't know why this restaurant is so highly rated. Steak tartare is not bad, but nothing special, the veal kidney I personally feel has too much kidney smell, & duck confit was alright.
I guess the enormous pickles were good, & people seem to rave about this the most online.
INinjutsu
First time here with my wife , I've been here a few times already. The food is always good as usual, we did book online which made it quicker when we came in. My wife had the paysanne soup which wasn't famous to be honest . We both has the steak which was pretty good & the dessert that was delicious .
Ivan
Great food & great service. The steak, ravioli, & the lamb were all great.
Sunniva
Haven't been to this establishment in years so it was lovely to see that service was excellent as always. However, the steak was very chewy & difficult to cut but the fries were alright. The pickles & bread served before the meal are a nice touch! The crème brûlée was excellent!
?
Exactly what I was looking for in Montréal. Fantastic French food.
Hanger steak had the best fries I've ever had too.
Bunker
My wife & I had dinner at L'Express on a Wednesday night during a trip to Montreal after reading about it in the NYT. It lived up to its reputation.
The staff was warm, welcoming, & skilled, making us feel comfortable right away. The meal started with pickles & bread--a simple but memorable touch. L'Express feels like an authentic French bistro, the kind that has inspired places like Pastis or Parc (both favorites of mine). It reminded me of a restaurant I once visited on Île Saint-Louis in Paris, adding to its authenticity.
We shared a green salad, steak frites, & a pasta special with meatballs in red sauce. Every dish was clean, simple, & well-executed. The restaurant was packed, with every seat filled, & the atmosphere was cozy & lively. We enjoyed the sophisticated local chatter & the charm of the space.
It's easy to see why L'Express has been around for decades. The food, service, & vibe are top-notch, & the prices are reasonable for the quality. The surrounding neighborhood was also a nice area to explore. Reservations are a must. Highly recommended!
Robin
the epitome of a french diner! started out with the bread / butter / pickles, which came with a side of the best mustard i've ever had. split the steak frites & quiche with leek for mains. quiche was good but the steak was REALLY good. fries come with mayo, obviously. really excellent meal, would go again!
Jack
Lovely French brasserie with very traditional service & ambiance. Steak frites could have been a little better but an excellent experience overall.
Victoria
came here on a sunday night, service was amazing. loved how you start off with bread & pickles, we ended up getting the buffalo cheese which was incredible. for the price of the steak i would expect a bigger piece, could definitely do with less fries but it tasted good, would do a different main next time. for dessert we got the maple profiteroles which were delicious & the creme brûlée was really good as well but the cookie on top was forgettable. one thing to note, there was no music playing which threw me off. overall a great spot, lovely for a late night dinne
Z
Had the steak & fries with the fish soup. The steak was done right to my liking & recommendation (medium rare) & the soup was good. You get to enjoy the bread & butter & the jar of tiny pickles which was awesome. Will repeat!
Son
Decent food, attentive wait service, & a pleasant atmosphere. The steak frite was fine; chicken paillard & mussels were slightly under seasoned. Crème brûlée was delicious. île flottante looks more impressive than it tastes. Least impressive was the waiter who took our order. Deigned to answer my question for recommendations & acted as if he was doing me a favor by letting me eat there.
Bobby
I cannot say enough how yummy & amazing the FOOD, service & experience this was. The wait staff were so attentive & helpful. I would fly back here just to eat here. The steak carpaccio, grilled octopus, rum ala baba. So many yummy dishes. I want to come back every night. Yes, I take photos of empty dishes because they are too yummy to pause to take a photo.
Léa
Great experience overall! The food is great, the service is slow, but it was extremely busy & they seemed understaffed for a Friday night! Plus, they did accommodate for the wait by giving us two free glass of wine which was really sweet! I recommend the steak or the poached salmon as a main, it was honestly a 10/10! For the appetizer, the chicken liver pistachios with the bread is so tasty. The maple profiteroles, for the dessert, were so well balanced in terms of sweetness, 100% recommend!
J
I had a late dinner at L'Express, the well-known French bistro, & it was a great experience overall. The Hanger steak, cooked medium rare, was really good, & the shallot butter & fries made a great combo. The real highlight for me was the maple profiteroles-absolutely delicious. My partner had the duck confit & said it was the best ever. The cozy vibe was nice, but the service was mixed. Our main server was friendly & attentive, but another staff member was a bit pushy. Still, everything was quick & efficient, making it a solid spot for a casual French meal.