Restaurant L'Orignal opened in the winter of 2008 to a warm welcome from locals and tourist alike. The room is decked out in chalet decor, and is a little getaway to the country...in the middle of Old Montreal. The kitchen turns out local farm dishes with a modern look. With fun play lists and our variety of cocktails, L'Orignal is a little bit more just your local restaurant.
Reviews describe L'Orignal as a warm, cozy spot with cabin-like charm where the food is consistently exceptional and the service attentive and friendly. Diners praise standout dishes such as poutine with truffle, bone marrow, mushroom toast, tagliatelle, braised beef cheek, and highly regarded specials, with many noting that the menu offers both comforting favorites and refined flavors. The atmosphere is intimate and welcoming, suitable for date nights, small groups, family gatherings, and celebrations like birthdays and New Year toasts, while the staff are frequently described as on point and accommodating. The restaurant is often called a hidden gem and a top choice in the city, though a few comments mention smaller portions or higher prices relative to the plate, and one review recalls a service lapse during a busy night. Overall, the impression across reviews is that L'Orignal delivers elevated comfort food in a cozy setting and remains a go-to for guests visiting Montreal.
Every time I eat at L'Orignal, I am blown away. It is quite possibly my favourite restaurant in the city at this point. From the amazing food, to the outstanding service, to the cozy decor, this place always delivers. Michael & his staff are always on-point -- friendly, warm, & fast.
I'm not the kind of person to care much for specials, as I typically go with what I know I already love. However, at L'Orignal, the specials always pique my interest, so we usually get one with our order. They're always stellar.
L'Orignal is perfect for large groups, a small family gathering, & even for date night. I can't wait to come back soon!
If you are a Montrealer & haven't been here yet, you are truly missing out.
Feb 1, 2026
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Highly recommend for a cozy dinner. We shared the mushroom toast, Brussels sprouts, tagliatelle, salmon special, & the sticky toffee. Dishes are on the smaller side but the flavours & quality outweigh the size. Service was fantastic, too.
Our family traveled to Montreal for the thanksgiving holiday. We had our thanksgiving meal at L'Orignal. We were immediately greeted when we walked in & shown to our table. Throughout we had fast & very friendly service. The food was excellent, the atmosphere cozy & the prices fair. We loved it.
Impeccable service & fresh hearty food. Everything we ordered was spot on! Surprisingly also very kid friendly & such a beautiful cozy environment. Can't wait to go back
We had an absolutely wonderful dining experience! I ordered the braised beef cheek & it was incredibly tender, full of flavor, & cooked to perfection. My husband had the bison tomahawk & he was genuinely amazed - easily one of the best meals he's had in a long time.
The place itself is very cozy, almost like a warm & inviting chalet, which made the whole evening feel even more special.
To top it all off, the chef came by our table to say hi, & he was truly awesome & friendly, passionate, & clearly proud of his craft.
Highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for exceptional food, a cozy atmosphere, & a memorable experience!
A hidden gem - cozy lodge vibes with a winter aesthetic. Truly excellent food, layered & delicious flavors, made thoughtfully & with a care. High end food in a casual atmosphere. Couldn't help but try every course & can't wait to try more. Absolutely worth a stop.
Sep 26, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Overall really great place to eat at, worth the price. A bit dark when you first enter but your eyes will eventually adjust. Entrance doesn't look like much but the inside is amazing. Really well decorated, sort of a cabin vibe. Very comfy, I really liked the decorations, whoever designed this place I love you. Really lovely seating area, I wish I took a lot more photos so I could use it as reference in decorating my house in the future or something. Anyways, I got fish of the day, very nice, very tasty. Personally liked the chocolate(?) dessert the best. Oysters were great too their hot sauce is really good. I took some of my sister's fries that came with her burger & those were really nice too. Very crisp. Portions were nice. Service was great, nice lady, English friendly. I would definitely come back probably in winter. I feel like it would be really cozy in winter like a hidden haven tucked in a street corner haha.
Had a great experience at L'Original! The service was warm & attentive from start to finish. The standout dish was definitely the maple Brussels sprouts-perfectly cooked with just the right balance of sweetness & texture. Our server also got us shots!
If you're looking for elevated comfort food in a cozy setting, L'Original delivers. Will definitely be back next time I'm in town!
Very good food in a cozy, homey setting. Would definitely recommend reservations. We didn't have any & were told we could have a table if we were able to finish in a little over an hour. Since the food took a bit to get we ended up skipping dessert & any extra drinks to try to honour that (& because the hostess was clearly anxious for us to head out & handed the waitress our check immediately after we finished our entrees) We had the bone marrow, schnitzel, & lemon risotto. My husband liked his schnitzel but said he preferred the risotto overall. The Moscow moose is really good too. If we are ever back in the area we'd consider stopping again for the friendly service & tasty food.
Nov 9, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
By far the best poutine I've ever had. The toffee cake was also amazing. Good location, cozy atmosphere, great food. Our waitress Lianne was so friendly & gave us lots of tips about traveling Montréal. We loved this place.
A Canadian French original, hence the name! Very cozy interior, with a simple, rich & mouthwatering menu! Had the smoked Bone Marrow as an app, the Bison Burger & from the daily specials a shepherd pie, to share. Damn! Every single dish so good! I was reluctant about the Bison Burger & it beats some of the best beef burger I've had! The shepherds pie, was rich yet light...cheesy 🤤 & DELICIOUS!!! Finally, the Bone Marrow was great very yummy & paired with the right ingredients that cut through the richness.
May 24, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
This was by far the best meal I've had in Montreal in my several times visiting the city. The ambiance of this restaurant is so cozy & warm that it makes you feel like you're enjoying your meal in a quaint cabin. The food is homey, fresh & delicious. I will absolutely be returning when I go back to Montreal. If you check this place out, make sure to have the sticky toffee pudding!!
Our new favourite! Kat & I loved everything from the warm & cozy wood cabin ambiance to the 80s music. The food was incredible, with every mouthful a delight. Service was friendly, accommodating, & attentive. Drinks (cocktails around $15) were excellent. It's quieter before 7:30 & the entrance is a bit off the beaten path (I did not see if there's an alternative, wheelchair-accessible entrance). We walked 9km in the downtown/old Montreal core, looking for a decent place to have dinner, & ironically, this one was just behind our hotel. Like, literally right behind it. We both chose from the daily specials. Kat had the sea bass, which had a parsnip puree & seafood chowder bed. It was fantastic & she loved every bite. I had the duck with pumpkin puree & a fantastic mole sauce. Dessert was an incredible sticky toffee pudding & a mousse that Kat was very cagey about sharing, it was that good. With the two entrees & desserts, a glass of wine & four cocktails, dinner came to a little over CDN$200. Service was perfectly attentive, with water being constantly refilled, empty glasses & plates taken promptly, & friendliness as warm as the ambiance. It's our new must go-to in Montreal.
We had dinner at this real gem in Old Montreal, walking distance from our hotel. The staff are top notch pros. Very friendly & helpful hostess, & the place is cozy & unpretentious, offering fine dining without making one feel out of place in casual attire. The fish cake & scallops were incredible. We also shared the Halibut with quinoa salad - also incredible. The prices were decent in comparison to some of the restaurants rivals & well worth what one gets. Would definitely go back.
After reading many reviews & consulting friends who frequent Montreal, I picked this spot for our 5th wedding anniversary. There were 6 of us for dinner on a busy Saturday night.
The restaurant is exactly as described - cozy & chic. Every person we interacted with was lovely & friendly. I value service as much as great food, & we weren't let down in either department. I had the bison burger & absolutely loved it. My husband had the schnitzel, & it was moist & extremely generous in its portion. I made a huge mistake by not ordering dessert; I got the last bite of our friends' crème brulee cheesecake & it was one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life.
I can't recommend this place enough! Thank you Michael & everyone for an amazing night!!
