Mano Cornuto is a laid back Italian restaurant. Fresh ingredients, homemade food, elegant natural wine list, unique cocktails and warm service are what to expect.
Overall, reviews describe Mano Cornuto as a standout Italian spot in Montreal with an open kitchen, a lively vibe, and consistently delicious dishes; the menu shines with burrata, a standout Caesar salad, pesto pasta, and well executed mains like crudo and seafood, with many praising fresh ingredients and bold flavors, though some visits note crowded, noisy rooms and service that can feel rushed during peak times; reservations are advised, especially for dining at the bar or on the patio, and the wine and cocktail selection is praised as a nice complement to the food, making Mano Cornuto a go-to pick for Italian comfort and special occasions, even as a few diners felt portions or value could be improved.
Everything you want in a local Italian bistro - & then some.
Manu Cornuto is one of those rare spots that simply never disappoints. Every visit delivers an excellent meal, whether you're there for the dinner specials, the drinks, or just a classic Italian bistro experience done right.
The food is consistently on point - not a single bad meal across all my visits. The specials are always worth exploring, & the overall vibe is exactly what you want from a neighbourhood Italian: unpretentious, welcoming, & delicious.
This is the kind of place that becomes a regular for good reason. A true Montréal gem. 🍝🍷
I think we may have been lucky to walk in & get a spot without a reservation. This is a busy place, & at times can be quite loud, but it was not an issue for us. Stool seating at a counter/shelf isn't my preference for dinner (maybe for fast food), but you may very well be seated at one unless you make a reservation for a table.
The waiter was helpful to make our selections for drink & dinner. To start, we shared the Caesar salad, which was very good. Then on to the Bolognese pasta for main dish; also very good.
I'd recommend this restaurant for reasonably priced Italian food, & excellent Caesar salad. For dinner, I'd also recommend reservations for a seat at a table for a more comfortable dining experience.
May 2, 2026
on Google
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NOVEMBER 1, 2025
A special visit to a special town deserves a special establishment - & Manu Cornuto is it.
I was here two years ago, as you can tell from my review below, but it was so special again that it deserves an update. This visit with my daughter was filled with Montreal history, conversation, &, of course, Italian food - both on the table & in our discussions.
We talked about how we prepare our food & reflected on how, in a city so deeply rooted in Italian tradition & filled with countless great spots, this place still manages to do it a little differently - & a little more special.
Great night. Great service. Kudos. Will always return.
SEPTEMBER 2023
We were going to do steak on our last night-this night, in Montreal,
but, a chef-College teacher buddy told me about this one place out of the dozen he visited on his recent trip.
We did arrive after telling our Uber to let us out blocks away, we changed venues last minute & I am walking wherever & whenever a chef tells me too!
There was no lineup when we got there the place was packed.
After being told on the phone that they did not take reservations I saw quite the opposite occurring. I probably should have asked properly, & perhaps in French when I called :-).
When I inquired further about the reservation miscue, I was politely told one side of the room is reservable but not the other?
Ok.
'Can we sit at the wood'?, . . . Me.
Me -'There are two spots open'.
Her -'We cannot put three'
Me -'it's ok, it's not to tight, & there is an empty stool nearby'
Her -'I cannot do such'
Me -'Cannot or will not'
Silence.
Ok, it was not that abrupt, what I had meant to ask was . . why??
Aren't we all thinking it by now?
I saw only two settings placed in front of the two stools taking up enough room for 4 people.
I guess the restaurant rules in La Belle Provence don't want people to touch elbows when'oui' snack.
Oui, did get in quite quick though & WE were offered a drink, to which WE did order - 3 Peroni draft.
Our table was outside on a great 22 degrees 6:30 late Autumn eve.
The hostess placed our beers on table & two peeps approached; our server & what appeared to be the Sommelier!
All are casually & comfortably attired. A wine is quickly selected, the specials are described, cocktails are also ordered & turnaround on all is swift.
Of particular treat was the discussion with our young Sommelier (Tomas) on our choice of wine, its complexity & kudos to us for choosing. My brother asked how he had such knowledge, to which he politely & proudly replied'It's my job'.
Egg+face>older brother.
We started with the special appetizer; tuna in a can essentially was explained to us - gotta be good yeah.
You cannot believe how GOOD this was (all CAPS good, that's how good)! Such few ingredients on top of quality tuna with a little bomba for flair.
We order all of the appetizers in their menu-gotta be good again right.
There are only four.
But what a four,
do the same as I & order all if you visit.
We had the special pasta, & consistently repeated, few ingredients with impeccable execution. Something thicker than spaghetti, no hole throughout (so not bucatini), endive, butter, good bacon & herbs & Italian goodness.
One more dish, the porc tenderloin it was our servers favourite.
I can see why, seasoned heavy on this trip, but try it too.
Special coffees (in this province=Americano coffees & booze on the side) add male camaraderie & banter, bs & bs related stories, loud, more loud then shushing, & closing with a shot with our server,
My older bro -'you're having one?'
Server -'Yes!'
Egg encore.
One of the better meal experiences I have had in some time.
Wonderful.
The food was incredible but the service was okay. It felt like they took a long time to flip their tables. Both the appetizer & the main took a while to get to me & it sadly took a while for me to get a drink. My waitress was also a bartender so I can empathize with how busy she was & how tough it may have been to check in on me. I noticed how the lineup to get inside was super long so i just decided to ask for my food to be packed up & ordered my dessert to go. Despite all of that, I had a decent time & I would definitely come back - just not on a busy night.
Love the food truly 10/10. The location is great, the Caesar salad is a must, & the branzino never disappoints.
Unfortunately, the service doesn't match the quality of the food. During our visit, an Aperol was spilled on the table & it was wiped with a very damp cloth that only made more of a mess. It took about 15 minutes to receive a coffee & a drink, & around 35 minutes for the food, even though the restaurant wasn't full.
What stands out most is the overall attitude , the staff often seems unfriendly & unapproachable. The food is excellent, but the experience would be so much better with warmer, more attentive service
This was going to be my very first ever one star review but the service & service recovery earned it a second star. We had high expectations from google reviews but everything fell apart after the appetizers & our Christmas dinner was sadly ruined.
All three pastas were beyond disappointing. As an aubergine lover, I went straight for the Rigatoni alla Norma ($27) but after the first excited taste then a second suspicious taste, I was immediately certain that I wasn't going to have a third bite. The sauce was bland, basically canned tomato paste, & the cubed aubergine stew was overcooked, uninviting & had a hint of staleness.
We had encouraged our guest of honour to order the day's pasta special - Linguini Carbonara ($27) because well who can spoil carbonara. Sadly, it was ruined. The chef had charred the pancetta to such an incredibly sad state that its bitterness had infused into the oil. Attempting but failing to create a sense of richness, this same bitter, pungent oil was poured over the linguini as its base sauce (with hardly a hint of egg), creating a dish of intensely bitter simply inedible pasta. I looked back to see if it was a mistake arising from a busy kitchen but it wasn't busy so this big mistake was to me not evidently unintentional.
The Fiorentini alla Bolognese ($25) was the best of all three pastas. It was at this juncture that my friend stopped me & said'it's not the best, it's just the least bad of them three'. Enough said. & as the host of this Christmas dinner, my evening came crashing down.
Despite the above, as I had previously mentioned, the service was faultless. Drinks were topped up quickly; the waitress was amiable, efficient & made us feel right at home despite the very loud music. Without our asking, she also apologetically removed two basically untouched pastas from our bill & comp'd our espressos. None of this was her fault so she was ultimately rewarded with a 50% gratuity on a $140 bill.
My final thoughts. Disappointment with a capital D. Prices are high for what this place is but these are all stated on the menu so it's fair game for all. Make sure to ask for prices of the daily specials though as those are not stated anywhere otherwise you may be rudely surprised by the $150 beef special of the day.
If you were to drop by for a simple evening of light drinks & appetizers to share, I would say that Mano Cornuto could be a happy choice as the Caesar Salad ($17), Piatto Antipasto ($17) & Burrata ($20) were delightful. But sadly that's where it ends. The kitchen seems to be good at putting ingredients together (ie. plating appetizers) but anything that requires cooking & true culinary skill, it fails at miserably, well at least for that evening, at our table.
Dec 17, 2025
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Service is friendly, everyone is nice. It was really refreshing. The food was even better; the pasta well al dente, caesar salad that's actually good, wide selection of drinks. Will be coming back to try the whole menu!
3.7/5 for me. Mano Cornuto is a great place, don't get me wrong. But, I think it was over hyped by social media. I was looking foward to try this place but, it was a bit underwhelming. Pasta was slighty better than most places, but it was missing salt & was not al dente - sauce was okay. The foccacia was good & the drinks were really good. Again, it's a good place to try, specially for a date or a night with coleagues. Service was amazing too. But for the main courses, i was disappointed (specially because i had high expectations). Maybe it was a one time thing.
Great spot for lunch - we stopped on a Monday for a quick lunch & had the crudo, cichetti & olives for appetizers with 2 drinks. Everything was excellent, fresh & arrived rapidly. We then shared a schiacciate (sandwich with focaccia-like bread) & a ceasar salad. The sandwich was really good, although no life-changing. They had their own spin on the ceasar, with a sweeter dressing than what I'm used to.
Service is A+
Total was 100$ + tip for 3 appetizers, 2 mains & 2 drinks.
Only downside is that is was 35+ outside & there is no AC (although it's probably worse for people working in the kitchen)
Jun 25, 2025
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Excellent food, & largely thanks to the server's suggestion. Friendly staff overall & well prepared menu - both food & drink. Burrata was exceptional! We also loved the special that day - a seafood linguini in a lobster bisque base.
Went in for drinks & was delightfully surprised at the friendly service, kitchen/bar & atmosphere. Snacked on the crudo off the late night menu & had cocktails made to order. Going back for dinner 100%
Nov 1, 2024
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Limited seating makes reservations a good idea. The vibe leans more to a bar feel, & it is a little noisy. Wide selection of drinks. The food is excellent. I had the mushroom fettuccine, & my companion had the spaghetti bolognese. The staff is bilingual, & the service is very good. I will return anytime I am in town.
I'd heard from a friend that he has a friend who is Italian & family hails from there. Mano Cornuto is the only place that they will take their family. & there's a reason why. Because it's just so damn good. I studied in Italy for a brief period, & learned that you don't have to spend a lot of money to eat really well. I worked in Italy for a longer period, & learned that a lot of money got you some pretty exceptional food. Mano Cornuto drives right up the middle. It's pretty exceptional food for not a lot of money. It's a pretty casual place, big line ups, & everything is excellent. Some of the best focaccia sandwiches I've ever had. Interesting specials on pastas with the regulars always good. Good drinks, nice patio in warmer weather. Best thing ever is that it's an eight minute walk from where I live. Frankly, I think, deep down inside, it was one of the deciding factors in locating our place. Oh, & the tiramisu (pull my heart in English) absolutely yanks on your heart.
It's too hot in there, & there is no ice for the water... I almost feel bad for the cooks/staff in there. I would've loved to stay longer, buy more drinks & ultimately leave a bigger tip & support the friendly staff. But my friends & I were all just so sweaty you could see the sweat on our heads.
Great spot with a lively atmosphere! If you're aiming for an outdoor seat, be prepared to wait at least 15 minutes longer than the estimated time-but you can enjoy a drink while you wait! The pasta is incredible, the drinks are creative & fun, & the best part? They welcome dogs on the patio!
