Modavie is a timeless place that brings us back to our roots, where ladies & gents gather and eat in a lively atmosphere caused by great conversation, live music and the wooden scents of a vintage room. Born in 1997, it quickly became popular among locals & visitors, and is now considered a Montreal institution.
Treat yourself to refined French fare in an antique & dimmed corner locale spawning two floors. From the classic beef tartare, to tasty sweetbread, to the famous ratatouille, your cravings will be easily satiated.
Modavie comes across as a warm, lively French bistro in Old Montreal with inviting lighting, timeless charm and nightly live jazz. Reviewers consistently highlight friendly, attentive service and a welcoming staff that makes celebrations feel special. The menu features crowd pleasers like duck confit, rack of lamb and lamb chops, escargots, onion soup and mussels with fries, with many dishes praised for bold flavors and generous portions. The atmosphere blends old world charm with modern warmth, and the two level space with live music creates a vibrant yet conversation friendly setting. While busy nights can bring a bit of hustle and occasional slower pacing, the overall experience is described as memorable and well worth returning for.
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Modavie, & I must say, it was an unforgettable experience! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warm hospitality, setting the tone for an exceptional evening.
The atmosphere was absolutely charming-dim lighting, cozy yet elegant decor, & a live jazz band that elevated the entire experience. The music was simply superb, creating the perfect backdrop for a relaxed & enjoyable dinner.
As for the service, it was flawless from start to finish. The hostess welcomed us with a smile, the bartenders were friendly & skilled, & our server was attentive without being intrusive. Every interaction felt genuine & professional.
Now, let's talk about the food-miam! My friend & I started with the Caesar salad, which was fresh, crisp, & perfectly dressed. For the main course, we both indulged in the filet mignon, & it was absolutely divine-tender, juicy, & cooked to perfection. Every bite melted in our mouths, & the flavors were simply outstanding.
I highly recommend Modavie to anyone looking for a top-tier dining experience in Montreal. Whether you're a fan of great food, live jazz, or simply excellent service, this spot has it all. I can't wait to go back!
Great restaurant in the old town of Montréal. The staff were all very attentive & anticipated my needs, such as keeping my water topped up & asking how was the food & if I'm ready for desserts. The food all came relatively quick for a very busy restaurant. All the food I've ordered was tasty & the wine was great too.
The atmosphere was lovely as it had a live band. I enjoyed every moment of it & will look forward coming to this restaurant again.
Fantastic restaurant! The jazz band playing was very good & the service was great.
The food was really fabulous. I had the salmon tartare & the mushroom risotto (best I ever had). The dessert was so goooood! definitely a must go to!
Had a tasty dinner last night with my sister. The marrow & escargot for starters were great! & we shared the filet mignon. The meat came out perfect medium rare & hot. The mashed potatoes & veg unfortunately were lukewarm warm cause they were finished much earlier than the meat. I would've mentioned it but our server didn't come to check other than the 10 seconds after we first got our meal from a different host. Having a hot dinner altogether should be a must when you're paying the costs on the menu. It's not normal for me not to say anything, especially when my food is on the cold side. Overall good experience, & the jazz band made it exceptional.
We went there on saturday evening. There was a live band which was cool & good music. However the service could be better. You shouldn't have to ask the waitress for water. Its looks like I had to beg for water & she didn't ask if food was ok. I didn't feel a warmth in her service. The type of vibe "I have to do my job & serve them".
I've ordered linguine seafood. Quality was good & tasty but it was overly small & very pricey,
as well as for the drinks I thought it would be a bigger plate for the price. They didn't serve any bread which is a minus.
So if you are really hungry & you're not ready to spend hundreds of dollars don't come here.
Feb 2, 2025
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This might be my favorite restaurant in the world. The food alone makes this five stars. I've had the mushroom risotto topped with braised lamb, linguini with duck confit, & the lamb chops. All were excellent. Great wine selection. Chocolate mousse pyramid for dessert was amazing. The live music is the best I've ever seen while dining. Each time we visited Modavie, we saw GL Chambers & Band who perform a soulful mix of rock & blues. They are so talented & play with such a warm spirit. The music brings Modavie from a five star restaurant to a special must-visit destination.
Everything was great except it was so loud. I'm a 26 year old woman & my ears were ringing. The jazz band compounded with the table behind us. My ears were in pain. We were downstairs too, further from the band. I had the lamb chop & profiterole with a latte. Absolutely wonderful. You'll get a great dinner but not a quiet one !
Lovely place for date night! We went for a girls dinner as we were visiting for The Weeknd. The team is so accommodating & the food was delicious. We got the lamb shank as they're known for it. Sooooo good. Also the cheesecake was 10/10- The jazz bands adds something special upstairs. Make sure to request to sit near the music because the restaurant is big.
Nov 11, 2024
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The best filet mignon ! The band playing live house jazz music 👌🏼 we had reservation but we still where seated almost 30 minutes past our reservation time which is ODD cause they will cancel the reservation if you come 15 min late it was a Thursday plus . Rhaman was incredible with the service very professional !!
Had a great dessert & Irish Coffee. My only complaint was we couldn't get a table near the band even after I mentioned i would get a dinner enteee or appetizer. Instead we enjoyed music from the bar so I skipped ordering dinner.
Amazing experience! We had a great time with a party of 6. Most of us had a dish with lamb, as we were told it was their specialty, & they certainly delivered! Several of us usually don't even like lamb, but Modavie converted us. Our waitress, Eman (sp?) was so lovely & made the night so enjoyable, giving us details about the wine we ordered & just being so personable & kind. We were in a room next to where the band was playing so the noise level was perfect. I would recommend asking for a table outside of the room the band is playing in if you are hoping for conversation because you can still hear, just not as loudly. It was so enjoyable to listen to!
The dinner & jazz band experience upstairs at Modavie seems very hard to top in Old Montreal. The service was extremely attentive & friendly, frequently checking on us & providing us with recommendations for a cocktail lounge following dinner. The food was exceptional; we had the lamb burger & steak & fries accompanied by Montrealer cocktails. The upstairs dining room was serenaded by a decent jazz band with a vocalist. The views of the street below were nice.
My partner & I made reservations for my birthday, & unfortunately had a really underwhelming time. We asked to sit with the live music, but were put literally right in front of the band where it was impossible to hear each other or our server. We asked to move, & had to wait a bit, which was completely understandable because it was packed. We got to move to the other room, & it was much better. We were really excited, but our excitement was quickly quelled. We were basically forgotten about the whole time. We ordered soup to start & asked for a bit more time with the menus to decide on our main courses. The soup was delivered by a food runner, & our waitress never checked in on us, except to walk by quickly & snatch the menus that we had yet to order main courses from as she walked by. She clearly forgot about us, & when we asked to order main courses, she said she'd be back. She had stuff in her hands, & it was totally understandable, but she quickly forgot about us again. We had to flag her down again after about 10 minutes. It wasn't just about the time we waited - she was just also unpleasant. When she finally did take our order, she did so by asking, "Okay, tell me." She spoke perfect English & I speak French, so it wasn't a language issue. I was looking at my phone while waiting to pay, looking for a bar to go to nearby, & she said, "You should switch your phone out with a dessert menu." It was said in a judgy tone, as if being on my phone was ME behaving poorly. In all fairness, the food was very good. The onion soup was exactly what it's supposed to be, & my steak frites was great. Well seasoned, the bordelaise sauce was rich & delicious (albeit a bit cold by the time it arrived at the table but it didn't affect the flavor), & my partner's pasta was good. Not amazing, but good. We had to wait forever to even ask for the bill, & then waited another 15 minutes with our card in the check book, waiting to pay. It was just not a pleasant way to spend my birthday & we couldn't wait to leave.
