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.
After 6 visits brunch, dinner, drinks, I haven't had a bad experience. For a restaurant that has every right to be pretentious they go out of their way to be the opposite. Not to mention the incredible live music.
Everything was beyond exceptional. As soon as we sat down water & bread service was provided & our drink orders were very quick. I ordered the escargot & it was amazing. Main courses ordered were: Duck Confit, mushroom risotto & the steak which were all phenomenal. The duck fell apart beautifully & the sauce was complimentary to everything in the dish. The risotto was probably the best I've ever had & I would live off of it if I could. & the steak was so juicy & I didn't know it was a flank cut until I was told. I would & will be going back again next time I'm in Montreal!
Jan 14, 2025
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My boyfriend & I loved this restaurant. Their drinks were really creative & delicious. They were also reasonably priced. We had the French onion soup & snails as an appetizer, & then tried the duck & the lamb for our mains. Everything was delicious & fresh. I had the raspberry sorbet as a dessert & my boyfriend had a chocolate mousse cake. The service was good & our server even took the time to write a list of other restaurants he recommended in downtown & old Montreal for us to visit during our trip. The restaurant was very cosy & they even had live music playing. It wasn't too loud & we would highly recommend this place for your next date spot.
We came here for the Christmas Eve prie fixe meal so can only speak to that. The place itself is wonderful & charming. Service was top notch. They had lovely live music. Drinks were excellent. The food however did not come close to expectations, especially at the $140 CD a person. We ordered three filet mignons at medium rare. One was medium, one was medium rare, & one was just seared & so raw I thought it was seared tuna. The duck was so dry & flavorless you could use it as a dog toy. The scallops were cold, very dry, & chewy. Not sure what they were going for there, maybe scallop jerky. The manager did come by & was very apologetic & took some items off the bill. But any restaurant shooting for high end dining at $140 a head, they need to deliver & delight.
If I could rate higher, I would without any hesitation. Upon entering we were greeted & sat, despite not having a reservation. We did arrive earlier than the usual dinner crowd though, which played a part in our prompt seating. Our server was friendly & charming, & answered all of our questions. He suggested a few dishes, & was timely with his service refiling our drinks. The bill was quite reasonable, given our service & portion sizes, not to mention great quality of food.
For a great dining experience this is a must stop. First, the service was amazing! Food & drink selection is wonderful. The atmosphere is perfect with live music & lighting.
This recommendation paid off! Modavie has great drinks, great food & dessert, & great service! It was pretty pricy, but if you're celebrating an occasion or just life, enjoy!
Comida ótima, preço ok e ambiente agradável com jazz ao vivo. Há opçao de sentar no bar que é muito amplo, com cadeiras muito confortáveis e tomar uma dentre as várias opções de drinks do local. O tempo de espera nao é longo pois o restaurante é muito espaçoso.
Very aesthetic & pleasant atmosphere with live Jazz musician playing. Service is "ok" but staff are not to blame. I believe they are doing their best to take good care of their tables but has there is no bartender, they have to make the drinks/cocktails/coffees instade of having a bartender for all beverages in order too keep a good flow in the dinning room. Now, the food... very desapointed, my husband ordered their benedictines but his eegs were welldone & the potatoes were soft, unseasoned & bathing in grease. I ordered a salmon carpaccio that came with very old & dry blinis, dry raddish slices, there was suppose to have citrus but there were none so i asked for a side of lemon, it was also suppose to come with a dill oil, & again there was none. All i tasted was tarragon that was not mentioned in the tittle. I sad has it could be an amazing location for locals!
Not gonna lie I came here over a year ago last august & I couldn't stop thinking about the steak knives here. They were so sharp & cut through the steak like butter. The food was also really good. We got drinks & salad as well! service was really good.
Oct 2, 2024
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I do not recommend coming to this restaurant because it was a huge disappointment for us. We had a reso but the restaurant was not busy at all, with many empty tables inside. Our server greeted us & we placed both a drink & food order. My mom got her coffee right away but I think the server forgot my wine. I sat & waited for 30 minutes before I got impatient & tried to flag the server down. When we finally got our food, which also took a really long time, it was mediocre. We ordered the mussels & fries & when the guy who delivered it opened the cover of the bowl, a mussel fell onto my mom's foot. The fries were also cold & soggy. The grilled octopus was okay. It was also cold & for the price I thought it would be a bigger portion. In total we spent over $100 cdn & it was not worth the money to me.
My friends & I were celebrating my friend's Bachelor Party/Trip on labour day weekend in Montreal, & I insisted that we get authentic French cuisine seeing as how we came all the way from Toronto. Modavie exceeded every expectation everyone had. The Atmosphere was very pleasing, with low noise volumes that I found quite nice as loud environments tend to make me uncomfortable, along with the decor & lighting being very well done. The service by Quentin was absolutely exceptional, making us feel quite at home & being attentive to our needs. He suggested another establishment for an evening drink as our reservation ended & the resturaunt was full & we found our way there based on his description. The food itself was absolutely out of this dimension. Never before have I tasted anything as refined as the bone marrow, garlic snails & duck confit. The flavors of each dish were lovingly curated like a selection of the finest paintings at the Louvre. The creme brulee was the perfect dessert to finish with, with its thick, stain glass worthy shell & it's decadent, eye widening pudding. I will recommend this establishment to everyone I know is going to Montreal, & bragging about it to everyone else. Merci beaucoup, Modavie!
I ordered the filet mignon & it was so salty & veggies were cooked to the consistency of baby food. I was shocked at the prices for the house wine I requested as well & one mixed drink( there was no bar menu on our table). The food is okay but they will get you on the alcohol with the prices , beware. Our waitress & service was lovely.
This is the place for lamb chops or the individual lamb ribs grilled on an open fire. In the USA lamb chops are totally different ;). The rack of lamp is the ribs not separated & grilled in the oven. The beef tartare with bone marrow was good but it could've been great if not already premixed but I guess that allowed for the presentation on the bone. The service is top notch & it's awesome that they've the live music on the second floor as an option but it starts at 7 PM. Great selection of wines & drinks.
Aug 19, 2024
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Our waiter was really great & attentive. We liked the vibe & the live music was great. All the drinks were delicious. The food was solid comfort french food (everything was good but not extraordinary). We had the mussels, duck confit, lamb pasta, steak. All solid.
Wonderful food, service, & personal experience with George. George was knowledgeable about the wine menu when we couldn't decide what to order & he was very attentive to our table. We ordered the French onion soup, seafood linguine, & steak & fries. It hit the spot! All the food came out timely & so so delicious. Because we are visiting for the weekend we asked George about local places & he went out of his way to suggest local things to do, eat, drink. Thank you for a great dining experience & fabulous food!
Just wondering around looking for a lunch place I had a good feeling about this place & I was right!!!!! From the moment I walked in the bartender Sam was super interactive with me & my partner & found out they have to musical performance within the restaurant on 2 desperate floors. We promptly made! dinner reservations & again was not disappointed. Hats off to fine food, drinks & a wonderful staff that made are last evening in Montreal a memorable!!
Had a great night at this charming restaurant. We ordered the duck confit, steak frites, & a couple of drinks. Everything was delicious, especially the cocktails (pineapple express & blood orange squeeze)!! Immaculate atmosphere. Loved the live jazz, incredibly romantic!!!! Very fast & friendly service. Would definitely recommend for a nice date night out.
We came here recently & had a great time overall. It's a nice place down in Old Montreal to grab a bite or have some drinks. The restaurant has a nice vibe & they had a live band playing that night which was pretty cool. The service was very good considering it does get quite busy here at times so I'd highly recommend getting a reservation. The Food was above average as well. Some items on the appetizers could've been a bit better but the main courses were top notch. The Lamb was probably one of the best I've ever tried & the Filet Minion was exceptional as well. The Cocktails were all really good & the dessert was enjoyable too. I'd definitely recommend to give this place a try as I'm sure I will return again myself whenever I visit again.
