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.
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!
Sep 2, 2024
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Family friendly french cuisine at the heart of old montreal area Everything is perfect They even got live music Its not the super fine dinning but it is just perfect for families who want to taste some french dishes while visiting the city
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.
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.
Very nice french restaurant, but the food was a bit lacking, maybe it was an off day. They claimed they were famous for their lamb... but I found it unseasoned. Our table also ordered the seasonal pasta bolognese but it was also very bland & under seasoned. The duck confit was the best item on the menu today along with the freshly baked bread & whipped butter. Was overall a bit disappointed.
Very nice & typical French place with live music. Even though we didn't book they gave us a table because they are very organised. Excellent meat & salmon & light pink wine with if we were in Provence.
Aug 4, 2024
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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!
Classic French cuisine with a wonderful atmosphere. The staff is extremely professional & will happily guide you through the menu. We started with the escargot & moved on to the poutine with braised lamb & duck confit for our main course. Highly recommend all 3! There was live music & overall a great atmosphere.
Jul 21, 2024
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Great place to enjoy some solid French food & listen to music. The moules-frites were cooked perfectly with a wonderful broth that paired nicely with the bread to dip. The charcuterie board was a pleasant surprise with the variety & taste. We split this with 4 people. & the lamb burger was a good choice.
I went for early dinner with 2 daughters to enjoy French onion soup, mussels, & creme brulee. We were told that we had our table for 2 hours, though right after an hour the waiter came & put the check in front of me, did not even offer or given a chance to order dessert. To say I was shocked - is not to say anything. Food is very tasty, but will not be back for such service 🙈
Great place for French food & live music. The rack of lamb was some of the best I've had at a restaurant & our server was very helpful on helping us pick out our wine, appetizer & desserts. Will be back!
Found this amazing french wine bar & restaurant with live music! Great wine selection & french food! Booking on weekend is recommended! Friendly staff.
Jun 24, 2024
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We had an amazing meal at Modavie. Our server, George, gave us great suggestions from the wine to main dishes to desserts. Everything was on point. He was very attentive & friendly. Go for the lamb chops. They are to die for! My son has the mussels & my husband had the duck- both superb. In addition, there's live music which gives the experience a nice touch. We wanted to have a great French meal & Modavie did not disappoint. ❤️❤️❤️
Highly recommend Modavie - amazing service, & great ambiance in old Montreal. I ordered the mussels & fries, & they were delicious! I also saw in the side of the restaurant with live music, & it was lovely. Highly recommend checking this place out if you're looking for French cuisine in Montreal!
This restaurant is my favourite in Montreal. I had the pleasure to visit yesterday & today. For appetizers I highly recommend the French onion soup & sweet bread. My friend said the escargot was the best it contained the perfect seasoning balance. The lamb chops are amazing & so is the duck confit. Every cocktail I tried was delicious. Don't forget to get the crème brûlée. The server was meticulous & Lorenzo took great care of us, what a gem of a person! I will definitely be back when we visit Montreal next!
