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.
Reviews describe Modavie as a warm, lively Old Montreal bistro with a welcoming vibe and memorable live jazz that enhances the evening. The menu is praised for classic French bistro dishes like mussels and fries, duck confit, lamb chops, steak frites, and seafood, with generous portions and fresh ingredients. Attentive, friendly service and a knowledgeable staff are repeatedly highlighted, helping guests feel cared for in a vibrant setting enhanced by a diverse wine list and craft cocktails. Overall, the atmosphere, food, and music combine to create enjoyable dinners for dates, friends, and celebrations, making Modavie a reliable choice in Montreal.
This used to be my absolute favourite place to go in Montreal. While the vegetarian options (other than salad) were not that great, they would still accommodate me with their pasta plate. The ambience & live jazz made each experience memorable. However, something has changed in the last few years. There wasn't really anything I could enjoy as a vegetarian other than salads. Really guys, being a vegetarian doesn't mean I like to chew leaves like a cow. Something delicious & warm cooked for those of us that aren't carnivores, would really start to return this restaurant to being one of the top places I would recommend in Montreal.
Mar 17, 2024
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Une expérience complètement étonnante côté nourriture. C'était parfait 🤩 Cocktail très bon, escargots hyper savoureux, confit de canard & foie gras succulent & que dire de la crème brûlée 💛 Le tout vient par contre avec une facture très salée mais je ne regrette rien. Mon serveur avait par contre oublié de se mettre un sourire aux lèvres. J'aurais du réserver du bon côté de la salle question de voir le spectacle live. Je ne savais pas qu'il avait deux zones en bas & une autre à l'étage avec deux styles de musique différente (jazz & blues).
Went to this restaurant several times for dinner or lunch & all was great! Caring staff, delicious meal, & live jazz band! Highly recommended! Just in case you look for a calmer spot & becasue band plays at first floor, better to book your table at second floor.
Good service, kind staff. Missed the live jazz since they didn't play on the second floor. Even after reservation, I was led to a seat stuck to the pillar which felt a bit uncomfortable. The vibe was chill although I was unimpressed by how the food was.
Me & my boyfriend came here with high expectations considering this place is on the'top rated' lists of restaurants in Montreal. Very overrated place. Surprisingly the food was really disappointing, for the price paid we expected a lot more flavour but we could've made better at home. Only 2-3 choices of wine by the glass or excessive prices for bottles. I've eaten at many other places for 20-30$ per person & got better food. Save your money. Only thing that was good was the service & live jazz.
The vibes here were amazing, super elegant yet homey & cozy. Everyday they have an accompaniment for music & the day we went had jazz playing while we were eating. The apps (escargot & soup) were 🤌- both were not your standard snails or french onion soup. The soup had an extremely rich flavour shine through that came from the deep caramelization of the onions. The accompanying garlic butter & cheese that was paired with the escargot was salty which was good. Onto the mains, the table favourite was the duck confit. The duck was so tender & when paired with the sweetness of the walnuts & the acid from the pickled cabbage, it made a wonderful bite. The lamb chops were great as well, the meat was cooked to our liking. We do wish there was a sauce to accompany the lamb, perhaps a sweet red wine sauce to cut through the saltiness of the veggies & enhance the lamb taste. As an aside, the potatoes were delicious LOL. The lamb pasta was amazing as well, flavour-wise. We wish there would have been more lamb in the pasta as the portion of meat felt lacklustre. The pasta was perfectly cooked & held onto the sauce very well. Lastly, the drinks were delicious- perfectly balanced between sweet & tangy. The service here was phenomenal, they consistently checked up on us & made sure we were well taken care of. Overall, the restaurant was a great experience in MTL, a good place to go to if you're in the area & are looking for a more expensive dinner.
Beyond phenomenal dishes. The food is rich with flavor, & the atmosphere is beautifully comfortable. They play live music upstairs that sounds like it's straight from the radio, whomever is behind the jazz deserves a raise. Honestly though, it was an incredible experience & the next time I am back in Montreal I will stop by again. - Au-delà des plats phénoménaux. La nourriture est riche en saveurs & l'atmosphère est magnifiquement confortable. Ils jouent de la musique live à l'étage qui sonne comme si elle sortait tout droit de la radio, celui qui est derrière le jazz mérite une augmentation. Honnêtement, c'était une expérience incroyable & la prochaine fois que je reviendrai à Montréal, je m'arrêterai à nouveau.
I came here with my wife & two daughters (7 & 9) for dinner on a cold February evening. Our hotel had recommended this place. Lorenzo completely hooked us up with one of the best tables in the house, right in front of the live jazz band, it was perfect. The waitstaff was attentive & the food excellent. We liked the steak dishes & lamb chops. Thank you to Lorenzo & the staff for a memorable evening on our family vacation to Montreal. We will be back.
We came to MODAVIE for brunch. We were a large group so, we reserved a table. From the moment we arrived, the staff were very friendly & professional. We ordered hot drinks, cocktails & a full course of dishes. The food was delicious & the cocktails were great! There was a live jazz band playing so, we couldn't really ask for more.
Feb 12, 2024
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Everything was really good! Tasty food (we ordered onion soup, escargot, mussels & duck, wine, additionally they brought hot delicious bread with butter). Really nice service & amazing atmosphere with jazz music.
10/10 brunch experience!!! (June 2022) Very quaint atmosphere, delicious food, affordable prices & outstanding ambiance. Particularly enjoyed the jazz music at brunch which was a delight. I had the eggs benedict with lamb, creme brulee for dessert. My friend had the breakfast poutine. Came for dinner May 2023 - duck confit was delicious & so was the creme brulee. The appetizer bread & butter was so yummy. Beautiful background live music which I enjoyed over my meal. Jan 2024: had duck breast, grapefruit mimosa.
Be prepared to spend for sure. It was a very expensive dinner. Portions are huge. Went on a Tuesday night. The live jazz was good & the restaurant was packed. Food is pricy but good. Poutine & Mussels were excellent. Wine was alright, not the best.
Great place in heart of old Montreal to enjoy brunch. Service was outstanding. Jazz for brunch was so great that we didn't want to leave. & of course food was great. Many choices for everyone.
Dec 18, 2023
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Came here for MTLATABLE, which is a prix fixe food event at select restaurants across the city. There was a decent selection of dishes made with Quebec produce across 3 courses. I picked the poutine, chicken & creme Brule. Honestly, I only enjoyed the poutine & it wasn't as heavy as regular poutine. The chicken was a disappointment due to the lack of flavours. It tasted like grocery store rotisserie. The creme Brule was nothing special. However the highlight of this restaurant is definitely the live music, which starts at 7pm every night. The jazz singer & the band that performed tonight were excellent. Without it, the experience would have been pretty underwhelming.
