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.
Friendly stuff. We arrived & they told us the kitchen closes in 30 minutes. Food came promptly & delicious. Crème brûlée had a crunchy top & sweet no stinky egg smell. Fois a gras was whole not past. Lamb chops were tender & well seasoned. They had live jazz but it was over when we got there. Parking is difficult at this time because the city has the whole street dug up even Uber couldn't drop us in front of the door. we had to walk then change sidewalks so we weren't sure if it's open or not but we got closer we saw like a bridge over construction to get to the door.
I would return again & again purely to see Lorenzo & have the experience with him! He is truly wonderful! The young lady with the gold glasses was delightful (sorry I don't know her name). Music, ambiance, wine choice & food, all delicious! We were recommended by friends in Toronto as British visitors, it didn't disappoint. Thank you so much 🍸
May 1, 2024
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Alexandre # 1 nous avons passé un excellent souper super agréable. personnelle super sourient nourriture service ambiance super Merci Alexandre pour ton excellent service ....
This place was just perfect. The ambience was beautiful with the cutest French music. We went at an off hour & it was so quaint. Our server, George, was so friendly & made the experience better :). I got the mussels & fries & it was so filling without being too much. Cannot recommend this place more & a must go to in Montreal!
One of our favorite places in Montreal & some of the best food hands down. We went twice & both times had the lamb pasta because it was THAT good - we also had the steak frites, French onion soup, Caesar salad, crème brûlée, & seasonal sorbet - all excellent as well & the drinks were very good. Very cute atmosphere with live music at night. Staff were so friendly & welcoming - we went to maybe 12-15 restaurants throughout our trip & none came close to Modavie.
Apr 26, 2024
on Google
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I came here solo on 4/14 Sunday night at around 8:45-9:00pm as part of a work trip. It's my 4th or 5th time here & every single time before was great, which is why I keep coming back when I'm in town. As I came myself, the hostess brought me to a table & I had asked if I could sit in the corner at the booth, she hesitated & gave a very uninterested "its reserved". Its 9pm on a cold Sunday evening, not only that, she proceeded to put me in the dead center of that dining area, as if she was offended that I had even dared to ask. I watched & the same happened to another couple that came in after me. The server (I believe his name is Patrice) was awesome & the food (Salmon Tartare & Lamb Rack) was fabulous as usual. By the time I left at 10pm it was still empty as expected, & diners were filing out of the restaurant on the cold evening.
Nourriture très moyenne pour le prix. Impossible d'accommoder une personne intolérante au gluten . Aucun accommodement possible ex: remplacer le pain par des pommes de terre. Pas d'ambiance puisque le groupe de musique est dans une autre salle . Serveurs sympatiques . Je n'y retournerai pas il y a d'autres bien meilleurs restaurants à Brunch à Montréal . Nous avions une réservation à 10h30 & à 10h24 , la porte était barrée . Sur la porte indique que ça ouvre à 11h30.
I loved everything about this place! Initially due to the road construction we didn't find the entrance but we are grateful we finally found it. We had the pesto gnocchi & mushroom risotto. Both were top notch. We had the lamb embellishment & will recommend it. I am thankful to our server for suggesting it. All the cocktails are yummy. We tried the mirage & cinnamon one. The music & ambience was top notch. Made a Thursday night feel like a weekend. Will be back for the creme brulee!
My friend & I decided to have dinner at this place due to the high ratings on Google. Now, after analyzing all the reviews, I realized they must be fake, since some of the images are repetitive. Everyone was raving about the food! First, the good things - the service was indeed excellent; our server was attentive & timely, & the hostess was accommodating, seating us upstairs so we could be a part of a jazz performance. We sat down & ordered our drinks, which were great! Then, we ordered bone marrow, foie gras, & scallops as appetizers. All of them were warm & tasted mediocre. Particularly, the foie gras came on top of a piece of bread, which was soaking through in fat. I understand that foie gras is very fatty, yet I was expecting the bread to provide a balancing bite, but it was so overpowering, I could not eat it. For the main course, we ordered lamb, which was highly recommended by other diners on Google (turns out they were fake reviews), & fries. The fries were soggy, & the lamb dish came out cold with all the soggy, sad-looking vegetables. I just could not eat it & asked our server to reheat it, which he did & I ate it afterwards. Initially, we wanted to have dessert, but after such a terrible food experience, we couldn't wait to go somewhere else instead! I don't know, maybe they were busy, & we had bad luck, yet the entire restaurant wasn't full. We won't be returning!
Apr 15, 2024
on Google
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Amazing dinner. Went here spontaneously on a Saturday at 7:30pm without a reservation with my boyfriend. Was sat immediately at the bar as all tables were reserved (totally get it, love sitting at the bar). The bartender was attentive & very talented as the cocktails we got were both superb. We ordered the snails as an app, I got the duck confit, & he got the lamb chops. We were given extra bread for the snail butter without asking. Waters always refilled. Meats cooked perfect. Live music was to die for. Got double espressos, crème brûlée, & profiteroles for dessert which were equally delicious. If I lived here I think I'd go every week.
We traveled to Montreal for the 2024 total eclipse & afterward headed to dine at Modavie . Upon arrival, we were surprised to learn that our dining time was limited to 2 hours-a unexpected limitation. Our server, Stephan, was outstanding, entertaining us with jokes & offering great recommendations. While the wine & some of the dishes were enjoyable, the Nicoise salad was disappointing-overly oily & lacking expected flavors like anchovies or dejon mustard. Also, the Lamb Cavatelli was well made but boring. Lastly, the Fondant au Chocolat was overly sweet & lacked complexity, tasting more like a store-bought brownie than a freshly made dessert crafted by a pastry chef. Overall, our experience was underwhelming, & we don't plan to return. The price for two was above average.
The restaurant is beautiful with a nice ambiance. Our waiter, Tyler, was super nice & professional. However I had the salmon tartare & I was very disappointing. I usually love tartare but this one was unfortunately tasteless. My friend had the lamb pasta however & it was delicious so I will probably go again to try something else! Some work on the cleanliness of the bathrooms could also be done, it was dirty & smelly. It wasn't my best dine in experience but I will keep an open mind & try it again for sure. The overall ambiance & service was great!
Nice restaurant. The atmosphere is bustling. The service was good. Waiter was studious, but not very attentive. Staff to customer ratio may be the reason. The food was good. The rack of lamb was a little bit gamey. The desserts were phenomenal! We ordered the bone marrow appetizer, beef tartare, steak & fries, 2 kids menu (pasta & chicken nuggets), & the rack of lamb. Overall, the food was good. Place is clean & atmosphere is popping with the live music. Overall, a place to visit on special occasions.
Apr 9, 2024
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Lovely restaurant in Old Montréal with live music from 7PM & a selection of lamb on the menu. The poutine was delicious & worth the added cost for the braised lamb. I was hoping to try the lamb pappardelle mentioned by other reviewers but it appears they've switched to cavatelli, which was cooked perfectly so no regrets! The only downside was that the lamb cavatelli was too rich & oily for my preference, otherwise would also highly recommend this. The lamb chops were decent, nothing spectacular. Great service & ambience for a date night.
Fab restaurant. Jazz music & food were perfect. Steak frites & lamb cutlets very nice. Kids menu - again lovely food. We'll definitely recommend this place. Thank you
From the moment we walked in & were greeted by Lorenzo we had an excellent experience. The vibe is great the staff is witty & happy. We came for Easter brunch. The jazz was fantastic & the food was top notch! This was one of the best meals I had in Montreal. The lamb topped with fois gras was super.
We stumbled upon it & so glad that we did! The snails & beef tartare were wonderful as was the crème brûlée. They're known for lamb, but we opted on steak, which was good, not great. Service was great. The singer was exceptional, but with the high ceilings & open seating area upstairs, it did get a little loud. Overall we had a great meal & a great time.
