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.
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.
Mar 31, 2024
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Excellent service, la musique était juste trop bonne & l'ambiance & décor aussi avec le mur en pierre qui reflète l'architecture du vieux port de mtl. Le seul point est que ça parle assez fort, donc si vous voulez un endroit plus calme, ce n'est pas pour vous.
This was one of the best meals I've had in Montreal, hands down. We had booked another place but decided to cancel last minute & came across Modavie & was intrigued by the menu. We were able to book a table for 5:30pm & so glad we did. We were one of the first tables in & our server, Jessica was absolutely amazing. She was attentive, recommended dishes that she vouched for (ex sweetbread) & a wine (Cotes du Rhone, Le Caillou Rouge) that paired well with our meal. We had never had sweetbread before, & trust me it's not what you think. It's a part of the lamb & if not cooked well, can taste gamey. But Modavie is known for their lamb dishes & the sweetbread was fabulous. We also ordered the lamb chops & it was cooked to perfection. It wasn't over-seasoned, had amazing grill flavour & was so tender. & of course, not gamey at all. We also tried their risotto, French onion soup, & escargots. Oh & the basket of bread. Wow. It was so fresh, so hot that I couldn't stop eating it. The only reason I didn't give'Atmosphere' a 5-star is because we did feel a bit squished in the corner, but understand that most places are like this. This was definitely a meal to remember & Modavie is now on my list of must go-to when 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.
Magnifique endroit! Carte des vins dispendieuse, mais de bons choix. L'assiette de charcuterie & fromage manquait un peu de raffinement pour atteindre le niveau de l'ambiance chic laissée par le décor.
Mar 12, 2024
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great spot in old montreal. went there after a play at centaur theatre. menu is a bit fancier, no cheeseburgers or chain restaurant type meals. I had lamb burger. not cheap but with live music & highend flood you have to pay more.
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.
Feb 26, 2024
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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.
Whenever we visit Montreal from Upstate NY, it's tradition to have our first dinner of the trip at Modavie! The atmosphere is amazing, the food is always wonderful & the service is top-notch. Tonight our server was George & he was so kind & accommodating - we had our two sons with us (9 & 12) & they felt right at home. Our table had the lamb, steak & frites, scallops & seasonal pasta. Delish. Thank you, George!
this restaurant is so cozy & perfect for a date night especially with the live music. the rack of lamb was amazing, same with the seafood linguini. the mac & cheese though, was the star of the show. my husband & i both couldn't stop talking about how good it was.
Great find! Had live music great bartender & the foods amazing. Def a great date night spot. Great attention to my lemon allergy. Had the duck one of my fav & hubby had the rack of lamb. All good. Hubby loved thr French onion soup.. For me it had great flavor but to chunky I perfer more broth
