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.
We had a wonderful lunch at Modavie, even during a busy service. The food was outstanding - the bone marrow & scallops made for the perfect start, & the lamb chops were absolutely spectacular. What truly elevated the experience was the service. William, our server, was attentive & friendly, while manager Lorenzo checked in personally to ensure everything was perfect. Their genuine care & hospitality made the visit unforgettable. Incredible food paired with incredible service - highly recommend!
An absolutely amazing experience! Had them on my list of places to go all week. On my last day, popped in there & it's was exactly what i had been looking for. We ordered off of the dinner menu-- charcuterie & cheese, beer, iced tea, mushroom risotto with a side of lamb & the nicoise salad. Everything was absolutely perfect. The cheese was local, the meats & accrumets were well paired & each was a great stand alone. The lamb were spiced perfectly & the risotto was hot & toasted nicely. The nicoise salad was heaven on a plate. The bread & butter were to die for. The vibe was excellent, with light music & the decor was simple & true to the restaurant. Honestly, this was my favorite restaurant I tried in all of Montreal. What topped it off was the service. We showed up early, without a reservation & were promptly guided to a corner table for two by incredibly friendly & professional maitre'd, Lorenzo. He was just a delight to have around & checked on us many times. Our waiter, William, was so warm & welcoming & extremely attentive to our needs. All in all, prices were shockingly low for the value we felt we got back in experience & food. It is a place I would 100 percent visit again, probably multiple times, on my next trip to Montreal. Thank you to the staff & chef for such an amazing send off. - Your friends from Seattle
Sep 12, 2025
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Excellent experience. Can I give everything, including our server Buddy, 10 stars? Buddy was very helpful explaining the menu. He was fun. We ordered a cocktail (so many to choose from) & a local beer. Then we ordered a cheese platter to start. Buddy suggested he hold off on putting in the appetizer order 5+ minutes until we finished our cocktails so we could fully enjoy the cheese with our wine. Great thinking Buddy! Cheese was very delicious. We ordered duck confit & rack of lamb. Both so delicious & juicy. Even though we were absolutely stuffed, I still had to order crème brûlée. Perfect. I was honored to have a sparkler in it to celebrate my birthday. Thank you. There was great Live music too. Well worth our 8 hour drive from Petrolia, Ontario for supper!
One of the best dining experiences in Montreal! The mussels with fries were absolutely delicious, & the lamb cavatelli was just as amazing. Every dish felt fresh & full of flavor. What truly made the night memorable, though, was our waiter Radouan, hands down one of the best waiters we've ever had. He struck the perfect balance between friendly & professional, making us feel right at home while keeping the experience special. Incredible food, amazing atmosphere, & service that goes above & beyond. Can't wait to come back!
Incredible restaurant that we went to twice on our 5 day trip. Food is delicious - rack of lamb, lamb chops & lamb cavetelli all excellent. I'd recommend the cavetelli - lamb,pasta & sauce were excellent but everything was delicious. Live music was great. Family friendly restaurant & the hospitality & generosity of the waiters made it feel like home. They washed my 2 year old daughter's plate we brought at the end. Very kind gesture that we've never experienced anywhere else. Thank you hope to come again soon.
What a great place! We had the duck with pasta, escargot & lamb poutine. We listened to jazz & also had some nice cocktails. Really appreciated the great service from our waiter George. He was helpful & friendly.
Aug 27, 2025
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Delicious food & good vibe. We booked early for dinner at 5pm, 2 hour sitting time, recommended reservations, especially if you want to come around 7pm to experience Jazz live music. Their onions soup is a must try, they are also popular for lamb chops, my partner said it's is really good. Will definitely come back
I recently dined at Modavie & have mixed feelings about the experience. I was very excited based on the other reviews I had read. The food was great, & the restaurant itself has a beautiful atmosphere. However, the service left much to be desired. Our server made us feel a bit unwelcome, & the pace of service was very slow. Maybe it was because it might have been busy but it took quite a while before our order was taken, & even longer to receive the bill at the end. Unfortunately, this meant we stayed much longer than we had intended. If the server was more welcoming, we wouldn't have thought too much about the slow service.
Overall, the food & ambiance were wonderful, but the service really detracted from the experience.
We went to Modavie on the weekend & had a great experience start to finish. We had an early reservation for our wedding anniversary that we unfortunately had to cancel. However, the hostess on the phone let us know that a walk in might be available. We tried that around 7pm & the hostess was kind & accommodating. We sat on the patio where we could hear the live music but it was not too loud. Service was fantastic & so was our server, Tyler. He was warm, attentive, & friendly. He brought us out a dessert to celebrate our anniversary, even though I was only able to write that it was our anniversary on the first reservation I did- so they must have remembered from that. Also the lamb burger was amazing. Would recommend to anyone visiting the city.
They serve some classic French dishes, but why do I get the feeling the cooks don't know how to cook. For one the lamb rack is overcooked & soggy, demi glace & steak sauce's overly starchy.
Aug 26, 2025
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We arrived in Montreal late & were looking for a late dinner without a reservation. Even on a weekday, most of the well-reviewed spots near Rue St.Paul were full, so we ended up here. About a 15-minute wait, & we were seated.
They were playing live jazz in the back dining area, but without a reservation we were placed in a quieter, more secluded space. Service was friendly & efficient, & we decided to skip a full meal for some hot appetizers & entrées.
The onion soup was a good start even during the summer months. Not quite the same satisfaction as in the dead of winter, but flavor-wise, it sat in the same tier as most great French onion soups I've had. If there was a difference, it was in the cheese (richer, not too rubbery, & nice aroma).
Calamari was calamari. Good as expected, but nothing to write home about. I had high hopes for the Normandy sweetbread, but it wasn't the kind I was looking for. The Calvados-&-apple combination doubled on sweetness, which unfortunately overshadowed the natural flavors of the sweetbread. The sauce itself was pleasant at first, but it was so dominant that it was hard to tell if I was picking up a piece of morel mushrooms or a sweetbread.
Thankfully, the two entrées we ordered were amazing. We got the mushroom risotto as a filler, but it turned out to be our second favorite dish. The truffle aroma & pine nuts worked together really well. The Lamb chop was highly recommended from our server, & since all the lamb I had in Montreal/Quebec were phenomenal, I decided to trust her. This was no exception. Sides were fairly basic, but even without a sauce, the meat was just so tender & flavorful.
Food was spot on, especially the foie grass & scallop entrees. Service was good, ambience & live music was nice, though a little loud if you're next to the speakers. Good value too. Would def go again. Until next time.
The restaurant was busy for lunch, but they seated me at the bar right away. The bartender was attentive, friendly, & offered great suggestions. I went with the lamb pasta in a rich mushroom-style sauce, & it was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend!
Loud even before the music started. Good location & quite nice inside (quite modern) but lacking je ne sais quoi for Old Montreal. But it was the food that let it down. My onion soup was wierd, it looked like French onion soup, it had the layers of French onion soup, but it had some other stuff in it that made it just wrong. My lamb chops were just OK, nothing out the ordinary. Prices were on the steep side. I wouldn't go back.
Aug 5, 2025
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We stopped in for lunch at Modavie & had such a great experience. The food was absolutely delicious, & the ambiance was beautiful - cozy & stylish without being too formal. A big shoutout to Lorenzo at the front of house for being so welcoming, & to our server Salvatore who was super attentive & made sure we had everything we needed. We'll definitely be back!
Got a recommendation from reddit. Tried this place. Getting there was long because it's right in the middle of the tourist area. Lots of stop signs & people crossing plus rush hours. So if you have a reservation, go there earlier.
The place itself it very nice, large seating area. Live music at night. We got there for early dinner. Food were mostly good (ordered onion soup, tuna tataki salad, & rack of lamb). Onion soup was different from the usual but in a good way. I had tuna tataki, but they have anchovy (too salty for me, & i didn't realize it comes with anchovies). Service was awesome. Very friendly. Kids friendly, too. Good place to try!
Awesome first meal visiting Montreal. We got the foie gras, fried calamari, garlic snails, & French onion soup for appetizer; lamb chops, lamb rack, & mushroom risotto for entrees. Everything was flavorful & we got a seat quickly with a walk in reservation. Lovely atmosphere - take it easy & enjoy the live bands (bring cash tip)!
Modavie is a French Bistro that has excellent menu choices. We found the food to be very delicious & priced comparable to others in the old city, which is on the pricey side. The place jas a certain ambiance, which we found very pleasant. Caution: Make reservations in advance. We didn't have reservations, but we were fortunate to be seated regardless, but we had a two hour time limit to complete our meal.
