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.
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
Aug 20, 2024
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This is the place for lamb chops or the individual lamb ribs grilled on an open fire. In the USA lamb chops are totally different ;). The rack of lamp is the ribs not separated & grilled in the oven. The beef tartare with bone marrow was good but it could've been great if not already premixed but I guess that allowed for the presentation on the bone. The service is top notch & it's awesome that they've the live music on the second floor as an option but it starts at 7 PM. Great selection of wines & drinks.
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.
I won't lie, when we walked in with two toddlers we got the look from the host. (Parents know the look.) So I was leery. But we were there by 4:15 so it felt like an ok time to bring them in. & things turned around quickly when we got a table & food. I can honestly say the best (mushroom) risotto I've ever had. Salmon tartare & cheese tray were a hit for the whole family, including the one year old. & appreciated the effort put into the mocktaiks. Really fun. The lamb - which the waitress said they were known for - was probably our least favorite item. That's not to say it wasn't good. But i think we should have sent it back to get it to medium. Rare was...just too rare. One other fun note - the music playlist. This isn't something I really ever notice but we kept commenting how great it was & it set the right vibe. Definitely would recommend this place if you're looking for an elevated meal in old Montreal.
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.
Aug 13, 2024
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I heard this is where the locals go to hear jazz music n have great food. We were lucky to get a reservation! Bread is served warm, the onion soup is amazing w 1608 cheese. Very unique. The salmon tartare is very good, the Niçoise salad was over dressed. The filet lignin was excellent. We were too full to order dessert. Great place.
A bit of online searching led me to Modavie, & it did not disappoint. Comfortable atmosphere, pleasant live music, & excellent food. Two of us had lamb chops: superb! One had the Butcher's Cut (du jour) which was Quail: even better!! & perfect portions, well-presented without overdoing the art. Desserts were also excellent. Best food I've eaten in months.
The food was AMAZING, as were the vibes. The live music was great, & not too loud. I had the lamb cavatelli which I can't recommend highly enough. Truly enjoyed my time there!
Aug 11, 2024
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Everything about this place was terrific & it was our favorite restaurant during our 4 days in Montreal. We loved it so much that we went for a lunch & a dinner. Very gluten-free / celiac friendly. Everything was perfectly cooked & delicious. We received friendly, helpful, & fun service. & the space was very nice with a great vibe. We didn't need reservations for lunch but made them for our Saturday night dinner, & were glad we did. It was also a nice bonus that they have live music most nights of the week.
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.
One of the best dining experiences we have had in a long time. Service was quick, attentive, & very friendly. Food was definitely worth the price, & was the highlight of a beautiful evening at the Old Port. The decor was wonderful & clean, & the live music was a welcome accompaniment to our meal. We ordered the escargot, rack of lamb, the sea bream (catch of the day), & the seafood linguine. From the mains to the sides, all of it went beyond our expectations. My father especially loved the lamb, it was of a quality very rarely found in restaurants, & cooked perfectly according to our specifications; the sauce was also very good, extravagant in elevating the meat & its pairings. All the seafood was also wonderfully fresh, & the quality of the pasta brought it to the next level. Will likely look to come again if we ever return to Montreal.
Aug 3, 2024
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Service was amazing she started us off with nice words & was attentive to our needs, & ended it off by wishing us a good night. The whole restaurant seemed to match a cozy & tight style. The live music here was very good, but a little bit too loud for tables 1-3 tables away from them. The food was also good, but did not live up to my expectations. The lamb was just your average lamb, & the bone marrow was very sour. However, the pasta was the opposite of the rest. It exceeded my expectations & was very creamy while having some flavourful ground beef!
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.
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.
