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.
This was definitely one of THE BEST soupe a l'oignon I have had in the world (including Paris, France!)!!! Quaint decor & friendly staff. Highly recommend it! (& have the soup!)
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)!
Jul 11, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
The Onion Soup & Creme Brulee were the best things. Overall great food, lovely ambiance & nice staff. It is a bit pricy but well put for the quality of food. Our Steak & Fries was a little hard to chew but overall it was great.
Apr 19, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
We ate here for lunch. It was excellent. I had the onion soup it was very good but a little bit too thick for my tastes I like it to be just a little thinner but flavor was spot on. The poutine that I had was excellent. I've had it a couple of different ways I normally don't like having meat added to it or anything like that. I like having it done the way poutine was always done. If I would give any slight suggestion would be to add a little bit more of the cheese curds to it other than that it was fantastic some of the best I've ever had. Now Richard on the other hand had the Sweetbreads. Hopefully people sophisticated enough who are reading this would understand what sweetbreads are they are not sweet bread. For his main course he had the duck confit. I basically had a little bit of his food because I didn't want to overdo it because we were going to dinner that night at Bonaparte. So I wanted to have a nice empty stomach. For lunch it was an excellent lunch. Dinner looks to be just as good if not better. We actually did order off the dinner menu but the portions were slightly downsized for lunch size.
Best French onion soup & duck dish I've ever had! It was amazing. The jazz was also really good. Our service was really on top of it but he was a little rude & made a comment about only ordering one appetizer. Otherwise though we highly recommend the place. The mousse was the best dessert
We were two people. Had two bottles of red wine & four food items in the dinner including 12 oysters/1 salad/1 French onion soup/1 steak frites, & the total came to $240 with taxes & plus 18% tip was added/paid. (Just two wine bottles were of $120 plus tax). It was nice speaking with Daniel, the bar tender. Food was fresh. It was an alright experience.
Nice atmosphere, included live music. The drinks were delicious. The bone marrow was unimpressive. The French onion soup was terrific!!! Mushroom risotto has WAY to much cheese sauce compared to the rice. The rice was swimming in the cheese sauce. I would try again.
Feb 12, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
My boyfriend & I loved this restaurant. Their drinks were really creative & delicious. They were also reasonably priced. We had the French onion soup & snails as an appetizer, & then tried the duck & the lamb for our mains. Everything was delicious & fresh. I had the raspberry sorbet as a dessert & my boyfriend had a chocolate mousse cake. The service was good & our server even took the time to write a list of other restaurants he recommended in downtown & old Montreal for us to visit during our trip. The restaurant was very cosy & they even had live music playing. It wasn't too loud & we would highly recommend this place for your next date spot.
It's worth trying their duck confit & mussels & fries, the sauce on both dishes was so good! We also ordered onion soup & beef tartare for starters, the soup was a bit salty & the toast served with the beef was a bit hard. They tasted good but weren't as good as the main courses. Their bread basket was so delicious btw
Un resto à découvrir pour l'ambiance & le bon service. Par contre la nouriture ne nous a pas impressionnée. La soupe à l'oignon sans gout particulier & le confit de canard beaucoup trop sec. Le groupe jazz était vraiment bien.
Dec 10, 2024
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Montreal before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoMontreal.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
All I can say is incredible place. The food is immaculate. The Best French onion soup I've ever had. Their Lamb Rack was pure perfection. Ambiance was pleasant. Music was great, & also.. Had the pleasure of seeing a certain celeb from the Jacka** series enjoy the place! I'f you're newly local or visiting, you have to take the time to treat yourself to this fine digs. Service is prompt, polite, & also down to earth. You will not be disappointed.
My husband & I came here on the recommendation of our walking tour guide & we're so glad we did! I had the salad niçoise & my husband had the onion soup & a small Caesar salad. All our food was delicious - do NOT come here & skip the onion soup. It's unbelievable. The bread & butter they served before the meal was also fantastic. Highly recommend!
L'ambiance est super & les repas sont bons! Le serveur était très gentil! Par contre, attendre 1h pour une réservation faite un mois d'avance & attendre encore 1h à la fin pour les factures, c'est assez décevant. Je comprends que certaines choses sont hors de contrôle, mais rien n'a été offert pour s'excuser de l'heure d'attente du début. À éviter si vous cherchez une place pour un souper d'anniversaire avec plusieurs amis.
