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.
Great spot with a festive atmosphere & live jazz. Service was friendly & attentive. Rad, our waiter, was excellent. Prices are reasonable & the wine list is diverse. The only downside was that the band, although very talented, was too loud, making it hard to have a conversation at the table.
We initially wanted to come for the table d'hôte but the dinner menu looked delicious so we just ordered from there.
We ordered 2 dishes from the Classics side of the menu & 1 dish from the house specials.
Classics included the Mushroom risotto, which was a cheesy goodness featuring plenty of mushrooms & the other was the mussels & fries, which it in itself is always a classic. The white wine sauce was so complimentary for dipping the fries in & the mussels were so fresh.
The house specials featured the lamb chops, which I'm not usually a fan of, as sometimes too gamey, but these chops were cooked so well. The veggies were roasted so nicely, & included carrots, parsnips, zucchini & potatoes.
We visited during lunch on a weekday, so it wasn't too busy. Perfect for a lunch date. The server & the manager were accommodating of our stroller & us baby wearing our baby while eating lunch. Such nice hospitality, will definitely visit again!
Mar 17, 2026
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We had a nice dinner at Modavie restaurant. The place has a great atmosphere & feels lively, especially with the live music playing during the evening.
We ordered salmon fillet with barley & a glass of wine. The food tasted fresh & was very tasty. The salmon was well prepared & the dish was nicely balanced.
The restaurant was quite busy, which shows it's a popular place. Because of the live music & the number of guests, it can also get a bit loud, but it adds to the energetic atmosphere.
Overall, it's a nice place with good food, live music, & a vibrant setting. 🎶🍷🐟
My husband, 2 year old son, & I stopped in for a mid week lunch & we're very impressed. The service was wonderful, both William & Lorenzo took great care of us. They were both so kind & attentive, & treated my son as just as important as the rest of us at the table. The food was excellent! Stand outs were their soup of the day, which was a carrot & broccoli soup, their salmon tartare, & the rack of lamb. William was also helpful with wine pairings to go with our meals. We will definitely be back next to we visit Montreal.
I have been to Montreal a few times with friends, but it was always a short trip & I didn't have time to dine in. This time, I went with my sister, who is a first-timer in the city. We were only staying for a few days, but I made a list of restaurants to try. As we were walking around, we got hungry, & Modavie was on my list & close by. We didn't make a reservation since we didn't know when our activity would end, but it was after lunch, so I knew it might not be busy. The moment we walked in, we were greeted by a lovely, gentle older man. He made us feel right at home.
The female server greeted us once we were seated, & she had such a calming aura. I asked for her recommendations for wine & followed her suggestion based on the meals I was having. My sister ordered their lunch five-meal special, & I ordered their specialty, which was the rack of lamb, with a cheese platter appetizer. The lamb was cooked to perfection & seasoned well-rich & tender! We loved the cheese platter as well. The foie gras was amazing; it melted in my mouth. On the other hand, my sister thought her main would be a salmon dish, but pasta was the main course, which she wanted to avoid since we had recently had pasta, but it was still alright! We ordered crème brûlée because I had read a glowing review about it. It was creamy & delicious!
This restaurant was our first stop & made a great impression with its food & service, so we were even more inspired to try many other restaurants in Quebec.
My husband & I don't always get the chance to have a date night, once or twice a year I would say. We almost aways go to Modavie as the atmosphere, food, drink & service always proves to be amazing. On January 17th, our expectations were surpassed & our evening was absolutely perfect.
We were seated in Isma's (apologies for mis spelling of her name). Right from the start she was attentive. I was unsure of which wine to choose, & she brought me 2 samples.
The food was beyond good, we had the risotto & the steak frites.
To end our night, we were even presented a glass of dessert wine on the house.
Our night was absolutely special & our next date night will definitely be back at Modavie in Isma's section! Thank you so much!
Food is just ok. Steak was very boring. Foie gras cold & bone marrow too vinegary . Service is amazing! My husband got wine that was oxidized,but he was too shy to replace it. Best part is that they open at 4 for dinner, if you want early meal.
Jan 19, 2026
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We went as a party of 4 for new years eve. The location is great & the atmosphere upstairs was very well done with the live jazz singer & the double bass player. The music was not overwhelmingly loud & complemented the experience in an elegant way. We found the service to be excellent. So kudos to the waiter that served us. We had a 5 course dinner with the wine pairing. I didn't find the wine really complemented the flavors of each dish so can't say whether or not a sommelier was involved in the selections. The dishes were good but not outstanding. I could not say that I found myself weak in the knees on first bite of each dish as I had hoped. The food was ok, I still finished everything on my plate. Overall I found the prices was fairly for the quality but nothing outstanding that would entice me to return.
Modavie in Old Montréal is a quintessential French bistro experience that delivers across cuisine, atmosphere, & character. The space itself feels timeless & inviting, with warm lighting, exposed brick, & nightly live music-typically jazz or blues-that enhances rather than overpowers conversation. ?
The menu showcases classic French-inspired bistro fare executed with care. Signature dishes like the lamb chops & duck confit consistently earn praise for rich, well-balanced flavors & satisfying portions, while French onion soup & escargots make excellent starters. The wine list is broad, spanning Old & New World selections, & cocktails are thoughtfully crafted. ?
Service strikes a great balance between attentive & unobtrusive, with knowledgeable staff ready to guide pairings & recommendations. Many guests highlight the personable hosts & excellent waitstaff as part of the overall experience. ?
Whether for a date night, celebration, or memorable dinner after exploring Old Montréal, Modavie's combination of refined bistro cuisine, lively live music, & classic charm firmly earns it a 5-star rating.
A very nice atmosphere but middling food & very slow service. The french onion soup was just okay (a bit salty & lacking in wine flavor) & while the lamb cavatelli & mushroom risotto were delicious, the lamb shank was extremely disappointing, it didn't have any sauce & was pretty overcooked (I ordered medium rare, but it was tough & bland). The moules & frites were oversalted & the cream sauce tasted like hot cream & nothing else. The accompaniment of vegetables & basic potatoes was nothing to note either. Neither the creme brulee (eggy & grainy) nor the mousse pyramid (one note) were great either. I wouldn't recommend this place for the price, feels like a bit of a tourist trap.
Sep 19, 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!
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.
The best duck I've ever had! I strongly recommend it! Looking forward to coming back during my next Montreal visit.
Friend of mine & I came for dinner - it was our first time there. The food was delicious, service was excellent, wine selection was great, & the live music was very cool! We had a great time!
The only downside was the space was quite loud so is it was really hard to have a conversation & to hear each speaking.
Cons: the resturant is a little dirty. I received a dirty wine glass, dirty napkin, & there were used utensils & spills on the floor. Also, there were a lot of noisy kids. The menu didn't make me think this would be a family resturant.
Pros: the staff was incredibly nice & the food was excellent
Absolutely loved this restaurant. Food was very delicious, & everyone was very happy with the food & service.
They had accidentally given me potatoes instead of mashed potatoes, & when I asked to verify just so I won't be charged extra (it wasn't a big deal, honestly), they came back with a massive bowl of mashed potatoes & told me it was on the house. Seriously, could've have asked for better service.
The lamb I thought was a little too subtle on the flavours, but that's my personal taste, & I believe pretty much everyone else would've thought this was well seasoned (my friends tried it & thought it was really really good). Mashed potatoes, vegetables, & the potatoes were all very delicious.
The waiter also suggested me a red wine to go with the lamb that I've been trying to find, & have been failing to - I only remember hearing'Chateau', which didn't help me narrow it down when I got home. If you see this, Modavie, & any of your waiters somehow remember my wine from 22 Nov 2024, I would be forever in your debt (I probably should've asked earlier). We were also the group that sat in front of the band & ended up moving to a quieter part of the restaurant (which they did so happily - thank you so much).
Anyways, 10/10 would recommend, everyone should give this place a try. My friend's duck & steak were all incredibly delicious as well. Can't wait to come back when I visit Montreal again.
Gluten-free Poutine!!! The food here was so good & so many items gluten free. Except dessert! Please work on that.
We started with the poutine with lamb. Delicious salty gravy & the tender lamb. Wow! We then had lamb chops & the mushroom risotto. Both were very good. The mushrooms were crispy on the truffled rice. So good. I loved the lamb chops & thought a large portion. The crème brûlée was good but nothing exciting. They were out of a few things such as the chicken. The wine choices were good only if you bought a bottle.
The restaurant is set up as restaurant on one side & bar on the other with jazz. I enjoyed the jazz from the restaurant side but would not have wanted to eat in the bar.
There is construction on the streets around the restaurant if you are driving be aware.
