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.
Lors de notre visite au restaurant Modavie, nous avons été ravis par l'expérience culinaire. Nous avons commencé avec la soupe à l'oignon gratinée, qui était parfaitement équilibrée entre le fromage fondant & le bouillon riche & savoureux. Le steak frites, cuit à la perfection, était tendre & juteux, accompagné de frites croustillantes. Quant au poulet basque, il était délicieux avec des saveurs authentiques, évoquant le sud-ouest de la France. Mais ce qui a vraiment rendu notre soirée mémorable, c'est le service exceptionnel de Georges. Attentif, chaleureux, & professionnel, il a su rendre notre repas encore plus agréable. Nous reviendrons certainement !
Very average food compared to several other restaurants in Montreal. This place has gone down in quality big time. Rack of lamb, their signature, is okay. Scallops are bad.
Aug 24, 2024
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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
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.
The dinner & jazz band experience upstairs at Modavie seems very hard to top in Old Montreal. The service was extremely attentive & friendly, frequently checking on us & providing us with recommendations for a cocktail lounge following dinner. The food was exceptional; we had the lamb burger & steak & fries accompanied by Montrealer cocktails. The upstairs dining room was serenaded by a decent jazz band with a vocalist. The views of the street below were nice.
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.
Aug 17, 2024
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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.
So lovely & food was so good. We had duck confit, lamb chop & steak. Service is also very nice. We made reservation on a weekday late evening. It was still quite full when we arrived. Loved it!
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.
Very nice french restaurant, but the food was a bit lacking, maybe it was an off day. They claimed they were famous for their lamb... but I found it unseasoned. Our table also ordered the seasonal pasta bolognese but it was also very bland & under seasoned. The duck confit was the best item on the menu today along with the freshly baked bread & whipped butter. Was overall a bit disappointed.
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!
Modavie was a truly fantastic experience. Rad, our waiter, made our evening delightful; From the helpful suggestions to the attention he gave us, there was nothing more we desired. This is one of the best dining experiences we've ever had.
