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.
Had an amazing experience at Modavie! From the moment we walked in, the vibe was incredible-super welcoming & lively. The live jazz music really set the mood & made the whole night feel special.
Huge shoutout to Caroline, who took care of me & my friends. She was honestly the highlight of our experience-super friendly, chill, & gave us amazing recommendations that we all loved. You can tell she really knows the menu & wants you to have a great time.
The food, the energy, & the atmosphere were all on point. Between the live music & the great service, this is definitely a spot I'd come back to anytime I'm in Montreal. Highly recommend!
We had a delicious & relaxing early dinner! Lorenzo greeted us with a smile & visited us at our table & shared a laugh. We loved our experience & our meal & hope to return soon.
We went here for a early dinner as we booked for AURA experience in Notre-Dame Basilica. It's quite pity we didn't get a chance to enjoy the jazz music.
We tried the Happening Gourmand Menu - 2-course menu featuring items for $49, like the snail, tuna tartare, steak & fries & cod risotto. Other than that, we also ordered onion soup & rack of lamp from the menu separately.
I would say the food is like average level, nothing impressed me. The food was served promptly, I kinda doubted if they were freshly cooked or not. I ordered medium for the steak & lamp. I think they were served as medium well.
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 came to try the gourmand prix fixe menu & were disappointed at every turn. My dirty martini was very sweet (how?) & poorly made, the tuna tatare was decent & the highlight of the meal, & the steak frites were nearly inedible - fries were cold & steak was flavourless. The blues band was good but the vibe overall felt more like a chain restaurant than a cozy French bistro. Will not return
Mar 19, 2026
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Le service? INCROYABLE!!!!!! J'ai vraiment adoré waouh la nourriture est bonne, l'atmosphère incroyable, les serveurs (euses) sont vraiment incroyables & courtois je comptes y revenir & je recommande vivement
We had dinner on a Friday with reservations which we would recommend. Our meal started with snails which were excellent. Our mains were steak fries & duck both of which were cooked exactly as we had asked. They have live music & while we had wanted to sit in the entertainment area we were seated in an adjacent room. This was a more private area & we could hear the music just fine. William was our waiter & he helped make our evening a hit. All the staff were very attentive. We will return.
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!
