Overall, Monarque is described as an elegant, vibrant dining room with refined French cuisine, a strong wine program, and attentive service, where diners frequently praise standout dishes such as duck confit, bone marrow with escargots, octopus and bouillabaisse, while noting occasional uneven mains and bright Brasserie lighting.
Atmosphere: 10/10 | Overall feel of the restaurant feels as you'd expect it to be.
Service: 10/10 | Paced properly when ordering entrées, mains & dessert. Extremely pleasant staff, if you have a problem just ask.
Food: 10/10 | No issues here, had the bone marrow with burgundy snails as an entrée, Lamb sirloin (Recommended by Barman) as main & the Pavlova as dessert. Dish sizes are surprisingly decent (entrée + main) & I was too full for dessert.
Had a wonderful experience our first night dining at in Montreal at the Monarque. Our waiter was fabulous he was very welcoming & kind, explaining the menu & drinks in English to us. We had the halibut special & chicken. Both were cooked to perfection & normally we do not ever clean our plates, but tonight we did. We also had dessert, which again was delicious. Their drinks were also excellent, the Monarque & the Caravane, the Monarque was more savory. We were tempted to order the bone marrow but the couple next to us were devouring theirs & it was a large portion & we didnt think we would be able to eat everything. So we will try that in our next visit. We dined early around 5 with no wait, but by 6pm if was almost full. I would highly recommend dining here.
May 8, 2026
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If you get the chance to book a table here, do it!
We ate in the brasserie & had a wonderful evening of delicious food & scrumptious cocktails.
The bone marrow & snails starter was particularly delicious, along with the lamb rump main. The bouillabaise was superb- I could have happily eaten a loaf of bread with the rouille, it was so tasty! We rounded the night off by sharing a maple & pecan éclair.
The service was great, & food was exceptionally prompt given it was a Friday night!
Our only feedback to improve on an already great experience would be to serve your table bread warm with slightly softer butter.
An absolute amazing experience. My husband & I sat at the bar, enjoyed a couple starters & some cocktails. The white asparagus starter really stole the show. So delicious. The bone marrow & escargots, was exquisite & very rich (in a good way)
The octopus was cooked to perfection & paired so well with the ginger carrot puree.
The Pistache cocktail was the number one best cocktail I've ever had in my life (12 years of working in restaurants )
Beautifully balanced., such a complex cocktail created with pure harmony. I will dream of this cocktail.
We then continued our culinary journey with the pan seared tuna & braised lamb. We left our plates clean. Everything was delicious.
We ended our night with the pavlova & crème brûlée dessert. My husband, not really a fan of desserts in general, practically licked his plate clean.
The highlight of our night, was Serge the Barman. What an amazing, kind & gentle man. Truly gives the definition of'gentleman'
Extremely attentive & knowledgeable about his menu & wines.
We will certainly come back for the food, & definitely stay for Serge.
Enjoyed some excellent vegetarian options while celebrating an anniversary. My husband had the bone marrow with escargot as well as the duck confit & enjoyed those as well!
Yesterday, my husband & I visited Montreal for the first time & chose this restaurant based on its many positive reviews. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the most disappointing dining experiences we've had.
I don't usually leave negative reviews, but the food quality was genuinely hard to believe. My husband's dish was excessively greasy. We started with the winter salad - the lettuce leaves were so large they were difficult to eat, the cheese was overwhelmingly heavy, & the vegetables tasted neither fresh nor crisp, but rather soggy.
We also ordered the bone marrow. While it looked large, there was actually only one or two small scoops of marrow inside, which felt misleading.
For the main courses, we ordered the duck & the ribeye. Both meats lacked freshness & flavor, tasting more like pre-packaged, previously sealed meat rather than freshly prepared dishes. Even basic seasoning like salt was unevenly distributed.
Overall, the experience was very disappointing, especially given the restaurant's reputation & large kitchen. I truly don't understand the glowing reviews, but this was our honest experience.
This review is for the Brasserie. I especially wanted to try this place to get my foie gras fix & it was really good! I only wish the foie gras & the bread were served warm. The bone marrow with snails was also good, but the combination was a little weird. I liked the bone marrow. I liked the snails. But served together took away from enjoying each part on its own.
The duck was roasted to perfection. The skin was so crispy & the meat just fell off the bone. Same goes for the braised veal cheeks. There was no bone to fall off of, but the meat was so tender & just came apart as soon as I pressed down with my knife.
I can't wait to come back to try the Salle à Manger since it's a different menu.
Heard such good thing about this resto so booked a table at the brasserie. We ordered the bone marrow, ravioli, steak & the special of the day which was lamb shoulder. All dishes were well seasoned & delicious. Honestly for the quality & portion, I think the price is VERY reasonable especially for a restaurant in the old port. I really enjoyed the richness of the bone marrow & the steak was perfectly cooked & seasoned. Dare I say better than Gibbys. The fries were also perfectly crispy & seasoned. The lamb shoulder was also fabulous!! Would recommend the steak & bone marrow. Service was also very accommodating. Will come back again for a night out with friends or for a date.
Amazing experience! The food was exceptional, standouts were the bone marrow & hummus appetizers. The service followed with friendly & attentive staff, thank you to Andreanne the manager for her attention & experience.
Oct 27, 2025
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& believe it or not, the melon cocktail stole the show. Light, refreshing, the perfect reset between all that richness.
Service was smooth, space is stunning, & every plate felt like it was crafted with purpose. If you want a spot where classic French technique meets a bit of modern swagger, Monarque delivers.
✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ Verdict: One of the best meals I've had in Montreal.
We made a reservation for our family of five, including my 8-year-old son & my parents who are in their 60s. For appetizers, we ordered bone marrow, beef pot, foie gras with bread, & grilled octopus - all were absolutely delicious. For the main dishes, we had lobster, duck leg, & lamb, which was especially tender & flavorful.
The service was excellent as well. Our waiter was very friendly & took the time to explain that all the ingredients come directly from the owner's farm to the table, which made the experience even more special.
The whole dining experience was comfortable & enjoyable. We did not encounter any of the discrimination mentioned in some previous comments; on the contrary, everything felt professional & welcoming. Overall, it was a truly wonderful meal, & we're very grateful to the team for making it so memorable.
We ate from the brasserie menu-what a delicious meal with perfectly timed, attentive service. We had the bone marrow, which was easily the best bite of our trip to Montréal (best bite of food I've had this year), & I had the duck, which was so savory & crispy & tender. My husband had the swordfish special, which was lovely, but we agreed that my duck was the clear winner. We split a mille feuille for dessert, which ticked all the boxes that a dessert should! The restaurant space is beautiful & I would love to go back & try the full tasting menu/sit in front of the window into the kitchen.
Aug 3, 2025
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Overall we had an okay experience there. The fois gras parfait was good. We didn't feel it was heavy. Bone marrow & Burgundy snails were greasy. The bouillabaisse was tasty. The scallop was quite tender. We asked for a medium cooked beef rib eye steak & expected it to be tender. It turned out to be tougher than we expected. Also, 10.5oz was huge lol
The drinks we ordered were fine. I liked the pistache. My first time having a cocktail 🍸 with pistachio flavor. Quite interesting. Loved the cute butterfly 🦋 on the ice cube 🧊.
We had a wonderful lunch at Monarque & were truly impressed by the entire experience. The service was excellent, every staff member was friendly, attentive, & constantly smiling, which made us feel so welcomed.
Both the cocktails & mocktails were well-crafted & reasonably priced, adding a refreshing touch to our meal. The food was absolutely fantastic & surprisingly affordable compared to similar fine dining spots in Toronto. My top favorite was the bone marrow, only $24 for a huge portion & packed with flavour. A must-try!
Highly recommend Monarque for anyone visiting Montreal. We'll definitely be back again in the future!
I'd say the ratings for this restaurant are a bit overhyped. While the overall quality is solid, it's not necessarily a must-visit spot.
That said, a few dishes stood out:
• The bone marrow with Burgundy snails was a great fusion - the richness of the marrow paired beautifully with the wine-infused snails.
• The fish & seafood bouillabaisse was surprisingly light & fresh - not salty at all, with a sweet, almost pumpkin-like orange broth. The mix of scallops, shrimp, & fish made it quite hearty & well-balanced.
• The morel mushrooms with asparagus also offered a fresh & flavorful combination.
Good food overall, but not quite as unforgettable as the ratings might suggest.
Amazing! Best oysters & lobster of my life! I didn't care for the escargot paired with the bone marrow. I think my personal preference is the more traditional preparation. But this is fantastic restaurant!
We did not expect to like this restaurant as much as we did! It's our new'coup de coeur'. Booked a table online for the bar section (brasserie), which was surprisingly easy.
Everything was delicious & the service was efficient. The cocktails were great, creative, & perfectly adapted to the dishes. The bone marrow dish is a must, with the richness of the marrow perfectly balanced by the acidity of the red wine jus, & the crunchiness of the toast underneath. I'm still dreaming about that dish! The pepper sauce of the pork chops was fantastic, a nice Asian twist to its classical version. Bouillabaisse was very good, if one likes this type of fish stew. The seafood inside was plentiful. The rouille served on toast was a tasty accompaniment. Highly recommend their tea-flavored crème brûlée. The pistachio cake was good, but not a standout.
Overall, we were very impressed by this restaurant's food pairing. The portions were also generous, & the price fair, for such a restaurant. It's on our favorites list now!
