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.
visited monarque a second time this past weekend & got to try the dry aged steak- it was absolutely delicious paired with the Beaujolais. our server Terry was wonderful & took very good care of us, can't wait to be back!
Absolutely stellar & unforgettable dinners / lunches in'la salle a manger' of Monarque. Carefully thought & masterly executed, each dish brought its magic. The tuna tartare with the foie gras custard & bison tartare were phenomenal. The ris de veaux was equally fantastic. The pintage + agnolotti & bison steak with bourbon sauce were great as well. But clearly the star of the night was the shiso apple with gin & celery dessert...Super balanced, original in texture & flavors, it was probably the best dessert I have ever tasted in my life! Added to the palate experience is the impeccable service by Gustav & Stephanie from the beginning to the end. What a blast!
I have now been to Monarque 10+ times & it never disappoints. Consistency & excellence in the kitchen & on the floor are trademarks of this always packed restaurant.
May 2, 2026
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Came here on a Monday night & it was still pretty crowded! But there was plenty of space in the back which was nice so it didn't feel as claustrophobic.
The food was absolutely amazing!! My table shared the steak tartare but I personally got the Foie gras, ocean trout tartare, & oysters. My group also got the maple eclair & passion fruit pavlova for dessert. The presentation of each dish was beautiful. Our server Terry was attentive & gave us great recommendations. I also loved the atmosphere of the place, it's sleek & modern. Can't wait to come back!
My appetite opened the minute I walked into the dining room! Love the open kitchen concept & the open cellar & curing meats on display as well. The Calanges mocktail was a beautiful discovery & the wine list! Enough said. Service was on point. Every dish was succulent! The grilled foie gras was a perfect balance of crispy & tender, acid & fatty. Absolutely beautiful presentation & flavors. The crab tart was a bit too light on flavor & was served a bit too cold to allow the delicate seasonings to shine. The P.E.I. steak dish was a feast for the senses. The salad dressing was a superb fit for the greens & the endives & the gratin dauphinois was the icing on the cake. The evening was an absolute delight! Will definitely return.
Classic brasserie dishes but executed to perfection. We got the hangar steak, the confit duck, & the veal cheeks. The steak was cooked to perfection but the confit was duck was excellent. Probably the best confit duck I've ever had. The sauce for the veal cheeks was a little bit salty but flavour was good & the meat was tender. The portions for the main course are quite large, so you would be full even if you just ordered a main but we loved the food so much we also got dessert. We got chocolate cake, the Queen Elizabeth, & an eclair for dessert. All of them were excellent but my favourite was the Queen Elizabeth as it comes with sour cream ice cream which I thought was a very creative addition.
A lively spot for dinner with all the French classics. A little something for everyone. My boyfriend wanted to have a steak & I wanted something other than a steak. Did not disappoint. We had the most tender grilled octopus here (melt on your mouth), crispy cod fritters, striploin & fries with a side of sauteed mushrooms, duck confit & finished off the evening with an eclair. I would come back here just to devour a plate of their fries. Crispy on the outside, creamy & soft on the inside & bursting of potato flavor. They have a fantastic wine list also. Highly recommend the Hidalgo Albert Fina (red wine).
We had an amazing night dinning here. There was a great selection of creative dishes but they also have classic ones which tasted fantastic as well. I especially liked the aged steak, it had great texture & great flavours. The balance between fat & meat was great, the mix of chewiness & softness was great as well & the pepper sauce that came with the steak complemented it quite nicely. The duck was pretty delicious too! The crispy skin paired so well with the tender meat & the flavours were nice as well. The service on the other hand varies quite a lot. We had a warm welcome initially from the waitresses & then some waiters were quite clumsy & rough which made it a bit less enjoyable. The contrast was too big not too notice. The atmosphere itself was great. There were so many customers that were enjoying the food, the vibe was just great. I do feel like the tables are a bit small making it feel a bit cramped but it was still quite nice.
Feb 15, 2026
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Last night on Valentine's day was my first experience in Monarque restaurant.
The restaurant has a very nice atmosphere.
Our waitress was so nice & helpful.
We asked for a Medium cook for our steak; however, it was not cooked well (to my taste at least). I found the crust of our steak especially on the sides to be burnt. I've had better quality of steak with more reasonable prices in many other restaurants.
I mentioned this to the manager & she had a nice behaviour towards my comment which I truly appreciated.
Overall, I found the restaurant to be a nice spot with nice staff, but it wasn't worth the price at least to me ($520 for two!!).
A beautiful brasserie with a refined, classic atmosphere. The space is elegant & very Montréal. Polished & quietly upscale.
I ordered a mocktail as I wasn't feeling well; service was discreet & reserved, very much in a European style. We shared the octopus, which was tender & well prepared. The steak frites were good & properly executed, satisfying, though not extraordinary.
Overall, a pleasant experience in a lovely setting. Worth visiting for the ambiance & solid brasserie fare.
We came here on the 3rd of day 8 of our trip from Vancouver to Montreal. Our server was Laura.
We ordered the:
Appy: fois gras parfait
Main: braised veal cheeks, steak frites (hangar)
Sweets: apple tartatin.
Fois gras parfait: this was absolutely divine. We've had this at numerous places in Vancouver & NYC. This was hands down the absolute best. Flavour was superb. Temperature was on point. Bread was toasted while not being crunchy. Pickled veg did not overpower. It was perfection.
Braised veal cheeks - perfectly braised, not grainy/dry cardboard that sometimes happens or overly braised melting into a mess in your mouth with no texture. Perfect mouthfeel. Celeriac gave a nice contrast to the richness of the meat compared to mashed potatoes. Sauce was amazingly decadent.
Steak frites: hangar steak was juicy, tender, & very beefy. Fries were perfectly crispy & seasoned! I cant say for certain but it tastes like they were brined before frying? Either way, the outside was not covered in salt but the entire fry was flavourful. Mayo - delicious. Got to 1/3 of the steak & realized it was a bit under temp. Laura agreed before I could finish my sentence. (More on Laura below). Laura came back after with the steak that was replated with new fries & mayo & an added bernaise sauce.
Tart: simple & delicious. While the bottom of the tart isnt crispy, I didnt find it detracted from the overall as the sides were crispy.
Laura: she is an amazing server. She didnt hover, but was always aware. She kept an eye on our drinks level out of her periphery, she immediately glanced at my steak after my first slice with the knife, she choreographed the next items masterfully. She managed the section like a true pro with customers feeling like she was always within reach, while not feeling hovered over. She struck that beautiful balance with ease.
In all of our dining experiences, this was the best - & Laura played no small part in that!
We came here for my wife's birthday. It's a nice place. Love the atmosphere. The open kitchen. The less formal vibes. It's really nice. However, it's also a pretty expensive place. Our bill was almost $300 before tip. & when we eat at places like that our expectations are high. & in this case Monarque didn't live up to our expectations.
They brought out bread & butter before the meal. Which was nice. But both the bread & the butter were cold. Would have expected warm bread & soft butter at a place like this.
I ordered the venison steak which was on their special menu for the day. Server recommended it medium rare so that's what I took. It came out blue. It was delicious & I ate it happily. I told the waiter'I trust the kitchen. I just want to make sure that this is how they meant to send it out.' & he confirmed. But again, when you pay $300 for dinner you expect the kitchen to cook your steak the way you ordered it.
Portions are small.
Drinks were good. Service was good. Vibes were good. But not worth the price. Probably won't be back.
Dec 21, 2025
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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.
My wife & I had an amazing dinner at Monarque while in town for a long weekend. We started with the steak tartare (pictured). I had the duck confit, which I loved. She had the veal cheeks & said it goes into her dining hall of fame. It was that good. Service was friendly with the right balance between tending to us while giving us space to enjoy our food & conversation. Oh & the dessert: we had the apple cider donuts. That might sound funny at a place like this. But wow! What a way to end a fantastic dining experience.
We stayed in Old Montreal, & it was walkable from our hotel, which was a plus.
J'y suis allée trop de fois pour compter. J'ai essayé pas mal de restos haut de gamme & aucun ne compare à Monarque pour l'instant. Je crois que Monarque est même bien mieux que certains restaurants Michelin. L'atmostphère & le service sont impeccables.
Mes recommendations:
- Les cocktails & le cocktail hot yoga
- L'os à moelle
- Le tartare de boeuf
- Le burger (heure du lunch)
- Les gnocchis
- Le dry-aged steak, sauce béarnaise
- Le plateau de fromages
- Le Paris Brest
Merci à toute l'équipe pour le service incroyable qui m'a permis d'avoir des rencontres professionnelles tout comme des dîners en famille autour de repas déliceux! 5 ⭐?
The lunch menu was delicious. Had steak, salad, pork, coffee & tea. The open kitchen was meticulous each meal that came out was uniform precisely cooked & delicious. With staff was incredibly professional. decor was lovely.
Was very crowded yesterday, still, like always, the service is smooth, even with a lot of patrons we were able to make a full meal (drinks, appetizers, entrees & dessert) a little under 2h
For drinks we got a beer & a mocktail
The Not Into Yoga mocktail was just too good, peppery, with a very creamy coconut milk
The white beer we got was very good for 9$, bitter just enough
For appetizers we decided to try the tuna tartare on special that was amazing, & some nordic shrimps with succin which were very tasteful
We continued with the half lobster, served with salad, fried cauliflower, an extra order of fries & the butcher's cut which was flank steak served with fries. Everything was good, except that the meat had little bits of tendons inside which made it a little bit chewy
Finally the dessert was the pavlova with raspberries which we shared. It was really good, raspberries were just acid enough to counter the sugar from the meringue & whipped cream
Our experience started started strange & unpleasant: we came in just in time for our reservation & had to wait for almost 10 minutes for the hostess. She was on a phone the whole time, actually being quite rude to the phone guest, figuring out the reservation 2 months from now - while we just stood in front of her. When she finally decided to put her call on hold she didn't even apologize or acknowledge our long useless wait. Alright…
Then we waited for drinks for 30 minutes - our first app was served before our cocktails. Just because they didn't see them on the bar - they stood there melting for 20 minutes. Barely an apology here as well.
Food, however, compensated for this - great steak tartare, lovely octopus & desserts were amazing.
I really liked the food & the atmosphere of the restaurant, so I hope the service mishaps were a one time thing but it was still unacceptable for a restaurant of this level.
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 🧊.
