Reviews of Nora Gray paint a picture of a small, intimate Italian spot with a warm, stylish vibe and a strong emphasis on fresh pasta and wine, but with results that vary by visit. Positive notes highlight attentive service, knowledgeable staff when it comes to wine pairings, and memorable experiences at the bar with great recommendations; several dishes and desserts are praised for their balance, texture, and originality, and the overall atmosphere is described as cozy and welcoming, making it a good choice for dates or special occasions. On the other hand, some visits are described as overpriced for the portions, with mains not always filling, and occasional missteps in kitchen execution or timing; the dining room can be cold or noisy, and service can be slow or misdirected at times, detracting from the experience. The wine list and dessert selections are frequently mentioned as strengths, while price-to-value and consistency are common points of critique, though many still plan to return to chase a more consistent, higher-impact meal. Overall Nora Gray is viewed as a refined option worth trying for confident food and wine, with room for improvement in consistency and comfort.
The food was extraordinary & the service was fantastic. Each dish- crudo, zucchini blossoms, rabbit, lobster pasta was absolutely delicious. We were visiting from NYC & had never been to Montreal- so choosing this restaurant for our anniversary was a sublime choice. Run, don't walk to get here!
Jul 12, 2024
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Spectacular feom start to finish. We were celebrating a birthday. Servers were attentive. Informed. Fun & gabe us great advice. Not pretentious but absolutely delicious. We had a few starters. As there were 3 of us they bepught 3 zucchini flower delights not 2. The cocktails were creative & strong. The dessert was beautiful & came with a sparkler! The house special homemade pasta was exceptional.
love this place super cool 1970's paneled basement vibe paired with a fantastic food & beverage program (u must get at least one pasta) all combined with team service that delivers a perfect evening.
Nora Gray was an excellent combination of great food, attentive service, & unhurried dinner ambiance. Simon was our waiter & checked in regularly with us; he answered all of our questions & selected a wine to go with my dinner. The hostess also made a huge difference by seating new diners in different corners of the room rather than lumping everyone into the same section. Everything we ate was delicious, but the pastas stood out in particular. The sauces were extremely fresh & vibrant, & my pappardelle was made in-house that day & basically melted in the mouth. Between the generous amount of snow crab in my pasta & the huge, impeccably seared sea scallops I had for secondi, this place more than scratched my itch for seafood. We finished the meal with their in-house salted caramel gelato, amaretti, & espresso as a dessert, which I would highly recommend. We will definitely be back here the next time we're in Montreal.
Nora Grey is a highly celebrated restaurant in Montreal. In terms of service & atmosphere, I can see why. The food though? Good, but way overpriced. Like WAY overpriced. 60$ for half a bavette, & a salad that's been hit with an Exterminatus of parmesan. To illustrate why this is crazy, a steak-frites at Au Pied De Cochon is 40$. 45$ for gnocchi, fettucini ragu & 2 other pasta dishes. The food ia good, don't get me wrong, but nothing about it stands out to justify the price point. & frankly, I make a better ragu. Being italian, it's hard to recommend ANY italian place, but unless you're trying to impress someone who's never had italian food, I would not recommend going.
Mar 29, 2024
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This place is great, the food especially the past is superbe. We ate at the bar & the bartender was very nice. My friend had a cocktail 🍹 she really enjoyed. We shared a couple very good & fresh appetizers & then both had incredible pasta. Granted at 40$ for a plate of pasta 🍝 it better be incredible & it didn't disappoint 🤤. Finding parking around this spot is absolutely hell do so I suggest
Came with a group of seven, which meant had to have the table d'hote. This was fine because it gave us a nice selection to share. When we arrived, the small spot was loud & already crowded for a Thursday night. It was a little too loud & crowded for a refined experience. We had a booth for 6, but remember, there were 7 of us, so it was tight quarters! We started with focaccia with excellent olive oil & spicy pepper dip. Entrees & pasta were substantial & flavourful. I enjoyed the burratta & gnochi. The ravioli was also a hit, with a nice toothsome feel to the al dente pasta. The steak & seared pork was excellent & well seasoned. They provided an order of giant seared scallops for our non-red meat eating friend. The scallops may have been the best thing on the table! The desserts were tasty but not exemplary, but the espresso drinks were very good. For $150 total per person, we felt we received plenty of food & options. However, the loud, hectic atmosphere & the very cramped seating detracted from an otherwise interesting gastronomic experience.
J'ai mangé hier soir pour la première fois au restaurant Nora Gray. C'était pour l'anniversaire d'une amie & nous étions un groupe de 3. L'accueil chaleureux & l'ambiance feutrée du restaurant m'ont plu dès mon arrivée. Le cocktail que j'ai pris en apéro, le Erbosa Club, était tout à fait délicieux. J'ai commandé la Foccacia maison & les Fettucine au ragoût de boeuf & parmesan en entrée, puis les ris de veau grillés en plat principal. La Foccacia était savoureuse, accompagnée de pepperoncini & d'une huile d'olive de grande qualité. Les pâtes en demie portion était un préambule parfait pour mon plat principal. La sauce onctueuse du ragoût de boeuf était un délice. Étant un grand amateur de ris de veau, je les commande très souvent au restaurant & ceux de chez Nora Gray, servis sur un risotto d'épeautre & garnis d'un gremolata au raifort, étaient sublimes, grillés à la perfection. Le service était extraordinaire & a fait de notre soirée une expérience extrêmement agréable & mémorable. Après que nous ayons exprimé nos goûts quant au vin, on nous a proposé 3 bouteilles & nous avons retenu un Chablis tout à fait divin ! En dessert, la mousse chocolat-espresso garnie de tire-éponge & de pistaches a parfaitement complété notre festin. Chapeau à toute l'équipe de Nora Gray ! En quittant j'ai éprouvé un seul regret : celui de ne pas avoir essayé ce restaurant plus tôt; j'y retournerai très certainement & je le recommande sans hésiter ! *** Last night was my first meal at the Nora Gray restaurant. It was for a friend's birthday & we were a group of 3. The warm welcome & cosy atmosphere of the restaurant appealed to me from the moment I arrived. The cocktail I had before the meal, the Erbosa Club, was absolutely delicious. I ordered the homemade Foccacia & the Fettucine with beef ragù & parmesan for starters, followed by the grilled sweetbreads as a main course. The Foccacia was tasty, accompanied by pepperoncini & high-quality olive oil. The half-portion pasta was a perfect preamble to my main course. The creamy sauce of the beef ragù in the pasta was a delight. Being a great lover of sweetbreads, I order them very often in restaurants & those from Nora Gray's, served on a spelt risotto & garnished with a horseradish gremolata, were sublime, grilled to perfection. The service was extraordinary & made our evening an extremely pleasant & memorable experience. After we explained our preferences for wine, we were offered 3 bottles & chose a divine Chablis! For dessert, the chocolate-espresso mousse topped with sponge toffee & pistachios rounded off our feast perfectly. Hats off to the entire Nora Gray team! As I left, I had only one regret: that I hadn't tried this restaurant sooner. I'll certainly be back, & I recommend it without hesitation!
Nora Gray gives Italy a run for its money. The pasta is impeccable, like someone's nonna is in the kitchen but not a regular nonna, a cool nonna. The perfect balance of simple & unexpected. Absolutely stunning every single time. Even though the pasta is the star of the show, the secondi dishes also never fail to impress. Last night's scallops were cooked to perfection. Wine recommendations consistently immaculate, exciting, recommended with a daring confidence that you'll simply adore. The hostess, Shelby, is delightful & I've never had a less than excellent waiter. Service & dining a 10/10. This spot is easily one of the best restaurants in Montreal. The perfect date spot.
Feb 14, 2024
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(English below) ทานเมนูอกเป็ด แล้วก็ลองชิมพาสต้าของเพื่อนดูนะครับ ส่วนตัวรสชาติเป็ดไม่ค่อยถูกปากซักเท่าไหร, และพาสต้า แม้ว่าจะรสชาติดี แต่เส้นเหมือนจะไม่สุกพอ ยังแข็งๆอยู่เลย อาหาร รอกว่า 1 ช.ม. กว่าจะได้ทาน, และสั่งของบางอย่างก็ไม่มา เรียกเก็บเงินก็ไม่มา ต้องเรียกรอบที่ 2 เสียงดนตรีก็ดังมาก คุยกับเพื่อนไม่ค่อยรู้เรื่องเลย, โดยรวม ราคาโหด, ปริมาณน้อย, รสชาติไม่ว้าว, ไม่ประทับใจครับ I had the pan seared duck breast & some kind of pasta. The duck breast was okay, nothing that wowed me. The pasta tasted amazing, but it was way undercooked. We waited for the food for over an hour. We ordered some food that never came. We had to ask for the bill twice. The music was way too loud as well. For the premium price the portion of food is very small. I am not too impressed overall.
Dinner was at the bar served by Simon. The food was lovely & I like the option of half portion pasta as we are not big eaters. Pasta was our choice & it was fantastic - agnolotti & spaghetti. The focaccia was really good as was the cannoli dessert! Dinner here is comfortable & inviting like you were eating at a friends place! Finally a word about Simon. We left our wine dinner pairing to him & he selected well & when I spilled my wine while trying my partners pasta he immediately cleaned up & replaced my spilled wine no charge. Class all the way!
I've eaten here more times than I can count, & each time is better than the last. Incredible food, the pasta is to die for & their olive oil gelato takes me right back to Italy. The restaurant is small so it can get loud & crowded sometimes but the service is top notch & the food is so good it makes up for it. Book in advance or you'll be waiting a week for a spot.
The tagliatelle (pasta) with chanterelle mushrooms was phenomenal. So was the grilled pork chop. Michelin star service, staff provided a great wine recommendation, extremely knowledgeable.
