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.
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!
Everything was so delicious! The ambiance & service were top notch too. We personally recommend the ricotta gnocchi, spaghetti with mushrooms/nuts, & chocolate-espresso mousse.
Feb 25, 2024
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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.
The staff, decor & ambiance created a charming & elegant feeling. Everything from the cocktails we had(Negroni Sbagliado & Gimlet) to the amazing food (Burrata Salad, Porc, Anolini) to the dessert(affogato) was presented with attention to detail & high quality ingredients. I would recommend anyone with the budget to eat here.
Food was really good, although the portion sizes are a bit small for the price. This was also the first Italian restaurant I've been to where you have to pay for bread.
Desserts are underwhelming, the $12 peach donut was barely filled & the "gelato selection" is 2 scoops.
The waitress asked us for allergies at the beginning of the meal which we provided (almonds), & then recommended & served a dessert with almonds towards the end. The almonds were not mentioned in the menu description. If the allergy was serious this could have put someone into anaphylactic shock. If you're going to ask about allergies at the very least you should try to remember them.
When we pointed this out she just said "Oh" & gave us the machine to pay.
The service in general wasn't great which is strange because the restaurant is very small & they had at least 5 waiters. We finished our water during our appetizer & it wasn't refilled until we'd finished our entrees.
If you're willing to pay this much for dinner I would recommend just going down the street to Joe Beef.
Total bill for 2 people including tip, one appetizer, one drink, two entrees, & two desserts was around 200.
