Nora Gray propose une interprétation sophistiquée des traditions culinaires italiennes à travers un menu axé sur des ingrédients saisonniers et une préparation méticuleuse. La cuisine privilégie les pâtes faites maison et les produits locaux pour élaborer des plats équilibrant l'authenticité rustique avec des techniques modernes. Les convives découvrent une sélection d'antipasti, d'agnolotti façonnés à la main et de protéines soigneusement composées qui reflètent les principes fondamentaux de la gastronomie italienne régionale. L'aménagement intérieur favorise une expérience sensorielle concentrée où l'éclairage ambiant et les lignes esthétiques épurées mettent l'assiette en valeur. Chaque réalisation représente un choix délibéré en matière de texture et de profil aromatique, maintenant une cohérence sur l'ensemble de la structure du menu. En soulignant la qualité intrinsèque des éléments bruts, le restaurant crée un récit cohérent axé sur l'intégrité des préparations traditionnelles tout en intégrant des ajustements contemporains.
Nora Gray est souvent décrit comme un lieu intime et chaleureux à Montréal, reconnu pour son atmosphère animée et un service exceptionnel et attentionné. De nombreux clients apprécient la grande qualité de la cuisine, particulièrement les pâtes fraîches et les plats de bœuf soigneusement préparés, qui contribuent à une expérience culinaire raffinée. Bien que le restaurant soit une destination prisée pour les rendez-vous et les occasions spéciales, les avis sont partagés concernant les prix et la taille des portions, certains convives trouvant les repas onéreux pour les quantités servies. De plus, si l'ambiance est largement appréciée, certains visiteurs soulignent que l'espace peut devenir assez bruyant, parfois frais, et que la constance des plats ainsi que certaines restrictions sur le menu peuvent parfois décevoir les attentes.
Gaslighting during, & after the meal. Never coming back.
We were very disappointed after our most recent visit. After coming here in the past, & loving it, we had high expectations.
To start, Service was very slow. There's some understanding when things take long when folks are busy, but for a 8:30 reservation we didn't order any food a little after 9:30pm.
After only being served drinks for that first hour plus, we were hungry. We ordered bread. It never came.
Salad came first, dropped & walked away.
I took 2 bites & the look on my face prompted my wife to ask me what was wrong.
Rotting greens was wrong. The arugula/spinach was rotting in plain view, & on my tounge. You know that taste of bitter greens, it tastes kinda slimy? Ugh. My wife immediately flagged the server down. They went to talk to the kitchen. Coming back, the server offered us a new dish,'maybe one that has less dressing' completely ignoring the issue in front of everyone & playing it like this was a preference thing, or our fault, as opposed to serving us inedible food & acknowledging that. I know right from there that we were going to have a bad time because when a restaurant messes up, & they blame you? It's like you're stuck in quicksand, not to recover. That exactly happened as the meal got worse. Then came the pastas, this was supposed to redeem everything.
It didn't.
The tagliatelle was cut in what seemed 5 different sizes, looked like pasta scraps. Looking beyond that the mushrooms were gritty & pretty dirty. Not a great taste again. Not really seasoned, just oil & dirt. The dish looked like a rush job, an after thought for a restaurant that prides itself on pasta. There was also the ravioli, which was also rushed as some of the pasta was undercooked. It was hard, & crunchy. Again, not a good mouth feel experience. My wife flagged the server down again, & we were dismissed again, they said'our pastas are generally cooked that way'
Undercooked? Yikes.
I'm not done yet, then came the beef. Preparation continued to be an issue as it was so tough we couldn't eat it all. Chew chew fest.
We had half a plate of food untouched & the server came to say,'I'm all done for the night, bye.'
He knew we were disappointed left & right, dismissed us as it being our problem, & then bailed. New server didn't come until he was forced to clear our half eaten plate. No dessert was offered, & we never got that bread...
Needless to say I was excited to come back, & now we will never come back. I was also excited about the other restaurants, which we will never go to either. After $100+ per person, we left the restaurant still hungry :(
We've sent dozens of people to Nora Gray over the years, & that will cease as well. Don't go, there's so many other places in Montreal that won't gaslight you when they mess up. Or just, won't mess up this way in the first place.
We sent a email to avoid a public negative review.
They said they'unfortunately don't remember it that way.'
More gaslighting & deflecting the problem.
Don't worry, I'll make sure you're reminded. This review is a reminder of our experience, since you all seemed to have forgotten so quickly.
Really enjoyed my experience at Nora Gray. The foglie d'ulivo, pesto de roquette, olives taggiasche was light, fresh, & easy to enjoy. The arugula pesto & olives worked very well together & gave the pasta a lot of flavor without feeling heavy.
The boeuf de la ferme d'Orée 8oz was also very good. The beef was dry-aged for five weeks & had a rich flavor. It was cooked perfectly for our taste, although they didn't ask how we wanted it cooked. The sauce on the steak was excellent & brought everything together.
Service was good overall & our server was knowledgeable & helpful. The only downside was that the restaurant is very strict with the menu. We asked to add a few drops of balsamic to the olive oil & they said no but the olive oil itself was great.
The food was honestly not good. The spaghetti alla bottarga got no unami flavor, we couldn't taste any fish toe but just strong acidity from the lemon, which was way too overpowering.
Beef cut was too chewy, pork was better but not standing out.
The appetizer of carppacio is very normal, mushroom underneath but not very well integrated in flavor. Sea bream cheek was meh-ok, standard olive oil with some balsamic.
The tuna sauce of potato is too bad, the fishy-ness all came out.
Dessert - the citrus mascarpone one has good composition, salt & olive oil on top are nice. But the signature tarte noire is just a dense chocolate cake, all of us have tasted some bitterness.
Only dish worth eating is the tagliatelle alla bolognese. Good in texture, taste & classic.
Service was bad, the waiter was not very patient. Gave our table the wrong order two times, once from the other table, then taking away & didn't apologize. Then second forgot about the sauce on side note. I still tipped reasonably but now I kind of regret it for the below average food experience & service.
That's all, would not recommend.
27 janv. 2026
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Maybe I had too high hopes for Nora Gray, because last night's birthday dinner with my wife was a bit of a letdown, & I'm blaming the wine. We ordered the'Teresa Cascina Tavijn' red Italian wine, which was far too acidy & lacked a complexity of flavour. Choosing the right wine is so important. It can make or break & evening at an upscale restaurant like Nora Gray. Our waitress was amazing & gave us an in depth explanation of the food & wine, so it's nobody's fault but our own for choosing one that wasn't to our tastes. Nora Gray's service & atmosphere is truly top notch, in this warm & cosy nook of a restaurant. One of the highlights of the evening was the'Flétan de la Gaspésie, salsa d'oignons brûlés, petit lait, Ciabot del Moreto'20', which was a powerhouse of flavour & left us both raving. The'Viola Olive Oil' from Cucina Imports that we asked to be poured on a small dish was one of the best olive oils I've ever tasted, & well worth the $4 fee. It was perfect for wiping up with the'Focaccia Maison'. Unfortunately, one of the low points of the night was the'Battuta de boeuf, puntarelle, anchois, ail' which was far too chewy for a tartare. Tartare is supposed to be so tender that it melts in your mouth, but this was so gummy that I had to give up on champing & hide bits of half eaten beef in my napkin. Another dish that was less than memorable was the'Farro de Pacina, jus de volaille, poivre'. So, at one point our night out wasn't looking great, but thankfully it was saved by a mind blowingly spectacular dessert called the'Mousse chocolat & ricotta, crème à l'huile d'olive, noisettes'. It was a prefect blend of sweet, salt & more scrumptious olive oil. In the end, I would recommend giving Nora Gray a try & hopefully you'll have better luck with the wine. I heard that they have an outdoor patio in the summer time, which sounds like fun.
Great vibe, very decent food. Service was exceedingly slow. Very, very slow service, though the service in general was very polite & gave good insight on the menu. Meal easily took 30-45 minutes longer than it needed to just on service time, & I am not one to nitpick on this, it just killed the flow of an otherwise great dinner.
The food was great quality. Asparagus was great, along with all the pastas. The beef was tough, though it was well cooked with a great sauce. The pork was also very tasty.
I would go back, but only if the service issues are fixed.
The food & atmosphere were incredible. We ordered the beef appetizer with their focaccia & the mushroom pasta special & pork dish. We usually don't get dessert but loved every dish so decided on the chocolate dish. It was all so delicious! The staff was also very friendly & helpful with wine & food descriptions. I would recommend to anyone!
this was a wonderful saturday night meal with the family. a super elegant spot with a calming & cozy aesthetic. from the wine to the pasta everything was divine. we got a half plate of each pasta, the beef tartare, shrimp, olives, focaccia & every dessert. highlights were the lemon butter pasta & the chocolate mousse. the wine was incredible too. great service, great vibes, amazing food. what a perfect for spot for a date night too. immaculate.
Service was super friendly & attentive, really described every dish well & helped with the wine pairing as well. music & decor were a vibe
The halibut melted in your mouth, the snow crab pasta special had a decent amount of snow crab, they had a really nice coffee Negroni, perfectly balanced. The olive oil ice cream worked well & is a must try along with the best amaretti cookies I've ever had (they had that soft chewy inside, hard crisp on the outside texture that I love about macarons). Affogato was typical but nice.
I wouldn't recommend the beef tartare type dish (overpowered by the fennel) or the cod stuffed pasta (small portion, nothing memorable).
Shelby & Lexi (bartender) were exceptional. All staff were kind & personable. The food (we asked the chef to pick favourites) was wonderful. I really liked the tomato spinach pasta & beef with onions. The Japanese turnip was fun to try! Overall, highly recommend. We had a wonderful time sitting at the bar, chatting with staff!
An evening well spent with the fabulous team at Nora Gray. We opted to have Lexi guide us through the menu, bringing us whatever selection of food & wine she saw fit. The outcome was a delightful cross section of the house favorites. The last included a memorable Grappa by Frank Cornelissen (Distillato di Magma) & a Fettuccini with beef Ragu that will keep Nora Gray in our thoughts permanently. Go for the wine & food of course, but stay for the stellar service in the most intimate of rooms. Thank you for having us Lexi & Co. We look forward to many happy returns. Melissa + Alex
