Restaurant 1881 receives consistently strong praise for both food and service, with many reviews calling the dishes fresh, well balanced and beautifully presented, featuring items like duck salad, tartares, shakshuka, tuna tartare, beef, salmon, and a highly regarded breakfast and brunch lineup. The atmosphere is described as modern, cozy, and welcoming, suitable for business lunches, dates, or casual meals, with attentive, friendly staff and smooth service at quieter times. Several guests highlight generous portions and good value, while a few note occasional issues such as slower service during busy hours, minor hiccups with table setup or wine service, and one or two encounters with less attentive staff. Coffee is praised by some and criticized by others, but overall the cafe style breakfast and brunch are repeatedly celebrated, including standout items like the classic breakfast, croissant breakfast sandwich, shakshuka, and duck salad. Overall, Restaurant 1881 is regarded as a reliable, high quality spot in downtown Montreal with standout food and solid service, particularly for brunch and casual dining.
Excellent restaurant. Nous avons apprécié la tranquillité, le service amical des employés. Il y avait peu de clients mais les gens parlaient à voix basse. Un endroit où l'on peut finalement avoir une discussion sans être obligé de crier. Les plats sont savoureux, tout spécialement la salade de canard. Portion très généreuse. Nous avons également découvert un excellent vin blanc & un autre rouge suite aux recommandations. Vraiment une belle soirée. Nous y retournerons c'est certain.
Took a colleague out for lunch & we ordered the table d'hôte with a delicious fresh salad & tasty cod with vegetables. It was so good! We both enjoyed our food & the service was friendly.
Excellent food & service. We were a group of 11 & we all thoroughly enjoyed our food & drinks. Our server was very friendly & attentive. 100% recommend!
A very fancy restaurant with delicious food & lots of varieties. I really enjoyed our dinner there. The service was top, excellent, the food well served & tasty. Loved my experience.
Très belle découverte ! Le restaurant a une super ambiance & le service est vraiment chaleureux. Les plats étaient délicieux & bien présentés, on voit que les ingrédients sont frais. L'équipe prend le temps de s'assurer que tout est parfait pour les clients. Je vais définitivement revenir & recommander la place à mes amis.
Excellent service & beautiful food. Our needs were complex, with people coming & going before a theatre performance, & the wait staff were prompt & alert in caring for us.
Je n'es pas aimer le restaurant la nourriture est arriver froid & pas frais j'ai attendu très longtemps avant d'être servi & puis le serveur Thomas très bêtes avec moi & crouse ma femme devant moi ces pas professionnel du tous tous & se n'es pas la premières fois qu'il agis de la sorte mon ami est aller & il m'a dit le meme commentaire sur lui vraiment a ne pas recommande
Very beautiful & prestigious place
Very professional & respectful service
Very tasty dishes
Fair price
Tip starts from 18%
Taste of coffee wasn't woww
They have also ba
We had dinner here on our first day in Montreal. We were so impressed by the food & the atmosphere. The waiter was very nice, & the restaurant was not noisy-it was quiet & easy to have a conversation. We ordered three dishes: the soup of the day, duck salad, & sirloin steak. The portion of dishes was large. I really liked the duck salad. It was special with the crispy duck skin.
This was the first time my husband & I visited Montreal. We stayed at a hotel next to this restaurant. We searched on Google for nearby
a restaurant & decided to have dinner here.
We ordered soup, a house salad, duck salad, & sirloin steak. Everything was excellent! The staff were also very nice.
We highly recommend this restaurant. For me, this was the first time I had ever tried such an amazing duck salad.
Jan 12, 2026
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Truly the best brunch I've ever had. I'm used to settling for'basic' or heavy food at brunch, but Le 1881 is on another level. I ordered the classic breakfast & was blown away by the freshness of the ingredients; it exceeded every expectation. The prices are fair, the decor is stunning, & for once, I received a perfectly made cappuccino. I dined alone today, but I will definitely be back with friends!
The chef, Garry, is one of the best in town. The food is delicious, the tartares are the best! & the service impeccable! Despite the restaurant being in the high end MAA sports club, it has its own entrance & its super easy to meet up. It's my favorite place for business lunches or meetings. The music is soft & can talk (thank god) while having great good. Love this place!
This place lives up to its reputation! Try the 1881 breakfast. There are many reviews on that, but something I was impressed by is the selection of fruits- various melons, berries, pineapple were each perfectly ripe. Someone carefully selected each of those to ensure they were just right. That level of detail is rare & speaks for how they prepare everything else.
