With an impressive cellar, unmatched gastronomy and service true to its core, the Reef is a shining jewel in the crown befitting royalty!
This steakhouse experience is like no other... The Rib’n Reef harps on its existing glory of 50 successful years, but now brings the modernisms and flare of a true luxurious eatery. Valet service upon entry, and a handful of gentleman waiting to tend to every corner of your table.
The diverse menu boasts the finest corn-fed USDA Prime beef, aged and cut daily and a mouth-watering array of fresh fish, seafood and lobster all served to absolute perfection! Take a tour or book a group at the restaurants seductive wine cellar, with over 10,000 bottles, let our experienced sommelier assist you in matching the perfect wine for the table’s discovery!
Rib 'N Reef is described as an upscale Montreal staple offering a timeless steakhouse atmosphere and a dedicated cigar lounge, where attentive service and a refined vibe are consistently highlighted even when opinions on the food diverge. Many guests praise the steaks when cooked to order, along with strong wine recommendations, oysters, lobster, and elegant presentations, and several note a memorable, polished experience with thoughtful tableside touches and generous portions. However, other reviews flag high prices relative to the quality of certain dishes, with some steaks described as tough or bland, salads and sides failing to meet expectations, and dining room dynamics sometimes dampening the mood due to noise or seating near service areas. Parking and valet and the overall luxury feel contribute to the sense of a special occasion venue, while some guests feel the kitchen delivers inconsistently and that value does not always match the bill. Overall the consensus points to excellent service and ambiance sustaining repeat visits, with food quality and price balance varying by experience.
This is the first time I've decided to write a review about this restaurant. We don't come here often, but over the past 25 years we've visited multiple times. The service & the quality of the food have remained consistently high throughout the years.
Our waiter was highly professional, very reserved, &, deservedly, a bit arrogant 😁 His face clearly showed a mix of impatience & condescension toward a very curious (& slightly demanding) guest who kept asking for things☺
The steak, the octopus, & everything else were delicious. However, one question still lingers in the air…
The Caesar salad I ordered as an appetizer was prepared right in front of me in a large bowl, with all the ingredients mixed together.....it was quite mesmerizing to watch. If not for one detail: our waiter brought everything over, set it up, & proceeded to mix the salad with his bare hands...no gloves. After that, he plated it & carried everything back, at the same time picking up dirty dishes from nearby tables😁🥳🤦?♀?
Definitely the last time I will go there. There are many better statehouse in Montreal.
Booked a dinner date for Valentine's day, & it was horrible. It all started at the reception.
First, they are unorganized, & seems to call people's name in an non respecful way. The lady that walked us to our table mentioned (with a rude tone) before we got seated,'we have people booked on this table right after you for 10:30'. For reference, our reservation was for 8:30, we were at the entrance at 8:10, we got seated at 8:50, we got the menu 9.
We decided to put behind us & try to enjoy the rest of the evening.
It took me 2 seconds to notice the wine glasses were dirty, lips stained. We asked to be changed.
We ordered drinks, my Gf ordered a Manhattan & I ordered a scotch The Dalmore. Both drinks were brought but they didn't taste right. The Manhattan mixture seemed way off. But the real issue is have is with the scotch. I asked for a The Dalmore, not a blended Irish whisky. I drink whisky every day, my favorite whisky is The Dalmore, I have a large collection ranging from 12 year old to the King Alexander III. What they brought me was not a Dalmore.
The table next to us were arguing with a manager on the poor quality of the dish they got. The manager was loud as hell trying to give excuses. It felt awkward & barely could keep conversation with my Gf.
Once we were ordering our food, my Gf & I were discussingif we should go with tartare or calamari. The waiter gave us a lovely comment, with a beautiful facial expression, mentioning that what we ordered already seemed more than enough, & is a large quantity. I don't waist food, I haven't eaten for more than 36 hours, & he isn't paying the bill.
Our food arrived, it was 9:45. Tic Toc Tic Toc... we had to eat fast so the next clients don't wait after us. The steak was dry, unsalted, no pepper, no seasoning, with an after taste on the charcoalled side. Luckily, the rest of the food was ok. We managed to eat quick, pay the bill & leave at 10:36.
There was literally no one waiting at the entrance, multiple table empty.
I totally get that restaurants cannot have people sit for more than 2h. But what I cannot get is, how come less rated & much cheaper restaurants, that have better food, better service quality. You do not deserve the hype you are given.
Go to Moishes, Gibby's... those are real statehouse. Even The Keg will give you a better experience.
Totally disappointed.
Feb 15, 2026
on Google
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We were one of the first to discover Rib & Reef when it first opened, i moved out of town for a few yrs & visited tonight
The pricing is egregious, the steaks were tough & chewy, the caesar salad made both of us sick so not sure if eggs were fresh. They went from mouth watering food to average & below average food at 5x the price. Terrible experience & definitely not worth the price. 122 dollars for a rib steak, of average quality?
This is still my favorite restaurant in montreal , the service standards is something the rest of the town can learn from , the food quality is great & its cooked well & its a good place for drinks & cigars
Food & service quality no longer satisfactory.
My husband & I are regular clients, however our last visit proved to be quite below our expectations. We were there for Monday lunch. The service was polite but speedy, with attitude but without interaction, just going through the motions. The soup's quality was below average (tomato & leeks), seemingly using left-overs. The filets mignons were undercooked & full of nerves. In retrospect, we should have said something right there & then. But we need to be honest about what we received for the money, as our bill came to close to 300$. A lot of money for such little satisfaction.
Great experience! Excellent food, ambiance & especially service! You pay for all the quality this restaurant offers! From opening doors, to pulling out my chair, providing warm hand cloths, to preparing the cesar salad in front of you.. all of it is 5 star! Will definitely be back!!!
Went there for a birthday...
The food experience was very good, can't rrally complain for the quality of food & the execution of plates...
However... The service was terrible... They had mistakenly cocktail... & when I had to change it they just add more stuff in it & brought back the same glass!
The Waiter was grumpy & without any sort of finesse...
The ambiance is very outdated & ordinary.... I would say nostalgic for the 80s...
I don't think I would come back after spent more then 400$ & had that experience.... However we will be back 100%for the lounge room! Terrific experience! ! We love it!!
Oct 12, 2025
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Superb experience, the service & food was A1. Quite expensive but the quality of the meat & the overall experience was worth it. About 800$ for 5 people with 2 wine bottles. Note to admin : the link on the website button of the Google business page is broken.
Went for a birthday. Bread & pickles were served & never refilled. We waited for our food a long time & many mistakes were made... when the meat came in, all of them were cold. When told about the cold meat, they reheated the same piece & ruined the requested doneness of the meat... Quite frankly, for that price point, we were expecting better service & food quality. I had the salmon tartare which was decent. I also had the raw oysters which were not even fresh! Somehow the coleslaw tasted like hay I can easily say I've had better elsewhere in mtl for way more affordable prices...
Beside the good food quality as i am a big fan of, this time i tried the cigar lounge, very nice private isolated place, just didn't like the admission fee if u bring ur own cigar, better to force the client to have a drink rather than the admission fee
Went there expecting to have a great meal, knowing full well the final cost. Unfortunately we left disappointed! We were expecting far more at that price point. You can have better grilled octopus at any Greek place. The rib steak was mediocre, the rapinni were underwhelming. We were undecided between 3-4 wines & our waiter's recommendation wasn't to our taste (that's OK). My comments are connected to the establishment's price point, & our expectation of a quality meal.
If money is no object & you want the BEST seafood & steakhouse in town - & renown for years with this distinction by public option, then come here & be sure to make a reservation in advance. Here is why you come here. - impeccable service with above server to customer ratio & attention to detail. - the highest quality ingredients - the highest quality standard in a every aspect of the business - top quality Dry & wet aged USDA prime beef on premise & antibiotic free & corn fed - decades (63 years) of consistent success - classic dishes of past like made fresh in front of you such as Caesar Salad, steak au poivre sauce flambe in front of you, crêpes Suzette & cherries jubilee made in front of you & flambé fun, home made (the best in the city ) Apple pie with hand made small batch ice cream from "Glacier Bilboquet" & so so much more - a wine list any world class sommelier would be jealous of - table set up with super fresh breads of all types & bread sticks (unlimited) on the table, crunchy crisp kosher dill pickles, homemade Cole slaw, creamy cottage cheese all plentiful & unlimited. But the real experience is that it's all old school from the attire of the staff to the elegant rich wood interior & decor, to the ambient soft music in the background, to the respectful & happy staff who are amazingly attentive to make certain your experience is nothing short of exceptional. Everything is made in house & there are NO shortcuts at this establishment as it's all a la minute & fresh. The decades seasoned owner Peter has stuck to his principals like a religion & like a religion his patrons have remained loyal in return. There is no other steak place in the city that comes close as its many, many "cuts" above the rest on numerous levels. Must try's: - Rib steak ordered Chicago (charred on the outside) - Monte carlo potatoe with bacon - Caesar or wedge salad - order as a side, their peppercorn sauce for dipping & drizzling - thigh the steak need not any accoutrements to make it taste good, it's just the peppercorn sauce is wicked homemade delicious & a real treat to experience as it's also made in front of you - shrimp cocktail - apple pie a la mode for sure!!! - red wine, they have many & at practically every price point for good quality wines but my fav red is J. Lohr a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon you bc any go wrong. You can park yourself but they also have valet as well as you can take your coat to your table but they also have the classic coat check when you enter.
