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Le Local
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants French Canadian (New), French [Edit]
740 rue WilliamMontreal, QC H3C 1P1
(514) 397-7737
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
26 reviews for Le Local
Review Highlights
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"The gnocci and beet salad are amazing." In 5 reviews -
"Scallops with foie gras are highly recommended." In 3 reviews -
"She loved the salmon tartare and the people watching." In 3 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Jessica R.
Montréal, QC
2/22/2012
Very good restaurant. The ambiance is perfect: not too loud, not to quiet. Each meal on the menu is so delicious! I brought some friends from outside the country and they loved it! they come back each time they visit Montreal. I had both tartares (beef and salmon) and i was in heaven! perfection!
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Review from Osmond S.
7/14/2011
One word comes to mind - Pretentious. If you want to know what going to Le Local feels like, pull out a few $20 bills, spread some butter on it and eat it. Wash it down with some water and pretend you just drank a cocktail.
It amazes me that this place has over 3 stars, especially after eating at various local restaurants in the area. After a week of dining in and around Montreal (Vieux Montreal mostly) I can safely say this place is one of the most expensive places I visited and had the worst food overall.
How do you screw up Poutine?? For those that don't know Poutine, it's a local favorite in Montreal, combining french fries with cheese curds, topped with delicious gravy. And somehow Le Local found a way to screw up this simple recipe.
My wife and I bought two drinks (a Mojito and a Martini) and they were both diluted to the point where it was hard to distinguish it from plain water. Oh, and they were $10+ each. Needless to say, we didn't order another.
Next up - the bread. I rarely ever comment on bread, but it was so terrible I feel the need to warn others. For a restaurant that charges as much as it does, having stale bread that tastes like you're chewing on someone else's gum is just unacceptable. How about serving some freshly baked bread, preferably something with flavor?
The only saving grace was the Veal Burger, which was pretty damn good. Not good enough to warrant the price, but it was good. I don't even remember what my wife ordered - it was some odd tasting fish that she didn't eat.
Overall this was a giant skid mark in an otherwise splendid trip to Montreal. Save your money and go somewhere else. Anywhere else. It's hard to find something that's worse. -
Review from Stephane F.
Montréal, QC
1/25/2012
One of my favorite restaurant. Nice ambiance, food always amazing!
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Review from Kiera S.
8/9/2011
Good food, good wine (selection and quality). The gnocci and beet salad are amazing.
That said, it is a bit pricey considering all the other fantastic options for delicious food around Montreal... -
Review from Dean A.
Montréal, QC
1/22/2011
Tourists love this place. Most Montrealers think this place is average at best, unless you're a little bimbo who thinks you're participating in some "scene" by being there.
The food is pretty good but the experience is ruined by idiot waiters making $5 an hour who treat the patrons like garbage, crowding them at the bar, ignoring them, and then berating them when they try to select the appropriate bottle of wine. Which, I might add, I don't think any waiter in there could ever afford on their salaries.
Now I try not to judge a place on one visit unless it's really good, so I gave it another chance and went back a few months later. Same bullshit experience. Then again, a few months later, for someone's birthday. SAME thing. I was starting to think it was just me, until I asked around and most people have the same negative experience.
It's a bit of a shame, really, because the chefs are talented and the decor is pretty. Too bad about the insecure waiters. -
Review from Sean D.
10/23/2011
I live in Montreal. This is in my top 5 restaurants here. Great food, great atmosphere and service! On two occasions I've had groups of up to 12 with me and the service is fantastic. They are very good at handling small or large tables. The patio is also very nice, great part of town.
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Review from Luisa D.
10/23/2010
Wow!! This place is so cool. We had a group for dinner in the private dining room upstairs. I had an amazing yellow beet salad with truffle oil followed by steak with potatoes gratin - cooked to perfection. The cute servers took great care of us.
Later a few of us went downstairs for some bubble at the bar. This place has a killer wine list with prices that are completely fair. I know wine is more affordable in Quebec than Vancouver so I shouldn't complain except that too many restaurants triple their wine mark-up and don't offer enough interesting choices in the affordable range. -
Review from Kathleen H.
Montréal, QC
5/18/2011
Great spot!
Despite being seated in the front bar area which was far too loud... this was the perfect place for me to start integrating back into life in Montreal! I took a friend visiting from Toronto and we had a lovely meal... beet salad and salmon tartar to start. The beet salad was the clear winner - though be ready for the beets to be covered in cheese. For my main, I had the steak & fries. The plate was literally overflowing with food: fries, salad and a sizable piece of steak (almost like a tenderloin). It was all excellent but far too much food. My friend had the main-size version of the salmon tartar. I'd go with the appetizer if you love salmon tartar - and have something a bit more flavorful for your main.
The service was attentive and flexible in English and French.
We each had a glass of the Californian red - delicious.
Will be back! -
Review from Derrick V.
7/4/2010
Cool House music. Too bad I already have that in my Ipod.
Salmon tartare, although slightly lacking in salmon flavor, was a good start. Balanced and well seasoned.
My AAA grade strip loin however, was an overcooked and underseasoned mess. It was more medium well than medium rare. Why would you scorch such a nice piece of beef? And if you're going to charge an arm and a leg, season it correctly, please. Or put some salt on the table.
Come here to be hip, I guess.Listed in: Montreal
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Review from M T.
9/15/2010
I had the pleasure of dining here during a recent business trip.
The food was very good. The menu was creative.
The pasta with duck confit was quite nice. i recommend this restaurant when in Montreal.
Before I comment on service, I want to note that service in Montreal in general is exceptionally lackadaisical. It is even more casual than in France, where I have received some of the worst service in the world. This restaurant, fortunately was an exception. They do know when to re-fill your water and offer you more wine and in general attend to your needs.
I am a spoiled American brat, of which I am nonetheless proud, but this estabishment met my needs. -
Review from Christine R.
Montréal, QC
5/7/2009
My discovery of the year. For the posterity, it was elected 2nd best resto in Canada by En Route Magazine for 2008.
My love and I went to Le Local for my 1st anniversary and had a blast. We were looking for a hip place, with ambiance without being the fake merde of St-Laurent (you know, the really really expensive places where they hire models but forget to train them about service???), where we could enjoy creative food, without being broke for the next year to come.
A friend recommended Le Local, and it's now my turn to recommend it to you. First of all, the place is absolutely gorgeous: high ceilings from an industrial past, terrace, stunning decor of wood, glass and steel, dimmed lights and an open kitchen concept. The service is also to mention: not the greatest I had (come on, what is the cost-benefit of offering a young friendly couple a free glass of wine when you know it's their first anniversary??) but our server was (cute) friendly, discrete, and very available.
Then the food. I had the Burgundy Escargots cassolette, mild garlic gnocchi, shiitakes, braised shallots, bordelaise sauce and the (omg) Salmon tartare with truffle oil and fresh lime juice. The Tartare was the highlight of my life. I wanna go back right now.
I'll go get myself a peanut butter toast meanwhile. -
Review from Laura R.
11/18/2010
Delicious! A delightful way to enjoy our first night in Montreal.
This restaurant features all local and organic food. To start we had the local beef tartare and a layered cold appetizer of layered avocado, shrimp, smoked trout, whipped cream, port jelly, and fresh tomatoes.
As if this wasn't enough, we each continued with our own entree - Ramzi had the guinea fowl and I had Atlantic Boston Cod. Our evening was very enjoyable in this restaurant of urban, cozy, and quaint ambiance with a touch of cool club music playing in the background. Check it out! -
Review from Tim D.
5/24/2011
First time to Montreal and after 6 nights of various cuisines we were directed to Le Local for a "nice" Montreal meal. Nice hardly describes my exerience, Spectacular would be a better description.... Had dinner their two nights in a row... There meals are excellently prepared, and presented. The ingredients were FRESH, tuna cooked perfectly as was the portugese steak, pasta and salads.
The waiter staff were professional and knowledgable of their menu. I don't speak a word of french and was treated with courtesy, even with my lack of linguistic skill.
We sat inside, mood was modern, good background music, a very pleasant atmosphere to drink nice wine and dine on superb food, this is what I was hoping for in Montreal food, the best meals on this trip by far.
I can see where the "trendy set" would want to hang out here, I am far from one of those, I only want to eat at excellent places and have zero interest in "being seen".....
Do yourself a favor, when in Montreal and esepecially "old Montreal" dont pass this one by. -
Review from Karine L.
7/8/2010 5 photos
OMG!!! What a nite!!! We had so much fun and ate such good meals, this is just simply memorable!!!
We had the escargots, the beats with fried egg, the fabulous and fantastic and extraordinaire foie gras poele as appetizer!!
I had the Halibut for entree, it was just exquisite!!
We met with the owner, elise la sommeliere, our server was jst simply the best, always caring, laughing, joking with us, he would hear us from 20ft away if we were mentioning something and would come back with an answer. And now I am forgetting everybody's name, we had way too much wine and cocktails that nite! We were drinking the CA wine Twelve Clones but I wasn't in such a bad shape that I couldn't taste the food. It's just that we were eating it seems like forever!! God it was good! I really can't wait to go back!! Woohoo!! As good as it gets!!! -
Review from Kendra M.
8/23/2011
I really loved the beet salad. I had the halibut and enjoyed the flavors. Great night with friends. Enjoyed the ambiance. Service was a little slow, but that is to be expected in Montreal.
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Review from David H.
7/26/2010
This was my wife's favorite place in Montreal. She loved the salmon tartare and the people watching.
I had the escargots as an entrée and they were so good that I was excited for the main course.
However my "Portuguese style" steak, which I had ordered rare arrived well done. I hate sending food back, but it was inedible as served. I only knocked off one star for this as they replaced it quickly and it was cooked perfectly the second time.
The wine list was OK by Montreal's standards. -
Review from Mary d.
8/10/2009
My girlfriends and I gathered here for a late dinner while visiting Montreal. I had requested on Open Table for a "good table," and the staff accommodated us nicely. The ambience is very lively and hip, with great music and perfect lighting.
We started with a seared foie gras on gingerbread, which was A-MAZING. I can still taste that fatty goodness! Then I moved on to my entree, steak frites. My steak (which I ordered medium rare) was unevenly cooked, with nary the bloody goodness I expect from such a temperature. The frites were very tasty, albeit a bit soggy. My friend ordered the veal shank, which she said was overcooked, too. My other friend was totally digging the scallops dish she got, especially the puff pastry and chorizo bits.
For dessert, we shared Le Brownie, which was the perfect piece of chocolate heaven.
The meal had seemingly ended on a high note until we saw one of the young chef helpers MAKING OUT with his girlfriend in full view of all of us diners. I mean, really? Or am I being an American stick-in-the-mud? The intimacy was just a little TOO much...bit nauseating, actually.
So.......they get 3 stars. -
Review from Clay H.
5/25/2009
"Christine R" definitely saved the day for these tourists. Le Local gave us a really nice romantic dinner on the edge of Old Montreal. Although the food is on the expensive side Le Local provided us with a delicious meal and a fantastic atmosphere.
You can easily make a reservation online, and I recommend that you get there early so that you can hang out in the bar for a bit. They have a really spacious cocktail lounge up front with some outdoor seating. After dessert you are close enough to the rest of Old Montreal that you can have a nice walk to the waterfront or Place Jacques Cartier. -
Review from K G.
8/18/2010
Great atmosphere in a am area of old Montreal where you wouldn't expect a restaurant. Great fois gras appetizer an steak frites (almost went for off menu special of filet mignon with torched food GRAS on top for the FG duo). Steak cooked perfectly and fries had good crisp. Lots of better restaurants in city but worth checking out for the eclectic menu and great location/atmosphere.
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Review from Cheryl A.
7/14/2009
Good portions, especially compared to the same type of establishment you'd find in NYC. On the pricey side, service was a bit slow on a Saturday night, but overall very romantic. Scallops with foie gras are highly recommended. Bring a flashlight for reading the menus, and of course your appetite.
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Review from Seann G.
Vancouver, BC
7/25/2009
Had a very good meal. The appetizers were both big (by french standards), but both nicely prepared - the beet salad was especially good, as was the tart with tomatoes and caramelized onions. For the mains, the pastured veal chop with buffalo mozzerella, fresh tomato and balsamic glaze was very good. The halibut was also very nice. Great room as well, although sit in the front room or outside, the back room was a little cut-off.
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Review from Madeleine W.
Montréal, QC
3/29/2011
This restaurant was delicious! The room was clean, and well decorated. The waiters were friendly, and spoke English and French well. The atmosphere was great. There were many rooms, and where we sat, it was quiet and not to crowded, but we walked through the other room that had an open kitchen and was a little louder but still pleasant. The food was amazing, and really good quality. I highly recommend it.
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Review from Abigail J.
11/22/2010
I ate at the bar here on a business dinner; I am not a sophisticated eater but the menu was too fancy for my tastes. They also serve the smallest glasses of wine I have seen. The decor was great but for the price, I would expect much more (especially when NYC is a 1.5hr flight away). My veal burger and glass of wine came to $40 pre tax and tip.
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Review from D Q.
Saint-Léonard, QC
11/11/2009
For the price...it really not worth it....the only positive pointis the wine waiter that was able to choose a very very good wine for the food that was totally normal. Also, the service was very bad. The waiter didn't know the chef special, it was long... So DON'T go there unless you want to be ripped off.
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