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Marché De La Villette
Categories: Event Planning & Services Caterers Food Specialty Food Food Grocery Caterers, Specialty Food, Grocery [Edit]
324 Rue St.-Paul OMontreal, QC H2Y 2A3
(514) 807-8084
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
28 reviews for Marché De La Villette
Review Highlights
"...and ordered a charcuterie plate and a croque monsieur."
(in 5 reviews)
"The pork and veal pate was my least favorite."
(in 6 reviews)
"Sandwiches, charcuterie plate, and the cheese plate."
(in 4 reviews)
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Lama B.
2/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love Montreal. I love Montreal on a Sunday. I love Montreal in Winter.
I DO NOT love how Montreal thinks its ok to have half your restaurants close on Sundays.
But Marche de la Villette was super redeeming as we ordered coffee, onion soup, crepes, and sandwiches, all which arrived piping hot, overflowing, and were beyond satisfying.
I think this is a little gem in the quaint streets of Montreal, we cleaned our plates, considered picking up some cheese and rillettes like the gentleman before us did, decided against it as customs may not appreciate it, and headed out to walk the cobblestones comforted by the fact that one can in fact be fed on the weekends.
I love you Marche de la Villette! -
Review from Christina C.
1/28/2012
So this review has been marinating in my drafted reviews for awhile. Not on purpose, though. But it has been a couple months since my brief visit to Montreal. For that reason, it surprises me how vivid my memory of dining at Marche is.
First of all, this quaint little restaurant seemed to be in a popular area where cafes were aplenty. We chose it because we noticed they served beer (we were thirsty!) and someone we saw in the window was stuffing their mouth with what looked to be a really appetizing crepe.
To us, all beer and crepes are one helluva combo. Sold!
It's cramped when you first walk in. There's a cramped dining area to you right, then hop down a couple stairs to see a bigger dining area with some booths and then the counter/deli case where you can place your carryout order.
We squeezed into the front right dining area and were given menus - in French. In fact, everything was in French. (Yeah, yeah - I know I'm in Montreal ... but we don't speak French.)
After deciphering what we could from the menu (jambon = ham! I knew that one), I settled for the ham and brie crepe. Even if it was the only thing I could recognize on the menu, it was the best choice I could've ever made. My tastebuds were singing!! Everything about that crepe was made to perfection. And the accompanying side salad was equally as scrumptious. The perfect side to the heaviness of the crepe.
After sucking back a couple beers and finishing every bite of food on my plate, our peppy server brought over a dessert waffle smothered in chocolate - on the house! I'm positive he knew we were tourists - it was obvious - so we deeply appreciated the gesture. So nice! And it was tasty to boot. (That's a given though, it's a chocolate waffle!)
Thanks for a great meal & memory, Marche! -
Review from FRANCO P.
11/6/2011
Eh...nothing special!
It's a small and sweet little place you want to like, but the food and coffee were both luke warm upon arrival and for the price, I'd like my breakfast, fast, hot and tasty. This place was neither.
The staff was sweet and yes, busy, yet it didn't feel like I was neglected, just unimpressed by it all. -
Review from Paula A.
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food gets 4 stars, but you'll be so annoyed when it arrives, you'll scoff it down & leave annoyed.
The service, while friendly, was abysmal. One waitress was LITERALLY dancing around, sitting at tables, talking to everyone (who she clearly didn't know), while we waited 20+ mins to place our order, an additional 45 mins for soup, then they brought 1 sandwich & the other arrived a solid 20 minutes later. One waitress sat at the table next to us & struck up a conversation with the woman dining alone & apologized for not taking her order quicker, she'd been there maybe 6 minutes. we were separated by inches (they really squeeze you in) & waited well over 90 minutes for 2 sandwiches; nobody apologized. oh, & they brought the wrong sandwich (you'd think they'd know the difference between a croque-monsieur vs. a croque-madame,) but i wasn't about to waste another minute. in all fairness - the sandwich was really good.
My BF is the sweetest man on earth, he doesn't complain, but even he was pissed. we tried to pass it off as "European" but i don't care where you are, its super-annoying to watch people walk in well after us, get served, eat, pay their bill & leave -- while we were still waiting on friggin soup. -
Review from Jenny H.
9/3/2011
My husband got the duck confit sandwich on French bread with lettuce and tomato which was pretty good, basically shredded duck in some crusty bread with some nice freshness and crispness from the lettuce and tomatoes.
I got the French onion soup and ham and cheese quiche and mixed greens. The quiche was delicious, the egg was nice and fluffy with a certain sweetness to it in a flaky crust. The salad was tossed with a basic balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The servers all seemed very happy to be there, singing and dancing around, interacting and joking around with the guests, and were helpful and very nice. -
Review from Caleb A.
9/6/2011
Came here for brunch since Olive et gourmando was closed.
I think everyone else on that Sunday morning came here by default too.
Got the duck pate sandwich. The pate tasted like canned tuna. :(
Mimosas were good and strong. -
Review from Culinary S.
Toronto, ON
10/23/2011
This isn't anything like Montreal's famous Schwartz's, or any other typical Jewish deli that you may be familiar with. This is a traditional Quebecois delicatessen that specializes in traditional terrine (country pate) and local cheese.
It's very much like a French Bistro, the tables are close together and when it's busy, it's crazed! If you listen carefully you'll find that it's quite popular amongst locals. Be kind to your server, as they can only have a handful on shift and with the constant turn over, they're all quite busy. They always do their best, are friendly and if you engage them, full of personality!
One of us has an obsession with their assorted meat platter which allows you to taste their many cold cuts and pates. If you have this plate, spend the extra $15 and get the foie gras pate - possibly the best out there (and we've had a lot). Our last visit saw us tip over the edge of indulgence, like the good food whores we are, when we ordered their assorted cheese platter along with the meat. They came on two wooden cutting boards with a basket of cut up baguette, and they leave you to your imagination to mix the flavours.
The meat assortment includes: rabbit terrine, pork terrine, liver terrine, ham, turkey, salami, roast beef and of course we included the foie gras. The roast beef feels like it's carved fresh off a giant hunk of meat in the back, we could have rubbed our faces in it. The salami was perfectly balanced with fat and spices. The infamous foie gras pate was buttery melt in your mouth deliciousness. Top it with a slice of strawberry and let your taste buds rejoice.
The cheese platter included a creamy brie, a local St. Andre Chevre (oozy creamy goodness), a Quebecois swiss and an unidentified, but wonderful, gouda-like cheese.
Have fun mixing and matching the cheeses and the meats with the sides of spicy mustered, pickles, fig chutney and strawberry.
Ordering both the cheese and meat assorted platters is only for the brave of heart. We are true food whores, and even we couldn't eat seven hours later. But our attempt clearly made us famous with the staff as they remembered both of us the next day. This is likely something normally shared with groups of four.
Do order a glass of red wine (we had two each, the gluttons that we are), served perfectly at European room temperature - you won't regret it.
If you can still stand it, do have the coffee. It's fantastic, almost nutty, rich, thick and strong. If you like cream, ask for extra - you'll need it. For those who travel, this shall not be unfamiliar as it's quite typical in Europe. -
Review from Esther Y.
4/29/2011
Yeah...this place was pretty much awesome.
You walk in, and almost feel like you are transported to Europe. It's got the busy cafe vibe, tons of different languages being spoken, lots of bread, meat and cheese splayed out on a table, and delicious wine to complement it.
I could've spent my whole day here eating through the menu and washing it down with some wine.
If you walk around Old Montreal...DEFINITELY stop by and have a meal and a glass of wine. -
Review from Adelaide S.
8/25/2011
My first meal in Montreal was a happy chance finding of Marche De La Villette. I had a vegetable salad which was colorful and delicious except for the tin can black olives. They have rubber hams hanging from the ceiling and the waitress was very nice letting me take photos. You have to ask for water and when you do, you get a tepid iceless cup, but that's typical of Montreal. It doesn't matter though, because why drink water when you can have the best sangria I've ever had - I will return for the sangria if nothing else.
Listed in: A tourist in Montreal.
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Review from Jeff D.
5/9/2011
The wife & I hit this place up for lunch twice on our most recent Montreal visit. We were staying Vieux Montreal for the first time as opposed to just walking through as we had in the past and we excited to find this place. It really encapsulated what I love about the city, you feel like you got away to Europe with the obscene airfare.
The food was very good and the service was excellent, the gentleman waiter was very personable and entertaining. It took my 4th trip to Montreal to get here, but it's now a regular stop. -
Review from Matthew T.
7/26/2011
Our second day in Montreal we wanted to try something different for breakfast. Meaning, not a chain, and not just pastries and coffee/tea. We had spied this place the other day and it looked intriguing, although the menu out front wasn't totally clear, the sign saying "breakfast served all day" was pretty clear.
We were there at 9:40. Took about 10 minutes to get anyone to notice us in the empty and freezing shop. We were told the kitchen doesn't open until 10 (this was a weekday!). No suggestion to sit and wait with some espresso, no offer to look at the menu. Not a good start. We went next door and got a drink (a missed sale! empolyees of Marche). I convinced my dinning partner to come back and try again. Probably was a bad idea.
What I had was good. Let me say that first off. The service was not up to snuff but as long as it isn't horrible I can usually handle that. Waiting for the cook to get to work was a bit of a trial, about 40 minutes. The people next to us ordered croque monsieur and waited nearly an hour while the staff filled the deli case instead of making their meal. When they complained a manager type made them in about 30 seconds. hmmmmm... another bad sign!
I tried the omelet special, which was more of soufflé. I'm not an omelet conisure but it was nice. The ham, bacon, cheese, paté, fruit and bread was all good and really more than I typically have for breakfast but a nice treat. What wasn't good was putting a salad on top of all of that on a warm plate next to the piping hot dish that held the omelet/souffle thing. Which creates a wilted salad as anyone will tell you. But here is the kicker, my companion ordered the fruit crepe. It came out looking like a burrito, which is not the end of the world and could be interesting. While it was filled with fresh fruit, most of that fruit hadn't been properly cleaned. The cantaloupe still had the rind on it! And the crepe was chrispy like it had been fried or something. I have no idea how you do that to a crepe. Maybe this is a regional variation I'm not aware of but when you got to hack at your crepe with a chisel to get at hard cantaloupe rind something is not Kosher.
Like the hair that was served with the crepe.
I wanted this place to be better. It is cute and interesting and I wanted to sample all the things in their deli case. But I'm not coming back for $15 a person breakfast that isn't served until lunch and isn't properly prepared. Should have gotten pastries at Olive+Gourmando.Listed in: Montreal '11
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Review from Seb L.
Montréal, QC
5/2/2011
Went in here for a quick lunch with my family. The atmosphere and vibe was quite fun, but our food was rather disappointing. We ordered the ham and cheese crepe and croque monsieur, two simple dishes that are usually kept salty, only to have them both smothered in maple syrup. I don't know if this was Quebec twist to the dish, but I personally thought it ruined it.
We also had an order of cassoulet and it too was disappointing.
This small restaurant is essentially a tourist trap. -
Review from Laura T.
Toronto, ON
9/27/2011
What is with all of the great ratings?! The woman who served us was rude. I ordered salade nicoise and my mom the crepe. Out came two salads and when my mom said she ordered the crepe she was rudely told "no, you asked what was in the nicoise". She DID ask but when told it had anchovies she ordered the crepe. There was no offer to take it back. WORSE NICOISE EVER. It's a mix of tons mayonnaise and tuna, and an egg topped with an anchovie over a bed of greens. No green beans, no potato..just awful My stomach is off now 5 min after the meal and all I taste is fish. Don't waste your time.
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Review from Tammy L.
Toronto, ON
12/23/2010
What a great experience.
6/5 stars go to Sarah, our amazing waitress who was funny, personable, and dead on with respect to the food recommendations. She made this place an extra special 5 stars.
We walked into this place at about 3 in the afternoon, attracted by the bright window display and the ham models hanging in the window. Unfortunately, we were told that the kitchen was closed because the kitchen was busy stuffing turkeys. The only options for us? Sandwiches, charcuterie plate, and the cheese plate. Poor us.
Feeling not a bit disappointed, we order the rillette de canard sandwich, the roast beef sandwich, the charcuterie plate and the cheese plate. The food arrives at our table, and it is huge. The cheese plate was piled high, as was the charcuterie plate. The charcuterie plate, in particular, was a steal at $14.95 - home made pates, terrines, rillette and assortment of meats. Everything was fresh and lovely. Sandwiches were generously stuffed. The Rillette de Canard sandwich (recommended to us by Sarah) was to die for. The four of us ate and ate and ate, and still there was more food on the table!
At the end of it all, we decided to order some more rillette de canard to take home with us (we were due to board our plane that evening). All of that food, including the extra rillette, and a glass of wine came up to $89.00 not including tip. A true steal.
I would highly recommend this place as an affordable and yummy option in old Montreal! -
Review from Lizz K.
8/17/2010
This quaint little Marche has a that feel of a little Paris. Random objects clutter the walls (wooden shoes, old photos, chalkboards with different eats available, etc). And faux ham and sausage links hang in the window. There is a full deli, but I went for breakfast. Saw it just walking by and popped in. Everyone was quite nice and very cheerful. We got the fruit crepes with chocolate. Very tasty. I also like that coffee was given in a mug. I drink quite a lot of it. Not the best coffee, but definitely what I needed at the time.
Overall, a very pleasant experience. -
Review from Tom K.
6/2/2010 2 photos
Our last lunch in Montreal was at Marche De La Villette, a decision sparked mainly by the appearance of meat and meat models hanging in the window and the sounds of accordion music escaping past the door.
The place seemed more French than the French themselves and that's quite all right--- given the quality of the lunch we had, Marche could equip their wait staff in mime costumes, blast Maurice Chevalier all day and force us to listen to the speeches of Degaulle all day and I'd still eat here.
For $14.95, you'll receive a soup, a plat principal and dessert as part of their lunch special. My wife opted for this and was quite satisfied with her choice of the choucroute (sausage, potatoes and sauerkraut-- how Alsatian!) The dessert was two mini waffles with powdered sugar that I brazenly stole.
I was far more gluttonous and ordered a charcuterie plate and a croque monsieur.
Served on a board, the charcuterie offered up delicious samples of brie, cheddar, sausage, turkey cold cut, chicken salad, pate and more.
There was barely enough room on our table when my croque monsieur arrived, now with bacon strips! Yes, ham and cheese alone just isn't meaty enough so the addition of bacon strips is surely welcome.
While the menu is en francais, the staff was quite willing to explain certain dishes, especially in areas where my french is severely lacking. (Like names of specific vegetables)
The staff was definitely harried. Somehow the lunch service was harmonious, our waitress was apologetic about being late with our water refills and it all came together.
The menu includes hamburgers, sandwiches and salads. Prices in that area, for lunch, start at $9.95.Listed in: Whither Canada? Eats, Shoots…
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Review from Julie K.
6/2/2009
On my way to the archeology museum today, I got a little lost in an area on Rue St. Paul, but fortuitously as it turned out. If I hadn't been off the beaten path, I probably wouldn't have passed La Villette.
What struck me immediately in passing was the framed Bon Appetit magazine article--oh, and the word "charcuterie" emblazoned across the window. ;)
I made my way back after the museum and decided on the Assiette La Villette, an array of cheese, pates, and a small salad. As I waited for my food, I soaked in the atmosphere. The tables were small and close together, and there was French music playing. Perhaps it was just me, but the decor seemed a bit over the top, like a Disney version of a French cafe, but the food and service were wonderful.
When my lunch was served, the platter was covered with a selection of pate de foie gras, a country-style duck pate, duck rillettes, a pate of pork and veal, prosciutto, ham, salami, a small crock of mustard, some cornichons, brie, two local cheeses, and a small green salad. This also came with a small basket of bread. It sounds like a lot of food--and it was. And it was utterly delicious.
I couldn't stop eating the pate de foie gras and the duck rillettes, as well as everything else. The country-style duck pate was my next favorite, with a bit of mustard. The pork and veal pate was my least favorite. In all, I ate far more than I should have, and had a memorably lovely lunch at La Villette.
Thank goodness I wasn't with my vegetarian coworkers!Listed in: An Homage to Montreal's Great…
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Review from Anita i.
3/27/2009
Another one of my favorite stops in Montreal and my favorite bistro is Marché de la Villette. After recently browsing the internet, i noticed it was featured in food & wine restaurants and travel!!
This is the classic french bistro. there is no bare wall in this small cafe. The rustic walls are painted with fruits and vegetables, flowers, and trees. The corners are adorned with life like flowers and greens. And vintage canned foods border the restaurant, while dried meats hang above the counter.
the menu, if i remember correctly is in french, however i THINK they had english menus... its been 2 years.. the waiter was kind enough to explain the specials and the menu. He had a thick french accent and greeted us with "Bon aprés midi!" and "Vat will you be having madame?"
we ordered the coldcut sampler which was overflowing with prosciutto, Genoa salami, ham, roast beef, dried sausages and some other meats i cannot name. On one corner were two little jars filled with liver pate and ham pate. Both were equally delicious and the best i've had. Mixed baby greens and fresh toasted baguette were nestled into the empty cracks of the platter. mmm divine!
We also had the quiche Lorraine served with a bed of mixed baby greens, the prosciutto sandwich, tomato cream soup, and a stuffed tomato with veal (this had a fancy french name, but i didn't write it down). it was delicious! the tomato stuffed veal sat on top of a bed of herbed rice. Everything was so so so good. I cant wait to visit Montreal again just so i can lunch here. Do order wine along with your meal like the french!
I love everything about his quaint restaurant. Its located in downtown Montreal. The streets are narrow and lined with eroded stones. I really enjoy the uniqueness of its location. What a great find. Au revoir! -
Review from Beth M.
1/31/2010
Nothing like breaking yourself into the French ways with a lunch at Marche de la Villette. After being delayed at O'hare, finally getting to Montreal and checking into our hotel, this was where we went next.
We were greeted jubilantly in French when we entered this cozy, upbeat restaurant. We sat near the front at a tiny table and were handed menus (in French as well). A little uncomfortable, we ordered some local beers (similar to Blue Moon, had a white horse on it) to start. Our waiter kindly explained the food items, what's included in the fixed price lunch, and even took us to the deli window to point out options.
My husband's ham and cheese crepe was fantastic and one of our favorite food items we tasted in Montreal. I chose a sausage/sauerkraut/potatoes dish that was good. Before our plate principal, we were served vegetable soup. It was thick, almost like a puree, but very tasty.
For dessert, we got a waffle type desert (it was fun watching the woman making them) with apple and powdered sugar. Although I would have liked some chocolate with it, it was a nice way to end our meal.
We were offered a foie gras sample during our visit but declined. Waitstaff seemed happy to be working there and we were happy we stopped in.Listed in: A Midwesterner in Montreal
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Review from Juliana N.
6/30/2010
My friend and I had different maps so we were going in circles looking for this place, but it was well worth it!!!
The four of us sat down right away. There were only a few tables occupied since we arrived at a fairly odd time. Around 3pm.
Our waiter was pleasant and hilarious! We were entertained. The place well decorated with cool assortments of bistro style pictures and signs.
We looked through the menu, ordered some mouth-watering sangria, and couldn't decide what we wanted so we asked him to put together a plate of meats/cheese for us, whatever he recommends. So he did.
The assortment of pate/meats that we ate were the most amazing I've ever had. I WANT TO GO BACK. I wish it were right down the street from my house.
GO HERE. You wont regret it! -
Review from Hassan A.
Toronto, ON
6/26/2010 1 Check-in Here
it was quite the festive atmoshere with the world cup on big screen but the staff were quite snobby bitches. I wanted to smack one of them at one point as they were quite rude to my mom. I ordered their brie sandwich which I specifically asked for them to heat up and I guess their frentch isn't all that good cause I mentioned to them en francais....the owner was a total prick. Otherwise was just an ok experience. I won't be going back again in the future though
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Review from Kim G.
5/30/2011
I really wanted O + G, but there was a line and we were way too hungry to wait. This restaurant was fairly busy and how can you go wrong with a place that has tons of meats in the window??? We decided to do the table d'hote since the price seemed pretty reasonable and we were pretty hungry. The soup way okay and the entrees were fine. I'll warn you that everything including ham/bacon seems to be topped off with maple syrup. The food was fine, nothing out of world but a-ok. This is where things dropped off. They had two waiters working the floor and that didn't seem to be enough. We ate our entrees and then waited a good 20 min or so before the waiter came back and asked if we wanted the dessert course and we said yes. Then the two ugliest nastiest ladies came in and sat at the table next to us. They wanted to custom order EVERYTHING! It was pretty clear to us that NOTHING would make these miserable women happy yet the waiter was going to try. 45 minutes later still no desert or any service - I guess we weren't important at all so we had to walk up to the front of the restaurant and get our bill. They didn't understand that we were done waiting at that point (our time does have value) and weren't willing to make any adjustments for the fact that we didn't get our full meal. Not in the mood for dessert and coffee after waiting over an hour (and yes we did start timing them). In addition to service that went from ok to non existent the drinks at this place are ridiculous in price - it's clear that they make their money off the beers.
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Review from Kevin M.
11/16/2010
Had the pleasure of having lunch here in July. Had the Croque Monsieur and it was by the far the best I have ever had. It came with a side salad and we ordered a quart of red wine.
The waiters and waitresses were very outgoing and the service was extremely fast given the place was packed at 12:00 in the afternoon. You litererally feel you are in France from the second you walk in the door (not to mention after 3 glasses of wine). The atmosphere is very happy and upbeat and coupled with the delicious food, it was a great overall experience. -
Review from Louie D.
2/22/2010
Excellent place for lunch. Their smoke meats are great. Real authentic French deli food. Haven't had such great smoked meat since I was in Paris. They also have great wine by the glass and coffee. Love this place. Huge fan!!
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Review from Paolo D.
1/4/2011
Ok I think this place is over rated! Seriously people! just because its located in the old Montreal. If you are meat lover then this is your place but be prepared to spend $$$$. Their sandwiches are not big for the price and the bread is not even toasted. It tasted like 3 days old bread. They only had one vegetarian sandwich with it SUCKED! I would go someplace else for deli type food. The service was ok.
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