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Restaurant Le Paris
Category: Restaurants French French [Edit]
1812, rue Sainte-Catherine OuestMontréal, QC H3H 1M1
(514) 937-4898
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
8 reviews for Restaurant Le Paris
8 reviews in English
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Review from Aditi G.
3/26/2011
This was the first place that I ever had duck confit. And it was delicious! Different but delicious!
I also had the fish soup which was very good and hit the spot on the very chilly Montreal day that I went. -
Review from Krista S.
2/17/2012
Typical little bistro, good food, decent option in downtown area
Food: yummy chèvre chaud but a bit too much dressing for my taste, my husbands soup du poisson was flavorful, typical good crusty French bread
Atmosphere: basic cute bistro, Paris decos are a bit kitschy
Service: attentive, not intrusive
Check it out for a nice lunch when you're downtown! -
Review from DAVE I.
Montréal, QC
12/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
I'm always looking for a French Bistro that will blow me away and lo and behold there's one just on Ste-Catherine's street. Sadly, didn't blow me away.
This restaurant in its younger says may have passed as a Bistro from Paris teleported to Montreal but the decor has aged badly and looks like duct-tape holds it together, it's in tatters, it's patchy and is in great need of renovations. I could see the kitchen through a wall.
The menu is terribly old school, but I can't complain it's what I was looking for. Rillette, French Onion soup, Deviled Eggs, Tartares, Boeuf Bourgignon... they're all there. But they don't feel updated to today's expectations. The Rillette de Lapin was good but lacked some seasoning, the spices overwhelmed the Tartare. The French onion soup was underwhelming and very ordinary. The bavette, one of my favourites, was a disappointment; little flavour, little seasoning and the vedge were flat. The Ile Flottante (floating Island) desert was pretty good though it was the first time I tried this classic desert no other restaurants serve.
The service though was seemingly teleported from Paris though as it was polite but cold and unresponsive to small-talk. But call me old-school, I miss the level of professionalism the wait staff displayed, even in a small restaurant setting. There's no reason not to get proper service in any restaurant, it's well part of the experience. -
Review from Hideki K.
6/29/2009
Restaurant Le Paris is a small bistro that's conveniently located on Rue Catherine ouest. HOWEVER, it's not well known.
I discovered the bistro after asking my hotel's concierge back in 2007. My friends and I went after skiing in Tremblant. We enjoyed really good kidneys and the chef was kind enough to let us try some cow brains. I've also had the cow brains at Per Se in NYC. I'm done with cow brains. I'm not a fan. It's just too much. I'm getting sick of foie gras these days too.
Je suis desole for disgressing... Le Paris is a small bistro worth visiting!Listed in: Best of Montreal
-
Review from Adam K.
Vancouver, BC
4/18/2009
Probably one of the better dining experiences I've had in my life.
I'm not an expert on french cuisine nor have I dined extensively in montreal or anything like that but if you're in town, check this place out, trust me!
This is basically a real casual bistro in Montreal, filled with older French Canadians, a lot of retired people, or a generally 40yr + crowed. It feels like the decor hasn't changed for the past 30 years and it really sets a nice mood.
I've come here once for the duck confit and once for a roasted fish. both times, it was like eating a really experienced french grandmaother's cooking in the french countryside: just simply but expertly prepared. Normally, a fish would be served with a side of roasted vegetables and potatoes, and some pan drippings and it really is fantastic.
The best thing about this entire restaurant is the brandade de morou. This tasted amazing and is one of the most memorable things I've ever eaten. Its basically like mashed potatoes that tastes like the sea, and ive never had this dish better than the one they have here. Other apetizers included some squid cooked in its own ink and some oysters, all of which were really good.
The bread is fantastic. The butter comes room temperate and softened. I'm not a wine expert but the waiters were friendly and happy to help.
Overall, this is truly a great place. Reservations are recommended. This is an ideal place to compensate if your not lucky enough to have a french grandmother. -
Review from Tara N.
8/11/2010
Just returned from a trip to Montreal and this restaurant was the place we went for the quintessential French meal. First let me say that the food was great!!
With that said, the dining experience was one of discomfort and frustration. We arrived when the dining room was almost empty and we seemed off to a pretty good start. Though we did note that the room was a little stuffy. By the time we got our mains (which took quite a while, but nothing I'd complain about), the room was packed and felt like an oven. Our wine and water glasses were almost empty when the waiter dropped off our food, but we never saw him again. The restaurant was WAY understaffed...just two waiters to do everything including bussing and seating.
Finally after waiting a ridiculously long time (and noticing that the waiter was quite solicitous to one table of four older women) and being drenched in sweat with no water, we gave up on having dessert (which was included in the price of dinner), got up and met our waiter at the cash register. When we asked him for the check, he muttered something in French (though he had spoken to us in English before) and walked away. We finally estimated the bill, rounded up for taxes and left cash on the table before walking out. -
Review from Sunil K.
1/20/2011
We were at the Le Paris on Saturday night for the exclusive beef bourguignon. All the food that we ate were really good. For appetizer we had the egg mayonnaise and the rabbit pattie. Both were really good. Then we had the beef bourguignon for the main course and then we ended the night with the Ile flottante. We also tried the pudding du Paris which hit the spot and really made the evening memorable. All in all it was very juicy and fabulous which I would recommend any day. It is a little before the main hustle and bustle of St Catherine street so no rush.
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Review from Jackson Z.
5/20/2010
I don't live in Montreal, but had recently visited for a week. Before I had lived in France for a year, and have had French food all over France, and also here back home in San Francisco. I have to say Le Paris was my quintessential French culinary experience in Montreal.
Le Paris represents what Montreal is all about for me --- France without the pretentiousness. I say that for several reasons. First, the staff is very friendly and helpful. Unlike your typical rude and arrogant waitstaff in a Parisian restaurant, the staff here is willing to speak in English, and they are patient when it comes explaining things on the menu, and may even engage you in a conversation about the food or what not. Second, the prices are much more affordable than in France. A nice three course meal, which includes an entree (which in French means the appetizer), the plat principal (the main course), and dessert, can be had for around $25, which is unthinkable for Paris or San Francisco, for the kind of quality you get here.
The food is classic French, leaning more towards southern country cooking, with a focus on hearty and rich ingredients, like red meats and animal organs. Many of the dishes are stewed or braised in herbs and wine, which is typical of provincial cooking. Some of these classic dishes include Poule au Pot (chicken braised in broth sauce), Beef Bourguinon (beef stew in red wine sauce), which are all offered on the menu here.
I ate there twice during my visit. I had a number of things but I will describe the best dish that I had, which was Magret de Canard (duck breast). For those of you unfamilar with this dish, it is similar in some way to steak. The duck breast is either seared in a frying pan, or broiled in the oven, or often both, and then finished with a reduction sauce made from its juices and red wine. It's not as easy as it sounds, because the duck breast is leaner, and thus tougher than many cuts of steak, so if not prepared correctly, can come out tough, which was often the case in the couple other occassions when I had it (in restaurants in France mind you).
So I was met with a bit of trepidation when I saw the meat presented on my plat pre-cut, which means the chef had already sliced the meat into pieces, instead of presenting it as a whole breast with cut marks on the top, which is the customary way in France. My concern was that the meat had lost a lot of its natural juices by being pre-cut. But one bite into it had totally put me at ease. The meat was juicy and every bit as flavorful as it should had been, with that hint of gaminess that is the reason why you would order duck instead of beef. It was perfectly cooked --- medium rare with red juices running out as you slice the meat. The breast had a thin layer of fat on top, whch was charred to a slight crisp. This added some nice fatty flavor to the meat. It was excellent with a glass of argetine trapiche pinot noir. Le Paris did an excellent job in preparing this dish I would say.
The clientele tends to be older, and they look like they've been coming to the place for years. I find it sad that not more young people would enjoy such solid traditiaonal French fare. And they never seem too busy for you to be able to grab a table almost right away. I hope they get good business, because a great place like this deserves to stay in business for a long time.
