Dorsia

I almost never leave reviews, but I have to for Dorsia. This restaurant is nothing short of a full 5.0 rating! My wife and I dined here on a Saturday night and were blown away by the exceptional service, delectable food, and elegant ambiance. The menu—both food and wine/drinks—has something for everyone and at a price that’s highly reasonable for the treat your mouth is about to experience. We had the Caesar salad (possibly one of the best we’ve ever had; picture attached) and cavatelli with duck sausage (again, probably one of the most unique and tasty pastas we’ve ever had). Dessert was similarly amazing—the chocolate mixture, carrot cake, and house-made ice cream were all phenomenal (yes, we had a lot of dessert; don’t judge us). As we wrapped up our meal, the waitress mentioned that the next night would be the first time the restaurant was open on a Sunday. Knowing this, my wife and I immediately canceled our other dinner reservation and returned for a second night in a row on Sunday. The same incredible all-around experience on Sunday. Laurent—the restaurant director—was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, as was every single service member we interacted with. You’d be foolish to pass up on dining here.

Dorsia is a highlight around Old Montreal. Despite not having been open that long, it is already on the Michelin Guide, and it isn't without reason. The food is arguably better than other restaurants with stars. The decoration and atmosphere is stunning. The service was amazing from what I observed at our table, and others. The food was very tasty and healthy, and the plating speaks for itself. We went for lunch, their set menu was well priced. Compared to Michelin star restaurants, the only real difference was the ceramics and silverware, but I would choose Dorsia any day over other restaurants with stars within the city. I almost never write reviews, but Dorsia deserves one without reservation.

Dorsia has a beautiful interior and atmosphere something really special for Montreal. I enjoyed the design and overall vibe of the place. Service was friendly and attentive, cocktails were good (a bit strong for my taste, but they adjusted them without any issue, which I appreciated). We tried tasting menu with 8 courses, but the experience was underwhelming. While the meat and fish dishes were delicious, the portions were extremely small, and some courses took 20–30 minutes to arrive, making the whole dinner last around 3 hours. Considering the restaurant was only half full, the slow pacing was disappointing. The first course was 1 small oyster, followed by scallop and tuna, crab salad, foie gras (with not enough crackers, cherry sauce was delicious ), the pasta bottoni wasn’t very tasteful. First of all, I didn’t like the sauce, and the portion was very small. The fish plates were good, and I also liked the filet mignon. Bread was served almost at the end and was just with olive oil for a place of this level, I would have liked something more special and served earlier. Small details like this make a big difference and were missing here. The mignardise was just meringue with cream. It definitely didn’t feel like part of a tasting menu. This definitely needs improvement. The dessert itself I liked — it was very tasty — but when it arrived, the cream was already melting. This isn’t my first visit to Dorsia, but with tasting menu I actually left hungry, which is not something you expect from a high-end degustation menu. In short: beautiful interior and atmosphere, great service, tasty dishes, but the tasting menu fell short in portion size, timing, and creativity.

Dorsia offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with the entire staff contributing to an excellent experience. The host was friendly and pleasant, and our waiter, Guillaume, was attentive and demonstrated impressive knowledge of the menu. We began with beef tartare and tuna carpaccio as entrées, both fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. For mains, we ordered the lobster ravioli and lamb, each cooked to perfection, rich in flavor, and artfully plated. The strawberry tart for dessert was a standout, though the entire meal was consistently excellent. The wine list is well curated, and while we did not try any cocktails, the options looked appealing. The décor is elegant, with great attention to detail, and the music selection was spot on, even featuring two of my personal favorites. I look forward to returning annd to explore their basement bar in the future. Verdict: A definite must-try.

Very pleasant and welcoming service from the whole staff. Lobster ravioli, eel and four gras appetizer, and crudo, Maple Forest dessert, and chocolate dessert were all delicious and well presented. The rhubarb send-off dessert was also great. I think a little more effort could have been put into the presentation of the cavatelli but it was a good portion at least and my friend seemed to enjoy it. My aviation was a little more sour that it should be but when I mixed the bottom a bit, it wasn't bad. The wine recommendation was perfect. Decor is gorgeous. Loved that the waiter confirmed that the name is an American Psycho reference. Great retro music. Played two of my favourite Madonna songs. Look forward to checking out their basement bar at some point.

Food was great. Service was incredible and our server was incredibly friendly and personable. One of the best old fashioned's I've ever had. Duck crown was definitely the highlight of the meal, although the rest of the food was still very good too. Tiramisu was also fantastic. However, the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that we had an incredibly long wait for our entrees to come out. I understand that grand prix weekend is an incredibly busy time but maybe the restaurant needs to manage bookings accordingly... Maybe it should be harder to get a reservation at dorsia! All in all I would absolutely return and recommend it.... Just maybe not during GP weekend!

As a vegan, there are 3 on-menu plant-based items which are all delicious: the vegan Caesar, the broccolini, and the coconut ice cream sundae. I also had an off-menu cauliflower steak that was good, but I wish they had a permanent main course menu item that's plant-based; it's sure nice to have a selection of appetizer, side, main course and dessert that are all vegan-friendly. Regardless, the service is super attentive and top notch, and it's a very classy space with serious ambiance.

We came back to Dorsia for the second time - everything is just as perfect as we remembered. The atmosphere is stunning, the service is impeccable, and the food is top-level. The tartare is especially delicious - definitely a must-try. Highly recommend for a refined dining experience.