Holder

We came here thinking it would be an upscale dinner. It's certainly more casual than upscale. Food was mediocre at best, my gnocchi was swimming in grease and was basically inedible. The tables are tightly packed in - you can reach your arm to the table next to yours while seated; not very private or romantic. Service could be better. Was nothing special.

We came here on a Saturday without a reservation, but since we arrived before 5 p.m., there was no wait and no problem getting a table. The staff were wonderful—so friendly and patient! They noticed we were non–French-speaking tourists and took the time to explain the menu and specials to us, which we really appreciated. Everything was delicious! If you’re traveling with young kids and want to enjoy elevated food without breaking the bank—and in a warm, welcoming atmosphere—this is definitely the place for you. The calamari was an instant family favorite, the lobster ravioli and duck confit were both perfect, and the mussels were not only tasty but came in a huge portion! If I ever visit Montreal again, I’ll definitely be back for dinner here!

Exceptional Service and Delicious Food! We visited Holder on the evening of August 30th and, due to our own mistake, had made a reservation for the wrong date. Despite this, the Maitre d' greeted us with incredible politeness and professionalism. She went out of her way to find us a high table at the bar, and we were so grateful. The excellent service continued with our server, Gabrielle, who was simply fantastic throughout our meal. The entire staff made us feel welcome. The food was just as impressive as the service. We started with the Paysanne and French Onion soups, and both were great. For our main courses, the confit de canard was delicious, and the onglet was cooked perfectly. The restaurant itself has a wonderful, lively ambiance that makes for a great dining experience. We were thoroughly impressed with everything at Holder, from the accommodating staff to the outstanding food. We highly recommend it!

Absolutely first rate brasserie. Lovely room, professional service, fantastic food. Beef cheeks and salmon were amazing. Serving sizes were large and creatively plated. Excellent all around.

Currently on vacation here in Montreal! I am overall very pleased with my time at this restaurant. I ordered the beef and the meat was very tender and delicious. Our server was very kind and helpful and I had a great time dining with my family. Only thing I could complain about is that the food did take a good amount of time to come out, but it wasn’t anything too crazy. Definitely check this place out if you are in the area!

Very busy restaurant! Seats are too close to eachother. Reasonable dishes and prices. Good price quality. A bit slow service. Some main dishes (Ravioli) are not filling. Recommended if you don't mind seats that are too close and if you are not in a hurry.

I arrived to Montreal from Ontario and had to come here. I made a late reservation and they still accepted me. I was given an excellent window seat, and felt extremely welcomed. My server was wonderful. I started with 24 oysters. They tasted good and were fresh ($2 each). I paired it with a Prosecco! Afterwards I had the duck confit. It was delicious! The duck could’ve been juicer, but overall the flavour and textures were wonderful. Truly a beautiful experience with fast reliable service. I ended the night with a night cap, a boulevardier! Everything was tasty, fresh and worth it. I highly recommend this place for some French cuisine!

Came here for a Chaîne event and had the pleasure of enjoying the wonderful staff that was both friendly and professional. The food was excellent - martinis were delicious - the salad with asparagus and cashew had just the right crunch. We had beet cured salmon with quinoa that was absolutely fabulous. The lamb, although tasty was a little tough but the accompanying parsnips were made to look like and seriously tasted like - delicious sliced potatoes - truly an amazing surprise The wine selection was great and the ambiance amazing. Definitely come and enjoy a meal here, Holder is the spot!

Consistently a 5* experience. Service is always incredible with a kind team, genuinely looking to give guests a great experience. The ambiance is relaxed during the week busy on weekends. Menu is french bistrot style, with some classics revisited, consistently tasty! A must try in the old port!

My partner and I were excited to visit Montreal and indulge in some fine French food, and Holder came in our radar. We were walk-ins on a Saturday around 6:30pm and we're lucky enough to snag a seat in the bar area. The ambiance was very chic and spacious with plenty of varying sized tables in the main room, with a few tables and bar seats in the bar area. Our server was fantastic - attentive and friendly. We were concerned we were going to order too much food (which we did), but she at least helped us narrow down to some of the house favorites ha. What we indulged in was a true feast starting with French onion soup (which was good, but probably our list fav item) and liver pate (top 3 I've ever had - and couldn't believe I finished it), then moved on to our "tartare course" with the app size of beef and salmon (both delicious), then split the veal cheek for our main (delicious but had to take some home). We also ended up getting some drinks (couple of beers and glass of wine), and there was a good selection for many different types of palates. Overall - it was a really great date night with a fantastic menu. Would definitely return!

We had a wonderful dinner here and were happy to be able to get a same-day reservation. They were booked solid when we tried earlier. I would definitely recommend making a reservation at least a few days ahead. We started with the chicken liver pate which was delicious. This is something I only order in nice restaurants as it really has to be done right to be good. For my entree I had the duck confit and it was amazing.The duck was so flavorful, rich and tender and the smashed potatoes, arugula and truffle dressing went with it perfectly. We shared a bottle of a Canadian dry Riesling and then shared a chocolate cake for dessert as we were pretty full but still wanted something sweet to end the meal. It was delicious and the accompanying sauces and ice cream made ir even better. Service was excellent and the atmosphere is classy but relaxed if that makes sense. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the area.

This resturant offers fine French cuisine with an upscale and fashionable atmosphere. White table cloths, and a beautiful interior combine nicely with professional wait staff and epicurean dishes to provide an exceptional dining experience. The food presentation is excellent.

Went for a brunch with friends. They were able to accommodate a group of 8 with advance notice. Got the French Toast and honestly the best I have ever had. I still think about it and dream about it till this day. Service was amazing and the food was of quality. The drink assortments were of high quality also.

What a fantastic meal. Its a spacious beautiful restaurant and mostly locals who dine there. The service was phenomenal as well. The chicken liver pate was smooth and creamy, the octopus was beyond tender, the shrimp had a great sauce and the beef cheeks was melt in your mouth. Great meal.

I had a really memorable meal here during my visit to Montreal! We started off with some complimentary bread and then we had the beef tartare, duck confit, braised beef cheeks, and veal steak. The portions here were much bigger than I expected! The beef cheeks was my fave dish and it was so tender and came with piles of mashed potato. We still made room for dessert which was a butterscotch lava cake with salted caramel ice cream and we devoured it because it was so good! Our server was also excellent!

4.25 stars Pro: - Service -Atmosphere -excellent drink selection - desserts (crème brûlée was standard, butterscotch and profiterole were amazing. Had ice cream and the cream sauce in the profiterole was top notch) - Warm goat cheese, paella and beets were our favorite dishes The duck confit was good but not great. Calamari was standard

How many times will I review this restaurant... maybe every single time I go there! Ohhh the chicken liver mousse was the best and our meal was fantastic again! Service is top notch, this is my go-to when in need of a classic French fix in a cool but comfortable environment.

Last night I had dinner here and it was excellent. The service itself was a bit long, and I was confused as to why it was taking long for us to order, but the waiter clarified that he was trying to not interrupt our conversation. After ordering, our food came very fast. I ordered the lobster ravioli, and it was delicious and super buttery. My only complaint would be that the restaurant is a bit loud due to the amount of large groups, making it a bit difficult to hear your table at times.

Had a lovely dinner here for our first night in Montreal. Very cute restaurant with extremely friendly and attentive service. Kid friendly in the sense that kids are welcome though there's no "kids' menu" but there are some kid friendly options. Food was delicious and I thought the price was fair. I would highly recommend for a nice dinner.

Good food with prompt and attentive service in an upscale buzzy atmosphere. We went in for an early dinner and had no reservations. However, we were seated promptly. I had the grilled salmon which was done just right, crisp on the outside and rare on the inside. My side salad was dressed simply with oil and vinegar and complemented the dinner just so. My wife had the mussels a la mariniere which was a huge dish that could have fed four people! The mussels were delicious. There's a full bar service and a good wine list. Our martinis were chilled and crisp!

Holder is a solid traditional French cafe dining experience. Staff were accommodating and the food was very good. The bartender paired my steaks with a full body red. The beef was tender and the accompanying French fries worth the calories. The salad was delicious. For dessert the crème brûlée was a nice way to end the meal. The top was nicely charred. This is good place to bring a date who is paying because you will experience NYC prices.

We came here on a Tuesday night for a group gathering and the staff put a few plates together behind the bar for us to sit together. I was surprised by how busy the restaurant was in the middle of the week and it's not a small one! Maybe it's because of the great service and amazing food! ;) We ordered a few appetizers to share for the tables; Fried Calamari, Mussels, and Fries. Mussel were generously portioned and the calamari was delicious. For entrée, we ordered "Grilled salmon filet, lemon beurre blanc, potato puree", "Grilled hanger steak with shallots, house fries", "Duck confit, roasted potatoes, arugula, white truffle dressing" and "Grilled veal T-bon steak". Salmon was medium rare and very tasty. Steaks were perfectly cooked to everyone's preferences and we all enjoyed our drinks and food.

Excellent food and service. Super nice and attentive staff. Beautiful decor. Slightly noisy, but in a fun way. Food was exactly right.

With any group of females, it's always hard to please everyone, my experience at Holder was very nice I enjoyed my meal. The mushroom casserole was absolutely delicious and everything was presented beautifully. As a tourist I don't think they're very friendly. I'm not sure I'd want to go there again because they were not very welcoming given that we could not speak French. But I would go back to eat something else off that menu because it was delicious. They seated us fairly fast. We did have a reservation however it wasn't that crowded, but the tables seemed crowded because they were all very close to each other. Watching a server try to figure out how to get around a table to get to the other table seems uncomfortable for anyone.

Would've given this place five stars but the fries that came with our mussels were nothing to write home about. Came here with my girlfriend and mom. Mom and I had the mussels and girlfriend had a salmon dish with mashed potatoes. All three dishes were excellent. We also shared a goat cheese on cracker appetizer which was absolutely delicious and something I'd certainly order again. I had an old fashioned, girlfriend had a red wine, and mom had a lemon drop martini which I tried and really enjoyed. Pretty expensive place but the food was top notch so it was a nice treat. The service was also pretty friendly and the inside of the place seemed clean.

A truly exceptional experience. The service was impeccable: totally in charge and at our service. Atmosphere is busy and bustling, yet not so loud that you can't hear your fellow diners. And the food.... delicious. Pate, soup de poissons, salmon, lobster ravioli, lemon mousse and butterscotch pudding were all amazing. Lovely BC Sauvignon Blanc to compliment it all. So pleased there was one last table for us.

Food, service & ambiance was top tier! Our first time in Montreal and the locals said this was one of the best places for dinner. It was phenomenal!

Very nice dining environment with classy looking. If you are looking for a fancy restaurant, you will love it. A solid 10/10. Very jam packed even on a week night. Recommend to make reservations ahead of time to avoid disappointment. In terms of food, good selections of appetizers and main courses. Dishes are nicely presented and delicious. Absolutely great service with reasonable price for this quality. Recommended and I hope you will like it too.

We came here because a friend recommended it. I was slightly disappointed at the food, their service was great though. We ordered fish soup, lobster ravioli and duck confit. The sea food dishes were mediocre, they lacked the distinct natural richness that fresh seafood usually has.

This was my favorite meal during my trip to Canada. The ambiance was very nice, but also casual at the same time. We sat at the bar and our server/bartender was very friendly, attentive, and personable. The lobster ravioli was good, but I've had better. The oysters were amazing and were all shucked very clean. I had my first ever Blood Caesar drink and it was delicious. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a date night or even for a casual night out!

Of all the places I have so far dined - ever - Holder has made the best use of saffron in their creations. That by itself is just one small tidbit as to why our dinner here was enjoyable. The atmosphere is splendid, service is professional and friendly. Drinks were well made. My old fashioned was among the best I've had in several years, rich and smooth. As if the menu options weren't already enough, the evening's dinner specials included seared halibut, which is one of my "If it's on the menu, order it" entrees. It was seared perfectly, on a bed of vegetables, in a sauce that contained - wait for it - saffron. Besides desserts, they offer coffees, cocktails, and reasonable whiskey pours (I had to get a Canadian rye, because it was on the menu). Dinner here was a delightful experience.

What a great find! It was one of the highlights of our visit to beautiful Montreal! The atmosphere is amazing. We had duck confit. It was better than any we had tried in Europe. The most delightful part of the experience was the exceptional service.

Holder carries a lot of traditional French dishes and they are very good. The ambiance is friendly and busy. The location and the interior are appealing. It is noisy but not overwhelming.

During a three day food tour of Montréal this was hands down the best place we visited!!! Service was amazing, so many great off the menu specials as well. I had the duck confit, braised beef cheek and beef tartare. All dishes were outstanding. The bread is also very good. If your looking for 1 sport for lunch or dinner, this is it!

A perfectly authentic brasserie with wonderful and efficient service, in a large room that feels tres Parisienne, and well-prepared dishes.

Here out in Montreal for the first time and decided to come to this restaurant for dinner! Ordered many appetizers to share such as the oysters, salmon tartare, fries, and mussels and they were all so good. For the main dish, I ordered the hanger steak medium rare and it came out perfect with fries on the side as well. The restaurant was very fancy looking and the servers were very helpful and attentive. Highly recommend coming here if you're looking for a spot to dine in for dinner!

Came in for lunch. We had mussels with creamy pastis broth and fish and chips and we had the crème brûlée to share. All offerings were delicious. Service was timely and the servers were not obsequious. The place is inviting. Great job guys!

Went on our last night of vacation and the food was impeccable. Had the duck confit and it was amazing. Really great flavor along with everyone else's meals the comments were all good. The service was fantastic as well was really impressed. Would highly recommend.

I enjoyed a glass of wine, salmon tartare, and duck confit while traveling for business. The caviar on the tartare added the perfect burst of flavor. I highly recommend the duck confit. I sat at the bar alone and was welcomed by a wonderful bartender who chatted with me throughout my meal. Great atmosphere, great food.

Delicious dinner for 4. Great drinks. Salmon special and braised beef cheek rocked. While not my speed, one in our party had steak tartare as an entree and enjoyed it very much. Great location near the Notre Dame Basilica and Old Montreal.

We went here for a bachelorette party dinner, I suggest making reservations as the place filled up quickly. All of the staff were so incredibly lovely! The restaurant is quite classy looking. We had the calamari and split some wine bottles. The French onion soup was very cheesy, good, but not the best. I would order something else next time. If you're looking for a classy dinner out, check this place out!

Vibrant classic french bistro. Service was great and food was also excellent. Few minor touches kept from the 5th star, but overall will not disappoint. Dessert was probably the highlight, lemon mousse with cream and crumbles was amazing, generous portion enough to share. Sorbets were excellent too. I thought the chicken liver pate was too salty, but I really enjoyed my frisée salad with bacon. Both the salmon tartare had excellent flavors plus house fish and chips were all good, but won't not order either again as I think the menu offers better choices. Definitely coming back.

I have pretty high expectations with the restaurant which may also but why I'm not thoroughly impressed. Service - There were too many customers and just not enough servers. The server was trying very hard but we didn't get to order another drink because he was just too busy to tend all the customers. The French onion soup is pretty good. Good gruyere cheese. However, the paella was disappointing probably because I was expecting more traditional paella. However, the pappardelle was pretty decent. The ambience felt loud and crowded. I can't say I was impressed with the food. It was good but not the best I've had.

My favourite restaurant in Montreal - there's truly nothing I love more than their salmon and beef tartares, I always have to order one of them whenever I go! The ambiance is incredible and the restaurant is beautiful. It is in the perfect location, I truly don't have a single complaint about the restaurant!

Great recommendation while in Montreal. Food was great. Staff was welcoming and friendly.

Very delicious food and splendid service. We enjoyed it very much! I'm ordered bass fish special and it was amazing. My husband ordered chip and fish and he was happy. Highly recommend!

Excellent Resto for lunch and dinner. I personally like there beef (I ask it for extra spicy) and salmon tartar. Fries are addictive and one of the few places i fork them! Can't have one at a time. You can ask for ketchup but the flavoured mayo is my personal favourite. There grilled steak I've had a few times and always done perfectly. The service is worm and friendly. Perfect for a birthday, they accommodate large groups Drink menu ... no limitation :) they do it all

A bit too loud when it is crowded. A bit too close to the next table. I really don't want to listen-in on the conversation of the 20-somethings next to us. The food was fine. The service was friendly, but given at the bare minimum because they didn't have enough servers.

My friends and I came in for dinner on the recommendation from our hotel concierge when we visit Montreal. It's a bright restaurant with high ceiling and a huge bar. Good presentation on the dishes but food was average, even the service was okay not great. Overall it was a so-so experience and we were not impressed.

The service was professional and the experience was great. I had their fois gras with pear as an appetizer and Quebec roasted duck with bean sprouts. The food and ambience was great. Seems like a popular place for many tourists as well as locals, so best if you make reservations beforehand.

Sat at the bar alone to have dinner on a work trip. Nice French style brasserie and ambience. Bar staff all super friendly. Good selection of wine and sparkling by the glass. Foie gras and pear appetizer and Duck confit was excellent. Caramel baked dessert with ice cream was decadent. Closed my eyes for a moment and I was in Paris. I would definitely come back.

I had a nice bowl of sour and a piece of salmon during the lunch period. Service outside patio was good and the setting was nice.

Solid bistro/brasserie food, but the city is full of that, and this offers nothing particularly unique. On top of that, they felt the need to rush rush rush us through all of our main courses and then have us wait excruciatingly long for dessert and to get out of there. Oh, and the music was really suck. Very loud after work/ early dinner crowd on the weekdays... we had dinner at 8 on a Thursday and they were sold out of specials? Jesu, throw me a bone here guys.

I did not plan ahead and called this restaurant on a Saturday night asking to be squezed in 60 minutes before dinner. The person I spoke with was accommodating but advised he needed the table back in 90 minutes vs the usual 2-2.5 hours. I went with a friend on a strict gluten free diet, and we were both glad we picked this restaurant! She was impressed with our very patient server and qide range of gluten free options, while i was impressed with their food quality including my very delicious cocktail. I ordered the beef cheek and it was so flavorful and tender...just heavenly. We were also not rushed despite being told we could only have our table for 90 minutes (we were there for close to 2 hours).

First trip the Montreal. Ordered octopus and calf liver and my husband had the duck confit. It was the best liver I had ever had, it was cooked perfectly. I would highly recommend. The service was wonderful. The bar area was loud, looked like the after work crowd. The restaurant was lively, but enjoyable.

4.5 stars, but highly recommended. only grievance was a dash of salt was added to the top of almost every dish. premium salt for sure, but was a bit over the top. Server Ian was patient, helpful, tops in attitude. We were later finishing our experience with another server as Ian went on break. both professional and should be proud of how well they have it down. Had gravlax covered with golden beet, cauliflower and asparagus salad (no lettuce), Duck and flat Iron Steak, all super. Nice Chablis from fair priced wine list. Go with confidence.

Excellent service, and the food was amazing. They were able to accommodate for allergies in our party of 5. We had a wonderful lunch by the window and enjoyed the ambiance of the room and delightful decor.