Restaurant Solmar

Came here for dinner and was not disappointed! Every piece of food was exceptional. From the fresh codfish, to the delicious scallops, the flavours and authenticity was off the charts. Almost felt like I was back in Portugal, as my server spoke perfect Portuguese. 10/10, would recommend to anyone visiting Montreal! The price was worth it tenfold.

Service was fantastic. Food seemed overcooked and like it was reheated. However, I'd still give it another try because service and atmosphere were wonderful. There were also unique options and other things I would be willing to try.

Amazing restaurant ambience and the lunch was very delicious. Staffs were friendly and excellent customer service. Will visit again soon. Merci.

In a new city, you randomly pick a restaurant on a very busy touristy street and hope to get a pleasant meal. The meal was good, but the service was dreadful. The scallops were in a very salty sauce. The bisque was mediocre. My fillet was nice with vegetables, and the lamb shank was decent. Most of the time, the staff just ignored us and were not very friendly.

Enjoyed traditional Portuguese cuisine in Montreal! Had the pleasure of meeting the owners! They were so gracious! They spoke to us in Portuguese! Family owned restaurant! Celebrating 51 years in 2023! Highly recommend! Thank you for a lovely dining experience on our last night in Montreal!

An old school fine dining Portuguese restaurant. The attention to detail and service throughout the dining experience are hard to find now. This has been one of my regular stops when visiting Montreal for a long time.

Excellent service,Antony really took care of me throughout the whole dinner. He even heat up my food after I went to the bathroom. Not recommend the snails,but highly recommend the duck and figs. Clam is too salty. Bread so so not ready baked. Carbene is good.

Restaurant with excellent location, good for people watching (but not exactly quiet, although I suppose none can really be in this neighborhood). We were excited to come here, since we're Portuguese ourselves, but we were very disappointed. We asked for several dishes to share ("tapas", although that's not exactly the word we use in Portugal): clams, shrimps, grilled vegetables and chorizo. We didn't really like any of our dishes: the clams still had sand/debris and were very salty (and not really "à Bulhão Pato"), the shrimps (only a few) were, on the other hand, had no salt at all and didn't have the taste we expected, the chorizo was too spicy and not Portuguese neither, and the vegetables were simply bad (hard, unappealing...). Also, the service was very, very slow (we were in no rush, but we waited a long time for our food and, if you call them "tapas", then they are usually served at the same time or in a quick succession). One final thing: we understand that, even though this is supposed to be a Portuguese restaurant, not every member of the staff has to speak Portuguese, but if you try to, don't say "postre" or "muchas gracias", because that's Spanish... it's like speaking German to a French or vice-versa just because they share borders. Ah, and yes, as others have stated, it's really expensive for what you get. P.S.: next morning, we were both sick with diarrhea! Great!... NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL !

Please eat here! Foods and service were AMAZING. It sprinkled outside when we were dining here and the restaurant felt so romantic with the view the street. This place had such a cozy and relaxing vibe. Highly recommend!

Portuguese restaurant Solmar. Very welcoming staff, great ambience. They have tapas, entrees, deserts. 2 menus available: Portuguese dishes and French dishes. Had tapas - fried sardines and chorizo, found both very tasty. Crepe with fresh strawberries and Ice cream for desert was delishios!

Enjoyed traditional Portuguese cuisine in Montreal! Had the pleasure of meeting the owners! They were so gracious! They spoke to us in Portuguese! Family owned restaurant! Celebrating 51 years in 2023! Highly recommend! Thank you for a lovely dining experience on our last night in Montreal!

Old world charm classic ambience. Food and service were both exceptional. Highlights of the night: seafood rice / veal Scaloppini with Madeira wine and mushrooms. They were among the best I ever had. Grilled octopus & mussels were also delicious. The poached Pear dessert in Porto & red wine was surprisingly sweet and yummy. Our friendly host even gave us a little traditional Portuguese egg tard dessert free to try. A memorable 5 star dinner for us . Restaurant is located in a 5 star location as well, a short walk after dinner made the night even enjoyable. Would highly recommend for seafood lovers.

This place is fabulous! I loved everything about it other than an old gentleman part of the servers was a bit snubby. The other older gentleman was just fine and the rest. I can certainly look past that as my wife and I came there to try Portuguese fair. We were not disappointed and the variety of food we had are all superb. We ended up having a few to go. The amount of each entrée can actually be shared by 2-3 easily. The ambiance inside is so nice and the outside just brings you back as if you're really in Europe. This is our first time in Montréal and we love every bit of it. Love knowing that they have a Portuguese community out here as we so love their food. Visit this restaurant and make sure not in rush hour and just enjoy the place, food and wine.

Upper floor and Solmar and a proper Portuguese meal, at least outside of Lisbon. A good start with olive, bread and oil. A leap forward with proper grilled sardines. No small tinned guppies, but the mid sized swimmers, fresh and fleshy. A rack of lamb up-thumbed by a co-diner. At my left the pork and clams-- and odd combination, voted for a redo without the clams if faced again. No Bacalao but I probably would passed on it for the fish. A nights entree of salmon, a white fish and shrimp troika, reccmnd'd by the waiter-- good but should've opted for the evenings whole fish dory. Note to self, never pass on the whole fish, grilled. Evah. And, the charming 'lifer' old school waiter who complimented the women and sparred gently with the men, and then dipped into German, revealing a long-past transplant to Canada. Recommended a white wine to us, from a Portuguese vineyard run only by women, for closer to a century than half that-- and, prodded, recounted a long story behind it,of bias, resourcefulness, sabotage, and.. a fine wine made better by his erudition. We had a second bottle.

This place was fantastic. I loved the quiet atmosphere with an intimate setting. This is a true candle-lit dinner spot with white line tables. They have a live performance from a gentleman who was singing in Portuguese and playing his acoustic guitar while people eat. It's definitely romantic. I also loved their complimentary bread assortment: garlic bread, baguette and rolls with some olive oil, olives and butter. This alone will fill you up. I really liked their scallops marinated in chorizo and olive oil. Their creamy tomato bisque was delicious as well as their duck breast with fig. The meat was cooked perfect; tender, juicy, medium rare, etc. it was like butter. I'd love to come back but this time with my gf because this place is just romantic.

We had a lovely meal and experience at Solmar, but for our introduction to the restaurant. To explain: Solmar (a fish-centric Portuguese menu) shares space with La Sauvagine (a meat-centric French menu). But due to Covid, the two restaurants joined to share the first floor space, making for a slightly confused entrance that was worsened by where we were seated, in the back corner next to the one waiter kiosk (nobody puts baby in the corner!). In reality we could have raised a stink and waited longer for one of the sought-after outdoor seats, but we did find salvation with our waiter and sommelier Antony. After a brief wait (being in the corner we were overlooked despite every waiter being within arms distance entering their orders), we were tended to with a smile, entered our order and asked about the all-Portuguese wine menu. This is when the experienced Antony entered the scene, and we were well looked after (and even moved seats to a nicer location shortly thereafter). Antony recommended a lovely aged white with a moderate price point that paired excellently with our tapas-style seafood (not pictured is our entree of shredded cod with potatoes, an interesting dish). So seated in a livelier locale of the restaurant, happy with our wine and food recommendations, we doubled down and ordered a red and a final dish from La Sauvagine to pair it with. And of course dessert followed! This is a potential 5 star place if they can work out a few kinks.

Had dinner here on my last night in Montreal. It was in October and most places were not crowded as it was not a high season. Plus it was a weeknight. The place is nightly decorated, dimmed lighting. Waitstaff were friendly. Being a slow night, I think only 2 were on that night. I had the Portuguese green soup and the Green Mediterranean Porgy (which was deboned table side). It came with a side of rice and creamed spinach. The fish was really good. My friend had the Trout/Salmon on a bed of spinach (I think it was a special) and she loved it. The spinach were very well made in addition. We did not get dessert but we had the house wine and that was good.

Friendly service and authentic Portuguese food. Seafood in wine that comes with rice was sooooo good we tried it the first time when we were in town five years ago. And we wanted to go again when we were in town! it was our second time and we still love it!

Awesome food, gorgeous servers and a really nice place overall. Highly recommend to come at night, perfect atmosphere!

Very underwhelming and expensive restaurant. Food is extremely expensive and awful. Sardines has a bitter taste because they don't remove any of the fish organs.

Gem of a place. Service can be better but definitely try their seafood rice, just don't call it paella they get offended. Lol great outdoor patio.

We had a great dinner here. It is a slow pace with a lot of detail. Presentation is wonderful. Food quality was exceptional. Allow an hour and a half to dine here. Should we return to Montréal, we will certainly return to Solmar.

We didn't eat here but I would give 0 stars because this place was just rude. First they tried to get us in and then once they found out that there was 4 of us the guy in front made a noise and then told us that they didn't have any tables. There were lots of empty tables so we said how about the front and they said they don't serve food in the front just drinks. Later, we passed by some people eating in the front.

Highly recommend this place! This is a hidden gem in old Montreal! Service was extraordinary - the food tasted amaazzzzingg! We tried the mussels in tomato, wine and pepper and grilled sardines. One of the best mussels I have ever had - the sauce was out of the world. Sardines were perfectly grilled.

Great place , great friendly staff . Excellent service. Romantic ambiance. Food was great especially the sea food dishes . My son recommended this resturant for us and it was truly worth visiting

I stopped in for some tapas and wine choosing to eat upstairs. The waiter was extremely friendly which helped calm my concern that the dining room was almost empty. I ordered the scallops and chorizo and shrimp and garlic with a Portugese white wine recommended by the waiter. The scallops had potential, but unfortunately they were small, over-cooked and cold. Too bad, the sauce was delicious. The shrimp were just OK but also cold. The wine was good. I dropped about $70 for a crappy meal and walked out hungry.

We discovered Solmar on our last trip to Montreal 3 years ago, so wanted to find it again. Located downtown on the second floor, the decor is old world, but warm and romantic. The waiters are friendly, but service could be a little slow. They start you off with a bread basket and some olives. We started with the grilled chorizo which was very good. Since I ate the pork and clams there 3 years ago, I have been touting it as the best I've had, so I had to make sure that statement was still true and am so happy that I can still say it! We ordered the pork and clams for 2 and it did not disappoint. This really is the best I've had. The sauce is so rich and deep and flavorful, you can't help but mop it up with some bread. The dish is loaded with tender pork and lots of small clams and potatoes. The potatoes are so creamy and tender and not at all mushy. It is a fabulous dish. We also decided to share the almond cake for dessert, which was delicious! Another great experience at Solmar and hopefully this time I won't have to wait 3 years to go back.

Amazing food, lovely atmosphere. When we walked in we were a bit nervous because there was hardly anyone there. Why wasn't there a 45 minute wait like every other place on the block? I'm not sure, but everyone waiting at The Keg (etc) is missing out. The dining room is very lovely and offers a nice view of the cobblestone Old Montreal. Not long into our Saturday evening meal, a band began to play nice music that lasted the entire time. The food was tremendous!!!!! My parents ordered the Kale Soup, grilled porgy and grilled octopus and really liked all of it. But we all agreed that my seafood rice dish was the most outstanding. It came with mussels, shrimp, scallops, lobster and clams in one of the best broths I've ever tasted. It's as much of a stew or soup as it is a rice dish. If you like seafood, order this! It also comes in a two person portion. For Montreal, prices are not bad and the wine list has some nice options. Definitely recommend.

Walked around Old Montréal with my parents and cousin while on vacation trying to find a good restaurant for dinner. To be honest, Solmar probably would not have been my first choice and I was not really looking to eat Portuguese food while in Canada. But I was taking my parents out for their anniversary so it was their pick. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor of La Sauvigne. As we entered the dining room, my skepticism was growing since there were only two other groups dining there (especially when every other restaurant in the area had long lines waiting for tables). My dad wanted red sangria so we ordered that. We also each ordered their 3-course meal, which they offered at the time. I started off with the caldo verde - kale soup, followed with the bacalhau a "braz"- shredded codfish with onions & potatoes, then, the polvo à lagueiro - grilled octopus. I was pleasantly surprised by the food here. It almost felt like I was back in Lisbon eating authentic Portuguese food. The service was also very friendly despite the kitchen being a little slow at times. We were also treated to a live singing of Fado music. If you don't want to endure the long wait at the other restaurants in the area, then Solmar might be a good place for you.

Magical, magnificent, monumental - these words are just the tip of the iceberg of culinary experience to be found in this place. I've enjoyed every bite, and really wished I had the room to try more. The ambience is wonderful, with live music (not sure if it's a nightly feature). Will definitely repeat, when the opportunity arises.

The servers treated our family like royalty. We had so much fun. We had the Caesar salad prepared in front of us, then smoked salmon with goat cheese and the asparagus. For mains we had filet mignon, duck with figs, scallops and linguica, and the porgie. We sampled excellent desserts flan, orange cake, crepe, and ice cream. They gave us pieces of chocolate and slices of king cake as well. The live music and the lushly decorated room made us feel we were in a different world. We recommend trying the Portuguese soft drinks, especially the passion fruit flavor. Just lovely and loving attention to every detail of the experience. They joked and told stories to the children and conversed with us in three languages. Highest of recommendations!

Tasty and fresh seafood, excellent I should say. Friendly service. Old school ambiance. They brought olives and bread to start. We had scallops and chorizo for appetizer. For entres we had cod fish and they were also accommodating to kids taste. Fantastic.

We went to eat tapas, as we were not hungry and wanted to test out small dishes because of Yelp reviews. When we only ordered tapas the waiter was not the most delighted. Ordered grilled calamari which was good, and a grilled octupus. Waiter did not bring the octupus and brought us a duck breast instead, we did not eat if because of taste. Overall I think there are better options nearby.

Loved the romantic atmosphere went with my wife and baby daughter. The food and wine were delicious. Had the tapas because I wanted to try a little of everything.

Service: decent. Friendly waiter. Atmosphere: mostly touristy and kind of empty. Food: we ordered some drinks, the mussels, calamari and the grilled sardines. Food was mediocre at best. Mussels were ok. Calamari was chewy. The sardines were so salty they were basically inedible. We told the waiter and he stilled charged us for it. Bottom line, wouldn't come back and do not recommend this place.

Authentic Portuguese restaurant in the heart of Vieux Montreal. The prices are competitive and the selection is good. Had the pork and clams (amêijoas na cataplana) and it was outstanding. They also served peasant bread, Portuguese olives and Portuguese olive oil for dipping.

I went here with a group of Portuguese friends. It made the experience a lot better because of their enthusiasm for all the food. The staff here was great. The owner came out and even said Hi at one point. If you have an appreciation for Portuguese food, this is the place for you.

This was one of our favorite meals during our stay in Vieux-Port. We enjoyed the kind of fine, formal service you just don't get anymore. First rate meal at a very reasonable price. The staff were absolutely charming, and provided excellent, professional service despite it being Friday night. Our meal started with a basket of assorted breads and olives. We enjoyed hot delicious soups and both enjoyed our fish dishes. There was lovely live music and a decent beer and wine list. The dining room is very nice; the table beautifully laid. This was a rare treat and we will look forward to visiting again on our next trip to Montreal!

We did not have dinner here but the food looked and smelled amazing. We had dessert and coffee. The drunken pear was fantastic, must try!

I came across this restaurant unexpectedly while trying to decide what would be best for my final evening in Montreal. I had. Even wanting some Portuguese food as it is not common in the PNW that I am aware of. I walked upstairs to the restaurant and was kindly ushered in by the kind host/server and was surprised by the live music! There was live fado music and it was lovely. I ordered wine and food and it was all delicious. I loved the kale soup, which was perfectly warm and peppery and tasty on this rainy day. I had the chefs special-an entire fish-with veggies and rice. It was all so tasty and you could tell the ingredients were quality. All went beautifully and I hope to pop back in there again!

Excellent Portuguese food with very good seafood. Even though in the old port ,rest assured this is NOT a tourist trap .Relaxing old school surrounding and courteous wait staff. However do not come for fado , there is no fado singing here but you will still enjoy the food and the relaxed upscale but not stuffy vibe.

Just came from the restaurant. The most amazing 3 hour dining experience. From service to food to old-style atmosphere, this place is perfect. Food is amazing and table side crepe Suzette is sublime. If you want to experience the (almost) lost art of dining this is the place for you.

This was the worst restaurant experience I had in a while. We went to this restaurant after reading the great reviews. There were only 2 tables occupied in the whole restaurant. My companion ordered shrimp that was just ok and I ordered cod (bacalao). When our entrees came, the plates were hot but my entree was cold!!!! I couldn't believe it. I called the waiter and he took it back to the kitchen, said the chef apologized. Even in a busy restaurant, cold food is never acceptable but in an empty restaurant it's completely inexcusable. Cod came back warm but so salty I could not eat it. Overpriced and subpar food. Better options for Portuguese food in Montreal than this place.

Outstanding all around -- food was delicious, service impeccable, atmosphere was quiet without being stuffy, music was an unexpected bonus. Reasonable prices, especially for Montreal. Highly recommend!

Came across this place while walking around in the area while visiting Montreal for Jazz Festival. Lobster bisque and Gaspacho were tasty. Entrée- Cod Fish and Mussels (from appetizer menu) were delicious.

I love Portuguese wines and this restaurant has an extensive choice. The food was excellent, the service impeccable. I felt it was a little pricey but what restaurant in Montreal isn't?

I was in the mood for some seafood and what better place than a Portuguese restaurant. I started off with the chorizo and scallops which caught my eye as an unusual combination. It turns out that the two are made for each other - fantastic!!! Of the ample seafood selection, I chose the shrimp in Madeira sauce. It was excellent, but missed having some greens or vegetables with it. The house red wine was excellent, but sadly forgot to ask what brand it was. Finished the meal off with a cappuccino which was the perfect ending to a lovely meal.

The food was delicious, and we likes no being rushed and loved the atmosphere on the street. We had a seafood platter, mussels, and veal. I get that prices are high in Montreal, but we felt the prices were very small for the prices charged.

I ordered the special sampler for 60$, 2 appetizers 1 main dish and dessert. The main dish I was served was a frozen chunk of fish, uncooked. Not cold, but **frozen** with icicles. I sent it back without making a fuzz. Since my partner order a cod/egg/rice mix that had no cod I sent that back also, and asked for both dishes to be served simultaneously. Of course they were not..... and when it came 20 min after mine the cod was burnt. Never got the dessert that was included in the special, waited 35 min, asked three times, and gave up. Service were trying hard to help, but our specific server (a tall older male) was terrible and even offensive. In the end we did not pay the bill, but only after a few back and forth with the maitre and the hostess. Any respectable restaurant would cancel the bill on the **first incident alone**. On the positive, appetizers were good to very good. House wine really good. Ambience really good. Too bad they spoiled our night.

The food was good, service was extremely slow. We were there on a busy Saturday night so that may be to blame.

This place is incredible. I never would have expected the best meal we would have in Montreal to be Portuguese, but I was pleasantly surprised! The scallops and chorizo were fantastic, the atmosphere was lovely, and the staff was pleasant and very helpful. I would return in a heartbeat.

One star because the waiter was so nice and attentive. We were the only people in the restaurant which should have given us a clue but it was early and thought others would come in. We ordered from the price fix menu at the suggestion of the waiter. The first course was a potato soup with no flavor. The shrimp bisque was just ok but both soups were warm not hot. The next course was grilled sqid without any seasoning and my husband had shredded cod with potato which might have been ok if it were served hot but the potato had a musty flavor. It was just not a good meal.

My husband and I were in Montreal for a weekend, and considered Solmar, b/c it was Portuguese and we figured it'd be something different. There's an outside seating area, but we found out it was for the other restaurant attached to this one. You go up some stairs and through a door and this one's kind of hidden. It was mostly empty. My husband ordered a Portuguese beer and for appetizers, we got the Duck with Figs, both of which were pretty good. And it ended there. We put all of our orders in together in the beginning. My husband got the Rack of Lamb, and asked for medium rare. I got the grilled Cod fish. We waited over an hour for our food. Over an hour! When our food arrived, we were beyond starving, and the food was horrible. The Lamb was more rare. The Cod still had the horrible taste of fish and was so salty, i could barely eat it. We've had Lamb and Cod before, and this was the worst one we've ever tried. I think they might've ran out of Cod, bought some on the spot, and didn't have enough time to clean it well. The staff was friendly enough and kept apologizing. I would've preferred if they told me they didn't have what I ordered and gave me an option to order something else. I wouldn't go back here or recommend this place to anyone.

We were looking for Portuguese food within walking distance from Old Port and that's when we found Solmar. We were greeted warmly by the owner and then proceeded upstairs to the restaurant. The decor is very old world and provided a nice ambiance for the evening. We were given a large basket of several different types of bread and olives to start and I decided to have the Kale soup which was delicious. My mom and I ordered the Fruits de Mer for dinner which is a seafood and rice dish and it was outstanding! It was full of shrimp, scallops, lobster, mussels, and clams. My husband ordered the Filet Mignon Portuguese style and he said it was the most tender Filet he's had and it didn't hurt that it was topped with Prosciutto. My father also had the game hen cooked in a wine sauce with chorizo and portobello mushrooms and he said it was delicious. The service was wonderful and our waiter was very friendly with our 3 year old daughter. Already looking forward to our next meal at Solmar!

Solmar is only open for dinner during the summer, and although the website said it would be open at 5pm, at 515 the door was still locked. Unperturbed, we went downstairs to their sister restaurant, La Sauvigne and inquired. They said Solmar would not be open until 530, but that we were welcome to sit in La Sauvigne and eat from the Restaurant Solmar menu. We are so glad we did! It was early in the evening--we wanted to eat before hopping back over the border to Vermont--and tapas was the perfect light food. Our very helpful waiter with the charming French accent made excellent recommendations from both on and off the menu including garlic shrimp, scallops with chorizo (not too spicy, but nicely flavored), grilled calamari (very large portion for tapas), watercress and tomato salad in a lovely vinaigrette and a small platter that included duck confit, smoked salmon and prosciutto. That, along with the *outstanding* bread they serve and a split of a nice Spanish prosecco nicely filled 3 adults and 3 children (ages 7-12) with just enough room to spare for two orders of their decadent profiteroles--ice cream-filled pastries coated in delicious chocolate. Great, knowledgeable service, reasonable prices given the area and quality of food, and a lovely atmosphere. We look forward to going back!