We had relatives come in from England and wanted to end their vacation with a great meal. We had viewed Chuck Hughes on his Cabo adventure on the Food Network and looked him up on line to see where he had restaurants. We booked Le Garde-Manger 30 days before and had a great table for 4.
You know a restaurant has swagger when they do not have a sign out front, nor on the window. We had high expectations and we were more than blown away with the food quality, atmosphere and service.
I hate it when people say, "it was the best food I'd ever had" because they seem to set an expectation that cannot be fulfilled. I will insert that statement here! It was the best experience I had ever had at a restaurant even compared with experiences we have had in NYC, Napa and Monte Carlo.
The server (Stephanie) helped us choose a wine to set off the meal. She chose us a Defaix Chablis which was a wonderful selection. She also recommended the Chef's Tasting Menu.....it is a must, let them bring you food throughout the nights. The mix of herbs and spices in every dish was a party in my mouth, no really! From truffles, caviar, lobster, hazelnuts, pork belly, beef carpaccio, smoked sturgeon, oysters, razor clams, endive, walnuts, apples, blue cheese, curry, spicy walnuts, ceviche, spaghetti squash and even brussel sprouts the meal had it all (I can't believe I ate brussel sprouts). Think about putting all those things together in various dishes and making it work. Never would I have tried half the things that were put in front of me without the chef suggesting it.
The restaurant was full, even the bar stools were coveted and turned over throughout the night. I was surprised how few seats there were in the restaurant given the chef's enormity in Montreal. I loved that he keeps it intimate, the staff well trained and the food off the charts.
Overall, we loved it and will recommend anyone going to Montreal to book this restaurant well in advance or else you will miss out.
My husband is a chef. Every time we go to a new place, he chooses in advance where we will eat our one big meal. He chose Garde Manger and was looking forward to the meal for weeks. There is no way that this meal disappointed us! We had the tasting menu, which I highly recommend for first timers. It gave us a chance to try all that the restaurant had to offer. We tried so many delicious dishes that we never would have tried before! The pork chop was literally to die for- we have chosen our death bed meal!! When my husband doesn't once have to ask for any sort of spice- you know the place is good! This is definitely a place we will be back to!
Had an amazing dinner last night and celebrated my birthday. Seafood platter was fantastic as was the pork and the steak. For dessert, I highly recommend Garde Manger’s version of a butter tart... to die for! Love the ambience here.
One of our top 5 dining experiences ever.
It was suggested by Stephanie to try the tasting menu, and it did not disappoint! Beginning with the seafood platter,and the next 3 courses continued to showcase the talents and versatility of the marvelous kitchen . The evening ended with Stephanie toasting our anniversary with a wonderful cocktail,compliments of the house.
Many thanks for making us feel so special,will return !
Johan and Maria Spijker
Did the tasting menu with the upgraded seafood platter. Best meal that I’ve had in a long, long time. I can not recommend enough. Bravo, Garde Manger!
Love this place, worth the wait.... incredible food, great drinks and a fantastic staff. Special thanks to you Alexander for putting all this together for us and thanks Alexandro for your amazing special service
One of the best meals I've had. Sam, the bartender was the best! Took the time to suggest wines that suit our taste and tailored a tasting menu just for us! Would definitely recommend this special spot!
Great food, excellent value (a bit on the expensive side) for the portion sizes. But well worth it.
It was my first time at this restaurant and I had a fantastic time. The food was delicious our waitress was awesome ! I would definitely recommend this place!!
We ate here on our honeymoon in August and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience or better food! It was perfect from the moment we walked in the door to the last bite of dessert! I would HIGHLY recommend this as a must for any trip to Montreal! �
Maureen Alice Logan Boyce
+5
Fabulous evening!!! The ambience and service top notch! And the food!!! Ah, the food!!! We enjoyed the "Chef's choice" which was several courses served family style, and savoured every mouthful!
It’s pretty simple best food in Montreal, the service is amazing as well. The best beef carpaccio, with tiny crispy potatoes and white truffle mayo, my God it’s good! If you love seafood make sure you visit Le Garde-Manger! Chris is an impressive Chef, we should host him at the Chef’s Club in NYC
We had a wonderful time last night, we left our dining experience to the chef who chose a variety of delights that kept our palates wanting more. Our server Sasha was absolutely a lovely and suggested a delicious wine to go with our meal. Thank you for a wonderful experience.
Great friendly service, amazing seafood tower. Fresh and delicious! Great wine parings too.
Went here for dinner, fun and casual atmosphere, but still dark and intimate. Servers suggested great cocktails, and wine pairings. Had the seafood tower, scallops, sweetbread, octopus, lobster ravioli. Was all delicious! Would definitely return for a another visit.
The location is slightly hard to find in Old Montreal, with a small sign off the street. Recommend getting a reservation.
Oh my goodness, this place is truly amazing. Expensive but worth every penny. Loved not only the food and drinks but atmosphere and service too! My friend and I agreed it was the highlight of our trip to Montreal. Our favourite and must-have has to be the beef cheeks and the cauliflower scallop dishes. My heart still dreams of it… Please do yourself a favour and order it. Reservations recommended.
I had the chef menu and had a good experience overall. The food was good, I’d say this is a “can’t go wrong” kind of restaurant, but you’d also expect that with the $100+ price tag. I’d recommend it for special occasions!
Love the experience! It was my 3rd time and I’m so happy to be back after the lockdown. The seafood platter is definitely a must and always ask for their dishes of the day!
The only downside is that our menu was 120$ per person and the waiter promised us the truffles would come with that menu, but we didn’t get any. So we could’ve stuck to the option of the option 100$/person and would still have the same experience.
Whenever I am in Montreal, I try to go to Garde Manger. The food is always amazing. For this visit June 17, 2022. We were a party of two, and chose the chef special. The first plate was this huge seafood plater, then we had 8 more courses: Seviche, Artic Char, Stake, two salads, two deserts . Every plate was fantastic. The service is great too, the staff is friendly, knowledgeable about the ingredients and the source. We have a great evening as usual. Thank you to the Chefs and the staff.
Unadvertised and speak-easy-esque restaurant in Old Montreal.
Very fresh seafood and lots to choose from. Served on ice small dishes and oysters, small plates / appetizers, as well as full sized entrées.
Service was friendly, funny, and very professional at the same time.
Thoroughly enjoyed every dish, truly a high quality eat.
Epic! The Chef’s Menu is an experience of flavours and textures coming together to make for a delectable treat. The seafood platter, the octopus, the radicchio, the Arctic char, the chocolate dessert and more — each plated with style and pride. The expertise of the Chef and the fabulous energy of the team was matched by the professional and hospitable service, great music and vibe. Our long awaited trip to this beautiful city and this incredible restaurant will not be our last! Merci!! A kiss to the Chef!!
One of the best dining experiences that I've had.
We got the $160 chef's course and asked for a drink pairing.
There was so much food and at times, I was at a loss for words.
We started with the lobster with caviar, scallop crudo, then the seafood platter, 3 appetizers, 3 mains, and 2 desserts. Suffice to say, that it was a very filling meal, but everything was so good!
My stand out dishes were the lobster with caviar, the lobster with butter and old bay seasoning, the beef tartare, and the mushroom with poached egg. Everything just had layers of flavours, which I really appreciated.
I definitely recommend visiting!
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