Neighborhood hangouts do not come as popular as this; as every table, bar stool and lounge-area sofa was occupied by a steady stream of Westmount denizens young and old.
The Tavern's eclectic menu suggests comfort food with French/Italian influences, laced with an international touch.
From its refined yet comforting food to its family-like service and longevity, the Tavern has established itself as a reliable meeting point.
Seb's Urban Adventures
+4
Located in the Westmount Square building Tavern on the Square was everything I expected it to be. I had heard a lot about the place but never had a chance to try it. The décor is very welcoming and warm with lots of wood finishes, dimmed lights and a choice or tables or banquettes. They also have a nice long bar and a great selection of drinks and wine.
One of my favourite places to enjoy food and wine- service is amazing , and long standing - just had amazing steak sliders, with their infamous in house favorite "Mac 'n cheese" -
They have a great selection: my mother and her friends love to come to Westmount for lunch to order their favorite "ginger shrimp" salad/--
-Monica
Mr. Lew's Great Burger Search
+4.5
In the city, there are those places that you know are really fancy and all the really important people show up over there. These are the kinds of places where, for some of us, we might not necessarily feel comfortable visiting. Well, over the course of the search, I’ve been to every class of restaurant and nothing was going to stop me during my first ever visit to Tavern on the Square.
With the rapid succession of new restaurants that open in Montreal, it is sometimes very easy to focus on the new stuff without considering some older more established spots. Just because they aren’t new doesn’t mean they aren’t worth visiting. I was reminding of this a few weeks ago when I met up with my girlfriend and some of her co-workers for a post-work dinner at Westmount Square and more specifically at Taverne Sur Le Square, a place I had never been to before somehow.
Cozy atmosphere with dim lighting and comfy chairs. A cross between a tavern and a boudoir. Service is good and friendly. The menu is quite varied. Cocktails are delicious. A great place to go with another couple of friends for a relaxing dinner.
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Long Overdue Review. First, I must sincerely apologize to chef / owner Stephen Leslie for the tardiness of this review. Last year, my wife and I spent a weekend in Montreal and decided to wander in to Tavern on the Square. We had lived in Westmount when it opened, but somehow, never managed to find our way there and quite often deferred to Monkland Tavern instead. We missed a gem right under our noses.
On our Friday night, we enjoyed a fairly simple, yet hearty meal with pasta as middle course between our salads and fish. Much to our surprise, this brought Stephen out of the kitchen, eager to meet us - I gather we had "done it right" and appealed to his sensibilities as to how a meal was to be enjoyed. He invited us back for a special service (off the menu) the following night and while we were very flattered, we weren't sure that we wanted to forego exploring other restaurants in the city. We decided to accept this generous invitation and were treated to both spectacular food and service at the bar (apologies to Stephen's barman, whose name I can't recall, but he led us through a wonderful meal).
Delicious market salad, heirloom tart, ravioli, sousvide chicken and finally grouper absolutely dazzled us and every course was paired perfectly with wines, some from the reserve list. I can certainly understand that some people, from time to time, may have a less-than-exceptional experience at a restaurant, but objectively, I can't find fault with anything we experienced at Tavern on the Square. We were frankly quite satisfied with our first night there, but our second, put us over the moon.
I honestly believe that some people who imagine themselves to be foodies go into a restaurant LOOKING for faults, rather than letting the experience of a warm atmosphere, delicious food and attentive service, such as is on offer here, override their "critic"al bias. I would happily recommend people to dine here and I am not one to spend the time writing reviews within what I feel is an "overly empowered" world of online critics (easy to sling mud anonymously, isn't it?), but in this case, our experience here was exceptional and fully deserving of kudos.
Amazing, under-appreciated restaurant!. There definitely should be more buzz around this place - it has a great atmosphere, friendly service and a seriously talented chef! The menu is varied with something for everyone - the specials are always fresh, delicious and unique, plus you'll find consistently great steak and burgers, and some of the best pasta in the city! Oh, and killer fried chicken! This place is worth going for a nice night!
Went Monday nite for my husbands b-day and loved it, the service and food is way up there with the best. My husbands braised lamb shoulder was like butter, thanks mr Leslie
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Excellent food and service. We ate here last night and ordered for the entree, the three specials and the fried chicken appetizer. Let's begin with the fried chicken, though my husband felt that the skin was too crispy (because it's double fried), I adored it's perfect crunch. The skin was crunchy like a chip while the meat inside was juicy and tender. This was paired with a tangy coleslaw on the side that complemented the meat well.
For the entrees, we were three and decided to split it tapas style. What a great idea because the food was delicious! I can't remember the exact names of our dishes so bear with me if you find inaccurate names. We had the hand made pasta with braised duck, the beef duo- grilled beef (cut, I can't remember) and minced beef wrapped in pasta and covered in sauce and ricotta and a white tuna glazed in a lemon chickpea sauce. Delicious. My favorite was definitely the hand made pasta, you can taste the difference between this and pasta sold in packages. Second favorite was the tuna, perfectly grilled on the outside, raw on the inside with a delicious sauce that complemented the fish without overpowering it. The beef was also good though what made me appreciate it most was the attention to detail. Everything on the plate was delicious! Down to the side of cabbage that was perfectly grilled with hints of smoky flavor.
My only complaint was that the complementary bread, though fresh, came to our table cold.
Service was super friendly and there were no issues with asking for more plates and forks and spoons because we wanted to share all 3 plates. Environment was intimate with music in the background that stayed in the background allowing for easy conversation to be had.
All in all, great experience, will come again!
Ivi Anastasiadis Smith
+4.5
AMAZING A - Z. We had my son's wedding reception there, and I must say, they far exceeded our expectations. We started out with hors d'oeuvres that were phenomenal and plentiful with the staff seeing that no one was missed, then on to the dinner that was amazing and on time. Everything seemed to move like clockwork, leaving our guests not waiting for anything. I can honestly say that I have never had attentive waiters and waitresses (Napkins were folded as soon as someone got up from the table and no one's glass was empty for long), no to mention the staff behind the bar who kept drinks flowing. I wouldn't hesitate to book them again. Thank you Don and Dexter. ABSOLUTELY SUPERB!!!
"Response to "over-rated food and cheap management". 220$ for a table of 6 people. I'm confused, you're saying the restaurant is cheap? Time to look in the mirror. Try to find better value at a high end restaurant in Montreal.
One of Montreal's best burgers. I never seem to arrive in time for brunch on the weekend, but the burger is my go-to menu item.
Honest to goodness. This is by far, dollar for dollar, the best restaurant in the city. The staff is amazing, wine fantastic and the food is absolutely delicious and original. You would be hard pressed to find finer food in this city.
Great food , Terrible service. Love the food at the tavern , great wine selection but they need to change the staff asap . Serious attitude.
Yes the service can be bad. Yes thenother clients can be bitchy. The fact remains that this is one of the finer kitchens in the city. Worth sitting at the bar for a bite and a drink. Also a good spot for groups as they are accommodating for family style dinning at a reasonable price.
Endroit sympathique pour prendre un verre et manger un petit quelque chose
Lovely. One of my favourite spots in Montreal. Great food and great service every time. I ate here the night my husband proposed and many times since.
Great service. Not cheap but worth it
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Awesome. I dont know which restaurant the B@*$h before my review went to but i loved this place. Maybe it was her time of the month maybe she had her panties in a bunch i dont know but i loved the place. We had no reservations and were seated immediately. The waiter was very friendly and explained the days special. Ii had ordered the grilled calamari and my gf had the ceaser salad. i was presented with fried calamari, not a big deal. the manager Dexter came over expressed his regrets for teh mistake and ordered the correct appetizer it was delicious had the pork done 2 ways and my gf had the roasted pork over smoked corn. needless to say it was amazing. the manager Dexter came to check up on us every so often a very nice personal touch you dont find at many places these days. at the end of dinner we had the chocolate bread pudding with some ice cream. YEs YEs YEs the best ever. expresso"s and cappuccino were very good and offered by mr dexter. I have to say this was a place i really enjoyed the terrace is one of a kind, staff was friendly and the manager dexter was very professional and on point. to the person below it seems attitude dictates the experience, be polite and good things will follow, i guess you should stick to eating at nobu!
I went to Taverne on the Square last Wednesday with some girlfriends and was surprised at how good the food was. My meal was great and the service as well. The staff is also pretty hood on the eyes (especially the darker men, if you know what I mean). I highly recommend Taverne for a place to enjoy good drinks, good food and good company.
Fantastic. What a nice place to go to. Great to go with older kids for a nice dinner but just as good going as a couple for romantic dinner for two. Food is great and service is out of this world. Something on the menu for everyone/ Wonderful wine list - ask Paul for recommendations. Never dead, even on a Monday night! Highly recommended!
The food and service were sooo good! Three of us shared the salmon tartar and the grilled beets. Both tasty and sized right for sampling. Two of us went for the Mac n cheese and one had the mushroom pasta dish (it has a better name, but I don't want to botch it!) and both were delicious. Great comfort food. Have also heard good things about the other location and would like to try it next.
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Last night I ran out of crack!. So I decided to go for the next best thing, Mac'n cheese at the Tavern. I had also been craving a bowl of soup, a very particular one, broth with chickpeas ,chilies, tomatoes, parmesan, and swiss chard. I've had it there before. Alas, our charming bartender Amy ruined all my plans, she had to read the specials for the evening. That said I changed my mind and went for the slow cooked ribs, KFC(korean fried chicken) the soup of the day, and a creme brulee.
The ribs were lightly smoked,glazed and slow cooked finished with toasted pistachios and lime juice, my humble words cannot begin to describe them. the chicken.... tangy ,sweet,spicy and delicious. The soup was not the one I craved but was no disappointment with white beans sausage, and spinach, as always the place to get soup to warm your soul. The simple creme brulee was exactly that simply perfect with an obvious abundance of real vanilla seeds throughout.
It's too bad there was no drama for the attentive and friendly staff to ignore (cough cough...jackass). If you don't know the Tavern then do yourself a favor and check it out!
Humberto Zamora Del Cueto
+4.5
Top. The place is elegant but not snob. The service is not only highly efficient but also personalized. They really make you feel comfortable. The food is excelent. Do not miss the Cesar salade. Their imported wine list is wide and very well selected. The place is worth each and every one of the many dollars.
Ceasar Salad - yummmy!. The Taverne has the best Ceasar sald ever! It is not traditional although the full romaine leaves are sometimes a bit much. But the croutons made of polenta and the zip in the dressing are amazing.
I prefer the Taverne on the Square simply for the parking and the quieter (!) ambiance as opposed to Monkland.
Oh and if you can, ask to be seated in paul's section - possibly the best waiter ever!
Chic. A lovely, chic spot.
Desserts are wonderful!
My other local. Great and a really great bar - possibly best in the city for certain cocktails. Lovely green salad. Specials always top notch.
A Montreal classic that keeps drawing me in for their seasonal specials and market-fresh ingredients. A meal that will leave you feeling content time and time again.
Diva #1 said that she wasn’t going to go out. She had a wild Thursday night at the Bow Tie Affair in Old Montreal that ended in the wee hours of the morning at Garde Manger. To make matters worse, Diva #1 worked the next day where she arrived hung over, clutching a cappuccino and droopy eyed. Fast forward to the late afternoon of that same day, Diva #1 was approached by Bellatrix and Whitey to go out again. They had not come out with her the night before therefore they were fresh faced and well rested. Thursday nights are crazy, so Friday nights are usually more chill, in preparation for rather exciting Saturday nights. But Diva #1 can always be coaxed to come out for some wine, food and good times with her friends. We were craving wine and a more relaxed atmosphere, so Diva #1, Whitey and Bellatrix chose to go to Tavern on the Square. Whitey was already in Westmount visiting her dad, and we had all been there before, so we knew that it was a great atmosphere for a girls' night.
I first noticed how uplifting the ambiance was. The staff all had such a positive and almost jubilant attitude towards everyone they encountered. Our waiter Paul was extremely attentive and informative; one of the most memorable waiters I’ve come across all year. The interior décor reflected the upscale reputation of the restaurant – French, elegant & timeless. The clientele was mostly business-people, but I did also notice a few scattered families and couples - all of whom seemed to be having a joyous time!
Montreal Food Pictures
+4.5
A quintessential French-Italian bistro serves refined comfort food with loads of flavours.
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