I L'oved L'Original! When I was researching places to grab dinner in Montreal, I zeroed in on L'Original because the decadent menu of comfort food was enticing, and I'm so glad we dined here. I was really happy with every aspect of my experience here. When you enter, you'll notice the restaurant is actually underground. It's got a woodsy vibe and I was smitten with all the awesome 80's music. Nothing goes quite as well with comfort food as Talking Heads- I really enjoyed everything about the atmosphere they created in this restaurant. It was so cozy and yet avoided feeling dated. For my meal, I opted for the Braised Beef Tagliatelle. It was perfect. Rich tomato sauce infused with truffle butter and homemade tagliatelle. I seldom eat beef, so if I get it, I want it to blow my mind- well, this dish did. It was delicious! Our waitress was great! She was attentive and very friendly. We also got our food in a reasonable amount of time. Overall, L'Original was an all-around excellent experience. I'd love to return to try more items. read more

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Our family traveled to Montreal for the thanksgiving holiday. We had our thanksgiving meal at L'Orignal. We were immediately greeted when we walked in and shown to our table. Throughout we had fast and very friendly service. The food was excellent, the atmosphere cozy and the prices fair. We loved it. read more

L'Orignal - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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Just came here last night with my family. It is a super cozy spot that warms you up just by walking inside. The decor definitely feels like a wintry cabin. The service was great! The staff is very friendly and welcoming. It definitely feels like a friend's home. We ordered WAY too much, but we enjoyed all of it! This was my first time trying Poutine and I loved it! Especially the hint of truffle. The steak tartare was different from the way I'm used to, but it was delicious and it was my son's first one. He highly enjoyed it. This place is also super close to our hotel, so it made for a very convenient meal after a long day of driving from NYC. read more

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Best go to restaurant when I'm In montreal! Great vibe, from the classic rock and overall decor with its amazing service and the food is incredibly tasty and reasonably priced. A dynamic duo brother and sister owned family local spot in old montreal! Not to be missed read more

This place is like staying at your friend's cabin, with flannel seat covers and dark natural wood walls, listening to good music from the 70's, 80's to 2000's and then eating fresh healthy food from 2024! We started with the octopus special (no pics. Ate it too quickly.) Then I had the burrata and my date had the braised beef tagliatelle. We both liked what we had. The tomatoes were probably the best tomatoes I've had all summer. I think they buy local and only use ingredients that are in season. We ended with the wonderful chocolate mousse, which was not bitter and not too sweet, covered in a toasted marshmallow and a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs. (I coulda' eaten an entire bowl of just the chocolate mousse!) Very comfy AND delicious. read more

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L'Orignal just began opening for Brunch on weekends and I must say, our experience was spectacular! The steak & eggs were perfectly crafted and our Caesars were delicious and probably the best in the city. We love the atmosphere and it's such a nice escape right in the middle of Old Montreal. The service was fast and friendly and our waitress took the time to share her recommendations. Our Brunch was perfect. read more

I had a great solo dinner at the bar at L'Orignal a few weeks ago when I was visiting Montreal. It's in the basement of a building, so it has great upscale tavern vibes (dark and moody but still comfortable). The service was great, too. If I wasn't up for such an early morning the next day, I would have hung out longer - because it was cozy and comfortable and the service was great. I had a couple of Vesper martinis (always great), and I loved the bison burger with fries that I had for dinner. I love a solo meal, but I'd love to go with more people next time so I could try more of their menu (pork schnitzel?! braised beef tagliatelle?! a veggie forward farmers bowl!? they have it all)! Overall, a really good meal - definitely a restaurant I'd be happy to return to! read more

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Food was excellent.... but what really makes the place special is the service. Mike makes you feel at home from the minute you walk in. His sister makes one of the best deserts I've ever tasted. The place is the best kept secret in Montreal. My new favorite hang out for 2026. My sons took too long to bring me here but now; Remember my face Mike! read more

Cozy restaurant with excellent food and service. We had steaks, pasta, appetizers, salads and dessert (maple sticky toffee pudding!!!). All of it was delicious. The waitress and bartender/owner were super nice and accommodating. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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Of course we are sitting at the bar for dinner. Our starter appetizer was the Burrata. Then we ordered the Braised Beef Tagliatelle for our entree. Plenty to share and everything on the menu sounded awesome. Highly recommended- five stars! read more

L'Orignal - View from the bar! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

What a great way to end our trip than to have some quebecois food in Old Montreal. They mentioned if you're hungry to have their pork schnitzel... so glad I did as it came with two deliciously crispy pork schnitzels over top of sauerkraut. Loved it! Their braised beef tagliatelle was delicious and loved how it was cooked with truffle butter. And of course, burger with poutine was a must! I had their Moscow "moose" which was their take on a classic. The St. Germain was a great touch. All in all, an excellent meal with great service and I'll be sure to come back here next time! read more

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Look for the moose on the door! Our last dinner before leaving Montreal @restaurantlorignal - Québécois farm-to-table game & seafood dishes in an upscale, funky & woodsy chalet setting. I love farm-to-table which promotes serving local food. We studied the online menu in advance but we were provided menu with some different items that we ended up ordering as the menu does change due to available local ingredients. I loved the decor as it made us feel warm and cozy with thoughtful placement in a unique way. Check out the video near the end for some photos of the restaurant decor interior. We ordered: Salmon pot pie with arugula salad - the filling was a mixture of salmon, pork belly and goat cheese. This was such a filling and comfort entree. 5 Pork Schnitzel - this is a large entree and both my hubby and brother really enjoyed this immensely. 5 Bison burger with poutine - female teenager devoured this fast and shocked us as she usually eat slow and wouldn't finish her meal. 5 Braised beef tagliatelle - This was a tad on the salty side but still delicious. 4 The server was professional; knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients of each dish. We truly enjoyed our last meal in Montreal! read more

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The place and food is just amazing, one of the best dinners I've ever had. But the bartender (toll, blue eyes, mustache) is very very nasty, rude and bitter. Yet he didn't hear back anything from us, we kept on keeping on joking and moved to our tables. Couldn't even hide how he hates Americans. Act however you want elsewhere, but not in the places like this obviously which is a tourist area. Well, thanks for that experience lol. Hope you feel better read more

It was a night filled with an ice storm and we were scrambling for a place near our hotel. We found L'Original and were very happy we did. You walk into an inviting little below ground establishment to a friendly staff. The city was fortunate to have power and it was great that they were open for guests! The traditional decode full of stereotypical Canadian objects was darkly light and provided a lovely comforting atmosphere. We had a lovely meal accompanied by a nice and simple house Bordeaux. We started with the steak tartare and poutine. Great little combination to start the meal. The tartare was well prepared and we loved the pickles that accompanied it. Traditional and solid preparation! The poutine was flavorful and delicious, super rich in flavor. We also had some absolutely perfect oysters! Melt in your mouth delicious! For our mains we had the beef tagliatelle and seared duck breast. The tagliatelle was nice and chewy, great texture in the noodles, and the beef was full of flavorful. The duck breast was a perfect medium rare with a crispy skin. We had the Brussels sprouts as a side, which were crispy and full of large flavorful chunks of bacon. read more

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Very enjoyable last meal in Montreal. My wife's Salmon dish (fish of the day) was outstanding. Service was great and on point throughout our meal. I would rate this a 4.5 as the beef tagliatelle could have been better. It was tasty but the salmon was above and beyond. The tagliatelle noodles were not like those pictured in many of the other meals posted and looked more like fettuccine. Our chocolate mouse with marshmallow and Graham crackers was outstanding as well. Great decor and ambiance here as well. read more

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First, they gave my spouse a horrific case of food poisoning. I can say with confidence it was the kale salad, as that was the only thing she ate that day that I did not. Then, when they were called out, Restaurant L'Original tried to claim they contacted all their other diners from that evening to prove it wasn't their fault. (How exactly do you have personal contact info for all your diners? Seems like a massive invasion of privacy if you did...or a big fat lie if you didn't.) Then they tried to gaslight my spouse, claiming it was because she had too much to drink. She had one glass of wine that evening. Avoid this restaurant like the plague. Otherwise you might get one. read more

L'Orignal - Restaurant L'Original's response to giving my spouse food poisoning - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Very cozy restaurant. Lovely owners. My review on the food is mixed. The Burrata was spectacular... prob one of the best I have ever had. We sent the pasta back as it lacked flavor. I would absolutely go here again, as I suspect the pasta was just a weird one-off for the night. read more

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So first of all the service I received was exceptionally warm and I might have given an extra star if the vibe had been cooler. But it was dead. And the food was mediocre. Not bad. Just not special in any way. I had fish tartare, poutine, and a salad. I even sprang for dessert. If there has been a local crowd it might have felt authentic instead it felt like an ironic take on a log cabin. You absolutely could have a good time here. read more

Are here last night! Lovely people especially Alise who warmly welcomed us even without a reservation. Eventually squeezed us into the bar for the absolutely best Steak Dinner and Michael the owner/bartender is a delightful hunk of graciousness! Best sticky toffee pudding with ice cream as our topper. We were sent there by Nick the Pianist at the Stash Cafe because they had no room. A truly delightful evening in Montreal! read more

During our first night in Montreal, we had to try some Canadian food. This cute home-y little restaurant was walking distance from downtown Montreal. It's on a side street and was a bit hard to find but you just got to look out for the moose on the door! We were seated quickly and the servers were very nice. We got the maple old fashioned, the salmon tartare, the bison burger and the pork schnitzel. The salmon tartare was refreshing and had a nice balance of flavors. The bison burger was juicy and tasty and the fries were cooked very nicely with just the right amount of seasoning. The pork schnitzel came in a decent portion. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The mashed potatoes and coleslaw was a great combo with it. Would definitely recommend you give it a try!! read more

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Casual and friendly. Sat at the bar and had dinner. Oysters, poutine with a bison burger and a local lager. Everything was amazing but the burger was unexpectedly amazing. I might have to come again tomorrow for that burger. read more

L'Orignal - Truffle poutine and bison burger. I can't imagine a burger could be any better. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

My wife and I went to L'Original on a Friday evening for dinner and had a very good experience. The host, bar, and wait staff were very friendly, fast, and helpful when ordering. The ambiance was cozy with a lodge motif and fireplace. I had a maple old fashioned which was kind of strong, but nonetheless enjoyable. We had the shrimp taco appetizer which was phenomenal. Incredibly tasty with crunchy slaw and fresh shrimp. For dinner my wife had the Farmer's bowl which she enjoyed. I had the 12 oz filet. This was my only disappointment and why I could not give 5 stars. I ordered the steak rare and it was done medium well. I'm not someone to send something back generally, but it was disappointing and I did not want to ruin the vibe of our evening. Everything else was excellent. We shared the bread pudding for desert and it was fantastic. I would recommend L'Original for a nice dinner! read more

From the moment our group was dropped off at this restaurant for dinner I knew this place was something special. Located on a narrow one way street, L'Original was one of the best meals I had eaten in a while. My buddies and I were here to have a bachelor party dinner and we were able to somehow secure an 8:30pm reservation here on a Saturday evening, despite the restaurant being completely packed. The interior was dimly lit and not too noisy. We were seated near the bar where a few tables were placed together for us to sit. The menu was one page, and reasonably priced, but full of delectable sounding appetizers and entrees. Since we were such a large group, we decided to order the Bone Marrow from the appetizers to share and we all got our own individual dishes. For main courses, there was so much goodness to choose from, including, salmon, cod, steak, mushroom fettucine, schnitzel, bison burger and rabbit. The special for the day was quail. In the end, we were all spread around, with people ordereding the House Cut Steak, Pork Schnitzel and Quail. Me? Well, I went with the Rabbit Saddle, since the Lobster Risotto was not available. In addition, we also ordered the Truffle Poutine on the side for the table to share as well. So, first, the Bone Marrow. Each order came with 2 bone marrows and it was delicious. The red wine sauce was the perfect touch on the marrows and brought out so much flavor. As always, there just wasn't enough. Next, the Truffle Poutine. May I say, GET IT! This might have been the most delicious dish I had tried while in Montreal. I can't speak for any other dishes, but this dish was as good as it got. The poutine was full of gravy and cheese curds and with the truffle mixed in, it really hit the perfect spot. Truly a perfect dish. Lastly, my entree was the Rabbit Saddle. It was stuffed with buckwheat, bacon, green olives and served with some sauteed mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and veggies. The saddle was really good. It was fresh and delicious. I can't say I wouldn't have traded it for the delicious-looking House Cut Steak, as the dish was massive and the steaks looked excellent, but I was still satisfied with the rabbit. Our evening was excellent and the waitress was extremely friendly. All of our food arrived on time and everything was taken care of professionally. We couldn't have had a greater experience. read more

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Cozy restaurant with great food and service! The power went out during our dinner but all the staff was great, jumping into action getting more candles, checking on everything, etc. They were even able to cook our meal without power by improvising with a barbecue. Very pleasant experience, despite power outage! read more

Our neighbours brought us to this somewhat hidden in plain sight restaurant. I had seen the wooden moose sign on the corner of Norte Dame and Saint Alexis about a thousand times but figured it was some sort of winter clothing shop. Wrong again! The decor is very cool, basically an underground log cabin. Be careful heading down the entrance stairs, the ceiling is low. Entering the space reveals a fantastic looking bar complete with a canoe serving double duty as a bar display shelf. The hostess and bartender greeted us warmly as we walked in and we were seated immediately. I started with a Maple Old Fashioned (very similar to the Flaming Maple Bourbon at Barroco) and the calamari. Both were excellent! The calamari was super salty and cooked perfectly. The wine list yielded a nice 2017 Chateau le Puy Bordeaux which was tasty but priced at 3x the SAQ price, a little steep in my opinion. I ordered the Bison Burger and fries which were also quite good. Our waitress was great and even tried to teach me the correct way of saying L'Orignal (too funny, living here I no longer know how to pronounce anything). Anyway we had a great evening and I highly recommend this place for a Canadian inspired change of pace. read more

L'Orignal - Calamari with a Maple Old Fashioned - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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I came here to eat at the bar with a friend while visiting from out of town. Everything we had was delicious - tomato salad, chicken liver "parfait" and the beef tagliatelle. We sat at the bar and also enjoyed talking to the friendly bar-tender and the owner. Altogether a lovely evening read more

Big surprise in Montreal. Casual and super cozy ambiance. Food was delicious and service super friendly. Would love to come back anytime we go to Montréal again read more

Using Open Table to procure some easy points and find some good restaurants I stumbled upon this place! I'll tell you why I came back 2 more times! Atmosphere/Appearance: Set downtown, but in more of a laid back district beyond the big skyscrapers is this gem. It's set into an old building (given the architecture) and can easily be missed. Just look for the moose sign above your head. Once inside you immediately walk downstairs and into the host area. There is a private table straight ahead and to the right is the bar area. Make another right and you can walk back into the 2 dining areas. The restaurant isn't the biggest so I always suggest reservations for sure. The moose is celebrated widely here so you'll see pictures or sculptures of it plastered all over. The bartender/owner did explain it to us, but I can't remember the exact words that were exchanged. Service: Mike and Kyle took excellent care of us whenever we came in. We always sat at the bar and loved how personable they were. I believe Mike was the owner and bartender, unless he just gave us the feeling that he was. He was entertaining, friendly and took excellent care of us. Food: QUAIL, QUAIL, QUAIL. If they have it... (it goes fast), you NEED to try the quail. I was told I had to try this delicate bird during my time in the French city and I'm so happy that I did. It was BURSTING with flavor and I just couldn't believe how much flavor this lil' bird had! I absolutely loved it and made sure to get it every time I stopped in. For my entrees I was able to try the Bison Burger and Lobster Agnolotti (lobster meat with turnip and potato agnolotti along with shaved vegetables) then topped with grated parmesan cheese. It was pretty decent, but I don't know if it lacked something or just the quail packed that much of a punch. That was kinda my feeling with all 3 meals I had here. They were good, but I wasn't blown away like I was with the quail. The 3rd entree I was able to try was one of their specials of the day, poached halibut. The quality of the food here is very high, but I would like some more flavor from some of the dishes. If they could make that quail into a meal, I'd be all for it! Until then, I'll just need to get 2 or 3 quail appetizers and bypass the entree. Lol. Value: All prices are in $CAD. This place isn't cheap by any means, but the food is certainly worth it. The quail will run you $18.00. It's not an easy bird to come by, so I get it. My Bison Burger was $30.00 and it did come with a choice of side. The special of the day when I was there was the Poached Halibut and was $32.00. Last, but not least was the Lobster Agnolotti and that was $38.00. So yeah man, bring the big bucks and splurge, it's worth it. In conclusion I really enjoyed myself here. The only letdown for me was the lack of enthusiasm in the entrees, but that quail... saves everything! read more

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Review from a US Californian here. Yelp has did it again. Wife and I were wondering were to go to dinner. We have no idea where to go so a four star 180 plus reviews warrants a visit. The front door is off the cuts a little so don't anticipate a huge door sign. Just remember it's off Alexis St. We almost walked past it. Appetizer: I had a side of French fries and the wife had Oysters. We were both pleased. The fries were seasoned deliciously and crispy. Wife said the oysters with the horseradish and vinegar sauce was perfect. Entrees: I had the pork parmigiana. Imagine chicken parmigiana but with PORK + spaghetti with meat sauce. First for me and it was delicious. Just an FYI, the portion is humongous. I couldn't finish it. My wife had the Icelandic Cod and she had no complaints. Dessert: I was full but when the waiter said there is a house-made pumpkin pie... time to man up. It was DELICIOUS! My wife had a cup of red wine from some 2011 reserve thing from Espana. I'm not a wine drinker but it was so good we bought a bottle to bring home. I left the place way too full. You know that uncomfortable feeling in your stomach where you keep asking yourself why you ate so much. Five stars. We were super happy with this place! read more

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This place was great. The owner was the bar tender and very friendly. The signage on the outside made it a little hard to find.

Just returned from our first trip to Montreal since the pandemic started. It was a relatively spur of the moment decision so we didn't have more than a couple of weeks to arrange reservations. A lot of our standby's were all booked up, and we were trying to book a table for one meal for 4 adults and 2 kids, so that proved a challenge. Luckily, we gambled on L'Orignal and couldn't have been more pleased about it! They were able to accommodate our request for a couple of non-alcoholic cocktails made with Seedlip, which tasted fantastic, as did the cucumber Caesar's. PEI Oysters were fantastically fresh and delicious (served with all the normal accoutrements, a basic but competent mignonette, freshly grated horseradish, lemon and Tabasco sauce). Three of our party had the duck special which consisted of a crisp-skinned perfectly cooked duck breast, little duck leg confit croquettes, what I think were zucchini fritters, and a lovely sauce with herb oil. Another had the burger and truffle poutine (our 13 year old nephew said of all the poutine's we had on the trip, that was his favourite). Sometimes lucky discoveries are made, and we'll make sure to add L'Orignal to our regular circuit for future trips! read more

Ended up at this restaurant on a snowy day after our initial plans got cancelled. Showed up close to when they opened and got bar seats. Ended up being a great little find near the Notre Dame Basilica. Food was delicious, staff was very friendly and accommodating. Truffle poutine was the highlight, loved the cocktails and wine as well read more

L'Orignal - Truffle poutine - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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20th anniversary and we are so happy we came here to celebrate. Food was excellent, portions were smallish but in a perfect way, just eh right amount of food. Alcohol list was just the right amount of solid choices. Romantic woodsy ambience. Love our waitress tons! read more

First meal in Montreal! This place is located in the basement. You go down some stairs & you'll be surprised on how nice the place is. Dim lights, feels like your in a cabin & bar area is cute. You walk in & they get your jacket & hang it. I got the cucumber caesar drink- the best!! Its the canadian version of bloody marry but I don't drink bloddy marry. Caesar drink is my favorite. Its spicy & its just the best drink ever! The pickled spicy string beans is great. appetizers: Roasted beet salad- goat cheese, apples, pickled squash. I don't like goat cheese so I told the waiter not to put it but he said its not the ordinary goat cheese I've tried before & I must atleast try it so he still gave it & put it on the side. I was surprised that it taste really good & doesn't smell. It taste very delicious with the salad. This is the best salad I've ever had. Bone marrow, rabbit liver parfait- with toast on the side & little mushroom. Perfect to share for 2 people. Very tasty! Main dish: Terre de bison burger- bacon, mapple mustard, onion jam, pickle & fries. The pickle is strong but it taste good so we didn't really taste the mustard & its a good thing coz I don't like mustard. My dish is their special of the night but I forgot the name. Haha. Its chicken with mash potato- thiers fried chicken & another chicken that cooked semilar to filipino adobo chicken. Its unique because you'll try both in 1 plate & everything is cooked perfectly with mash potato & some yummy sauce. They balance everything from taste to serving size. Appetizers are in good size but the main dish is huge. Very nice place & I highly recommend this to any local or tourist! read more

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Very good. Very friendly and great service. Nice wine list. I got the lobster and ravioli dish - the lobster was a bit tougher than I expected and really the only reason for the 4 star (instead of 5). The duck with carrot 3 ways was perfectly cooked and balance of flavor. Contrary to what we've heard people ate later here...it was almost empty when we arrived at 7:30 and we were questioning if we made a bad pick...when we left, the place was full. read more

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Not bad. Not bad. However. I am not sure quality price really wins here. I may have to try another dish for a better review read more

L'Orignal - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

Okay loved this restaurant. A couple we ran into at the Brit and chip shop actually recommended this place. That evening my friend and I went we had the maple old fashion. Which was delicious. For appetizer we shared the salmon tar tar with black caviar and fresh shucked oysters. Then we had the pasta with truffles and also the rabbit. All the food had great flavoring. The restaurant decor was so cute. It made me feel like I was having a meal in a beautiful lodge. I'd definitely come back again next time I'm in Montreal. read more

L'Orignal - The awesome food we had - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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We wanted a little cozy, fancy place for a special occasion and L'Orignal was just so pretty and inviting. We were the very first ones on the scene at 6:00pm! The waiter wasted no time: did we know there was a second service at 8:30? Had we chosen yet? Be right back! The menu is small but everything is very appetizing - I made a mental note to come back for all of that seafood selection. We went for everything. The French Kiss cocktail was a hit among us, but the appetizer was honestly the star of the meal: sweet onion cream with lard shavings. My salad was good, but couldn't compare to the glory of that soup, and it remains everyone's favourite of the night. Get it! The truffle poutine was very salty; although the portion was generous for a side, we could still taste a hint of truffle. I got the dish of the day, stuffed rabbit. I originally thought it would be stuffed with foie gras, but I tasted a spicy sausage blend? It was good, it was filling, I was happy. The mousse that went alongside it was definitely liver and delicious. In the end, we didn't splurge on desserts, which all seemed more commonplace. We loved the soup, the decor, and the excellent 80s playlist! read more

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This was an awesome meal! Very small basement restaurant in the centre of old Montreal. The Mushroom toast was beyond delicious. The Pork Schnitzel....well it was in a Category that's unmatched! It was hot , delicious & crunchy. Simply to die for! I would definely go back to the restaurant again!! read more

L'Orignal - Mushroom toast. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Montreal, Quebec

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I'd been looking forward to trying this place. I kept reading the reviews and looking at their pictures. A light snow had just begun as we were walking there. As we arrived and went down the stairs, it felt like we were entering a chalet. The decor gave it a very cozy atmosphere. I was so ready to love this place. Alas, the food didn't live up to the atmosphere. I got the mushroom soup, which was served lukewarm and came with a dollop of oil. We also shared the truffle poutine and the pan seared salmon. The potatos were bland but salmon​ was good (albeit standard). We had the chocolate mouse, which we thought tasted like what you buy in a supermarket. We were surprised when one of our servers said the mouse was very popular and everybody loves it. I think the food is way overpriced for what it is. On the bright side, the drinks were good. We were happy with the cocktails we had. I got the stout beer which was very tasty. Maybe it's just that the kitchen was having an off day or maybe it was Saturday night and the servers were already tired. Based on our experience with the food and service, and given that Montreal is loaded with fabulous bars and restaurants, I would not fancy going back there anytime soon. read more

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