Found this place walking around searching for a dinner spot. There were a few steps up the stairs…read moreinto the restaurant and we had a few people with mobility issues. A very kind staff member standing outside told us no problem, they could bring out a portable ramp. The menu was enticing and multiple people in the crew were craving carbs and pasta, so we took them up on the offer. Staff was so accommodating in helping us into the restaurant. I started with an Old Fashioned which had a bit too much ice in it to notice the flavors beyond bourbon/whiskey. Not the end of the world. I struggled between a few things on the menu because everything sounded delicious, so another member of the group and I shared two different dishes. We got the Risotto con Anatra (duck confit, wild mushrooms, chopped black truffle, red wine, shaved Parm) and the pasta Funghi di Basco (wild mushrooms, white wine, demi-glace, parsley, shallots, spinach, white truffle oil). We were clearly in a mushroom mood and we both agreed the risotto was the obvious winner between the two. The pasta had a little bit too much liquid/oil/whatever it was in its base that kinda detracted from the whole dish and made it lose its flavor... seemed a bit bland. The risotto was delightful, but I did not observe much of the duck confit in it which was definitely a bummer. Still a delicious dish, though.

Came here for a group event…read more We had a prix fixe menu with a few appetizer options severed family style and choice of three entrees. I opted for the steak which I wanted medium rare but was told they could only cook them the same way for the entire table which meant we all got medium. Wine list was pretty solid with some reasonable options from Italy and France.

This was a last minute dinner for our last night in Montreal. It was such a cozy, simple Italian…read moreplace. We got there around 7pm, which I guess is right before the dinner rush. They played calm Italian music and the servers were very friendly and attentive. My friend got chicken parm (all meat dishes come with pasta) and I got gnocchi with tomato sauce. I wish the bread came with olive oil but that was the only downside. Great place for a simple Italian meal and atmosphere!

Just a great old school Italian trattoria. A proper carbonara. Great carpaccio. The tortellini…read morein red sauce with mushrooms is amazing - must try. Caesar salad is solid. Decent tiramisu. Nice wines by the glass. Mauro welcomes guests, with Joe helping. Everything you could ask for a nice, classic Italian night out. Not fancy. Just good. I wish I could find a place close to home with the same reverence for Italian cooking. Grazie, Mauro!

I love Bis. There's so many Italian restaurants to choose in Montreal and a lot of them are also 5…read morestar experiences, I just personally love this, especially when I'm in the area for work. It's near the hotels I usually stay at and near my office. Plus, the restaurant is intimate, the manager takes the time to come over and talk to you and ensure they have something that you would like, and for someone that gluten-free they take the time to actually go over what they have to offer. Bis has an extensive menu and an even bigger list of wines to choose from. They offer some of the classic Italian favorites, as well as more family-recipe style recipes that belong at your Italian family dinner table rather than on your common menu. All of their sauces are gluten-free and delicious, plus they keep a gluten free pasta available. I've never had a bad experience here and so far the colleagues and family that have joined me feel the same.

Had a very good but expensive dinner at Bis on Saturday night. Ordered burrata with smoked…read moreprosciutto as an appetizer, rack of lamb for dinner and profiteroles for dessert. Really enjoyed the lamb, my favorite, and profiteroles. The servings are not large, but well made and presented. The restaurant has a dozen or so tables and is well staffed. Reservations suggested but not required.

Typical old Italian restaurant of Montreal. The salad looks good and great. The service is rapid…read moreand nicely done.

Restaurants in Montreal with the name of an Italian region - 2 of 2…read more I had seen Restaurant Siciliana before. It is on Rue Stanley, not too far away from the Peel Metro Station. Rue Stanley always makes for a chuckle. I have known very few people with that name. However, it's the eponymous name of a (not even) B movie about someone's dangerous pet snake. I looked at the menu board at around lunch time. It seemed like a generic Italian restaurant, with a broad-based Italian menu and not one that was particularly Sicilian. But this was at lunch time, and I was walking down the street with something to do. I returned for dinner another day. Everything at Restaurant Siciliana was sort of perfunctory and ordinary. The interior is old school and has the red and white check tablecloths. The wood fired pizza oven is visible from the restaurant. They seat you quickly and I wanted to sit closer to the back and next to a wall, to which they obliged. Since I could not find a wall outlet, they were willing to charge my phone for me. I did not want a pizza. For that, I might go to dei Compari, which I very much like. I was looking for pasta. Since I couldn't see what it might look like or what others had ordered, I settled on the trio - three types of pasta. I've seen this done before at other Italian eateries and, within reason, they allow substitutions. Here, the wiggle room is not that much (that means no filled pasta or lasagna/e) and there is an upcharge for the allowed changes. I wanted to swap out a pasta with Alfredo sauce and they did so for another pasta that is also on their menu at the same price, but with a $3 upcharge (for U.S., divide by ~1.36). Is that that much of an inconvenience? Everything was ok - one in a Bolognese sauce, one in a rose' sauce, and one in a pesto sauce - except that the pesto sauce was a little oily and didn't sit with me. To drink, I had a ginger ale. I'm beginning to like that stuff. The service was good. It was also expedient, albeit a little reserved. This was a 3-star event and, going forward, I will continue to look for other Italian (and Sicilian) restaurants in the area. I would love to know of an authentic Sicilian restaurant in the agglomeration that is Montreal. The very first Italian restaurant at which I ate in Montreal was just up the street, at Stanely and Maisonneuve. Either a Chapters or a newer building went in. That restaurant was more of a diner, which explains why it wouldn't be there - close to the financial district - anymore. Change can be hard to accept. I remember that that was also the first time I had heard the term rose' sauce. This is what Eastern Canada refers to a pink tomato-cream sauce. The middle-aged dark-haired woman who helped me had to have been from the western part of Montreal or its island, spoke perfect English with mannerisms suitable for an Italian neighborhood the Northeastern U.S., and looked like Kaye Ballard. I would have preferred a restaurant like that to this one for the price-quality rapport of the food and a Rue Stanley/Financial District location. If you are a tourist and your time is metered, I might skip this one. If you are a local, you can try Restaurant Siciliana for pizzas and/or pasta and see if it suits you.

We went to Marcella for lunch on a Saturday and the place was hopping. Even without reservations,…read morewe were warmly greeted by Michael and were seated quickly. The menu has lots of choices for carnivores and vegetarians. I ordered the cavatelli alla pesto which was steaming hot (as pasta should be) and delicious. The pesto was fresh and aromatic. The dish was topped off with aged Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. My wife had the spaghetti pomodoro which was also well presented, delicious and served steaming hot. Service by Michael was superb, friendly, and good humored. Despite being overwhelmingly busy, he found time to gone by and chat with us. This is definitely a keeper for future visits.

Came to Montreal for the weekend and was looking for a dinner spot near my apartment. Stumbled upon…read moreMarcella and absolutely loved it. They take reservations. Unfortunately, everything online was booked, but I gave them a call and they squeezed us in last minute. The ambient and decor inside are absolutely stunning. They have a nice bar area too. We stared off with Chianti wine and Calamari. Both fantastic. I ordered the bolognese pasta without the burrata (dairy free) and my fiancé ordered the cavatelli pasta. Extremely rich in flavor and delicious. They even placed the burrata on the side for my fiancé to have since I was unable to eat it. The service was great. They checked in often and were very polite. Had a wonderful experience and highly recommend them!!

The upstairs is not as cute as downstairs but the burratina was very good! The Hugo spritz wasn't…read moregreat, but all of the other food and service made up for it!

First off, the food itself, we ordered Carbonara, Gnocchi and fisherman pot…read more The carbonara was ok, but the bacon was way too salty and the pasta was flavorful even other reviews said the sauce is too heavy, but to me, it was ok, not bad. Gnocchi was really bland, no flavor at all. I feel like I was eating a dough with a bit of sauce on top. The fisherman pot was good, flavorful and the bread was crunchy, not too dry. They had even seafood in it, squids, clams, mussels and scallops. The portions of the food were too small. Even we ate something before coming here. The service was questionable, she was ok but keep pushing us to order more food or drinks, to the points I had to tell her that we ate something before coming here, so we weren't that hungry. The worst part is she tip shaming us, after I got the bills, she basically standing next to me, pressuring me to leave enough tips for her. It made me very uncomfortable.

Cafe Presto was a unique little storefront restaurant. We were standing around outside wondering…read morewhere to go have dinner when the owner of this little place stuck his head out and said "come on in." With such a quirky start, we did just that. Inside this little place there are maybe a dozen tables ... mostly for two. The place was casual, unpretentious, and relatively inexpensive. Service was friendly and spot on. Now the owner who drew us in - whatever his name - does it all here. He seated us, we saw him clean off some tables, and he goes back and forth in the kitchen personally making each dish. He had only two helpers ... one doing dishes and the other helping wait the tables especially when he was fixing a plate. The meals are essentially light pasta with light sauces ... nothing much heavy here. It is meant to be a quick lunch spot, and only stays open a while after hours. The menu - posted in the front window - is written on a sheet of paper and usually is about 8 different pastas and sauces; after you sit at a table you will find that the current list is generally smaller as they have run out of stuff during the day. Be that as it may, it was pretty good food. We had the Canelloni Rossini (4 stars with a light red sauce), Penne Arrabbiata (4 stars with another very light sauce), and a Calypso Salad (4 stars with very nice greens). The big takeaway was that he can make any kind of quick pasta and put any one of his light sauces on it for a quick meal. The sauces were nice - very light but nice. The pastas could have been a bit fresher. Interestingly, they only take cash - and that is not mentioned on the front window. He does have an ATM machine inside to help you cover the cash, but he should really announce this out front, especially for all the tourists that are in Montreal. Our bill came to $70 and he wrote down $80 ... maybe he included the tip for us - don't know, but pay attention to your bill on the way out. In fairness, the prices are reasonable here - $4.95 for a glass of the house Chianti, and every one of the pasta meals were simply $9.95. Canoli were $6.00 each.

Hmmm, I've never gone to a restaurant where they don't offer menus, until this one. I personally…read moredid not like this, but whatever floats your boat and makes you happy. Of course after we ordered we discovered a have written, 8" x 11" menu on one of the walls. Would have been nice to have been directed to that earlier... anyway moving on. Food was okay, we ordered spaghetti... the sausage was really good, bread, meatball and red sauce were a little bland. ‍ overall we most likely wouldn't be back.