Excellent foods and services!
What guests say about L'Express
L’Express seems to be a classic French bistro that is very popular in Montreal, with a lively and authentic atmosphere, as well as service that is often quick, professional, and welcoming. Many guests highlight standout dishes such as steak frites, duck, profiteroles, and well-prepared meats, along with a wine list seen as interesting and sometimes reasonably priced. On the other hand, some reviews mention a noisy setting, uneven meals depending on the dish or service, and value for money that is sometimes questioned. Booking ahead is often recommended, especially during busy hours.
Reviews / Ratings for L'Express
Best quality for the price! Good service as well!
A cozy restaurant with established in 1981.
Such a classic french bistro! Learned that the same titles restaurant on park ave in manhattan is not connected. And as someone who went to both now, can’t stand up to the real French Montréal version!
Feels like a french bistro. Steak was disappointing. Bonmerow was great. Octopus great
L’Express is truly one of the best places in Montréal to experience a classic French dining atmosphere. The service is fast, professional, and very experienced. Even though it’s busy, everything runs smoothly. You can really feel the Parisian vibe the black-and-white flooring, bar seating, and energetic atmosphere are all spot on. If you want to experience a true French dining experience in Montréal, this place is absolutely a must.
10/10 no notes. Family of 5 ate the most delicious lunch, left no crumbs.
The Sorrel soup was… well as good as Sorrel soup can get I guess… was ok The duck confit was (probably) good, if it wasn’t swimming in some kind of a red beans stew that completely overwhelmed the taste and texture of the duck :( The baba a rum was superb.
Great place for a date night. The service was fantastic, more European than American style. The food was delicious, fries were well salted, steak well cooked (as you like it), and the shallot-butter was so good I want to try making it at home. The place is nicely laid out with good lighting. Just remember to book a reservation.
Iconic bistro offering unconventional but very French cuisine.
L'Express is my favoruite resturant in the city. That's why it's super disappointing they hung up on me when I tried to snag a spot I could not find online by calling in. Most resturants hold tables from online for call ins. Can't beleive I was treated so rudely...
This iconic Montreal institution sets an impeccable table. The cuisine is outstanding, highlighted by a classic bone marrow and a legendary steak tartare, made even more authentic by the signature jars of cornichons and grainy mustard. Service is both crisp and convivial, ensuring the atmosphere remains refined yet approachable. To finish, an exquisite value-driven selection from the renowned cellar rounds out the evening perfectly.
Went for lunch and was expecting it to be better than it was. This place was an institution. I had the rognons which were not that great. Out of all the pieces I had 2 or 3 that were badly washed so it gave it a really bad and strong unpleasant taste to the rest of the plate. This was not my first time having kidneys. Was hoping it was better prepped. The service was also mediocre as we had to flag the server multiple times for our bottle of wine we purchased because they kept it elsewhere but next to our table. Would I give it another chance? Maybe in a couple of years. Lunc lunch for 1 entree, 2 main dishes with a 65$ bottle of wine ran a bill of 210$
We had an upsetting experience at L'Express last night. It was very surprising because one reason why we've regularly gone to L'Express for special occasions was because of their exceptional service. It's why we chose to celebrate our engagement at L'Express 25 years ago. In the past, when we asked to sit at the same table for subsequent anniversaries, they always saved the table and seemed genuinely happy to see us. Unlike other times, they did not save the table for us last night even though I made a reservation a couple of weeks in advance and mentioned that it was where we sat 25 years ago for our engagement dinner. Under different circumstances, we would have taken getting a different table in stride, but this was an extremely important milestone for us. We also would have understood if the people at the table were midway through their meal, but they had arrived only a short while before us, so saving the table shouldn't have been an issue. The waitress did try to come up with a plan of moving us to the table for dessert. Unfortunately, the restaurant was excessively loud, so we decided to leave after our main course. All of this would have been disappointing, but we could have salvaged the night if we had been treated better. What most upset us was how the manager handled the situation. He was dismissive and abrupt, barely listening to us when we explained why we were disappointed. He walked away shortly after telling us L'Express served 200 people a night and there was nothing he could do. We felt disrespected and disregarded; an apology or acknowledgment would have gone a long way. This is so different from our previous experiences at L'Express where the staff was committed to making our dining experience as exceptional as possible. Great attention and care was placed on making us feel valued and appreciated. While the food and ambiance are still great, the way we were treated by the manager seriously affected what should have been an incredibly special night. L'Express has a great ambiance and steak frites--but so do a lot of other places. We left feeling that we'd rather give our business to a restaurant that values us as customers.
Real french food. So goooooooddd
L’Express is often heralded as one of the most iconic institutions Montreal has to offer, which played a major part in shaping the city’s iconic food landscape. As such, I chose to dine in this restaurant with my partner for her birthday, expecting to be completely blown away by its food and wanted to confirm if their food matches their hype. It does not at all. The food is absolutely average. Starting with their in-house bread, which was extremely chewy and tough, like horribly tough… on the other hand, the mustard and pickles were very nice (probably the nicest thing we had). We chose bone marrow, having had bone marrow at other institutions in the city, we were expecting something similar. But no, it was not; it was unpleasant, very unpleasant, and painful to eat. The bone marrow was not seasoned in any way. Next, ravioli. This was quite good, I’ll give this to them. The filling was rich, the gravy it came in was quite thick and wonderful. One thing I will unfortunately point out: have the ravioli quickly because the gravy will get congealed quickly. Lastly, one of the dishes that you will frequently see people talk about the most is the Hanger Steak. I tried it, and honestly, just skip this dish altogether. The fries were regular fries (almost the exact same fries you get at Orange Julep), and the cut of steak is just sad with how much you are paying for it. The meat is not seasoned, extremely tough, and also, I do not think they baste their steak post-cooking either. Personally, I did not enjoy having a cold slab of butter on top. For a main highlight meat dish I didn’t like that I had two contrasting competing temperatures in my mouth. I’d appreciate it in an entree but maybe not in a main dish. Service is average, nothing fancy; you walk in, eat, walk out, no questions asked. Personally, L’Express did not match its hype. I don’t think I’ll be coming back here again. Ambiance was very nice, reminded me of Parisian restaurants. Hope whoever reads this has a better experience.
Finally one great restaurant in Montreal! Amazing service and the food is top-notch
Very crowded even at night. Arrived 9:15 walk in and they put me down for reservation at 10:15. But I got text at 9:52 my table is ready. Delicious soup, herring, blood pudding (sausage). Phenomenal maple profiteroles. Massive drink menu
Classic French brasseries serving hearty dishes. We got the bone marrow for the starter which was okay but too oily and very filling. Personally, I would not recommend this as an appetizer as it was quite oily and essentially another version or bread with butter. But if you like bone marrow you will enjoy it. For main course we got the Boudin Noir (blood pudding) with apples and the hangar steak. Both were quite good and filling but the blood pudding was my favourite. The blood pudding was rich with a creamy texture while the mashed potatoes it comes with were very buttery. The fries with the steak were extra crispy (maybe a little over cooked) as well. Both the steak and the blood pudding felt like they were deep fried. We also got the maple profiteroles for dessert which was alright. The maple flavour is quite strong but it is essentially just profiteroles with maple ice cream in them. Overall not bad but you can get better food at a similar price at Monarque, which is much better.
Highly recomended restaurant from my Belgian friends brother. Had bone marrow for the first time it was nice, but different and takes a bit of effort to maximise the contents. The confit duck was good but not spectacular. Well cooked but the sides i felt although cooked lacked flavour. Finally desert which was the best of the lot nice ppecan flavour and pastry but i felt was misding a bit between pastry and pecans but nice never the less. Excellent service , great staff. A solid but not spectacular place.
Service and food was amazing, we had a great evening. Nice wine list too!
I dined here solo recently. I enjoyed the atmosphere and I was touched that the host thanked me by my name as I was leaving. I appreciated the gesture.
It was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The restaurant staff were excellent and very professional. The steak was really good, and the best thing I had was the profiteroles for dessert—I definitely recommend trying it.
Rude service staff, specifically the host who takes reservations. If you are anglophone, don’t waste your money here - they will treat you differently and disrespect you.
Never heard of, but was suggested. Small place serving big portions of delicious food. Had the bone marrow and the duck. They didn't miss with those dishes. I will be back to try the rest.
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Opening hours
- Sunday 11:30 - 01:00
- Monday 11:30 - 01:00
- Tuesday 11:30 - 01:00
- Wednesday 11:30 - 01:00
- Thursday 11:30 - 01:00
- Friday 11:30 - 01:00
- Saturday 11:30 - 01:00
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