House of Jazz Laval — Restaurant in Laval (administrative region)

Generally pride myself on writing positive reviews and recognizing a job well done. Second star because the lobster cake was tasty.

Take some time to read other reviews before choosing to attend. Owners take note: service is the main concern.

My experience this evening at House of Jazz Laval was far from meeting expectations. Let me preface this by saying I'm not one to complain much, I understand the issues service staff face as I own two restaurants as well as four other service based companies.

Saturday night jazz club was planned to be the focal point of a weekend trip to Montreal with my girlfriend. We brought nice clothes and planned for a good time.

When we arrived the host asked if we prefer upstairs or downstairs (we had made a reservation) and advised that there was a cover fee of $15 per person downstairs and $10 everywhere else. We wanted to see and enjoy the show so we said downstairs. She brought us to a table for two immediate stage right where you were very close to the artists but also right in the path of servers and patrons using the washrooms. We said upstairs would be fine and got seated at a table for four next to the server station.

Our server was pleasant and friendly, but didn't seem to be very professional - slightly disorganized or lost. We ordered a bottle of wine, asked for water and ordered a lobster cake to start. I had planned on ordering the 8oz filet for my main.

The heat was unbearable. We were both sweating a great deal. I looked around and noticed at least seven other people fanning themselves with menus.

The service was definitely sub par as we refilled our own wine glasses and water glasses.

We decided to leave after hearing two songs as it was far too hot. We chose not to order mains. It was a plus 30 degree weather day, so I understand the AC had a hard time keeping up. But when my girlfriend jokingly said the AC must not be working, the server was quite argumentative in ensuring us it was. I've never put back a bottle of Sauv Blanc so fast to get out of there (went with white wine knowing it would be chilled). When the bill came we asked the server if she could remove the cover charge as we only stayed for two songs, did not order mains and the experience was not enjoyable, she refused and did not offer another solution like grabbing a manager or even removing the $6 bottle of Eska. That should be a courtesy on a night where it feels like, no exaggeration, 45 degrees on the second floor.

Another note about service, immediately next to our table was an unseated table where the service staff kept placing trays of empty glassware, did not add to the ambience at all.

I will...

A live show is the ultimate entertainment, there's no debate here. But if you're going to offer it in a restaurant setting, you better step it up a notch.

We saw Derek Fall it they were pretty solid! Very entertaining, engaging, diversified. More a all-rounder than blues per se but still excellent! The sax player stole the show and we even had a 8 years old little girl play the piano with them!! That was really something!

Menu offer is good (although has it's aberrations) but execution lacks a bit. Mussels in the jambalaya are sketchy (traces of dry and old meat in the shell). Wagyu ground beef? Give me a break! Pasta are bland, need to ask for salt (which took a while, friend's meal was cold by the time it came). Tartare was warm, that's scary!

Prices are steep : 1$ per calamari bite, 10$ domestic beer, 15$ glass of wine... Over the show surcharge (15$ in the main room). 2 person meal + alcool is over 250. I have no issue paying for the show, but you can't charge twice (explicitly + higher food price). I honestly expected to be treated better for those figures. Which brings us to service...

Service is where we have a real issue. At the end of the meal, 3½ hours after sitting down, the empty glasses from pre-dinner aperitif were still on the table. Along the whole meal plates and drinkware. The waitress, who didn't seem to want to be there that night, only came to us every 45 minutes or so and made mistakes on the orders and bills. We ended up walking up to the bar to place drinks order on multiple occasions. It felt it was our responsibility to make sure we had enough to drink.

She could have easily sold twice as much drinks if she visited more often. Didn't offer coffee and brought the bills before we were done. Also brought the cake without plates or cutlery. And then openly complained about the poor tip she got.

Since I was the one organizing the group for a birthday, I wanted to pay for everybody's 'show fee' but never had the chance to tell the staff. Bills came too quickly.

Not sure I'll visit again. Maybe in the bar section, seemed a more...

Wow wow wow. Where do I even begin. This is the single best jazz club I’ve ever had the opportunity to go to. The place is simply fabulous and looks like it’s straight out of a movie of some kind. I was greeted by the owner and an employee and they accompanied me to my reservation spot. While we were going to the second floor where u was meant to enjoy my meal, I was able to take a quick glance around me and see a panoply of well decorated spaces with specific lights creating an even more interesting and jazzy atmosphere. I never would’ve thought a bright gem like that one could have been hiding right there in plain sight. We had originally made a reservation for 9 people and we had requested to be put in a little room. The room will be in the videos and it was gorgeous as well. I had been there before and never even knew that it existed. The staff came regularly to ensure we were all ready to order and just to see if there was anything they could help us with. The food took an average time of 27 minutes to arrive, and I must say that it is extremely impressive that it was done so quickly seeing as we had all ordered different kinds of meals and were still served at around the same time. My meal was well plated and the tastes simply embraced my tongue like a warm and nice hug. They were gentle and agressive, offering a wide array of various sensations and flavours which all complemented one another so perfectly. I was amazed.

One thing that is important to note is the price of your entry. It was 15$ more per person because we had to pay for the band and frankly I’d have paid them much more for how good they played. Then there’s also something you must look at. Just make sure you are aware that the price of the shots are marked for individual shots and not for the whole round. One of my friends hadn’t picked up on that little subtlety and was quite shocked once the bill arrived. Other than that, excellent everything. I’m super glad I got to be there and enjoy myself with my friends.

10/10...