La Belle et La Barbe - Bistro Urbain — Restaurant in Longueuil

Overall good experience, but there is room to improve.

We went as a group of 9 wishing we said we were 10 by the end of the night. When we arrived there were 4 tables for 2 lined up. One side having 5 chairs. This made for a pretty tight and uncomfortable squeeze. Especially when the forks and knives came out. For the calibre of food they're putting out of the kitchen, I was pretty surprised they'd be the type of restaurant to skip on client comfort in order to create space for another 2 top.

The general ambience was nice and gave a great first impression as to what dinner will be like. Things started out well, but by the end of dinner we felt like we were leaving a club. The music wasn't just loud by the end, but by 8:30 you couldn't communicate with the person across from you without yelling. If we were a smaller table, we probably would have been in and out before things got too loud. So lesson learned. Who knows, maybe I'm just getting old. As loud as it was, there's no denying that the food is worth it.

Given the fact that there was nine of us, we expected food to be slow. Which it was, but they can't be faulted for that. It was a Saturday night, the place was packed, and we were only 1 of 3 large tables. When our apps did arrive, 1 hour after ordering, it was delicious. I ordered the calamari, and despite not knowing what it was when it first arrived, I'm glad I made the choice I did. It was lightly battered, stuffed with some crazy good, red based sauce, and it was cooked to perfection.

As for the mains. They arrived shortly after and everyone was pleased with the final result. I opted for the bavette and though I was a little underwhelmed by the portion size at first, it ended up being the perfect amount of food. The temperature of the cook was bang on, but I did find it a tad salty. Which may be attributed to what I can only guess was a miso based marinade or sauce. Still edible and was quite tasty. So much so that I'd probably do it all over again in hopes that someone was just a little heavy handed on the seasoning last night. Really, aside from being salty, my only real gripe about the main was the knives they provide. 3 of us had steak and 1 had the duck. All of us struggled to cut our proteins. So please management, if you take anything away from this review. Please invest in better cutlery.

All in all. Despite the cramped seating, loud music, and steak knives that could easily be confused for butter knives. I'd still happily return as a table of 2 or 4. Since most of my complaints could easily be attributed to the size of our group. I can't help but think La Belle et La Barbe is better than what I experienced last night. The staff are great, the food is well worth the price paid, and though it was loud by the end of the night, the ambience did provide a nice break from the typical restaurant experience in that...

Update 3rd of august 2024 Sad to say it was a much different experience since my birthday last year. We've went a few times since as well and the experience has been different everytime but yesterday was really the worst. For one, the quality of the establishment is lacking. The tables are sticky like if the varnish is due? My arms kept sticking to it and we could see old receipts burned into the wood. The booth cushions need to be replaced as the covers are torn and cracked. The Ac isnt working, it wasnt working last time either so all this combined made for an uncomfortable experience.

As for the food. The entrees were good! But My wife experienced three different temperatures on her plate. Hot fries, room temperature steak and cold veggies. I ordered the duck breast and had to return it twice. Once because the breast and sauce were cold and again because the kitchen apparently just blasted it in the oven. Serving my a burning hot plate and a now overcooked and tough duck breast, for 43$. Third times the charm and thank god for our waitress who was understanding. After my wife was entirely done and drinking her coffee, i got my plate. Contrary to what our waiter last year led me to believe, they don't do anything for birthdays, which I found a little disappointing. Every place ive worked offered a small something and it was apparent that the waitress felt awkward telling us this. The service was good but i felt the kitchen was lacking in professionalism and seems to have changed since our previous visits, with how they treated the issue. Overall, i did not feel like valued customer, just another table to flip. I doubt we will be coming back. Previous review Came here for my birthday and i was blown away, maybe i should have told them it was a special day haha but regardless, the food was spectacular.

I was on the fence between fish and chip or the coquille st Jacques déconstruit and the waiter, who was amazing, sad i didnt catch his name, highly suggested the Coquille. Im glad he did, the scallops and shrimps were perfectly cooked, juicy and tender. My wife order the bavette with chimichurri and again, the meat was on point medium-rare and juicy.

I love the small detail that they make their own butter and play with flavours.

And the cheesecake....YOOOOO THE CHEESECAKE!! Ridiculously good.

The atmosphere was relaxed and i liked the old school rap in the background.

The Service was quick...

We’ve been coming to this restaurant for years, usually to celebrate birthdays. The food and ambiance have always been good, which is why we keep coming back. But after our most recent visit, we left feeling genuinely disappointed.

This time we were a table of 7, celebrating three birthdays, including one that was happening on the actual day. When we called to reserve the day before, we asked if they did anything small to acknowledge a birthday. The staff told us they don’t offer a free dessert or cake because the owner believes it’s too expensive, but they said they would offer a complimentary drink or shot to the birthday person.

At the end of our meal, my husband politely went to speak with the team, only to be told that no, they don’t offer drinks or shots either, because “it promotes drinking” and is supposedly illegal. That doesn’t make sense, and we’ve never heard of that before. In the end, my husband paid out of pocket to get a dessert so we could sing happy birthday.

To be clear, it’s not about getting something for free. It’s about the gesture. Many restaurants offer a small treat or acknowledgement, like a candle, a mini dessert, or even just a kind word. Especially when it’s a birthday and especially for a larger group. It makes people feel welcome and appreciated. What’s frustrating is that we were told one thing when reserving, and something entirely different when we arrived. No one even acknowledged the birthday at the table.

We left sad and disappointed. Not because of what we didn’t receive, but because it felt like the care and warmth we were hoping for, something that made this place feel special in the past, was missing.

We hope the management reconsiders this kind of approach. A small gesture...