Boca Iberica — Restaurant in Montreal

It's got great low-key magic. Perfect for a date, perfect for a party. My experience was fairly unique though. We rolled in at 8:00 PM (ok, 8:09 PM) on a Wednesday and we were the only patrons in the restaurant. It was like my own little Portuguese-food vacation. I had of course read reviews across a multitude of sites prior to going and a common theme emerged: a unicorn of a server named Roberto. When our server approached us, of course we asked his name and upon hearing "Roberrrto" (r's must be rolled) I obviously yelled "the famous Roberto?" And of course, he was. He really is as fantastic as the reviews say. We let him choose our whole menu and a bottle of red. The food is divine. Grilled octopus - perfection. Mackerel tartare - perfection. This Portuguese take on a tiramisu that eats like a glass-jar parfait - parfait. I was being so loud and happy and it didn't matter because no one else was around. What a great find.

Actually - when we left I realized I forgot to take mints which normally I can't stand, but for some inexplicable reason, needed in that moment the way LeAnn Rimes needs you like water and breath (and like rain too). We stopped and I ran back. Roberto was already closing up shop and the doors were locked. I knocked. He came to my rescue and graciously let me get some mints. Yes!

Seriously, such a spirited and magical time. Go here. Eat all the things and drink in the wine and...

Nice ambience, but portion sizes are stupidly small for the price. $60/person and we left hungry. Charcuterie platter especially is a ripoff. $28 and it comes with literally 6 thin slices of chorizo, 6 slices of ham, 6 slices of salami, and 8 slices of cheese. The meat platter also was described verbally as having pork ribs but came with bavette instead. Water never got refilled and it took forever to get our receipt, which they didn't ask how to separate. Meanwhile the table of Portuguese people behind us got constant attentive service. I kept trying to gain their attention, which shouldn't have been hard since they had all of 4 tables and at least 3 employees, but between dessert finishing and bill printing we waited 45 or so minutes.

Prices are also not as displayed on their website; they are several dollars higher.

I feel incredibly misled and disappointed in my experience at this restaurant and understand why it was empty when we entered it at 7pm on a Saturday. We made a reservation online weeks in advance and they didn't even seem to have us on file. Great way to start your guests' experience!

The food didn't taste bad which is the only reason this review did not...

We were a party of 6 and everyone enjoyed their meals. 2 of us chose tapas style and selected several small plates; the grilled octopus was tender and tasty, the clams were so sweet and delicious you had to dunk bread in the juices at the bottom of the bowl. We had two types of croquettes cod which was so light and airy and beef which was fresh and flavorful. And finally we had the daily special of crispy octopus salad which was tender, plentiful and satisfying. The others enjoyed main entrees . Which included steak and rice and seafood. The restaurant is pretty, spacious and the staff is welcoming. We recommend...