Bottega — Restaurant in Montreal

I've been going to the Laval Bottega location for the better part of the last decade. A recent gathering of friends brought me to the 'original location' in beautiful Little Italy. I was excited to find out if this location offered the same quality of food or if there was a notable difference in any way.

The first thing I noticed was that this location is probably half the size of the Laval location. The decor is about the same and it promotes a warm and intimate environment, ideal for a date or special occasion with a significant other.

I went with their polpetta (meatball drenched in tomato sauce and Italian herbs), a marinara pizza as a main and for dessert their Nutella pizza!

The polpetta is so underappreciated I can't help to recommend it to everyone I eat here with. Sure, the price-tag of $4 per meatball is off-putting but trust me... try it. It's perfect and it will leave you wanting for more. In some ways it was so good it sometimes overshadows the main course for me. Thinking about it right now makes me drool...

I'd go here and order 5 of them and just leave a happy man.

I went with their marinara pizza and while it was good I will freely admit I was somewhat disappointed but it. I expect my pizza to maximize.the space in my plate with a perfect crust ratio and for some reason my pizza was somewhat deformed. It wasn't round but more so leaf shaped? Furthermore, the crust was too thick which left me less tomato/igredient goodness in the middle to enjoy. I enjoy the crust but I'd recommend better preparation.

For dessert we shared the Nutella pizza and it was sublime. Thankfully it was properly prepared being perfectly round with little crust to deal with.

Price-tag is a little high but it's worth it.

Overall I enjoyed it but I much prefer the Laval location for a variety of...

06/16/23 Came on a busy Friday but I had to find street parking so keep that in mind. Drove her over 30 minutes as I've heard this is a very good pizza restaurant. We were served with their Foccacia and it was amazing with their EVOO that they serve. We started with the veal meatballs. They are quite big but charging $8 for one meatball is a bit crazy. We ended up getting two but I must say they are worth getting and flavorful. Be sure to use the bread to mop up the tomato sauce as it really is amazing. They also made us a charcuterie board as we asked them if it's possible they basically threw on there some speck, cappicuolo and prosciutto as well as Parmesan and some olives. Overall the charcuterie and meatballs were fantastic!

Moving to the pizzas I had the Tartufo Nero. It was incredible and it is the best pizza I've ever ate. The truffle with the mozzarella and the padano shavings were incredible combination. The egg was the cherry on top although I wish there was another one on there! Truly fantastic pizza! We also had the caprese which on paper it's a general topping pizza but the way it's prepared here is on another level. Everything was perfect from the sauce to the tomatoes to the mozzarella it was top notch.

For desert we had the panna cotta. It was really good and at the perfect temperature but we weren't left amazed for sure worth it.

The service was incredible. Alessandro took care of us and even from what it looked like the front-of-house manager was up and about running around the floor checking if everything is under control and she came up to us multiple times and was extremely friendly! Outstanding service amazing pizza and great starters! I totally recommend!

Polpetta con Pomodoro: 4/5 Tartufo Nero: 5/5 Caprese: 5/5 Panna Cotta:...

Food is tasty, for sure, but I think a bit overpriced for the quantity. Beyond that, service at the table is very professional.

But the problem is related to the reservation. I reserved on a Saturday evening at 8.15pm. We arrived on time and they let us know that the previous clients paid, they are at the table and « it should just take 5mins for them to leave ». Okay, no problem, understandable. 10 mins later, I go back to the waitress, she let me know that « we cannot make them move, even if they paid, you’ll have to wait».

Even if they offered us one glass each of Prosecco to apologise for the wait, at the end, we waited 30+ mins to get the table we RESERVED.

Bottega team, I do understand the situation, but on your reservation platform, as many other restaurants, you mention that reservations before 20h are limited to 2-hours. To me, it seems unacceptable to have to wait 30 mins for a reserved table, just because you don’t want to explain to the seated clients that the table is reserved for the next ones. It’s not easy to say, but it can be said in a nice way so they’ll understand. It seemed that you didn’t explain them at all that the next clients are waiting. You let us wait 30+ mins. Respect of each client is necessary, and I didn’t feel that you respected our time.

Pizzas are tasty, and again the service at the table is great, but still, I will not come back, and I do not recommend due to the overall experience and first...