La Panzeria — Restaurant in Montreal

Drove almost 45 minutes to get to the location in Montreal. No parking to be found nearby which is typical in Montreal, we parked 15 minutes away by foot as it was the only place we could find for parking and walked to the restaurant.

We arrived at the restaurant, there were 4 or 5 tables and a few bar seats, and no possibility of being seated as all seats were taken or "reserved". I didn't know we had to reserve and had no idea how small the space actually was. No possibility of reserving via the website or via Google and no indication in the website that it would be best to reserve to ensure you can be seated.

We were offered to order take out, which we ended up doing. Walked back to the car and drove back home 45 minutes away in order to eat.

We ordered focaccia and pasta with burrata and pistachio. The take out portion of pasta was really small for the price but tasted amazing. The focaccia also tasted amazing, reminded me of the pizzas we ate during our trip to Italy. Truly authentic and super delicious.

We would definitely eat here again, but we would have to figure out how to reserve a seat at the restaurant to eat next time as the pasta portions looked larger at the restaurant than for take out.

Staff was very nice and loved that everything is made fresh, just a bit disappointed at the limited seating as we were not able to experience the restaurant at it's best due to the...

I have been wanting to try La Panzeria for a while so when I planned to come to Montreal this weekend it was near the top of my list.

The Food - I got the focaccia with mortadella, burrata and pistachio, the toppings were very fresh and went very well with the focaccia. The bread was a bit chewy around the edge for my taste, looking at photos from other previous visitors it looks like mine may have just been a little more well done than usual. I had hoped to get a half-and-half focaccia with the mortadella and capocollo toppings which I had seen others post and recommend on social media however I was told at the cash register that this was not an option.

The Experience - For anyone planning to visit here, please know that they DO take reservations. Their Instagram does not mention this, they have no website and seemingly no online booking however when I wanted to eat in I was unable to because I had no reservation.

Overall the food was good however I wish that there is better information available online regarding reservations as I was really looking forward to the dine-in experience. I was also really looking forward to trying both the mortadella and capocollo toppings and am confused as to why this was not offered. If I were to return I would definitely make a reservation (I assume you do so by phone?) and go with a group so we can sample different things...

So I went in with my husband because of the 5-star review I saw and the photos of the food, hoping not to be disappointed. From the moment we sat down, we started enjoying a unique experience (because of the little things that matter, like the choice of plates, water glasses/jug, super comfy cushions on the stools that make sitting at the bar even more convenient than the reserved table section (which they only have 3, each fitting 4-5 people) to the way the owner takes your order! He asked us if it was the first time and then proposed to do a little tasting style order (he asked us to trust him and we were glad we did). He made sure to know how hungry we were to not get us too much or too little. The food: So Good! What made it good is not the complexity but the quality of every ingredient used. The thought behind it and watching him prepare it with love, makes the whole difference to a client I believe. The taste was incredible and you can definitely taste the quality of not only their ingredients but kitchen talent too. Go there! Visit Paolo’s café and you will not be disappointed :) Try the focaccia with figs and honey drizzle if you do and their house special Iced tea cocktail (also...