Moishes — Restaurant in Montreal

Unfortunately I had to update my review for the new location located at Victoria Square. From start to finish there was not one food item like the original. The coleslaw tasted nothing like the original Moishes coleslaw. It was overly sweet with barely any vinegar and had extremely long strings of cabbage hitting the table and it came in the tiniest dessert size bowl. The bread was not freshly baked. There are no more fresh hot out of the oven baguettes, only day or two old bread. The steak was full of large chunks of fat and it was overly salted. The steak came with half a roasted garlic bulb that tasted like it was doused in syrup or sugar with some strange spice. Two people in my party shared a steak and they were not given standard size dinner plates, but instead appetizer sized plates for their main meal. The french fries were nowhere at all like the original Moishes. The French fries tasted like frozen fries cooked in terrible tasting cheap oil. I definitely didn’t want seconds, but I used to order seconds at the original location. What happened here? No bottle of ketchup or 57 sauce, only tiny child size little dipping bowls. Montecarlo potato is nothing like the original either. Shrimp cocktail are oversized but you are charged per shrimp, I personally like them much better at another establishment - no comparison. No tablecloth at a supposed fine dining establishment is unheard of. Only half of the restaurant has tablecloth’s. Silverware placed on a bare table picking up germs from the tables previous customers is not too appetizing. The millefeuille was good, but not as good as the original, there was too much jam smeared on the plate and in between layers. The best part of the meal was the butter, water and dessert. The bathroom was a huge turn off. Men and women use the same bathroom at the same time. My parents didn’t like the idea and wanted to run out of there. Then you’re charged for valet parking. For the amount that they charge for this restaurant, there shouldn’t be any complaints, everything should be the best, but it wasn’t. It is more like a restaurant chain now. Unfortunately the original Moishes went down with the original location to a place of no return. I won’t be back.

Original review from the original location: Excellent restaurant. If you want to dine at one of Montreal’s best steakhouses, Moishes is the place to go. Superb rib steak, coleslaw and fries. Their Millefeuille is to die for, you will never find a better one than at Moishes. I have been dining at Moishes my whole life, and you can always be assured that you will have a delicious and...

This restaurant has been around for decades and just around the COVID period it was sold and the original founding family were out of the (Moishe’s) business. So how does this place stack up against the traditional and reliable old guard?

Interior and atmosphere beautiful and definitely a dress up environment. Washrooms are par excellence!!! Their steaks are still wonderful. Desserts delicious. Bar is where the big difference is as they now have a serious bar for the 5-7 crown and beyond. There is a street level terrace if you’re ok with the oxygen in the congested traffic led area.

So here is my only angst and it’s perhaps an odd one.

I used to love eating here because they made their broiled chicken in such a manner and seasoning that was exactly like my grandmother (mother’s mum), and it was chicken perfection to say the least. The texture was crisp exterior and skin flavoured amazing. The interior was juicy and flavourful as well. So why I saying this is they the menu again shows their chicken - however, they do not ADVISE that the recipe on the whole has changed and is completely different.

To be blunt, the chicken was nothing special and I easily could have had a similar dish elsewhere and certainly could have cooked this myself. One of my reasons for eating in a restaurant is to eat something I can’t make or it’s difficult to make. Sadly the chicken is no longer tasty and certainly not unique in the slightest I expected so much more from the new owners of the brand (I won’t name them as there is no point in calling the company out). At the end of the day I do t find it advantageous or special enough for me to travel to Moishe’s as there are now many excellent places to eat steak, so to come here alone, with guests, or for events are no longer exciting or desirable. For me, this is the end of an era of great food. This now is just another high end steak house in Montreal that offers a gratuitous chicken dish - which by the way the breast was dry on top of that.

So good luck to Moishe’s, not that luck is needed as they do seem to be doing well especially due to their now prime location for the business and high end tourist audience on the border of downtown and old Montreal.

I do not add photos as there would be...

My recent dining experience at Moishes in Montreal was less than satisfactory, despite a few highlights.

Upon arrival, we were pleasantly greeted by the staff, and the ambiance of the restaurant was truly exceptional. The atmosphere was incredible, contributing to an initially promising evening

Although it was not a particularly busy night, our seating arrangement was less than ideal. Our party of five was placed at a standard table, despite several empty circular tables behind us that remained unoccupied throughout our meal. This decision detracted from our comfort and overall experience.

Service was disappointingly slow, and we did not have the benefit of a consistent server. The constant change in servers contributed to a sense of disorganization. It took a full twenty minutes after being seated before our food order was taken. Additionally, our drinks always seemed to take an unusually long time to arrive.

When our main courses were eventually brought to the table, there was another oversight: no steak knives were provided. Three of us had to wait for ten minutes, while our food cooled, before we could properly enjoy our meals. This was particularly frustrating.

As for the food itself, it was a mixed experience. I ordered the 8 oz filet mignon, which unfortunately was tough and chewy, far from the tender cut I had anticipated. The Monte Carlo potato was overly salty. However, the mushrooms were delicious, the wild grilled shrimp were excellent, and the steak tartare was a standout dish. Our group found the meals generally satisfactory but, having dined at establishments like Gibby's and Ruth's Chris, we felt the food and service did not live up to the hype or our expectations.

Additionally, we noticed that the table next to us also experienced poor service. It was someone's birthday, and their dessert order was forgotten. Although the dessert was eventually comped, no apology was offered, which only compounded the negative impression.

In summary, while the initial welcome and certain dishes were highlights, the overall service and inconsistent quality of the food at Moishes left much to be desired. For a restaurant of its reputation, the experience did not meet our...