Rita — Restaurant in Montreal

The food at Rita was very good but the service received inside was lamentable( not talking about the waiters outside who seemed very kind and good at their jobs ). Let me explain. We had ordered 2 pizzas to go, we looked at the menu( it was hanging on the window seen from outside) and had questions about the offering.

We went inside and spoke to the man behind the counter who had a protective visor on. We ask our questions to make sure we are making the right choice and he answers us with '' What do you want me to tell you? The menu is exactly what's on the menu form you see outside'', This man needs to take professionalism and good service classes as he was very unhelpful and is basically selling food he knows nothing about and doesn't care to know about either. Not much of a people person. He more or less told us he works there but knows nothing about what he sells and doesn't want to make an effort. We were hoping to get some empathy from him but that was too much to ask for. It's not nice to act this way with clients.

A good 20 minutes later, I go to pick up the pizzas ordered, the man says wait here. Ok I do. He gets the pizzas and hands them over. I then ask him which pizza is in which box. He tells me with attitude and righteous grin '' You'll just have to open the boxes and have a look''. Come on man, tell me you don't know what goes in your boxes?? Ridiculous and very unfriendly. When the client asks you a question, you need to give him a better, more polite and courteous answer than that, and CARE about the 40$ sales you just made.. because it might not happen again, especially in these covid times!!!! Being talked to that way makes a client feel stupid and that should never happen.

I ended up with a pizza that was very delicious but too spicy to my liking.. all this because the person inside could not give a care in the world to give us advice on what to choose. They should write what's spicy or not on the menus by the way.

The food was good but the service inside really sucked. Not too sure I want to go back and if I do and see this guy again, I'm going down the street to Pizza Hut where I am treated like a respected client and save money on the pizzas to boot(although the quality isn't exactly the same of course). If I pay good money for food, I expect much better...

Rita is a gem in Verdun. If you're a local, you're lucky to have such an amazing institution right in your backyard. If you're a tourist, you'll find amazing food, a great terrace, and staff that makes you feel welcome just like you were a local.

We went on a Monday, presumably the quietest day of the week, and were lucky to have a table on the terrace made available by a a departing party when we arrived.

The staff there is unpretentious, personable, and gave great recommendations on their menu of modern Italian cuisine.

The food is best described as "avant-garde", but foundationally solid with a mastery of classic techniques. The pizza is an excellent example of this descriptor: the Neapolitan style pizza features a incredible, classic tasting crust but with nouveau ingredients that pushes the boundaries of what's considered "classic". I was told the dough is a FIVE DAY FERMENT, and that commitment to technique translates to a crust that's got the perfect chew (and mouth feel) without it feeling gummy or overworked.

The pasta is homemade, and the quality of their craft is evident: the al-dente chew on the pasta is truly unique: I've never tasted anything like it.

The highlight of the night has to be the buffalo burrata with roasted root veg (kolrabi and white beets). They're definitely pushing the envelope with ingredients here: The root vegetables were NOT peeled, and still had young roots attached, but the way they roasted it all made it all incredibly delicious. Paired with a rich ball of mozz, the dish is a statement that you can really challenge your preconceptions on ingredient preparation if you've got really good produced sourced from local vendors.

Every dish is expertly crafted with a great mastery of traditional techniques, but the kitchen crew at Rita certainly challenges diners with avant garde preparation and ingredient combinations.

The service was top notch. Our waiter, Pierre, took time to explain the dishes we were interested in, and was patient with us as I was trying to convey ourselves in primary French.

Overall, 100% would eat again, and I would send every visitor...

I love the ambience of this restaurant. Very pretty.

So, all of the dishes were great.. really yummy!!

We had mozzarella and bread as an appetizer, the bread was very nice and fluffy. It came with some asparagus which was good as well(and I don’t usually care for asparagus)

The pasta dishes were so good. Delicious sauce, well cooked gnocchi.

The special of the night which is the ravioli, was very good. Only suggestion is that there be maybe.. bigger or more pieces of shrimp added inside. It was so good but you’d only get so many bites of it with shrimp! :(

Only critique I have of the gnocchi, is that my dish could’ve been warmer.

The Panna Cotta dessert was soooo good, I wanted more.

My cocktail was tasty

Our server was very nice and helpful, 10/10.

Update(2nd visit): Very good pasta. Service was great and the panna cotta was delicious and addictive as expected

Update(3rd visit): I had the special truffle non-cut ravioli…Soooo yummy, not too salty like other places. My cocktail was good, just not for me. Definitely a good choice for whisky and bourbon lovers (i forgot the name but it starts with « pomme ») The dessert was so good, ice cream with chocolate chips and espresso to pour on top. Great service once again. As a whole I’d give it a 9.5/10. Here’s why: the top of the pasta was a bit undercooked. However, towards the bottom it was well cooked, so it was...