Vieux-Port Steakhouse — Restaurant in Montreal

Alright, picture this: It’s a week before Valentine’s Day, you’re scrambling like a lunatic because you forgot to book a place for dinner and your wife’s already sharpening the knives. Vermont’s sold out. So what do you do? You drive across the freaking border to Vieux-Port Steakhouse in Montreal, hoping this place’ll save your sorry ass. Let’s just say, the night was… well, it was something.

First off, we froze our butts off outside for ten minutes on one of the coldest nights of the year. Then when we finally got in, we’re all crammed up in the entryway where there’s these big windows looking into other people’s booths, like they’re animals at the zoo and we’re the gawking tourists. Trying to claim our territory cause people kept cutting in line. Talk about awkward. And that’s just the warm-up act.

A cute waitress brings us upstairs — that was the last time we saw her — and we enter what felt more Golden Corral meets Applebee’s than a classy steakhouse. Tables were jammed in so tight I could hear every detail of every conversation of the ten couples within five feet of me. Thankfully most weren’t very talkative.

Meanwhile, I’d requested a nice window seat in the reservation—y’know, for romance or whatever—but we get seated by the damn register and the main bussing station. Great. Nothing like paying a premium to watch busboys juggle dirty dishes three inches from your face. We were put at a five person table. I mean, they basically decided, “Hey, these two look married. Let’s give ’em more personal space than a middle school dance.”

And don’t even get me started on service. Our waiter was practically doing the witness protection program ‘cause we saw him, like, three times total. Takes 30 minutes to get the first round of drinks, and my Old Fashioned was so sweet I thought I’d accidentally ordered a Shirley Temple.

An hour and a half in, we still hadn’t seen so much as a crouton for our salads—at which point I half-joked about just bailing for McDonald’s.

When the food finally does land on the table—yeah, it’s pretty decent. But let’s be real: after 90 minutes of watching other people chew while your stomach eats itself, anything tastes good.

During our meal we had a great show of rushing wait staff trip over each other, a few dramatic one’s barking orders, and steaming plates placed inches from my table on a tray waiting to be placed at someone else’s table. You better believe I almost grabbed one of those. The room was well lit, like a hardware store, and the music was so faint it became a fun game of ‘guess what tune’ cause we’d only hear a note or two per song there were so many people yipyapping.

I finally flagged the water down like a bull waving my napkin in the air, and they whacked me with a $160 USD tab. I mean, for that price, I kinda expected a little less Bedlam & Applebee’s and a little more class & consistency. I would’ve been happier back in Vermont at LongHorn, stuffing a decent steak in my face for half the hassle.

Maybe, on a random Tuesday in June, this place could be great. With half the people (and half the waiters)… Who knows? But on Valentine’s Day, being Americans — getting some “Canadians-are-the-51st-state” side-eye from the staff, plus the human zoo entrance, the table Tetris, and the MIA waiter—let’s just say it’s not exactly the love nest I had in mind. Will I give it another shot? Maybe. But for now, it’s getting a lower ranking than I would’ve liked to give, especially for...

I visited vieux port steakhouse during my vist to old Montreal, after a quick look at Google review. This establishment has been in business for 20 years great service and frendly staff and perfectly cooked stake.

I was expecting that when i visited this place but what i got was bad service, sub par food, a wasted meal during my vacation.

I walked in to a very friendly smile bur the restaurant was empty it was early didn't think much of it.

After being seated i waited 15 min for service. It was early so i was fine, what ever. Ther service person came, i was ready, it is montreal so i ordered the rost beef poutine new york for me and rib stake for the wife glass of house red for the wife and side of wild rice.

The poutine was ok.... couldn't see much rost beef on the rost beef poutine, but grave was good and cheese was very good, It was nothing special.

Then the stakes came out, ordered medium and got burnt rib stake and welldone new york. It was funny that me and my wife just talked about how you cant mess up a stake at a stake house that has been im business for more than 20 years just before stakes came out.

I wanted to send it back right away but my wife reminded me of the covid and pointed out how empty the restaurant was....... Couldn't argue with that so eat my over cooked stake my wife played with it, after 20 min our server came to check on us. I wanted to just hold my self but did tell him our stakes were over cooked.

He apologized and told us we could send it back but by then i was more than half done and told him i would just finish mine and asked for a new stake for my wife, since she only played with her food. Funny you wouldn't think that a stake house that has been in business for over 20 years will not mess up a stake 3 times in a row but they did, asked for a med got a med rare....

At that point my wife was done, i sad screw it i will just eat it, finshed half at the restaurant and eating leftovers in my hotel room now close to midnight.

Two postive things about my dinner was that the side of rested veggies were very good and i had leftovers, even a bad stake is good as midnight snack.

Negatives were servers were not attentive had to ask for spoon for side of wild rice i ordered, had to ask for water refill. People were just bot around to help. Food was average not considering overcooked stake.

I am taking time out of my life leaving this review not because i am not trying to put down the restaurant, if this place was in business for over 20 years i am sure it was doing something right before but with the covid and cut hours to staff it feels like they are going through a rough time, please dont do the easy thing and do to the keg next door, visit the restaurant but dont be like me just feel bad about the situation and put up with the bad food and service. Let them know what they are doing wrong and what they are doing right. I dont know when i will come back to montreal but i have made a promise to myself to come back to vieux port steakhouse because what are the chances that they will mess up my stake four...

TERRIBLE is an understatement. I was here with my brother and his friends for his bachelor party. As we entered we were greeted with warm welcomes and were seated. This seems to be the only thing they remember because we then proceeded to sit in that same spot for 3 hours from start to finish. A server came and asked what we wanted to drink, then for some odd reason, completely forget for to bring the drinks for 30 minutes. Then another waiter came and asked us the same question about what we wanted to drink, then forgot to bring us those drinks even after we had ordered them minutes ago. As some of us finally got our drinks as they had completely forgotten who ordered what they asked if we were ready to order because we initially said we needed more time but obviously not half an hour more. We then ordered our food but this was just the beginning. Our waiter asked if we wanted some bread for the table and we said yes. She then proceeded to NEVER bring us the damn bread. Our only saving grace this whole night was the waiter in training who when we asked about our drinks ran up to the bar and grabbed them personally for us. This waiter was also the one who brought us our bread which we cheered when he did because the other waiter had forgot (this waiter in training got a big tip from us). After about 2 hours our food finally came even though at this point we were going to leave but they (no idea why we didn’t before). The food was good, but it was 2 hours of waiting good. Then to kick us when we were down, they forgot to COOK my brothers friends whole meal. The funny thing is that after we brought this to there attention, the meal came out in 5 minutes. In this time they offered him a free beer and our table a free shot. Then after we where done, we had to wait another 20 minutes before they finally came with the bill, but only some of our bills while they forgot again who had ordered what. I swear they were targeting my brothers friend because they then proceeded to charge him for the free beer they gave him, and without missing a beat he said he is not paying full price for the meal which they agreed. Plans for the night were pushed because we waited around for some sub-par KEG food which we should of honestly went next door. After looking at some of the other bad reviews it seems this is a consistent problem that they have been reluctant to fix. They have many good reviews and have been in business for more than 20 years but it seems that that was their first night open. Overall I would not recommend to people who are visiting and want to enjoy their meal unless you have the whole night, then go at your own risk. The escargot was...