Le Montmartre — Restaurant in Toronto

Don't get me wrong, I love this restaurant to pieces and have been there on multiple occasions with different people. However, there are just a couple of details you might want to know in advance. The staff used to be all French and now they've got some Canadian servers there, which I don't mind but I feel like it took away from some of the charm. The service in general can be a bit slow, but it's more the culture of leisurely dining. Don't go if you're in a rush to go to a show or anything, or leave yourself with ample time.

The decor is super adorable and a little cheesy, Parisian inspired, but also romantic. Not prohibitively pretentious (like downtown Toronto), which is GREAT. The atmosphere is quiet even when it is a full house, as was mentioned in a different review. So that is nice.

The male owner can be a touch more aggressive than the female owner (who is just adorable). I can see him being more likely to ask someone to leave if they have extremely loud children or are generally not behaving as one might expect in a restaurant with full linen and stemware. Other than that, he's perfectly tolerable.

The food is hit or miss, but generally speaking very good. Do not get the duck in orange sauce as it is quite marmalade-ey. The fish and shrimp entrees are all tasty, but nothing to write home about (I'm also bias as I almost never order fish when I am dining out because I find it often unremarkable in this city).

HOWEVER, they do an EXCELLENT job on the mussels, lobster bisque, lamb and veal medallions. Truly some of the best renditions of those dishes I have ever had. They are a SOLID place to take your friends, lovers and family for special occasions as long as they are the kind of people that can appreciate the dishes I have just named.

They also have tasty wine with their food and both are surprisingly affordable. It's definitely the best bang for your buck...

It is a beautiful place with a lot of nice paintings. The layout of the restaurant is wonderful, with three distinctive dining rooms. But the food, service and atmosphere do not match with the pricing. If you are willing to pay $300+ for a dinner of two and mainly to admire the interior design, I will recommend it strongly. If you come for food, atmosphere, and service, I would say you may want to re consider.

Only the mushroom soup was especially good. The squash soup, steak and fish we ordered were very common but very generous in quantity, neither of us could finish the entree. We waited for our main course for over 30 minutes when there were only 4 tables for the whole night and total guests number was 11. The overall taste of food was simply common, you could get it at 1/3 of the price in a decent restaurant.

The roles of hostess, server, busser, bartender, sommelier, general manager were played by one person. I didn't know they didn't have a bartender so I ordered a $14 coffee which was a very wrong decision after I saw and tasted the outcome.

Among the other three tables, one was at a work trip, so the group spoke very loud. Another group was celebrating a birthday. They put up a cellphone on a tripod base on the floor next to their table and started taking video of their eating, with a bright ring light on top shining the whole dining room :(. I couldn't believe my eyes. They also used cellphone flash light to read the menu which went all directions :( and really "shed a light" to the supposed-to-be-delicate dining atmosphere). Surprisingly, the third table couple showed great admiration of their recording act.

Anyway, paying the same price as David Duncan, Auberge du Pommier, I am sorry but I did expect something better than that. Will...

There are not many French restaurants north of downtown Toronto, and probably only one in North York - Le Montmartre. Not too many tables, pleasant and not disturbing French music, and a relaxing atmosphere.

Marinated artichoke hearts An interesting and not commonly presented salad. Fresh lettuce and juicy cherry tomatoes made a good pairing with artichoke hearts.

Sautéed Frog's legs There are not many places in Toronto where you can get frog legs. Le Montmartre is one of them. The dish is absolutely fabulous: crispy and tender, a bit zesty from garlic and refreshing notes from herbs and lemon. The main part of the dish was augmented by sweet and very soft baked pumpkin nicely paired with steamed green beans and broccoli. In my humble opinion, it's a real culinary masterpiece.

Crème Brûlée I’m a big fan of Crème Brûlée , it's my favorite desert, but I never actually realized that the impression depends not only on crème brûlée per se, but also on the accomplishments  - strawberry (or any other fresh berries with sweet and a bit sour flavor) and whipped cream really make the desert perfect by adding pleasant contrasts to taste and texture.

The restaurant is not flawless – for example, different main courses are served with identical side dish, which is not always a good match, - but it’s a lovely place...