Barcola Bistro

After eating poutine two days in a row I was after something a bit more substantial and Barcola ticked that box perfectly. A new menu offered each day with fresh produce. The staff were extremely nice. Order the steak and Spritz Aperol.

I have to say I only tried it recently for dinner and I was a bit disappointed, very pretentious place, starting with the fact that the menu consisted only on vegetarian & fish-​based dishes, I love fish but my husband couldn’t find anything of his liking, all the dishes had cream sauces, which for a lactose intolerant like me, wasn’t very forgiving… I still went ahead and order the scallops for entrée and salmon pasta for main, scallops were really good I give them that, the salmon not so much, it was basically tasteless and as I say bathing in cream sauce. Secondly, my husband’s Tuna on eggplants was raw in the middle, call me unsophisticated but I don’t think that’s very appealing, maybe for a Tataki but for self-​called «Traditional Italian cuisine» I don’t think so.
Also, it took ages to get our drinks and they ran out of wine and still gave me a half glass of wine, I would have rather have something else but anyways, they were very proactive in charging me for a ¾ glass when I only got half of it. All that topped with a expensive bill to which they didn’t even say Thank-​you, when we paid…
We go to a lot of restaurants and travel a lot, and honestly I think people get easily fooled here in Montréal with all these pretentious, so-​called authentic restaurant, that could easily be any average bistrot in Europe.

We had a very lovely Italian brunch here, and the service was really pleasant and nice as well.
We shared two plates, one that came with some grilled bread and spreads which included a tasty burrata cheese with honey and nuts. The other was a salmon dish with a pretty ordinary arugula salad but the salmon was perfect. The space is somewhat small but very nice and quaint, perfect for a party of 2 (and some people came to brunch on their own).

Nice atmosphere, good service, delicious coffee. The breakfast itself was definitely lack-​lustre though. The baguette served with breakfast seemed suspiciously not same-​day fresh, my Italian sausage plate was artfully garnished with green grapes. Pretty to look at, but they weren’t the best quality and some more fresh fruit on the plate would have been a nice thought. The Italian sausage was nice and comforting but it was topped with a dollop of mayonnaise. Clearly of the homemade variety but really unnecessary on a nice greasy sausage. My egg Benedict was perfectly cooked, warm, with a nice creamy glob of slightly under seasoned hollandaise. Oh and the potatoes we’re perplexing in their simplicity. Also I’m always weary when there’s no salt and pepper on the table. From personal experience in one of many restaurants, it’s the sign of a chef with a little too much pride. Fact of living in multicultural MTL, we don’t all have the same palate. One nice touch these guys deserve kudos for was the mini glasses of Nutella, and jams brought to the table. So here’s my official review. Give these guys a month or two. Let them work out the kinks, and then when spring hits pop by and see what’s on offer. They’ve a ways to go if they want to become a Mile End staple but somehow I’m hopeful Barcola will step up it’s game.

Awesome Italian food. Classic and great price. Prossecco night on Thursday.

I’ve had the pleasure of brunching at Barcola on two occasions. Both times were very satisfying experiences. If you’re looking for tasty dishes, fast and friendly service + reasonable prices, this is it. Also, two thumbs up for the jazzy, laid-​back décor. Barcola’s the kind of place where I can easily see myself becoming a regular.

I’ve been to brunch at Barcola Bistro for two weekends in a row and had a wonderfully consistent experience at this brand-​new bistro in the Mile End.
The first brunch plate I ordered was a croissant halved and filled with whipped ricotta ($ 8), custard and fresh raspberries, served with a dollop of nutella and pears — it was sinfully delicious and tasted as good as it looked.
The following weekend, I ordered the house-​smoked salmon benedict ($ 14), which was also fantastic. Served with poached eggs, potatoes and a better-​than-​hollandaise sauce (maybe a new take on bechamel?), it was flavourful and rich without being too filling.
If brunch isn’t your thing, you can always stop in and try their Italian hot chocolate — marocchino — and browse the vintage LPs for sale in the back of the dining room.
In a city loaded with brunch options, Barcola Bistro serves up a unique brunch menu in an eclectic, northern Italian setting. This is the place for you if you crave artfully crafted cuisine in an intimate yet casual atmosphere. The waitstaff are very friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu.