Bocata

Tonight we made the rookie mistake of going out into Old Montréal looking for dinner without making a reservation first. Luckily, Bocata had a few seats at the bar and were able to serve us anyway.
We started out with some drinks and if I were to split up my rating, I would definitely give the bartender and the drink 5-​stars. I ordered the bloody goblin which was absolutely outstanding. I typically don’t like sweet drinks too much but this drink had the perfect level of sweetness with an herbal aroma to compliment it well.
For an appetizer I had the duck salad which was also outstanding and deserving of five stars. For the main dish, we all ordered the veal which was tasty but not at all deserving of the price tag it came with. The meat was pretty tough and not really anything to write home about. I would give the veal two and a half to three stars. I should not have ordered dessert because I already ate way too much but I did anyway and had a rich chocolate lava cake with homemade raspberry vanilla ice cream. The ice cream was pretty delicious but the lava cake was okay. I probably would have enjoyed it all a lot more if I wasn’t already stuffed.
Overall, I was happy with this place and I would be happy to return here. I’m happy to add this to my list of nice Montréal restaurants that are within walking distance of my hotel.

If I had this place down the street I think I would stop in weekly! The décor and ambiance is that perfect touch of European rustic/​farm. This small restaurant also has a great selection of wine by the glass at affordable prices, and although a little expensive, nothing on the menu disappointed.

Adorable and charming décor in and out. Alway love the «B» sign outside. Tiny restaurant and very warm feeling inside. Great staff from the hostess to the server. The food was awesome. Not in love with the appetizer we had (albacore tartare) but the main dishes were amazingly delicious. Tartare was fine but something is missing… looks pretty though.
The Mediterranean Sea bass was a bit different than normal crispy skin at other restaurants. It’s skinless and on a pile of shiitake mushroom, spinach n sweet potato purée. The whole thing was so soft and yummy. Every single bite. And the fish size was more than generous. Like the whole fish with 2 big filets.
Thyme roasted milk fed veal chop. Just the name itself is divine and the dish was amazing. Perfectly cooked chop and the homemade gnocchi on the side was delicious as well.
Really didn’t expect such awesome meal from this place but was pleasantly surprised. If the tartare was better, would give this place 5 stars. Wish I could go be it 4.5!!!
The limoncello glacé deader was also awesome too.

Amazing food — I love the duck salad, also the lobster pasta was al dente and yummy. The fig desert was perfect. Excellent service and a very cozy place. One of my favorites when I visit Montréal.

Random walk in without reservation. What a treat! Excellent ambience and friendly waiters. Lamb was soft, flavorful and just perfect quantity. Appetizers were all excellent as well.

Great food, great service. We had the duck confit salad and the roasted duck magret. Both were brilliant, the salad being near the best we have ever had.
While staying at the Old Montréal the location is also very good. Service couldn’t have been better!

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here. Bocata has a very cozy and warm atmosphere and the staff is friendly and helpful. We started off with «small bites” – oysters (salty, fresh), stuffed peppers, and sea smelts. Everything was very tasty and fresh. For my main, I had the veal chop which was really juicy and the potato gnocchi was perfect. My husband had the sea bass which he also enjoyed. We would definitely come back here.

Truly outstanding meal.
After a 5 year hiatus, I returned to Montréal looking for some great meals and Bocata was an unexpected surprise hit. The environment was homely and romantic. Both my wife (a fish lover) and I (a meat lover) enjoyed the food thoroughly.
We also recommend Le Club Chasse et Peche and Au Pied de Cochon but found Chez l’Épicier to be past its prime.

Nestled along the famous Rue St. Paul, is a quaint restaurant where you will no doubt have a fantastic meal.
Look for the lit up «B» and you will find, Bocata, a Spanish influenced bistro.
With only a few tables, be sure to make your reservation days in advance.
Bocata offers small plates and some entrees that are large enough to share.
We started with the crab cakes. The order comes with only 2. They were very flavorful and make with true crab meat. Very pleased these were not heavy on mayo, which is what you see a lot.
We also ordered 15g of the cured meat. It reminded me of the jamon in Spain and Paris. Melts in your mouth!
For our main course, we shared the veal chop served with gnocchi. Wow! This was amazing. The veal was so tender. And the gnocchi was simply wonderful.
Finally, we ended with the frozen nougat. It was nice and not too sweet.

Great food, great service, great vibe, great music! What else can I say? Everything was great! Hubby had squid ink risotto with squid and scallops. I had lobster carbonara with bits of lardon. Such a laid back vibe with great music.

I think there are better places in town if you want a full, hearty meal, but I can’t imagine many places better than Bocata for grabbing a great glass of wine, sharing some small plates, and pretending you’re in France (without the jetlag).
We had basically all of the charcuterie, and also had the octopus salad, and burrata, and they were superb (but when is burrata not superb…). The atmosphere here is great, especially on a nice night when the windows are open, and it’s great to stroll around old Montréal after the meal.
Tres bien!
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Value: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere: ⁵⁄₅

Bocata… What a fantastic meal! One of the rare 5 star reviews.
The service is great. The décor is cozy and very nice.
We had a bit of everything:
Pata negra: freshly cut and fabulous!
Pan con tomate: tasty and fresh.
Crab croquette: plenty of excellent crab, no fillers.
Duck salad: very good with many flavours going on.
Tuna tartare: absolutely fabulous!!! I am still thinking about how good it was! My favourite part of the meal.
Lobster roll: very good, but the side corn and cheese salad was not really to our taste.
Lobster carbonara: very good.
If I had one criticism, for the sake of criticizing something, it would be a little too much mayo in the lobster roll.
I will be going back… Can’t wait! Enjoy!

What a fun experience, we sat at the bar as it was a holiday weekend and were very well (over) served with some fun cocktails and great wine. The only reason I have 4 not 5 stars is that although the individual components of some of the pairings (pork belly and snow crab) were delish, the pairing itself did not add anything. Nice to see smelts on the menu too, overall fun and not too pricey either.

My first night in Montréal, I had dinner here with a friend. Excellent fish entrée, crab cakes, and atmosphere. Wine is a bit expensive and light pour, but five stars nonetheless.

Food and service is really good. I do recommend it if you love wine and Seafood! I had the cod and it was very tasty. It’s a little pricey and the selection is very small.

Tried duck confit and sea bass. Both very well presented. Be aware, the duck was a bit on the red side. Delicious food. Unique flavours. Exceptional service.

Food ***** Excellent Veal Chop
Wine ***** Very nice
Service ***** Great
Ambiance ***** The Bocata is a charming place to dine. Love the vintage rock music. Overall, it was an excellent dining experience.

Very nice restaurant. We had dinner for 3 people, all were satisfied. Located in historic building in Old Montréal, stone and wood walls, nice casual ambiance. Had appetizer crab cakes and red stuffed pepper — very good. For entre I loved my dish of sea bass, husband had veal chop, super tender and third dish was tuna tartar. Dessert of fondant of chocolate and red wine. We are very happy with preperation and taste. Service was friendly though wait was getting longer once the restaurant filled up.
We’ll definitely will come back.

Love this cozy restaurant conveniently located 3 blocks from my house. Needless to say that I’m there quite often. It’s romantic, perfect for a date (sit by the fireplace) or keep it casual and sit at the bar. Food is delish and service is great.

Bocata is a very cute and cozy restaurant on a very cute cobble stone street. The man friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience here.
We came in for a late dinner on a Monday night and sat at the bar. Both of the servers were very nice, personable and accommodating. The food was really good and they have a pretty decent wine selection. (loved their wine dispenser)
We ate:
Pata Negra de Bellota — omg I love Jamon Iberico. It’s sooo tasty! Just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness from the meat…
Duck confit salad with a crispy egg — the man friend loved it so much he didn’t even save a bite for me! sigh
Lobster Carbonara Tagliatelle — came with tomatoes, spinach and an egg yolk in its shell. This was so delicious! The egg yolk added a nice creaminess to the pasta. The veggies added some brightness to the dish and there was plenty of lobster mixed in with the pasta.
The portions here are not big. Most of the restaurants we dined at in Montréal had much bigger portions but this was just enough for the both of us. We both left happy and satisfied and headed to Le Lab — recommended by the servers.