Hostaria

Though I had heard good things about this restaurant I was not a fan. Though we made reservations, we still ended up waiting over 40 minutes for our table… They kept telling us «your table is almost clear». The food itself was just ok. To be honest the menu read a lot better than the food tasted. My pasta with lamb and artichoke had barely any lamb in it and was bland. The highlight was the ricotta chocolate tarte which was dreamy and creamy. For the price, I wouldn’t go back. There are plenty other italian restaurants in the city.

Wonderful service and the most delicious authentic Italian food in Montréal! Don’t skip the dessert. The basil sorbet is amazing. You need to eat here.

Service (two stars) — under staffed as it took five mins for someone to seat us at the bar (we had reservations) and then another five minutes to get attention once seated. I was ready to walk but we stayed and the service was fine the rest of the way.
Food (three stars) — lost all there points in the gnocchi though fluffy they had no flavour. The Veal Milanese was solid! On the bone and delicious.

Very authentic Italian food. Ate here while visiting Montréal for my birthday dinner with my husband. Great experience and great food! We ordered everything from appetizers to entrees to dessert and everything was so yummy!

Why were we the only table at this place? Actually there were two others. Unbelievable authentic Italian. From the deep fried artichoke appetizer to the mozzarella and tomato salad to my pasta (some very salty fish like anchovy shaved over deliciously-​tossed garlicky and olive-​oily pasta) to this dessert which was a tart filled with Nutella, I was swooning. Also had the most unusual port. Heavy aroma of spice but not overly so. We were with a native Italian who spoke in their language with the waitstaff and he raved about how good it was. Go! Now!

Hostaria definitely stands out from most of the Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to. The restaurant is simple yet chic and classy. We were welcomed immediately with a nice appreciative welcome. Service was spectacular. I don’t think I’ve ever been tended to as much as I was at Hostaria. The owner even introduced himself to us and kept on asking how the food/​service was throughout the night.
As soon as we were seated, they gave us complimentary bread, which I could have eaten all by myself. We started by ordering the Polipetti alla Luciana (Baby wild octopus with tomato and capers). The octopus was cooked perfectly and the tomatoes and capers added just the right touch.
For my main entrée, I ordered the risotto of the day with homemade sausage, which was delicious. The risotto was hearty without it being too heavy. And the homemade sausage was divine. Portion size was good: nothing too big, but definitely enough to keep you satisfied.
Hostaria definitely made my trip to Montréal a whole lot better and wouldn’t hesitate on going back!

An Italian restaurant breaking the mold and casting a new one that should become THE Italian staple.
What can I possibly say about this diamond of a restaurant that it’s food wont say for me… Let me give it the ol’ school boy try:
Service: Service was spectacular. From always having eyes on our drinks to being more than helpful deciding on a meal.
Wine: Beautiful wine cellar located mid restaurant with a nice selection available in many prices, and the staff new there stuff offering parings specific to each plate.
And always my favorite part to review, the food:
Let me start by having you think about any bison/​buffalo you may have had in the past. Slightly gamey, wholesome and earthy, but somewhere just off of beef. Well wipe your slate and grab a friend. The bison steak for two here is one of the greatest cuts of meat I have ever had the pleasure of being haunted by. If I could go a week without thinking about this steak… It really is something. The outside is crisped like a perfectly cooked duck skin, with beautiful caramelized thin ribbons of fat. Buffalo is rather lean, but the little that was here more than did the trick. The inside was exactly how every piece of red meat I ever order from here on out better be. From the sear leaving a shallow ring of brown on the outside fading quickly to a Bordeaux-​esque perfectly rare center this was the super bowl of meat. My wife suggested we go with this. I was set on the gnocchi (which one of our dear friends ordered, and let me tell you it is a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ dish as well) but the steak could not have been a better pick. So lets recap: perfect sear, perfect rare, perfect tender, perfect caramel. I am saddened only at the fact that I am in sincere doubt of ever finding another slice of red meat to ever compare to this. I think need to go pray…

We ate here on a Saturday night, arriving a good 20 minutes ahead of our reservation. Parking in the area is difficult but there is a valet, which is always highly appreciable.
What struck me the most was the warmth of the welcome. The bartender immediately offered us prosecco (exactly what I wanted), and an alternative for my partner, who didn’t want that at all. One of the owners introduced himself (Aniello), and throughout the evening made sure that all was well.
The décor is simple but classy. I love the idea of the bar, where you can quite happily wait for your table. We had an 8pm reservation but they weren’t ready for us till at least 8.15. We didn’t mind as we were catching up with our friends. However, the room is just a bit too narrow to enable people to congregate around it, and we felt we were a bit in the way. On the other hand, the staff certainly didn’t make us feel like that at all. Everyone was very friendly and warm throughout the evening. I would probably have easily drunk another glass of prosecco though, had it been offered to me, and possibly sampled a few antipasti, had they been offered to me. Just sayin’.
Once we were seated, the most delicious nutty, fruity olive oil and crusty bread were put on the table for nibbling while we perused the menu. I had the polpetti (baby octopus) in a yummy tomato sauce as an appetizer (I expected it to be cold but it was hot, tender, and nicely balanced with tomato and basil). My partner had a simple, very, very fresh Boston lettuce salad dressed with lemon, oil and grated parmesan. Our friends had the parpadelle with the lamb (I think) ragù, and the melanzane parmigiana, both of which were delicious, non greasy, and well balanced.
For mains, I and one of our friends had the braised shoulder of lamb. I love lamb for its strong taste and fatty bits. I was pleased to see they had kept the fatty bits, and it literally fell of the bone. The portion size was substantial too. My partner had the swordfish, which was delicious and had a surprising mix of flavours and textures: the chewiness of the accompanying Italian couscous, and the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes and sultanas it had been cooked with. Our other friend had the spezzatino dell’Hostaria, which was a veal and vegetable stew. I often find veal a bit bland (I like lamb, remember), but this dish had an amazing flavour that made me want to have it myself next time.
I did wish there had been more accompanying vegetables. My meat came with a token potato and broccolini/​rapini stalk. The staff even asked us if we wanted an accompanying salad, which we took.
I was quite sure I couldn’t eat any more but the basil sorbet sounded like it might help my digestion, so I pushed my indulgence a little further, and am very glad I did. It was delicious! I had two (very short) espressos to round it all off. With our three glasses of prosecco and a bottle of wine (sorry, can’t remember what it was, but it was recommended and was a lovely medium red that went well with everything), the bill came to $ 345, which I consider to be a very reasonable price for such an excellent meal. Also, it was very late by the time we left (getting on for midnight), which means we ate at a very European, leisurely pace. Since the experience is as much a part of the pleasure as the food, this puts Hostaria way up there for me. I’ll be back!