La Sauvagine

Absolutely horrible (and awkward AF) service and sub-​par food.
I could write an essay on it but I don’t want to waste any more time on this place.
Avoid.

of course everyone wants to berate a restaurant because it’s in a tourist-​trap area, but i happen to really like this one. we’ve been here twice now. great hunter-​lodge ambiance and game-​y french countryside/​quebec food. lamb shank was delicious as were the vegetables served with it. also enjoyed the option of sortilege for dessert ;) (that’s a canadian whiskey mixed with maple syrup)

We walked in this place without a reservation. We were with our friends and a total of five kids. The ambiance was dark but we sat by the window and could observe onlookers in the street. I had the sampling of buffalo, Venison, and Deer. It was great and well prepared. Most importantly they were very accomodating to our children. I would recommend again.

LOL! I should probably be upset that I just spent $ 100 on the most mediocre meals ever, but it’s so hilariously bad that I still left smiling.
We went in here with zero expectation, and boy did this place ever deliver! First off, the waitress didn’t even understand the word «pétillant» in French or «sparkling» in English… not sure how else I’m supposed to communicate in Montréal. The inside was an absolute travesty — décor from a dilapidated French bistro and waterlogged bathrooms.
Now, on to the food. The snails tasted like they oozed out of a can. The lamb shank was dry and covered in what I’m guessing was St. Hubert prepackaged gravy? In a word or two, the food here tasted like resentment and sorrow.
When the bill was delivered it, they had «accidentally» charged us for two other tables’ bills and seemed upset when we asked them to fix it. I had to hold my tongue when they asked how everything was, but thankfully for Unilocal,I get to vent.

Sangria… vendu comme la meilleure en ville… eh bien laisser moi en douter et surtout à 28 $ le pichet!
Je préfère aller prendre une bière juste à côté et je suis loin d’être une amateure de bière!!!
Calmar grillé…bof…10 $ pour 1 seul calmar… prix du vieux-​port!

Very overpriced for what was provided. Portions very small (4 scallops each half the size of a thimble, plus 4 grossly overcooked slices of chorizo sausage) was 16 bucks. Overcooked bison was 35. It wasn’t terrible, but you can do a lot better. Maybe it was just a bad night, but the combination of being overpriced and overcooked made for an unpleasant dinner.

This place is so bad I don’t want to waste my life thinking about it anymore. So I’m not going to write in all the details. Just know the quality of food was substandard for the price, the portion sizes were laughable, and the service and wait time was as bad as I’ve seen in any restaurant. It looks good from the outside but this restaurant does not have its act together. Find an authentic upscale restaurant to spend your money in in Old Montréal. This one is a rip off.

This place was excellent. A bit pricey, but well worth it. A majority of the staff were bilingual, so communication was easy. Everyone was friendly, and stayed on task despite how busy it got. We were seated immediately by David, a very friendly and funny man. I’m unsure if he was the owner or just a host, but he was a pleasure.
The food was amazing. I got the seafood linguine and my boyfriend got the venison in red wine. We were both beyond impressed by our meals. We paired it with delicious and reasonably prices wine and beer. The place definitely had an authentic European feel. I highly recommend and will definitely go back next time I visit Montréal!

Slow service, clueless service, inattentive service. Avoid it. Food is not bad por se, but it will be served cold. Avoid it! Go somewhere else.

Slow slow service and the staff was completely inattentive. This is an expensive tourist trap. Be warned. This is a cute little part of town but don’t be fooled!

Back again for dinner and overall a smash.
Game pâté, soft not deep flavors
Shrimp bisque a hit with 3 others, did not have
The Bison was killer, the Elk the same and my friends were right, pass on the Venison.
Next time I will.
The poached pear in port was delicious.
The Cahor and the Chardonay were both open, present and balanced. A huge departure from the more famous Napolean place which leads me to believe that the owners of Sauvagine took the time to taste the wines they bought. Clearly huge value for the money. In all a delicious meal with excellent service.
Eat inside where it’s adult. Leave the outside dining for the beautiful people.

Outstanding food. Lamb, venison and duck were a big hit for us. Strawberry in port was superb dessert. Great atmosphere and charm for Old Montréal.

I guess things have changed since the last review, or I just enjoyed myself here…
First, my family saw a bunch of locals smoking outside on the patio, so we figured that if locals were willing to hang out in the touristy section, then the food must be good… and we were right! This is definitely a French-​Provincial (countryside) type restaurant and not downtown Paris. The meats are accented with herbs and more basic sauces (wine/​herbs) that reflect the main course.
My family all ordered from the «specials» that come with a soup or salad. The salad had a little bit of everything and the soup was cream vegetable (basically butternut squash soup). Both good, but we couldn’t wait for our entrees: my brother and I both ordered the venison (Civet Gibier) — it was cooked to perfection! Fell apart with the fork and the red wine sauce paired perfectly (I also had a glass of tempranillo which complemented well). The lamb (Jarret Prov) was basic/​Provencial — just rosemary and a little reduction, but you could really enjoy the shank of lamb (and a large shank it was!). Confit de Canard was basically the same as all other restaurants, but it was a decent sized portion. (I’ve uploaded pictures of everything!) They all came with a side vegetable medley which we all enjoyed!
Since we enjoyed dinner so much, we had to try dessert. This restaurant featured some really interesting fruit desserts I had never tried so I went for the poire au porto. DELICIOUS. I love cinnamon, wine and pears and this was a fun treat! Nothing like this in the states! yummm. My dad got the fraise au porto which was also pretty darn good. The port complemented the strawberries perfectly. The crêpe farcie tasted like a creamsicle.
Ambiance: French Provincial — very representative of early Canada with wood paneling, ceiling beams and medieval accents. It’s dark, but very hunter-​lodge.
Service: I think the main waiter may be the owner? We were there on a Thursday night so it was basically a one man show where he was waiting on the majority of the tables. My family came to enjoy the town and try new foods, so slower service wasn’t really a problem for us. And we asked for more water once, and then never had to again — our water was filled to the brim right after taking a few sips! Is it slower than an American chain restaurant? Yes. Was it so slow I was dying of hunger? No.
Food: A+ (I’ve never had veal like this before!)
Ambience: B+ (a little dark, but kindof fun/​Canadian themed)
Service: B+ (A little lacking at first, but food/​drinks came in a timely manner (taking into account that veal and duck can’t just be thrown over a hot fire in order to be cooked the right way))
I’d GO BACK! :)

Should have been obvious. Dirty and old room, our server couldn’t keep his fingers out of his mouth, biting his nails AS he served tables. Confit de Canard was pedestrian. Shameful.

The food was absolutely phenomenal. I had the Cornish hen and my friend ate the wild boar. Both dishes were thoughtfully prepared and the wild boar was especially flavorful. Beautiful flavor in the sauce, and the Cornish hen had a bit of Portuguese flare. The owner was also very friendly. Would definitely recommend this place!

FatCat learn new word today. «Tourist trap». This is when greedy business man taking advantage of unwary tourists who not know city well. But you thinking «hey FatCat, you so smart. How you fall into tourist trap?». Yes yes. FatCat know, but smart cats not immune to making bad decisions sometimes — that’s how FatCat coming to this restaurant.
Things FatCat like
— Nice big patio where FatCat relaxing his fuzzy tail.
Things FatCat not like
— only one beer on tap. Not bad beer but not like lack of choice.
— FatCat first start drooling when he see description of strpiloin steak on menu, but Mr Owner of restaurant not honest with FatCat about what Mr Owner serving. No peppercorn sauce like promised. And instead of chomping down on juicy striploin, FatCat wrestling with gigantic piece of grissel with tiny bit of meat attached to it. FatCat asking server for chainsaw to cut through meat, but server ignoring FatCat’s request. FatCat thinking that even waiter embarrassed about working at such bad restaurant.
Old Montréal disappointing FatCat. Maybe he only eating in New Montréal from now on? No, not fair to old Montréal just because of one bad experience. FatCat coming back again. Yesterday FatCat eat at good restaurant in new Montréal. Writing review soon.

Service was terrible. They never offered us any water. When ordering for food, they barely helped us out and were being snobby when they were describing the dishes. After ordering, food took a long time to come. The hostess came by and helped us take pictures while we waited for food. She was the only person that was nice and courteous at the restaurant. She’s the only reason why the restaurant would get +1 star.
When the food came the waiter had no idea who to serve the dishes to. After we finally got all the dishes on the table, the waiters never came by to ask how we were or asked if we needed anything else.
While we were there, the waiter brought over forks and dropped the fork; ok no big deal. Soon after when they brought over the bread, again he dropped it, this time on one of my friend’s lap. The waiter then asked, «you don’t want it? Since it only touched you, you don’t want it?» He takes the bread into the restaurant, comes back with a dish and a bread on it. As he placed the dish on the table, he said «I just put the same bread on a plate, you won’t even know, and now you’ll take it.»
By the end of the night, we haven’t thought much about the lack of attention the servers had shown, but it soon became really obvious that they had been neglecting our table. As soon as we asked for the check, the waiter was hovering over our table while we were examining the check, the ENTIRE TIME. When we finally decided how much tip to pay and placed the payment by the check, the waiter rushed over and picked up the cash right in front of us and counted the money in our face. Never in our lives, have we ever seen such rude customer service provided.
To top off the terrible experience, their food was bland, tasteless, and extremely over priced for very little food on the plate. A 6 oz steak 1 glass of wine, came out be around 50 $ excluding tips.
Completely not worth it in any way shape or form.

OMG, why did it take over 2 hours for dinner? The courses were small enough that they were finished in minutes, and then the wait time between each was up to 30 minutes. 2 out of 4 got their coffee after the main was finished, but the other 2 only got theirs after they had finished dessert and sat waiting. This is ridiculous for a restaurant not at full capacity. The waiters changed during the meal and they seemed rushed and confused. The QPR here is seriously lacking, and lets be real, the food was often over-​salted and mediocre. Seriously. Canned chickpeas in a salad and 1.5 cherry tomatoes. I was so underwhelmed I would have left if it wasn’t a meal with my boyfriend’s family.
Here’s a little info for business owners everywhere: a poorly kept bathroom is totally gross. No one wants to go somewhere where you’ll end up paying at least $ 40 pp and then use a restroom missing door handle parts, toilet paper and paper towel on the floor, and seats that are almost hanging off.
Done, over, never again.

We stopped here on our rounds around old Montréal, mostly because of a sign outside declaring a special with a dozen oysters.
First off, the wait staff wasn’t the friendliest — not rude, but just a tad … off. Oh well, ultimately, not a deal breaker, maybe it was an off night.
The oysters and the wine (all we had) was excellent, except for one thing… they have an ONION sauce to dip?!? As anyone that reads my reviews knows, this is usually a big negative for me. Still, with my limited French, and their limited English, we were able to get a bottle of tabasco, so the night was saved.
The atmosphere here was a little old and dark, felt a little off for that reason, but maybe on a different night, this place might have a good romantic atmosphere. The menu looked good, and peeking over at another table proved the dishes to be pleasing to the eye, but I can’t judge on looks alone. When I find myself out in Montréal again, I’ll keep this place on my radar, ready to give it another go!

Le service est lamentable le serveur était plus occupé à regarder les gens passer qu’a nous servir, j’ai commandé un verre de vin avant le repas et je l’ai eu j’avais la moitié de mon assiette de mangé… Rapport qualité/​prix pas fort trop dispendieux pour la qualité des assiettes, il n’y a pas grand chose dans les assiettes, nous né recommandons pas cette place il y a tellement d’autres bon restaurants tout près. À éviter à tout prix même pour un repas gratuit je n’irais plus à ce restaurant…

I am going to give this 5 stars based on 1 thing and 1 thing alone. The venison.
We were walking in the area looking for a place to eat on the 30^th of December, 2012. Place after place didn’t seem to fit the bill and finally we found this place and gave it a shot. The wine was good, it was warm (it was cold outside), and it was a nice comfortable table at the window watching the night pass by. The ambiance was nice, the place seemed fine and dandy.
Andy got the duck. It was ok. I’m not here to talk about the duck.
I got the venison and it was the best deer meat I’ve ever had. Whoa, you might say. How much have I eaten venison? Well, despite growing up in New Jersey I have eaten deer meat in about 12 forms on hundreds, if not thousands, of occasions. Ground, diced, bologna, sausage, and on and on. Cut with pork, stewed, in chili, in a burger. We had so much deer meat that when I went to college I said that I would be happy to never eat deer again so long as I lived.
And in general, I agree with that statement to this day. However, if we ever go back to this place I will get the venison, and enjoy the succulent and rich dish that sat before me that night. I was simply blown away by how amazing it was. I have to be honest, part of me thinks that this wasn’t actually deer meat. But hey, why advertise it as anything else? In the end, it was amazing, just amazing.
In the end we had a nice meal and a great evening. Was it worth the price? I have no idea. But if you find yourself here I highly encourage you to go here. Oh, I tink it was in a maple sugar-​based sauce. It was good, damn good. If you go here, order it. And enjoy!
The wine list is impressive as well, IIRC.
PS. For the sake of fairness the duck gets a 3 at best. Maybe more like 2.5. Don’t bother with the duck. The 4 letter word that begins with D that you seek is: DEER!

Not bad for an area filled with Tourist traps. We wanted to enjoy Old Montréal one last night before we go and eat en plein-​air. Unfortunately, we were surprised to see majority of the restaurants along Place Jacques Cartier only served typical ‘tourist’ food (burgers, pizza, pasta). We were glad to see La Sauvagine’s menu offering unique cuts of meat.
We had (3 adults/​2 kids):
— Trio of wild meat (elk, deer, buffalo)
The meat were cooked to a perfect medium, unfortunately, I was soo hungry, I forgot to ask which meat was which, but they all tasted good!
— Trio of duck (confit, filet, foie gras)
The obvious stand out was the foie gras, but it was nice to try all 3.
— Lamb shank
perfectly cooked soft lamb
— kid’s — fetucinne alfredo
— kid’s — chicken strips with fries
My trio of wild game was delicious, but for $ 42 it was a bit small — about a 1.5 or 2 inch cube of each meat. Service was friendly throughout the evening and helpful when we were deciding our orders. We weren’t even forced out when we were the last ones at the restaurant.
3.5 Stars

J’y suis allé pour un party de Noël de bureau et quel désastre ce fut. Et le pire, c’est qu’on a osé nous demander de payer 20 $ pour manger là-​bas, alors que j’aurais eu un meilleur repas aux Trois brasseurs à côté. La viande avait l’air calciné, la bière avait dépassé sa date de péremption et le service était lamentable. Franchement désolant.