Food was not nearly as delicious as described in previous reviews. The mac and cheese was incredibly sweet. We only managed to eat half of it due to the overpowering sweetness. Additionally, two out of the already few menu items were unavailable. Interior was small and there was a pungent fishy smell that made for an unappetizing environment. Service was good. This place is nowhere near a top establishment in Montréal.
Susan L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Dix Hills, NY
Arrived in Old Montréal and checked Unilocal for a place to eat lunch. The 5 star reviews of Robin Square are right on target. Family run by sisters. Mom bakes the bread at 4 in the morning! This is true Canadian farm to table, comfort food type of place. Quirky and quaint. The Mac and Cheeze with glazed ham was decadent and the Grilled Cheese on homemade sourdough was a delight. Salad dressed perfectly. Service was friendly and warm. Felt like you were guests at their home.
Candy C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Markham, Canada
First off, the waitress is really lovely and great to talk to. The atmosphere of the restaurant is nice and cozy with wood brick and an interesting zebra pattern wall. We ordered a soup of the day, pasta of the day and a latte. That day, it was spinach cheese soup and fetticuni. The lattes are made in a cup as large as a soup cup. The soup was a little smaller than the latte but was still satisfying and delicious. The pasta was delicious and the portion is just enough. I would definitely recommend this place for a nice lunch with friends as the music isn’t too loud and the noise is decent.
Grace W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Montreal, Canada
Le Robin Square is absolutely phenomenal and definitely one of the rare gems in Montréal. This place is really the best: from amazing service to the delicious food. I have been here twice and is definitely looking to go more in the future. This family-run restaurant has both the homey, cozy ambiance and the expertise of a refined bistro. I love their melt-in-your mouth pork belly, the creative mac-and-cheese, and especially the tender beef brisket. Their selective menu really brings out the wonderful uniqueness of each dish, and we have of coursed tried it all(even that home-made hot sauce is a really great bonus as well). Also, don’t forget to save some of the tummy for their delicious dessert! I especially love their apple pie and le pouding chômeur. All in all, this has been the best restaurant discovery in Montréal. I have recommended this place to my friends and family. I absolutely adore the staff and the dishes, and it is definitely a restaurant worth frequenting.
Chris G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Aurora, Canada
Well… I figured 130+ 5 star reviews must mean something! They do. Just get here… and be prepared to wait… no reservations and it’s packed the moment they open the door. I was part of the morning’s pre opening line up. Everything is homemade and farm to table… place is family owned and it shows. Food is ridiculous… comfort food like you’ve never had. The grilled cheese is outstanding and that tomato soup was spot on. The mango jam for dipping would taste good on my shoe. The pudding chameur i stuffed in for dessert was amazing too. Get in line and just think about the meal you’re about to have!
Aimee R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 West Milford, NJ
To say this place is 5 star still doesn’t do it justice. AMAZING dinner! Pork belly & Mac and cheese, on point! Farm-to-table, family owned and is 100% a must-have if you’re in Montréal! Absolutely phenomenal!
James R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Washington, MD
OK — this is THE restaurant to hit in Montréal! Amazing wait staff that is extremely friendly, helpful and clearly enjoy their job. A menu that is excellently put together — short but well thought out. And finally the most important thing — amazing food that hits all the right notes. A foodies haven!
Rola T.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
Very delicious food. Clean, fresh and super tasty. I truly Highly recommend this place for anyone wanting to have a great experience. The staff are sooooooo nice and friendly, they are super excited to help you find the perfect order to enjoy the most.
Lisa A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Lodi, NJ
I knew when I saw the reviews here, I just had to stop in! The restaurant itself is tiny, I’d try to come here before, or after the dinner rush so you don’t have to wait too long. We ended up waiting about 20 minutes before we got sat. There is not a full bar here, just beer and wine. My bf and I decided to split the mac and cheese, and the pizza(which has no meat.) The mac and cheese was a home run and was the perfect combo of sweet and spicy. The«ham» that comes on top of it is more like shredded pork. We ordered their home made tobasco sauce to add to it for an additional spice, which I highly recommend doing. The pizza was just okay, very underwhelmed. It was really bland and similar to a bruchetta type pizza and came with a huge dallop of cheese on it. Pass on this dish. Dessert we shared a tiny mason jar«cheesecake» with a apricot type of sauce. This didn’t really had the texture of cheesecake, but still had a good flavor. I think it would be better would some type of crust layer at the bottom. We also shared their maple cake which was really yummy and had a strong maple flavor. It would have been good with some vanilla ice cream. Service was quick, attentive, and friendly. If you decide to come here don’t leave without trying the winner of the night, the mac and cheese!
Michael C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Salem, MA
What a find! I was visiting from Boston and looking for a quaint place for a great meal before I left the city. WOW. Small menu and not much variety — but this place is all quality vs. quantity. Think rich, flavorful and DELICIOUS. I had read other reviews before selecting Le Robin Square so I had an idea of what I wanted. I had a hard time choosing — so I got 2 different entrees. I ordered the Mac n Cheese with truffle oil and ham and I got the Pork Belly. Both are substantial and I brought some leftovers back with me. If you can take a friend or two and share plates, you win big. Small wine list too but good selection and variety of simple red and whites. Service was super friendly and good. So genuine. You could put this food in an upscale setting with fancy settings and staff and pull it off. That’s what’s so great about this place — no pretense, lots of flavor and a pleasant atmosphere to soak it all in — one bite at a time.
Eric C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Montreal, Canada
Their incredible Mac & Cheese was incredibly… sweet. Not quite like a dessert but enough to surprise me. I could not taste truffle and the cheese texture was very creamy. The staff suggest their home made Tobasco sauce which is very good and a much needed addition to balance the sweetness, but of course if you could taste truffle before, there is no way you will anymore. The ham is essentially pulled pork. The place is quite small which is fine as it gives a more homey feel, the music and sound quality was quite good and the staff very friendly. I would likely return to try their other meal unfortunately their Mac & Cheese did not suit my taste.
Jing X.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Queens, NY
It’s very rare that I say this but Le Robin Square in Old Montréal is WORTH the 1.5 hour wait! It’s a small family-owned business with Robin’s mom cooking in the kitchen and her brother braising the pork belly for 5 days. Robin and her sister were very cheerful and accommodating as servers. Keep in mind that it’s a small restaurant. Our group of 6 people had to let smaller groups of 2 – 3 people pass whenever a single table was available since we had to wait for the big table that seats 5 – 6 people. We arrived at Le Robin Square a little before 8:30pm and were the last to get seated at 10pm. They do close at 10pm but because it’s a family business and they appreciate their customers waiting on line, we were welcomed to continue eating past 11pm. The Mac n Cheese DID run out at around 9pm but Robin recommended their pork belly dish called«The Ultimate Experience»($ 34). I followed her suggestion and got the pork belly, which literally MELTS in your mouth(must be from the 5 days of braising!). The dish comes with two different sauces for dipping: a creamy, thick celery-root purée and a sweet fruit jam made from apricots and pear. I seriously should have asked her for the recipe! The celery purée was my favorite but they were both incredible.(I licked… well, forked, my entire plate clean even after I was done with the pork belly). This was honestly my best meal in Montréal!
Naiyi C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Elmhurst, NY
Waited in line Saturday for about an hour and something. It’s a tiny restaurant with passionate crew. You see them rushing up and down with sweat on their face but they always talk to you nice with smile and energy. You can feel that the rules of their house is active as posted on the wall by kitchen. On the opposite, let’s talk about what’s in the plate. We ordered the soup, ultimate experience(pork belly) and THE mac & cheese. The soup was fairly good, I can picture it served anywhere else still popular but definitely not the baguette came with it though. The pork belly lived up to its fame I guess. Cooked to the spot and served with interesting sauce. Finally, the mac & cheese, wasn’t quite French in my opinion. It’s mac&cheese with truffle oil topped with a huge pile of pulled pork I guess. Pork was too freaking sweet that ruined the whole plate. Scent of truffle was there when I started digging, but all washed away and covered by the sweetness of pork soon. Feels like I was having Dallas BBQ. I can tell from reaction of tables around me that I wasn’t the only one thought that way. One additional detail Le Robin can improve right away is back to the baguette. It was so dry and tasteless. If that’s the only one you have available, better not serve it. You’re killing your dish.
Richard D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Fairfax, VA
My two friends and I arrived around 8:30 on Friday night and there was about two or three parties ahead of us. They don’t have a wait list so you just wait in line until they seat you. We waited for about 30 minutes. Food was not bad. I got the pork belly. My friends got the cod and the brisket. I would’ve liked the pork belly skin to be crispier but you get a pretty decent sized portion. The pork itself wasn’t anything out of this world but the sauces that come with it really add a unique flavor. I had a bite of the brisket too and admittedly it was a little dry. Though I didn’t eat it with any of the gravy so that may have helped. The cod was really good. It melted like soft butter in your mouth. Portion didn’t look too impressive but quality was there. All in all, I enjoyed my experience but was a little let down by the quality of the food considering it’s currently rated 5 stars. I think it’s a solid four.
Marica R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 New York, NY
Best maple Christmas ham I’ve ever had. It was amazing. My husband and I shared it and he’s vegetarian so we got it on the side. It was close-your-eyes so you can enjoy the amazing flavour kind of good. The mac and cheese was also amazing. It had so many layers of flavours that just kept coming. Definitely a must-order and if we had more time to visit Montréal we’d be back there to eat again. The restaurant opens at 6pm and we were there and starving at 5:50. There was already a bit of a line waiting for the doors to open, but we were seated right away. Service was awesome. Super awesome. Family owned and run place, and if you’re server isn’t family their a friend of the family and consider themselves family, so it’s all around awesome. We ate so fast, we felt like we were in and out, but the food was THAT good.
Dustin G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Layton, UT
Le Robin Square’s food was very delicious and made me happy on several levels. What I enjoyed the most was the friendly staff. Best service we received our entire time in Montréal. We got the mac and cheese and pizza, both were fabulous. The flavors were amazing, it’s as if the ingredients were making sweet, sweet love to each other to make for an out of this world experience.
Star Z.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Montreal, Canada
My friend was visiting Montréal and I took him to this place because I read the reviews on Unilocal.I ordered the famous Mac n cheese and my friend ordered beef brisket. He loved the beef brisket very much and could not stop talking about it. I liked the Mac n cheese but after eating around half, I felt like it was too creamy/greasy so I did not finish all of it. It was still good I think. It is just that I could not eat a lot. After that, we ordered a cheesecake. It has a different flavor. I thought it was a little too sweet. I really like the ambience and the service. We met the owners, brother and sister. I can’t believe they are only in their twenties. Overall it was a good dining experience!
Elaine H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Toronto, Canada
Please don’t leave Montréal without coming here! What I would’ve give to have this in Toronto. Toronto. Okay. So I saw 5 stars and thought come on no way. How is 5 stars possible? Elaine, lower your expectations or you will be disappointed. Let me tell you, expectations were not lowered and I was not disappointed. Le Robin Square is sooo deserving of 5 stars You HAVE to try the mac and cheese. It’s what dreams are made. We almost didn’t order the mac and cheese because it was $ 18 and I could make KD for $ 2. How good can mac and cheese get I thought? Oh boy how I was wrong. Mac and Cheese can be freaking good. It had so many layers of multifaceted flavours. The Christmas ham is roasted with maple syrup and cinnamon and gave the dish a sweetness that complemented the creamy, cheesy and garlicy sauce. The whole dish topped with truffle oil sealed the deal. Cute crab dishes also came with the dish to allow for sharing and and made me squeal with excitement and subsequently took a bajillion pictures of for insta. I still can’t stop thinking about this dish. I didn’t want it to end and literally savored the pasta piece by piece near the end. The pork belly was stellar. Tender, juicy and well-seasoned. Not only do the chefs here focus on the centerpiece of the meal, the purée are also top notch. This particular dish came with a sweet(apricot and pear) and savory(celery root) purée. The flavours were so concentrated and fabulous. I ended up scraping the plate clean. While the guinea fowl with gnocchi and butternut squash purée would be an excellent standalone dish at any other restaurant, the previous two completely overshadows this one. It was a tad on the dry side for my liking and the flavours weren’t as complex as the former two. This place opens at 6pm for dinner. We arrived a couple minute after 6 and there was already a line forming. To avoid having to wait for the second seating, do come here right when it opens. To top off the experience, the service was so friendly and informative. We got a backstory of the restaurant(it’s family owned and operated) and where they source their ingredients. You can really taste the love the chefs put into the food here. I’ll be dreaming about this place.
Doris Z.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Montreal, Canada
It was a good dining experience for me but not so much for my friends. We had the Mac and cheese to share, I got the chicken and they both got the pork belly. On the first couple of bites, the pork belly was phenomenal, perfectly tender, juicy and melted in your mouth. It was probably the best pork I’ve ever had in a long while. The sauce was a good balance to the fatty belly with some sweetness. However, as they kept eating, they said they felt the dish got more and more greasy and they could barely finish it. I got the chicken with gnocchi and butternut squash sauce. It was really good, I liked the gnocchi’s dense texture and chicken was well seasoned as well. However, the wait was kind of long and the service wasn’t the best. We stood in front of the cashier waiting to pay for at least 10 minutes…
Mike W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Buffalo, NY
I was visiting Montréal this past weekend. It was our first time there and we were looking for a dinner spot and saw this place on Unilocal.I was reading through the reviews and almost every single review was 5 stars. How can it be? 5 Stars on every review? Because it really is that good. This is place is pretty small but there are a few tables upstairs to eat as well. We walked in around 7:30 on a Saturday night and were able to be seated right away. We did not have reservations. When you first walk into this place you will think to your self«this place doesn’t look at that great» but, looks can be deceiving my friend. Its not dirty or anything the place just looks like an average restaurant. We sat up stairs and we had the most wonderful waitress, I wish I could remember her name. She explained to us how the restaurant was family owned and run and she got the job because she was a family friend. She also explained how all the ingredients and food they use come from local places! It was like getting a little history lesson on the restaurant before dinner which I thought was a very nice touch. Our waitress was also able to recommend some beers that we make like. I went with the amber and thought it was perfect. Partner went with the blonde, and he enjoyed it as well. I cant remember the names! The menu is extremely limited with only 3 entrees. I had the Beef belly and my partner had the pasta dish(Black Truffle Rigatoni). I just want to say, I think this is the best meal I have ever eaten. The beef belly was served with celery root purée and an apricot purée but you didn’t even need it. The meat was so flavorful and tender. You can literally cut it with a spoon if you wanted to. The sever told us it actually takes a few days to make this. The pasta dish was also amazing! It was cheesy and creamy and the maple smoked meat made a great addition. I am really not a pasta guy but I really enjoyed this dish. Also each dish is served with a slice of home made bread which is also amazing. The beef dish was served with regular French bread and the pasta dish was served with a walnut bread. The whole weekend we rant and raved to each other on how good the food was here. Every restaurant we went to over the next few days we tried to compare to this place and it’s was almost like nothing could measure up. I will be back to this place for sure during my summer trip to Montréal! I would defiantly recommend this place to anybody!
La B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Bordeaux
A la recherché d’un endroit«pas touristique» pour déjeuner dans le quartier, nous avons beaucoup tourné avant de nous résigner à rentrer dans le Robin Square, le «seul truc» qui nous paraissait potable… Et quelle belle surprise! On a pu découvrir un petit resto familial où tout est fait maison: la maman et le fils aux fourneaux, la fille au service. Nous étions 4 à avoir pris des plats différents et tout était EXCELLENT: de la sélection de bière en passant par la soupe, la salade César ultra gourmande, les sandwiches avec pain maison, les pâtes, le cheesecake… Un sans faute, et qui plus est avec un accueil très chaleureux. Une chose est sûre, si on revient dans le coin, on ira manger au Robin Square !