Le Shambala

Service was good. Nothing to complaint about. Same goes for the ambiance. However, avoid this place if you don’t want to waste +20 $.
They only sell 1 kind of food: momos. That’s it. One plate is ranging from 6 $ for 3 momos to 20 $ for 9 momos. It is overpriced for the amount and quality of the product (around 2 $/​momos).
I cannot say if the momos were good or not since this is my first time eating it but they are for sure not freshly made. Also, if you choose yatch momos, don’t expect to have 9 of them. It will be 3 cheese momos, 3 yatch momos and 3 potatoes momos (the waiter or owner told us before we did the order).
Bottomline, I will never return to this place.

This used to be one of my favourite restaurants in Montréal, but since it has been recently bought by new owners (the old ones actually were tibetan!), this is not the same place at all. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. First, there is now ONLY ONE THING FOR DINNER on the menu — the momos, which do not taste the same as before and aren’t good either (I couldn’t finish the cheese ones nor could my friends). Second, the dish is also MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE than before! For one plate of momos you leave hungry and with 20 $ less in your pockets, without having had anything to drink. My friends and I all agreed that we would not becoming back here ever again. I’ll be in mourning this restaurant for a while, I hope the old owners are doing well wherever they are now.

I have tried a few tibetan restaurant here and there and unfortunately this one is not among my favourites.
Firstly, it is always a little dissapointing to hear the manager of a restaurant tell you that no she’s never been to Tibet and is not even interested in ever going there, this is just a restaurant right?! So, not letting this ruin our supper, and knowing that a good chef doesn’t need to have visited every place in the world to be able to cook its food, we ordered anyway.
Secondly, yes this is probably the only place in Quebec where you will be able to taste Yack meat (and yes if you like red and strong meat, it is delicious), this is the only good thing we ate. The blue cheese soup was quickly disgusting and having two soups in the same menu is just more liquid than one stomach can handle. The rest of the food was rather bland with nothing exceptional.
So yes, two-​star for the yack, that’s another meat I can check out of my list of meat-​to-​eat-​before-​I-​die and for the nice atmosphere inside (even though it was very cold, the décor was nice)

I’ve returned a few times since my last review and I must say WOW.
You walk in and are greeting by the lovely owners. The restaurant has a peaceful atmosphere built by the perfect lighting and wonderful Tibetan music. Sometimes they even play buddhist chants which are absolute perfection.
The menu has changed a bit; they’ve trimmed it down which is great because they’re offering up their freshest and best.
I can’t stay away from their momos which a light and heavenly. Their food has been much better than what I wrote in my previous review; much more flavourful. They also seem to have solved the speed of service issue that I mentioned in my previous review.
If you’re going with a group you must get the large lower seating that they have; it’s absolutely charming.
I would seriously recommend this place it’s charming and the food is perfection.

So for years Shambala was my veggie/​omnivore-​mix-​friendly-​date-​go-​to. The food was comforting but unique, service variable, and the space, above all is really lovely. If I want to impress someone I make a reservation for one of the cute sit-​in booth tables.
Now, I visited last night for the first time since the restaurant was bought by a French Canadian family and things were different. For one, the menu has gotten significantly smaller (I’m talking there’s like, a dozen things for dinner on the menu) as well items seem to be more expensive than I remember them being. In any case, the nice surprise here is that the recipes, according to the waiter, have been tweaked since the new owners came in, and it shows– everything was super flavourful.
The weird part of the evening was when we went to pay and the waiter began to talk about how «Tibetan people are ALWAYS smiling, they’re all so happy all the time.» I can’t help but feel like it’s one thing for white people to buy a Himalayan restaurant, it’s another thing for them to actively tokenize and generalize the culture they’re appropriating.
Too harsh? Maybe too harsh. I was kinda uncomfortable, not gonna lie.

If you’re looking for bland food and an overall disappointing dining experience, this is the place to be. The owners haven’t even ever been to Tibet, nor do they aspire to. The «momos» could pass for Presidents Choice brand frozen dumplings, and the curry was basically tasteless. Portions are small and everything is waaay overpriced. The restaurant itself is intriguing, but because of the lack of effort put in recipes, I will most definitely never be coming back.

The Bho-​Cha tea (salted butter tea) is a bit everybody’s cup of tea. It’s for the risk takers. Definitely doesn’t taste like regular milk.

This place was great — as a vegetarian, it’s always joy when I find places that do a good job with their options. The momos are fantastic — Tibetan dumplings with a variety of cheese, potatoes, and vegetables. The butter tea (which I had heard of but never tried) is warming and surprisingly both filling and sweet. The danish desert was akin to a cinnabon (danish with cinnamon and really sweet), deep-​fried, covered in a sugary cheese sauce — which, although sounding different, was phenomenal.
The ambiance is comfy and home-​y with posters and information on Tibet, as well as meditation music playing in the background, both relaxing and setting the mood. It was quiet, maybe not great for large groups, but for small groups or (intimate) dates, it would be ideal. If you can, try to reserve the window seating.
Staff were courteous, although a bit slow — not horribly, but noticeably. Overall, a wonderful, albeit different, experience.

Really gorgeous, interior — especially if you get lucky enough to snag the big cushiony square sofa type things down the bottom!
Small but eclectic menu, with every option really tempting. The food was insanely good value, so a good starting point if you’re new to Tibetan food. The curry I had was creamy, yet well seasoned and in a decent sized portion.
Service wasn’t crazy friendly, but still pleasant and efficient. The food came out fast and we were in and out of the place in less than an hour (just what we wanted as we were exhausted upon arrival in Montréal). But the cosy surroundings and fun atmosphere ensured that we could have lounged there all night had we wanted to.

I had a relaxing and tasty dinner at this quaint and quiet Tibetan place. We shared some yummy momos (mix of cheese, meat, and veggies) and then I had a rather fragrant and mild curry with chicken. The restaurant is comfortable and we didn’t feel rushed in the slightest. A nice place for a quiet dinner with a friend or a date!

Our waitress was attentive. We ordered the combination meal and were highly pleased. there was enough food to share for two people. The pace was leisurely and the food was tasty

Simply love their vegetarian dishes and chilled ambiance. The service could be faster but their food is worth waiting for. Except for desserts, which would have a greater selection, Shambala is perfect for a group outing!

A great little Tibetan joint, Shambala pays tribute to the traditional eats of Nepalese cuisine. Don’t worry, not so traditional where you have to squat on the floor to eat =)
Momos, Himalayan dumplings, are quite delicious and I would recommend them. I usually go for the steamed ones since they’re a little healthier that way, but pan fried tastes awesome as well.
The Langsha Shamdey harkens some of the Indian influences on Tibetan cuisine and they do a decent rendition of it. Spicy and savoury, a good meal on a cold Winter’s day.

Ma première fois que je mangeais des mets tibétains. C’est pas trop cher, savoureux. J’ai mangé des momos qui sont des dumplings (les trois sortes végétarien, tofu je pense et boeuf! Boeuf c’était vraiment les meilleurs avec les végétariens. Bien savoureux. J’ai aussi prit le place avec des Tingmo (J’pense que c’est le nom) qui me rapelle des danoises Steamed de pain. C’est pas pratique manger avec des baguettes, j’ai mangé avec mes doigts puisque c’était plus convivial à se faire de belle et bonne bouchée de délices tibétains. Ça fait pensé à un mixte de cusine indienne et thai. Des stews épicés avec riz, tofu, cari, etc.
C’est pas cher et il y a vraiment une belle vibe! À conseiller!

So, if what you want is a cozy, soul soothing little hideaway on St Denis and food that comforts, you won’t go too far wrong here. Tuck your feet up and slide/​crawl into the pretty square benches and order up some veggie fried momos and you’ll be well on your way to becoming ok.
Speaking just to the food, I have to admit it’s not exceptional. Everything I’ve tried sort of tastes like cabbage and potatoes — and maybe that’s exactly what you need up there in the Tibetan Himalayas with China on your ass all the time and all you want is to find a little peace.
You can support Tibet at Shambala by purchasing the items by the cash, 100% of profits go to the Free Tibet movement. You can also find info on Tibetan Buddhism here and meet some incredibly lovely people.

It was ok.
Dumpling-​y Indianish with a serious amount of garlic
Not cheap
Give it a try. You probably wont become a regular but we all need some novelty don’t we?

Yum yum. My first time trying Tibetan food but I’d try it again.
Nice décor, there’s an area in the back with some cushions to sit on, which looks comfortable.
There’s a decent vegetarian selection on the menu, consisting of a selection of curries and momos (dumplings). I ordered the momos, which came with a side of lentil soup. The food took a bit to a bit to arrive, but it was worth the wait. The lentil soup was nothing special, but the momos were delicious. You can choose to have them steamed or panfried; I chose the latter. The momos come with a small side salad, and two dips: i think one was soy sauce and the other was some kind of yogurt-​based dip. The momos were a combination of fillings, half of them had potatoes in them, and the other half had some filling that almost resembled sauerkraut. I don’t even think the meal needs the side of soup because the dumplings are so filling, but maybe I just have a smaller appetite then most.
The prices are decent for what you get, I’d definitely return here– maybe I’d try one of the curries.

* «Tibetan» food *
Very friendly service at this second floor hole-​in-​the-​wall spot which offers «Tibetan» food. I use quotes, because the food was more North American with influences from Tibet than pure Tibetan.
The window seating is well worn, but comfortable. Photo:
The lunch special started off with a lentil based soup, which had pleasant hints of dill. It was a bit thinner than I would have expected, but was packed with a good amount of flavour. Photo:
This was followed by a platter of momos. There were three varieties (meat, cheese, and potato). The momos appeared to have been wrapped in-​house and had a handmade feel to them. The wrappers were a bit too thick in parts and slightly clumpy, but the fillings were all flavourful and well seasoned. Photo:
The «Tibetan» tea was not the typical butter tea you might expect, and was instead quite similar to chai. It was nicely spiced, but I was kind of looking forward to a butter tea, so it was a bit of a disappointment. Photo:
Overall the food was decent, service was friendly, and it was reasonably priced as the lunch combo which included all of the above was a reasonable $ 7.99.
But would I return? Likely not.

The service was slow and our waitress unattentive. The manager didn’t seem to want repeat business.
The food wasn’t anything particularly special either. There are much better choices.

This food is delicious! This was my first experience with Tibetan food, but it is influenced by Indian and Chinese food, so nothing was terribly foreign. If you visit this restaurant, I highly recommend getting the dumplings (momo), which you can order as an appetizer or a meal. I ordered a beef dish and the sauce was quite flavorful. The rice was sticky, so eating with chop sticks was no problem. My only complaint is that the beef seemed a bit overdone, but in my brief experience in Montréal, that seems to be a common trend. The flavors overshadowed this minor flaw though. The house wine I had was quite tasty, but I do recommend ordering red wine cold if you are there in the summer. The dining room was quite warm, as was the wine. If you start cold, it imagine that it will settle at a nice temperature fairly quickly.
The décor is beautiful, the food is delicious, and there is a nice selection of beverages. This restaurant would serve well for a date night or just a delicious and inexpensive dinner.

Me and my best friend were craving some Asian comfort food after feeling so grossed out from stuffing ourselves with a sinfully fattening junk food called «Poutine». We decided to try Tibetan food for the first time but in all honestly I can’t say I was impressed. My gastronomic curiosity unfortunately didn’t pay off this time. I really wanted to like this place because the Tibetan owner is a super friendly guy and I liked the nice exotic décor. I had the following food:
1) Tibetan butter tea — I should’ve listened to the owner… he did warn me that it’s very butterly but I had no idea that it’s literally like a melted butter soup, just imagine drinking liquid butter you pour on popcorn. How do you drink this???
2) chicken curry — it was ok, it wasn’t as spicy or flavorful as Indian curry but better than momo. Reminded me of Vietnamese curry, but less flavor.
3) dumpling soup (momo) — This is supposedly the most famous Tibetan food but I found it incredibly bland… I guess it’s meant to be tasteless? It lacked spices, I’d much rather have gyoza or shumai!
The food was just too bland for my palate. Learning about the incredible hardship of TIbetan people’s lives from the owner gave me some insight on why their food is so simple and bland. Basically the Tibetan people are more concerned about survival than pleasure, because their harsh environment doesn’t provide enough food resources. I’m glad I got to try Tibetan food at least once, but it’s probably going to be my first and the last time.