Station F

So, Rachel Est wouldn’t exactly top a Google search for «resto + Montréal + loc», yet Station F (housed in an old firehouse) is genuinely competitive with some of the city’s more famous gastropubs. A very nicely restored interior, with some longer tables for groups and comfy booths; super knowledgable staff and a menu that showcases Quebec produce, notably duck and foie. In fact the assiete gourmande has both of those in tasty abundance. Good draft amber beer and a nice selection of wine makes a winning formula that requires visit after visit. Being quite close to the Prefontaine metro is a plus

We walked in blindly, spotting this cute little restaurant at the corner of a long street in a quiet area of Montréal… we are 3 vegans walking into a classic french style bistro and while we can’t comment on any of the meat dishes… we were so pleased by the beautiful wine, sassy yet nice waiter, and how they accommodated our diets… they served us an absolutely delicious gazpacho accompanied by pickled vegetables, wild lettuce salad… and incredible, very fresh french fries– frankly the best we had in the city… The experience left a nice memory for us and we will think of this place fondly.

Absolutely fantastic service, coupled with a very comfortable and relaxed atmosphere make this a very good place for anything from a date, to a family dinner.
I’ve given this place ⁴⁄₅ because it lost half a star for not having an English menu, and I can’t award half stars on Unilocal,so… The up side was our waitress spent a proper ten minutes going through the entire menu and describing each item to us in English and even pulled the chef out for some words she didn’t know. We didn’t need to ask, and she really went out of her way to make us feel comfortable with the menu and comfortable being an anglophone in Quebec (a rare thing indeed).
This place is sort of like the hipster version of French food (not a bad thing), I wouldn’t call them super traditional but they aren’t ultra-​modern either, so it actually makes for a very good experience. Station F has the comfy, hearty, earthy bits of traditional fare, but the upbeat and creative bits that make it feel much less stuffy than many more established French restaurants.
Pricing is also very reasonable, dinner costs around $ 30 a head on average, and I hear there is a good lunch service but I’ve yet to try it. Also, portions are not small, so bring an appetite! The food was very good, and deserving of a 4 star rating on it’s own. This place really combines to shed the stuffy and pretentious feeling you get from many other French restaurants, while also not going too deep into the hipster end of the pool.
Note: it was kind of difficult to find parking at 7pm on Saturday night, the lot next door is reserved and not their’s so heads up if your planning to drive there.