Holder Restaurant Bar

Beau restaurant situé au centre — ville. L’intérieur est convial. Le service était rapide et efficace et la nourriture tant qu’à elle était savoureuse.

The food is exceptional and the service efficient yet warm and friendly. This is great for lunch but can also be good place for a family with well-​behaved kids. French specialties like «blanquette de veau» are flawlessly executed and classic north-​American fares just as comforting as you would expect. This has become a staple of every trip to Montréal.

Five stars all around!
Food: the beef cheeks were so tender! Highly recommended! The tilapia was extremely well seasoned with amazing flavor. The French Onion Soup was lighter than most, which was great for me; most French Onion Soups in this town are way too salty. The dessert that required a fifteen minute wait was decadent! The ice cream under the cookie was so unique in flavor that I wish I could bring a tub of it back home! The one Rose that they had tasted great, too, but might not have been worth that amount of money; wish the wine glasses were larger!
Service: this place might have the most efficient wait staff in all my adventures in Montréal. My water glass was was always full, there was plenty of bread, and food was ready in more than reasonable time.
Décor: the bar is stocked from ground to ceiling with wine bottles and other alcohol. Everything is placed so high up that the bartender needed a ladder.
Awesome experience! I hope to return!

Hands down my favorite restaurant in MTL! We get the steak tartare, duck confit, steak frites– it is all incredible, flavorful and cooked perfectly. Always a stop here when we visit!

One of my preferred local restaurants in old montreal. Try the lobster ravioli or the salmon plate well done.

We came for brunch when I saw salmon tartare on the menu, one of Montréal’s best dishes that I have a hard time finding outside the city. It was amazing and the little dark caviar pearls made it beautiful. My side salad was perfectly dressed to balance the rich flavors of the tartare. What really pushed brunch over the top were the chef’s daily housemade jams: Raspberry lime and white chocolate mango on our visit, which were the perfect palate cleansers for my main dish.

Great place! Big place with lots of tables and a French brasserie aesthetic. Everyone’s food was delicious and the service was excellent. Delicious goat cheese appetizer, salmon with lemon-​beurre blanc potato purée (I could have eaten 10 potatoes’ worth of that stuff!), and desserts. The food was even on par with food we ate on our last visit to Paris, which I don’t say lightly! A little loud and crowded on a Saturday night, but this was the only place in the area that had room for 4 last-​minute – we appreciated that they were willing to accommodate us! Would highly recommend this place for a nice dinner out.

Everything about my experience here today, was 5 star. They serve a great selection of champagne by the glass. The foie gras starter was sublime, with the right level of sweetness from the pear compote, washed down with a smooth Sauternes. For my main, I opted for the beef cheek bourgignon, served with perfect smooth mashed potato.
Oh, and I got engaged. #hesaidyes
Thank you Giuseppe for your help in surprising my man.

I’m surprised this place gets 4 – 5 stars. In my opinion, it is ok. There are much better places in Montréal.
Sundays are tough to find a place open in Old Montréal. We ate at Holder because it was walking distance from our hotel and other places were full or closed.
The restaurant décor is nice. It was certainly busy. It is supposed to be a traditional French restaurant. Um, not so sure about that. Very Americanized in my opinion.
My first complaint was our food came out way too fast. This tells me everything is pre cooked before you even order, then heated up.
My husband had the vegetable soup, which came out cold.
I started with the French Onion soup. It was too sweet and did not have enough onion taste.
We went with the special, which was cod. This was a nice dish. The fish was perfectly cooked with a wonderful finish. It was served on a bed of Israeli cous cous, which complemented it nicely.
If you are looking for a great French restaurant, this is not it. Not awful, but nothing to write home about.

Ok, this is what I call a great bistro. The moment you step in the smells of fine wine, grilled meat and sauté vegetables coming from the kitchen invigorate you. Their bourgignon plate is fantastic and their soufflé is out of this world. Impeccable service.

Made dinner reservations for 6:30pm on a Saturday and was warmly welcomed by a handsome, energetic fellow upon arrival. The restaurant was fairly large, but it was rather empty for a Saturday night. We were seated at a table for two by the window, next to an enormous pot plant that towered over our heads, literally. I didn’t mind it so much because it was on top of my fiancé’s head rather than mine, plus it added a special touch to the décor, and him :)
We started off our meals with the foie gras w/​pear chutney and the endive & watercress salad, both of which were pretty tasty and fresh. Our entrees, the braised beef cheek and duck confit, required a bit of a wait, which was confusing given that not many customers occupied the restaurant, but they were decent, just not WOW. We both felt that the braised beef cheek, although very tender, was a bit salty and on the saucy side. The duck was also a tad dry, a big no-​no for duck confit.
Service was pretty attentive as our glasses were continuously refilled with water (It was hot out and we chugged them like we were in a desert). The wait staff was also very friendly, shown through their smiles and cheerful demeanors.
All in all, it was a pretty good dinner but forgettable. Nonetheless, if I was a Montréal resident, I would probably return for a meal.

We were on McGill street and starving. This place was packed, but the host was very helpful and found us a table. I’ve passed this place a million times but have never been inside. It was full or tourists so I was a bit worried we’d entered a tourist trap. Fortunately that couldn’t be further from the truth. I order the beef cheeks and my friend the lobster ravioli. We both loved our dish. The beef cheeks are the best I’ve ever had. Ridiculously tender and flavorful. Next time I’m there I will be boring and order the same thing!

You see that cover photo they have of steak tar tar? That’s my pic! Yay!
Love this place!!! The atmosphere is very French bistro. The service was excellent– they are there for you but not over bearing.
The food was fantastic. I had the steak tar tar (smaller portion) which was actually plenty. The steak was very fresh and the flavors all blendes together nicely. Came with toast as well. Pretty filling if you are not too hungry.
Then I had the beef cheeks. Braised. Over mashed potatoes. With a dark beautiful sauce. I really enjoyed my meal here and the prices were very fair.
There were also alot of locals here which is always a good feeling. Love this place!

My favourite meal during my Montréal stay!
We arrived at noon on Sunday — there were plenty of customers inside but the place is pretty large so we were seated immediately.
We shared 1 croissant, 1 large orange juice, crepes with berries and chocolate sauce, and a tomato/​goat cheese omelette with a bagel.
All of it was delicious and tasted fresh. The chocolate sauce was decadent and the goat cheese omelette was perfectly cooked. My only complaint was the «large» OJ was small for $ 6. Also, the omelette came with 3 small potato wedges — wish the mini fruit cup was replaced with more of the tasty potatoes instead!
Service was excellent and efficient. The food came within 10 minutes of ordering. The manager stopped by to ask how our meal was, and as as I exited, the server who had seated me (and who was clearing a table at the time), noticed and wished me goodbye.

One of the best Duck Confit’s I’ve ever had in my life. There, I stamped it.
The other dish I tried here was the beef cheek, which was really tasty and rich with flavor (and fat).
Service wasn’t the greatest as it was a bit pretentious (french speakers got better service) but it was passable.
Expensive food, but awesome flavor.
4 stars.

Everyone enjoyed their meal more than I did, so this place is probably a 4/5…just not for me.
I came here specifically for duck confit and was gravely disappointed. I asked for it «extra crispy» (because I love tender duck meat covered in thin, crispy skin) but it wasn’t crispy at all and, in fact, the underside of the skin was mostly unrendered fat. No thanks.
Having said that, everyone else enjoyed their food thoroughly:
Fois gras pâté… wonderful
Mussels…exceptional
Fish and chips…“the best I’ve ever had” said Mitch
Braised beef cheeks… truly excellent
I guess I just ordered wrong.
The large space is a nice, well-​designed bistro but for me, lacked a bit of warmth and personality. Next time I would go around the corner to Barocco.

Great restaurant located in downtown Montréal. I came to visit fora work conference and wanted to try French/​Canadian cuisine. The hotel recommended this spot and I decided to give it a try.
Décor: Upon walking in the restaurant is spacious and beautiful. There is huge windows to sit by to people watch while eating. We got to see horse carriages walk by which was great!
Food: Superb! The free baguette bread is delicious and French. We had two baskets because it was so delicious. Everything everyone was ordering around us looked delicious. We ordered the chicken liver and warm goat cheese as an appetizer. Great sharing portion and very delicious. For entrees we got the Cajun tilapia which was fresh and seasoned to perfection. The steak frites was cooked well served with grilled onions and fries. My boyfriend are the entire plate!
Service: all the servers and managers were extremely nice and attentive! They had no problem translating the menu and offered great explanations!
If you are visiting I would def recommended this spot!

Probably the best French food I had so far. And oh dear, your service is well mannered and everyone is professional to do their jobs well! Thank you
Location: I think they are located in old town in Montréal. We were just walking and walking and my dad saw many people inside this place and asked if we could go there. Well, of course! We headed into the place and they had a full bar on the right hand side and they served lunch and brunch at the time when we got in.
Food: I had duck confit like always and my parents and Calf ‘s liver. Both are delicious as hell. My duck confit is crispy outside but inside is warm and tendered. The only bad part is that it ‘s bit salty to me. But the saltines is quickly balanced with veggies and potatoes on the side. I did not try my parents’ liver but they told me that it’s delicious. Oh, and we had their soup, potato soup for the day. Very balanced and smoothly, I wish I could had another stomach to finish another soup.
Service: Thank you for the good serve. As you know, I aint French speaking person. English is my second language and that’s about it. I have no experience of speaking French at all so when I stepped into this place, I was little nervous. But the lady was bilingual and speak English well to treat us to a seat with window. In addition, when my parents got their soups faster than me, they came here and asked if anything went wrong and correct their delays for my soup. I was very moved because such thing has never happened back in USA. Thanks for the service!
Overall: although less famous than other places, holder is a place to try some traditional and legit French good with some caring service.
5 stars for sure.

I enjoyed Holder during my recent trip to Montréal because a local colleague of mine recommended it. I found a very beautiful and spacious restaurant with friendly service, and a very upscale trendy atmosphere that is perfect for a romantic dinner or work event. The bar area also is large to accompany large groups.
The menu is traditional French with many variations. My colleague loved the salmon, and I chose the traditional hanger steak and frites. The fries were delicious, and the steak was A-​Ok (not the best I’ve ever had honestly but good). The complimentary fresh French bread and butter was a wonderful way to start the meal. I chose coffee to end my meal, and it also was dark and tasty.
It’s hard to compete in a city of so many great French restaurants, but this is certainly one that stands on its own two feet as a nice place to experience the city’s cuisine if you’re in the area.

Fun bistro with great food.
Great service. The place is dim without being overly dark, casual but festive.
The menu had so many delicious looking choices that if we lived in Montréal we would have to come back to try more! Here’s the run down of what we ordered:
Buffala mozzarella salad: YES. A wonderful twist on a caprese. The arugula is in the most wonderful balsamic, the cheese is soft and salty, the proscuitto is prosciutto.
Vegetable soup: spectacular. Similar to minestrone and just fantastically flavored.
Salmon tartare: really good. The yogurt is a nice compliment. It’s a lot so I would recommend getting the appetizer portion.
Salmon: didn’t try but my mother really enjoyed
Warm goat cheese: good, but the only thing that didn’t amaze us. Pretty simple goat cheese without too much flavor. Would skip this next time.
Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

I had the veal flank steak here and it is one of the best I’ve ever had. Got recommended to come here and it was worth it.
Food: 4/​5, juicy veal with great sauce. The duck confit was very good as well.
Service: 3.5÷5, a little slow but very nice stuff that is attentive
Ambience: 4/​5, cool décor and very fun atmosphere for dinner.
Price: 3/​5, a little pricy $ 30/​person

Excellent service! La nourriture me séduit chaque fois, je né sais jamais quoi choisir tellement je veux tout! Délicieux, belle ambiance, toujours mon 1er choix!
À essayer:
Tartare saumon et tartare boeuf
Joue de boeuf
Pappardelles
Tartelette de chèvre chaud
Salade de pieuvre et grelots
Huîtres 6 ou 12
Calmars
Potage paysan
Velouté d’asperges, crabe et jambon
Canard confit
Onglet de boeuf
Saumon grillé
Tilapia
Mi-​cuit caramel fleur de sel
Crème brûlée
Il y a toujours les midis de semaine 3 choix de menus du jour accompagnés d’une salade ou potage du jour ainsi qu’un choix de viande et de poisson du jour. Tous les soirs il y a aussi un choix de viande et poisson du jour.

Excellente nourriture mais service moyen.
J’ai mangé la joue de boeuf et wow! Elle était très tendre.
Nous étions un groupe de 10 personnes et on sentait tous une pression pour nous servir rapidement. Notre serveuse n’est jamais venue nous demander tout était ok lors du repas.
C’était l’anniversaire d’une copine et ils nous ont spécifier que le gâteau était à nos frais.
Lors que nous avions terminé de manger. Nous avions le regard de tous les employés sur nous. Ils semblaient avoir hâte qu’on quitte.

Pour les dîners ou soupers entre amis, l’endroit s’y prête. Mais la hauteur de plafond augmente considérablement le bruit ambiant qui peut devenir désagréable au fil des minutes surtout s’il s’agit d’un rendez vous d’affaire.
Bouffe: ³⁄₅
Sans être très raffinés, les plats demeurent bien cuisinés. Ils sont simples et les portions suffisantes. Encore des haricots verts pas cuits!
Service: ⁴⁄₅
J’ai beaucoup aimé notre serveuse. Dynamique, souriante, ayant un sens de l’humour un pince sans rire… Bref je l’ai aimée! Les serveurs de fin de soirée ont été tout aussi bon.
Décor /​espace: ³⁄₅
Le restaurant possède une ambiance de type brasserie, très convivial mais surtout très bruyant (mais moins que dans mon souvenir!). Nous né sommes pas trop serrés mais la promiscuité est présente.
Rapport qualité /​prix: ³⁄₅
Les prix vaillent la peine pour la cuisine réalisée et la facture ressemble à une facture d’un restau du centre ville. Le choix des vins est intéressant, vins qui sont à des prix pour toutes les bourses.
Au final, un total de ¹³⁄₂₀ qui reflète assez notre soirée. Peut-​être un peu cher pour une brasserie? Oui… Mais je l’ai pas dit fort! :). Cela demeure une valeur sûre selon moi.

Holder nous propose une cuisine variée, digne des bistros français BCBG. On y sert un tartare de boeuf tout à fait imbattable. Je n’ai pas trouvé un seul restaurant à Montréal qui ait compris comme Holder ce que signifie un tartare «bien relevé». Quand la plupart commettent un crime de lèse majesté en y ajoutant du tabasco, on est heureux de manger un tartare préparé dans la vraie tradition française.
On se régale aussi avec l’entrée de calmars qui né baignent pas dans le gras, idem pour le fish &chips. La carte des vins est riche en choix du Nouveau monde et du Vieux continent.
Le service est symapthique et authentique, en ce sens que le personnel n’est pas blasé par le tourisme envahissant du Vieux-​Port.
L’endroit est chic, très animé, un tantinet bruyant, avec une décoration cuivrée, soulignée par des miroirs style Art deco.

Nous cherchions un resto ouvert le dimanche pour souper entre copine et nous n’avons pas regretté notre choix.
Très bon repas, très bon service, une soirée plus qu’agréable. Le tartare de boeuf était excellent et la crème brulée exquise. Très bon conseil sur le vin également, j’y retournerais sans hésiter.

Toujours un bon choix pour le lunch, même pour le soir ou le 5@7.
La bavette de veau est vraiment très bonne. Le service super attentionné, l’ambiance assez dynamique, peut-​être un peu bruyant, mais l’expérience est très agréable et positive. Choix de vin correct peut-​être un peu limité au verre, mais raisonnable.
J’aime beaucoup cet endroit.

Le Vieux-​Montréal n’est définitivement pas qu’une immense trappe à touriste et le Holder et l’un de ces restaurants qui se démarque. Boiseries, belles verreries l’ambiance est classique mais pas dépassée. Le service est sympathique, efficace et très connaissant du menu et de la carte des vins. Le menu fortement à tendance de cuisine française offre une belle variété de plat et on nous offre aussi des plats à l’ardoise qui changent quotidiennement. La carte des dessert est aussi recherchée que délicieuse. Définitivement une adresse à ajoutée à son carnet.

Très très bon repas! Le servce attetionné et le ratio prix/​qualité est excellent! Très belle soirée je le recommande a tous ceux qui aime la cuisine francaise!

Tres bruyant
Bonne cuisine
Bön service