Balsam Inn

Le meilleur service professionnel reçu jusqu’ici. Staff calme et sympathique. Le meilleur Martini dey à Montréal. Le Balsam est notre «go to place» de quartier/5@7 prolongé mon amoureux et moi.
Je suis d’accord avec les avis mitigés de leur pain par contre. Not a big fan myself. J’aime essayer leurs «plat du jour» qui né m’ont jamais déçu. Mon plat coup de cœur est l’osso buco de porc, servi sur polenta maison crémeuse arrosée du jus de cuisson. C’est à mon avis à se fracasser la tête oui!
I rarely eat desert but they have an orange almond flour cake I can’t resist.
You also have to know that contrarily to other restaurant WINE BY THE GLASS is not more expansive than buying a bottle. It’s pretty cool if you want to try different wine or need that extra glass after the bottle is done.
Leur seul défaut…j’aimerais qu’ils aient au menu des huîtres fraîches! Ca c’est vraiment Perso.

Un des rares endroits absolument charismatique au centre-​ville !
* Attention: fermé le lundi !

I took the Ravioli main platter…6 pieces that’s it??? Very disappointed for 19 $… If this was for 10 $ no problem. But come on!!! I wouldn’t suggest this place at all. Especially if you are hungry.

Mon copain et moi, qui avions déjà essayé la taverne dominion (leur grande soeur) juste à côté, nous avons voulu essayer Balsam le temps d’un 5a7. Nous avons essayé les calamars, le pain ainsi qumune petite trempette. Nous avons également commandé un gin tonic (tonic maison) et un spritz.
Points positifs :
— la qualité des ingrédiens est impeccable
— le service est poli et très professionnel
— très bel endroit, ambiance parfaite pour un 5a7
Points négatifs :
— le pain n’en vaut pas la peine, il s’agit d’un pain naann point barre .
— les assiettes sont petites pour des prix très élevés
— je n’ai pas aimé le tonic maison, qui était très anicé. Mais bon, il s’agit d’un goût personnel !

Pas mal. Mais rien d’inoubliable non plus. D’abord, le serveur nous vante le naan maison sans retenue. Nous nous attendions donc à une révélation. L’ange Gabriel n’était toutefois pas au rendez-​vous. Le pain était bon mais de là se fracasser le crâné sur le coin de la table… Et il en va tout autant pour l’agneau au zaatar que j’ai commandé. Deux petites côtelettes accompagnées d’une salade quelconque. Le sel prédominait dans la préparation du zaatar. La viande était tiède-​froide. Le poulet frit de ma convive était goûteux mais avait le défaut d’autres poulets frits de d’autres bons restos: trop graisseux et trop grillé. Il y a plein de bonne volonté dans ce Balsam Inn mais il faut garder en tête que la qualité de la nourriture est dans le top des priorités. L’accueil et le services sont des critères importants mais il faut demeurer rationnel.

Décor ⁵⁄₅ food ⁴⁄₅ staff&service ⁴⁄₅
The food was delicious, the service was quick and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. Love the french pub vibe!

Super décor, l’experience aux toilettes vaut le détour. (Le savon) Comme les autres disent on né se sent pas au centre-​ville. thank god! La bouffe est bien, similaire à la Taverne et dans les mêmes prix. Côté cocktail, aussi bien qu’au Baldwin. Finalement j’ai essayé le midi et le soir, j’ai préféré la crowd du soir et j’ai trouvé le choix limité et assez cher pour le midi. Il existe de meilleures options à moindre prix dans de meilleurs restos. Mais certainement un spot a considérer après le travail ou en début de soirée.

Super cute spot to catch lunch:
*artisan cocktails
*pour over coffee
*professional, hip staff
*hooks under the bar
*made to order food with quality ingredients
Check out the bathrooms. LOVE. So great a fellow tourist went all the back to her bag just to get her camera to snap a pic.

Like Dominion Tavern next door, Balsam Inn has done a great reno and is one of downtown’s most stylish eating options away from the chain restaurants. I haven’t eaten much here but what I have tastes — the fried chicken — was good.
My lousy reviews is generally due to poor service. Our main course arrived before our drink order — two glasses of wine, nothing tricky — and I could only cringe as I watched the waiter repeatedly bring each table the food first, then have to return inside to fetch cutlery — at least 4 times!
My review would have been 3-​stars until the waiter knocked my wife in the back of the head as he walked by with the water jug! Very sloppy service.

Why hasn’t any one mentioned the absolutely beautiful bartender?!
I digress… The food at Balsam is American with a splash of French Canadian surprise. We were there for lunch and found the salads to be pretty good. Next to us were mostly professionals in for their lunch break — which honestly gave a busy bustling feeling to the space.

Went there for lunch today and the place is quite nice just like the Dominion Tavern which is right next door.
Went for the table d’hôte which consisted of a tuna and lobster bow tie pasta and a choice of soup or salad. It started off well as the soup was quite nice so I had high expectation about the main course. Pasta came and first thought was the plate was quite small for a $ 21 table d’hôte. The taste was alright but nothing memorable.

I read about good flat bread, so I just chose this place. Well. this isn’t a full restaurant. I would rather call it, wine bar where you can get some nibbles.
Simple plain flat bread is 4 CAD (additional 2 CAD for oil!!!). I was recommended for tuscany pasta (pepe) which was a simple home-​made pasta with parmasan/​salami oil (fat). It was ok and if you can’t go to Tuscany to try it, go ahead. Very small menu…
Good place for a date night that you don’t need full dinner.

Fried chicken and the cucumber salad were great! Oh, and the little pot of melted cheese with the fresh flat bread was fantastic.
Really nice spot and the staff was great.

The serving sizes are «European», and it’s a good thing because the dishes are wonderfully rich, expanding in your mouth, not your stomach. I had the calamari for my entrée, I think it’s the best I’ve had in my life. The osso buco (pork) almost melted. And the orange cake relieved the weight of the two preceeding courses, rather than oppressing them as desserts unfortunately often do. For apéritif, kir cassis prepared and served perfectly. The Crozes hermitage we had with our meal was as full-​bodied as the food. Definitely worth visiting again.

Excellent restaurant !
L’ambiance est très sympa, la nourriture d’une qualité exemplaire, les serveurs extrêmement gentils, le seul bémol sont les prix, un peu cher mais c’est le prix pour une telle qualité !
Je recommande !

Before I tell you how much I loved this place, let me say: THEY CANNOT HAVE ANYONE UNDER 18 IN THE RESTAURANT/​BAR. We brought our 13 year old with us and had to sit outside (cool July evening so it was fine). Just know you have been advised.
The food was so delicious (order several items and share, the servings are perfect size) and the service fast and friendly. Price was great and we could not have been happier!
One last thing, order the homemade lavender lemonade, seriously delicious!

Nice, high end restaurant with a wood burning fireplace. I had the fried chicken and it was great, then I ate the tiramisu ice cream, which was awesome!

Go for the drinks, NOT the food. This is one place in Montréal I’ve been to that I would not recommend for dining.
I ordered the tomato flatbread. It was basically toasted pita bread with roasted tomatoes on it. It could have definitely used some garlic & fresh basil.
I also ordered what I thought was grilled calamari with herbs. Instead it was grilled calamari with some sort of root vegetable (fennel?) salad & a heavy cream dressing. The calamari did not smell or taste fresh. The waiter told me it was delivered that day & did little else to ease my suspicion.

Balsam Inn is located just next to Dominion Square Tavern and it is so obvious it is owned by the same people. The restaurant is like the little sister of DST, hasn’t reached her class yet, but full of potential.
The cocktails are amazing. Managed to sip from five and they were all very delicious. My favourites for the night whiskey splash and the balsam one.
Food is good, the menu offers really nice choices. Some dishes may be considered of small size, but this is warning if you are really hungry, I personally was satisfied. We shared a flat bread with sun dried tomatoes and I really enjoyed it. My main dish was the confit of white tuna. Very nice combination between the salty fish and the sweetness of the veggies garnished with white raisins. My friend had the home made cavatelli, I was worried that her dish looked kind of small, but she claimed the pasta sauce is creamy and filling.
The service was great and our host knew very well the menu, he was able to give us good recommendations on cocktails and dishes. Other then that, the music is chill, not the same as in DST, but almost, the bathrooms have the same cool design. I’m happy with my visit and I would say that Balsam Inn is a plan B if the place next door is packed or plan A if you are in need for something a little different.

My wife and I visited the Balsam before a hockey game. Fantastic décor, ambiance and great food. Must try the flat bread and the pappardelle pasta.

Very delicious food. Kind of overpriced. Cocktails are tasty and the pasta dishes are beautifully cooked. The place is gorgeous as well. Will be back.

Conveniently located downtown, Balsam Inn has everything to please. We went on a busy Friday night with a reservation for 6 people. When we got there, the place was already full and very loud. The interior is delightfully decorated and the whole place is lighted with candles which creates a very intimate setting. Our waiter was very friendly and took his time answering the dozen of questions we had for him.
One of their specialties is called the flat bread and is made directly in front of you at the back of the restaurant. The best way to describe it is a very flat pita. It is best eaten with other dishes.
We also tried out their hunter sauce pappardelle which was excellent, their beef tartare which lacked flavour but came in a very generous portion, their white anchovies and egg Cesar salad, and their smoked herring and potato salad. Both salads were delicious but forgettable.
Overall, the price is affordable, the staff is friendly, and the food is good but not memorable. ³⁄₅
Special note: go check out the bathroom!

It was my first time visiting Montréal from NY. On reccomendations from friends this was the first place I ate at. Ordered an old fashioned which was on point. Met with friends and ordered 5 or so dishes on the menu which were all delicious. Flat breaf was freshly made to order. The fried chicken and the braised pork were my favorites. Wine flowed nicely. Ambiance was relaxing and cozy. Great time all around! Cheers!

Made a reservation here for 3 for a friend’s birthday and it was all in all a great experience. We sat on a big red leather banquette in the back next to the wood oven, with a great view of the comfortable, vintage, elegant room. The service was friendly, helpful and attentive and the cocktails and wine we ordered by the glass were all excellent. And the food made us hugely happy, I loved the mushroom flatbread, and the meatballs were big and nutty and perfectly moist and generally perfect. The spinach salad was simple and fresh and great for sharing, and the orecchiette with pancetta and fresh peas was so good I’m still thinking about it. I was super happy with my dessert too — a whipped nougat ice cream on crispy lovely buttery almond cookies, really kind of surprising and great. With 5 shared plates, desserts, and 3 drinks each the bill came to $ 70 each, so definitely not an inexpensive meal but I loved what I ate and the overall experience so I felt like it was perfect for special event. Really glad to have more quality options downtown!

Parfait pour un souper avant un spectacle, très bon drink et décors intéressant. Menu simple mais bien effectué.

Much like dominion tavern the drink prices are expensive and portions are small but the food was good. I think it’s worth trying out if you’d like to order a few plates and share among friends. I wouldn’t expect the best Italian out there but it’s worth a try.

Un nouveau restaurant/​tapas à l’italienne, tenu par le meme patron du Dominion, son voisin.
J’y suis allée le lendemain de l’ouverture, le service etait encore un peu hesitant. En tout cas, les cocktails sont bons et originaux, et les petits plats allechants. Une superbe place qui a un cout mais l’ambiance y est franchement agreable (le four à bois ouvert sur la salle est splendide).

This new gem in the downtown core is an amazing new Italian bar/​restaurant. They opened on Halloween 2014, so it’s still brand new, but feels like it’s been around for a while. The dark wood, the long bar and the wood fire oven give this place a charm I can’t resist. The cocktails and the food are delicious, and the ambiance & lighting make it a perfect date spot! I was really impressed and I look forward to going back!