I returned to L'Express after two years. It was still cramped, my neighbor was enjoying the fish soup that I had found so salty. But everything I had was perfect. I cannot allow the outrage of my four-star review to continue I am upgrading my review. This isn't as perfect as Lemeac or Monarque. But it is fabulous.

Had a wonderful experience at L'Express! It was our first time to Montreal and the first reservation we had on our trip. It did not disappoint, and L'Express set us up for a great first impression of the Montreal food scene. We opted for a 2 pm lunch reservation, and the restaurant was bustling with people and immediately warm and comfortable. We hung up our jackets and were seating towards the front window. I went with red wine to start and my partner with white, overall it was easy to have conversation despite the busy restaurant. After ordering we were brought bread with butter and CORNICHONS WITH MUSTARD!!! I love pickles so I was very excited. To start, we had the smoked herring, it was amazing. Perfect serving for an appetizer and a nice light way to start the meal in addition to the bread & pickles. Next was the quail and homemade mushroom ravioli. Both were wonderful and the presentation of the quail was beautiful. The ravioli were steaming hot, cooked perfectly, and the SAUCE was divine. Service was consistent and attentive. Courses had perfect timing and our glasses were never empty! Definitely will be back to try more of the menu. Merci!

Our first night in Montreal and we dined at this gem! I ate a lot of bread cause it was soooo good...the pickles...wow i should have taken jar with me!! The service was fantastic! Quick and efficient. Place was packed and I can see why! My favorite bite...the maple profiteroles...omg i dream of them! Will definately visit next time im in Montreal!

A trip to Montreal isn't complete without a trip to the classic French bistro L'Express. Make sure to make a reservation in advance or be prepared to wait at least an hour for a seat. The place is busy and the servers are circling the place left and right. The bustle of activity adds to the ambiance of a lively old school bistro. The meal starts off with bread, butter, mustard, and cornichons. The butter and mustard were really good and my friend and I were trying not to eat too much bread before our main courses. Then came our ravioli which were warm pillows of meat stuffed pasta with a tasty sauce. For our entrees, we enjoyed the succulent roasted quails with wild rice and the shrimp and chorizo risotto. I preferred the roasted quails over the risotto but both were great and served in large portions. To finish our meal, we had the Il Flottante with Caramel which is a huge dessert with cream encased in hardened caramel. The dessert was unique but a little big for a party of two. I can understand why L'Express is packed every night. The food and service are great coupled with the French Bistro charm makes L'Express the perfect place to impress out-of-towners. As an out-of-towner, I was more than satisfied.

What a fantastic way to end our Montreal trip with - a classic French bistro experience at L'Express - filled with deliciously rich French fare, a chic atmosphere, and a relaxed experience for a date! My partner and I ordered a lot of food, and we loved all of it (would do the same order again, but maybe try another dessert). We got the chicken liver and bone marrow to start, steak frittes and crouqe monsour for main, and split some profiterole for dessert. All paired with a fantastic bottle of wine (great and reasonably priced wine list), and a dessert port at the end. Steak frittes were some of our fav we tried all trip! Also shout out to the delicious bread and butter, which paired magnificently with the bone marrow and chicken liver. Service was friendly and attentive - we never felt forgotten and were positively reinforced with our menu decisions ha! We would definitely return!

Came here for lunch during a visit to Montreal from NYC. Expected it to be one of those popular just okay tourist places, but thoroughly enjoyed the meal and experience. The interior has a quaint Parisian bistro feel, and the wait staff was very warm and friendly, and gave us great menu recommendations. Ordered the octopus, steak frites, duck confit, and creme brûlée and enjoyed it all. Overall, a nice memorable lunch.

Good selection from the menu and they use a lot of dishes that use different ingredients like liver and kidney which is interesting. The restaurant can get a little noisy though. Service is friendly and attentive. There is parking outside on the street with a meter so if you are unlucky, you may have to walk some distance before reaching the restaurant.

Cute French Bistro. Been here a couple times now on visits to Montreal. It gets super busy so you have to make a reservation. It's a little slow, but service is very good. On this visit ordered an escargot in wine sauce special, liver pâté, beef tartare, hanger steak and fries, and the floating island (île flottante) for dessert. They also bring bread and cornichons to the table. Tasty food, the steak was deservingly popular, and the fries are crisp. The escargot was good too. Both dishes were rich, and everything can be eaten with the bread. The floating island (which they actually comped for the slower service) was also very good. The meringue is light with a crispy caramel outer layer. Very sweet though and the caramel shell gets stuck in your teeth. Overall would highly recommend. Price is a little high, but still worth it in my opinion.

L'express service was incredible. The staff was so warm and attentive and sure to give us plenty of recommendations. The ambiance takes us back to Europe. Not too frilly, just lovely to relax and have a good meal and good drinks. Less of a cocktail place and more emphasis on wine. You have to get the steak frites of course, but all of the other options we ate were delicious. Love this for a date night or a celebratory meal, or just a casual meal when you're feeling like having some good food.

At first, I thought L'Express was a tourist trap, but was I wrong. Packed at 2:00 on a blistering hot Tuesday in the middle of June, L'Express would feel comfortable in any arrondissement in Paris. We settled in at the expansive bar, ordered wine and a cocktail, and didn't miss Paris at all. Romanik took great care of us, and his graciousness was welcome after the often self entitled servers in the United States. Maybe Canada's universal health care has something to do with that. The menu covers every classic French dish, and we ordered calves liver with frites and Duck Confit for nostalgia's sake. Ooh La La. They were both fantastic. Our late lunch was long and so relaxing. Regrettably, we left the AC of L'Express to take a stroll in 93 degree heat. Mistake. We should have stayed at L'Express and ordered dessert.