Perhaps I was lucky to get them on a good night, but it was my first time here and absolutely loved it from start to finish.
We came a little early about 15 mins before 7pm on a Saturday night without reservations for two people and settled at the bar, which is always much more interesting. We started off with their on tap cider, and we're big cider fans, and it was delicious. The bartender lady was friendly and didn't have any trouble ordering our food. We had the salmon and beef tartare, with a cream of cauliflower w/ bacon soup entree. All 3 dishes were delicious. I typically don't like dill in my salmon tartare, but it was tastefully balanced and truffle oil was used sparingly - just enough to give it a smooth taste than an overwhelming one. Enjoyed the cider so much we ordered a second round of drinks. We stayed for about 2 hours and watched the place fill up.
I much prefer this place than next door's Dominion Square Tavern as it's always crazy busy. Here the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed, not pretentious at all and loved the refurbished vintage decor, the great original tile work in the bathrooms and vintage stall doors.
There are very few places I thought worthy to eat in Downtown Montreal, but by far this is my favorite. Will definitely return!