NEVER GOING BACK.
When I made reservations for a group of 9 people, I was told that we would not be able to order a la carte and the staff recommended a family style menu at 70$ a head, not including alcohol or tip. Once we got to the restaurant, waiter told us that group menus were 55$ a person. Already off to a bad start.
If I can resume my experience in 3 statements:
-HORRIBLE SERVICE: We were seated at 8:00 pm and only got our first entree around 9:00 pm. We actually waited 30 minutes between each service and the minute I complained about it the food started to magically appear out of the kitchen at a quicker pace. My opinion was that the waiter was trying to get us to spend more money on wine by slowing down the service. Thumbs down.
-HORRIBLE AMBIANCE: Music was way too loud, temperature was insanely hot it was a sauna in there. A restaurant that small, packed with that many people and with that kind of ''reputation'' should be able to afford decent air conditioning for clients. I was literally drenched in sweat by the time our main course arrived. Not a pleasant dining experience to say the least.
-AVERAGE FOOD: Food was ok but nothing to brag home about, and whoever gave this restaurant anything higher than a 3 star rating must be a tourist. Oh, and get this: the wine list only has CANADIAN WINES. And they're not cheap either.
My cousin was visiting from Italy and we wanted to show him a good time on his first night in Montreal, and instead his and my whole family's experience at Maison Publique RUINED our evening. We were so glad to get the bill and get the hell out.
Very disappointed and will go out of my way to tell people how horrible this restaurant is.