While walking through Old Montreal with some locals, they suggested this restaurant. It definitely lived up to expectations! The menu is quite large and offers a broad range of different pastas and sauces. According to our waitress, the recipes have stayed the same for a long time, which speaks to the longevity of this restaurant in the Old Montreal area.
Upon finally deciding what I'd eat (I went with the classic spaghetti with meat sauce, as they call it, the "Spaghetti St-Leonard") which cost $14. All the menu prices seemed very reasonable, especially considering that all menu items come with salad bar and bread included.
The bread comes out warm and fresh, and is served with a delicious garlic butter, made in house, as well as conventional butter. The salad bar isn't huge, but it has a good range of different salads that include leafy greens, pasta or potato salads, and other marinated salads and cut-up vegetables. The dressings are very tasty, and there is a vinaigrette that is a real stand-out. The quality of the main course was also great. The pasta was cooked just perfectly (not too hard and not too soft), and the sauce was flavourful and satisfying. The portion size was also surprisingly large, so I wouldn't think anyone would leave hungry.
As an interesting side note, the menu items are all named after places and figures from the local area, so those new to the area or just visiting can find some names to google while they wait for their meal (the menus are left behind as placemats).
Also, the decor in this place is really nice and rustic, which suits the Old Montreal charm perfectly. This place is definitely worth a try.