Cafe Via Crescent

Mixed up places

Service was slow. Ordered seafood platter; some cold, some raw. Sent back and they just reheated the plates. Not good value.

I went to Café Via Crescent with friends for an impromptu lunch in august. It was a lovely hot summer day so we chose to sit on their beautiful patio. The food was amazing! No complaints from any of us. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. It was an all around great experience at a moderately priced Italian restaurant.

Good Food and authentic cuisine. 1 star docked because we wanted to modify the food and we were told «the chef does not allow that.» We wanted one sauce with a different pasta. The change is allowed on some pastas and not others. Not customer friendly in that regard. The anitipasto was great and meats were good quality. The bread was good too. The food was okay but I am not sure I would come back unless this was a place of last resort. The whole customer service thing really bothered. But good food.

Stopped here for our first meal in Montréal. My spaghetti bolognese was just ok. But service was good.

To begin with, this bar is located on Cresent Street which is basically where all the tourists go to hang out, drink, and people watch. In fact, there are many bars and restaurants on this street with open terrace;s or balaconys. If you are in Montréal during the 2 months of the year when there is actually no snow, then you will probably want to check this place out.
So this is place was pretty cool. Nice, open, outside terrace. However, while I found the rest of Montréal to be somewhat affordable, this place took me back to Boston pricing pretty quickly. $ 10 bucks per drink and such. With that being said, our waitress was very friendly and outgoing. She got our drinks quickly and it was a cool place just to hang out.
Hit up anywhere on Cresent street if you are in Montréal. It is good day or night when the weather is nice.

Open, airy, and sunny, Via is a good place to stop off and eat as you recharge on a day off in downtown Montréal. It’s kind of like a café vs. bistro, but there are a few secret weapons on the menu that align it more with a real restaurant.
Food is light, inexpensive, and very tasty. Coffee is amazing.
Beware of the corporate douches that crowd the place at lunch on weekdays though. You’ve never seen so many shitty suits from Le Château paired with Aldo shoes and Kenneth Cole watches.

Café Via Crescent is my go-​to spot for sublime, fresh, taste explosive and healthy Italian food. Don’t look for baked ziti here or 20 different pizzas; this isn’t what this place is about. Most of my best authentic Italian food experiences have been at Via. Brined pork chops on a bed of greens, rabbit with a carrot and celery stew, a fried Mortadella sandwich, egg plant and even the ubiquitous Spaghetti Alla Carbonara are all amazing dishes.
One in a while we order the Antipasto and they just take it to another level. The prosciutto is easily the best I’ve ever had, not to salty, not to stiff; parmesan chunks with balsamic vinegar, Insalata Caprese, spicy egg plant… critical mass of Italian country food deliciousness. There’s also the ultimate Italian dessert, the cannoli. The owner’s sister (If I got the story right) owns an Italian bakery so all the desserts at the restaurant come from that bakery and are fist-​biting delicious.
The service is always rapid, polite and very friendly (and sometimes drop dead sexy). The have a lovely terrace looking over Crescent Street. From Wednesday to Friday they have lunch specials and in all seriousness I’ve seen the menu only once, the rest of the time I take the specials because they are MIND-​BLOWING. Try to show up a bit before noon because the place gets packed fast and stays packed until late afternoon. The prices are very acceptable, considering the very rich clientele I keep seeing there.
This one obviously gets a high 5 outta 5. I could eat there everyday and never get bored. Beware of the coma you will have at work following the lunch. I’m feeling it right now.