Chez Doval

Un vendredi soir tout doux d’avril. Le reveille-​week-​end à sonné. Pourquoi pas une petite marche vers ce Portugais?
Le déplacement en valait-​il le coup? Pour les sardines grillées, certainement. Mais pour la salade de tomates? Nous nous attendions à quelque chose d’original, de goûteux, assaisonné. Mais non! Des tranches de tomate arrosées d’un filet d’huile d’olive, saupoudrées de sel. Sachant que les tomates né sont pas des plus savoureuses à ce temps-​ci de l’année, je vous laisse deviner le «plaisir» gustatif.
Le reste est correct, sans plus: une morue à la portugaise grillée (désalee, posée sur le charbon), accompagnée de pommes de terre bouillies; un steak frites tout de même pas mal mais pas assaisonné. Pour le dessert, les sempiternelles tartelettes aux oeufs dont nous nous sommes abstenus.

On vient chez Doval pour sa délicieuse cuisine portugaise abordable et non pour sa déco/​service! Étant déjà venu aux courant des dernières années, rien à changer, même vieille déco kitsch… sinon le poulet/​fruits de mer goûtent aussi bons. Un classique du Plateau pour la cuisine du Portugal à faire ou refaire !
⁴⁄₅ visité en décembre 2015.

Beautifully prepared fresh seafood in a Portuguese neighborhood adjacent to trendy Plateau.
We had grilled Red Snapper and grilled Sardines. Perfectly prepared.
Very decent house red.
Good service — this is a go-​to place in Montréal — We have visited numerous times over the years and it remains an excellent family restaurant. Great value too.

Great restaurant in the plateau. Chicken is great but my fav is definatly the seafood casserole … A great Portuguese restaurant… The service is good … A bit rough around the edges sometimes but you get used to it … (It’s the typical environment you’d find in a Portuguese house at supper time) Luv when the Spanish guy comes in with his guitar and sings for us

Wow– iamazing selection of appetizers gave us a little bit of everything: grilled octopus, calamari, sardines, & quail. All grilled to perfection, all served with salad and great Portuguese bread/​olives. A Vino Verde with the meal completed the setting.
A little off the beaten track– but well worth the effort. Generous portion sizes and perfectly executed.
Definitely a don’t miss.

So me and my girlfriend are in montreal and we decide to dine somewhere with decent reviews averaging above 4.0, so we end up here. First we ordered a beer and the shrimp and cod nuggets as appetizers along with the grilled chicken as a main course. The appetizers and beer arrive in about 10 minutes, they were good. We proceed to wait in this restaurant for AN ENTIRE HOUR after our appetizers and finally receive our chicken at which point we just want to leave. We decide to try the chicken first and then get the rest packed up for take out. The chicken was really good but the waiter we had (grey moustache with glasses) was more than rude about packing up our food to go, not to mention he was rude and not helpful the entire time we were there. This place has potential to be a good restautant they just need to fire old man grumps and speed up the service a bit. All in all the food was good, but the service was so awful that i am not going again.

Amazing grilled chicken! We were in vacation in Montréal and needed to have some portugese chicken! Checked for places in the area and this place had great reviews! The food was amazing! Definatly going back next time we are visiting Montréal!

Essayer le poulet ou les poissons… Toujours bon! Typique et surtout une adresse a retenir.

Excellent traditional portugese restaurant! Everything I tried on their menu was amazing, including their «vin maison».

Just the type of place I love. We came in for lunch. The food was excellent. If you are a fan of grilled seafood or meat, as well as stews, this is the place for you. The wine was good and the service was very friendly. The pricing is very good considering that the bulk of the food is meat with most meals in the $ 15 – 20 range. I really like these little local restaurants which are pretty much like a small diner in the US. They have another room in the back with a full bar, live music at night, and I understand some loud political discussions. Sounds fun!

Doval shrimps and Portuguese chicken were great! I’m not a fan of rice yet I loved theirs. Negatives: The mussels were average and the service was a bit slow. Go on a quiet night if you don’t want to wait.

We have been staying in the Portuguese area of the Plateau and have been experimenting with the restaurants in the area… this was the second establishment serving Portuguese food which I love but Chez Doval was true to what I have been experimenting with the culture… rudeness was at it’s best, our waiter could have been a stand-​in for Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi. If this is what Portugal is like… God help them!

I signed up to warn people of this place. After reading the reviews I thought I would take my parents to this place and give it a try. Seriously… why would anyone give this place a 5 star? The food is the worst. you would be better off going to Eaton center food court where you would get way better chicken and overall quality of food than this place. As soon as I walked in I knew this place was a con job and a tourist trap. They even play some music to try to make you forget about the bad food. AVOID!!!

**First off, I find it important to mention that if they have run out of the fish of the day, don’t get fish. Contrary to what they say, it will be frozen.**
After reading the reviews for this place, I was a little worried about the service here but was optimistic that it wouldn’t be too bad. Unfortunately, it was.
We had to wait an extremely long time for our food. Two other tables that arrived long after us got their food much sooner. When we questioned the waiter, he rudely remarked that it was the grouper that takes a long time to cook (which is rubbish, because fish grills up very quick). When the grouper finally arrived, it was tough and tasteless. The waiter had told us it was fresh, but it obviously had been frozen and that was why it took so long to prepare… and that’s also why it was tough. The chicken tasted good though it was mostly bones, and the fries were very greasy. The squid came to the table cold.
Beforehand we had had garlic shrimp for appetizer. The shrimp were very well cooked but hadn’t picked up any flavor from the flavorful broth they came in. Wee also had grilled sardines which were pretty good.
As if our own waiter wasn’t lacking enough in courtesy, there was another old waiter who was very grumpy and rude. He is constantly grimacing at everyone and brushes people off when requests are made.
This is probably the first time in my life that I left no tip.

We went fully prepared for great food and surly service. Upon arrival, the place was packed, so we sat at the bar right in front of the grill. Best seats in the house as far as we’re concerned. The service was quick and to the point. I’ve spent 15 years working in restaurants and these guys are *busy*. There isn’t enough time to dote on needy patrons. The food speaks for itself.
We started with the grilled octopus app. Shared a litre of the house red. She had the grilled sardines and I had the chicken as the main. Best dining experience during our Montréal trip. We’ll definitely return.
Just before we left, the guitarist came out and started entertaining the guests. Don’t let anyone suggest that Chez Doval isn’t welcoming.

1^st time having Portguese food. This was in the neighborhood where we were staying at and upon recommendation we tried it. Very small restaurant, which seems to be typcial of this neighborhood (?). i ordered a grilled octopus. I was debating betwn the grilled squid and octopus and since i never had octopus I decided to try it. The portion was big however, the meal was bland. There wasn’t any flavor on the octopus. Meal came w/​a big potato, of which I only had half of. I’d prob return to give them another try.

I’ve never skipped a tip in my life, but the service at Chez-​Doval was intentionally disrespectful and quite unacceptable. On the up side, they did have really excellent grilled chicken and grilled squid.
He was clearly bothered that we didn’t order 2 entrees. Our 1 Grilled Chicken entrée and grilled squid appetizer was more than enough food for the two of us. We even ordered a half-​litre of wine. We were very full and satisfied with the food!
One star:
He forgot to bring the wine before the food, then finally came around after we finished eating. We had to ask about dessert, which was «already put away» and unavailable at 9:30. He deliberately refused to come back to collect our credit card for payment for almost 20min after delivering the check. We were long past ready-​to-​go, so we had to just forget about the tip and leave barley enough cash for the bill on the table before walking out.

Having been here so many times for take out, I must update that I have been going there to dine in house, several times with several parties (4 – 7 people) over the last few months and have discovered their entire menu.
Among the new faves are the grilled octupus, which has intense flavor and a superb texture, the quail (oh how I love theee), it is messy as heck but well worth the napkins, the fishermans platter (or Portuguese sea food dish), is one of the best, and the Portuguese mussles and or clams is a real treat. Overall I have to say that my original review though still good was not reflective of the entire menu, so I thought an update was required to give this place it’s well deserved praise.

This mainstay of grilled Portuguese delights has been permeating the connecting walls to their neighbours and littering the air with whiffs of charcoal smoke for 37 years. The waitstaff has probably been there for most of that time as well, so have the menu items and recipes. Like I mentioned, the crassness of the waiters adds to the «charm» of Chez Doval. Their «take no bullshit» attitude plus the Export As’ in their pockets, multiplied by the smell of smoke on their breath is pretty much a clear indication of where you’re eating. Eating at Chez Doval is like your uncle had to open up the basement to fit more people in at the family dinner BBQ; you’re not allowed to look behind the bar or touch any of the miniature figurines, only you’re not sitting at an old card table or using napkins bought on sale from «Cumberland».

Un bon restaurant portugais qui me rappelle un peu certains restos que j’ai essayés lors de mon voyage au Portugal il y a trois ans. Décor rustique, bouffe abordable et de bonne qualité, service qui peut paraître rustre, mais les serveurs sont tellement débordés que je suis prêt à excuser certaines pseudo-​impolitesses. Très populaire, alors il faut s’attendre à faire la file, même avec une réservation.

The chicken and calamari are amazing. Much of their food is grilled over an open fire– using maple wood. Simple and delicious.
This is a true Portuguese grill outside of Portugal.
DELECTABLE !!!
Muito Bom.

This is such a good place for Portugese food. After some mediocre Portugese food in Ottawa yesterday I made the most out of my trip to Montréal. I dropped into Chez Doval to get some chicken and fries.
I came in after lunch but if you come to this place for dinner there is a chance that it will be packed and you will be waiting in line.
The chicken is amazing as always! It was cooked perfectly but the best part was being able to smell of the food cooking from the kitchen.
The service is always great and the portions are pretty good!
I’ve had the steak and pork and clams from this place and they are also top notch choices!

One of our favorite meals while in Quebec. We were sent here by a local to whom we are very grateful. As I am hardly an expert on matters Portuguese, I cannot speak to authenticity, but I am quite proficient at eating, and we were happy campers at Chez Doval. Salads were plain but yummy, with a delicious but light dressing. Roast chicken was well-​seared, yet tender and delicious. Steaks were outstanding as well. Even the fries were difficult to resist. Large portions — come hungry.

Best portuguese place in town. Located in the heard of the portuguese area in Plateau this place is always packed.
They do not take reservations so you gotta take a risk. Everything on the menu is great — chicken, beef, porc, seafood. Try their house porto — its killer.
Service is great — all authentic portuguese. Good cheap date place. Walking distance from st. denis and mont royal — all the places to go for drinks after dinner.