Lawrence

La troisième fois est la bonne !! Oui, enfin j’ai pu rentrer et avoir une table au Lawrence. Pour un brunch entre amis, un dimanche midi (14h plutôt) où on avait pu réserver.
Le choix a été difficile: tout semblait délicieux ! Sur les conseils d’une amie, nous avons pris un scone… quelle bonne idée ! Il était succulent, dans sa pâte feuilletée qui le faisait gonfler. Ensuite, ça a été… des rognons !!! Incroyable ! Ca faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas vu des abats au menu (et encore moins pour un brunch). Ils étaient servis sur une énorme tranche de pain, c’était un régal.
Vraiment une bonne place, si vous êtes au moins 6 pour pouvoir réserver ! Sinon, il faut s’armer de patience (et ça vaut le coup !!)

This place is phenomenal. Their food was amazing, and their coffee was a decadence.
We attempted to come the day before, but they had a long wait. Our group was with children, so we couldn’t wait. We made sure to make an attempt the next day. Sure enough it was well worth it.
I had the Pig Feet with baked beans, topped with eggs and toast. Super delicious and heavy (In a good way). Everyone at the table ordered something different, and there were no complaints. We truly loved this place, and they were very accommodating with our toddlers.

When it comes to brunch, generous portions really matter to me because my next meal won’t be until at least 7pm. This isn’t what I was expecting from Lawrence at all, which shows don’t judge a book by its cover. Or in Lawrence’s case, don’t judge a brunch place by the daintiness of its décor. I went with a friend early enough (around 10.30) in the morning on Saturday, advised by the restaurant when I called the night before trying to make a reservation. They only take reservations for groups of 6 or more. We got seated right away and our server did all the right things in terms of serving us water, getting us coffee and the menu in a timely fashion. I was split between ordering the french toasts (which according to a few Unilocal reviews, are amazing) and the full English breakfast, since I was rather in the mood for a savoury meal. The server recommended the English breakfast, so I took her advice. It was a lovely looking platter consisting of a huge sausage, two thick slices of bacon, sauteed little whole mushrooms, beans, a thick slab of mashed potatoes with a crispy top, a sunny side up egg on top, and a toast. The way they arranged these items made it look like it wasn’t a big meal. But once again, looks deceive and as I worked through it, I realized I would probably have a hell of a time finishing it. So the verdict: it was a very good, satisfying brunch. The mushrooms and the potato slab were fantastic. The bacon was a little particular, seeing that it was a thick cut, so if you like your bacon crispy, you probably won’t like it. It was still delicious nevertheless. The one thing I wish they’d given me was jam or something a bit sweet that I could put on my toast. After that very salty meal, it would be a very nice touch in the end. I would certainly go back, but earlier. The restaurant is small and the seats very close to one another so as it filled up, the noise level was quite deafening.

It was really cold today but they still had a line. We waited about half an hour by sitting at a café next door. They called me when my table was ready. My friend and I ordered donuts, scone, beef kidney and baked eggs. We preferred scone to the donuts, but they both were really good! For the beef kidney, my friend loved it but the toast was a little hard. I loved my baked eggs, a lot of veggies and great flavor! We wanted to try the coffee there but we already drank some coffee next door… Will try next time! The service was very nice too!

Très bonne petite place! On me l’avait vendu comme le meilleur brunch de Montréal, je vais donc écrire mon avis en conséquence. Le latté est excellent! Le scone était feuilleté et agréable et la crème servie en accompagnement était parfaite. Les beignes (celui au chocolat surtout) étaient bon, à recommander.
J’ai pris le petit déjeuner anglais de mon côté. Bonne assiette, je ressort rassasié. Les fèves au lard étaient bonnes, mais manquaient un peu de gras pour bien les enrober. Les pommes de terres sous mon oeuf miroir étaient correctes, sans plus. La saucisse était goûteuse (peut-​être même un peu trop épicée).
J’ai également goûté à l’assiette jambon oeuf miroir sur toast. Correct sans plus. Le goût de la moutarde était tellement fort dans l’assiette que je n’ai pas pu apprécier le fromage, qui semblait pourtant délicieux.
Pas le meilleur brunch à Montréal, mais ça vaut amplement le détour.

Great food, not so great service. This has been my experience at Lawrence on a couple of occasions. The host seems to take himself way too seriously, boasting lots of attitude and hipster snobbiness. However, the food consistently delivers quality, unique dishes. They are known for their brunch, but also have a great dinner menu. Just be warned, it’s a bit on the pricey side for a mid range restaurant.

Exploring Mile End for the day, I decided to try Lawrence for lunch. It’s situated on the corner, a cozy space with large windows, letting in lots of natural light. The place is simplistic in décor, using neutrals, white and black chairs, and a grey and white plaid pattern for their banquette seats.
Arriving around 1pm on a Tuesday afternoon, there was a short wait for a table. While waiting, I observed the attention to details as the servers were setting up the other tables. Even when rearranging smaller tables to create a larger one, they made sure that white chairs were on one side, and black chairs on the other. As I sat down, I was then immediately greeted by my server.
The menu had a good selection of small plates, as well as some larger ones. I decided on a steak tartare and an arctic char and brussel sprouts with almonds. The tartare was delicious, freshly chopped, and a perfect amount of salt and seasoning. One of the best I’ve had. The arctic char plate was a light salad, with cut brussel sprouts and slivers of almonds adding some texture to the plate.
I like Lawrence for its simplicity of their food. The service is excellent; I never felt rushed to finish my meal. The space is a great spot to relax and enjoy a meal.

Following many foodies on Instagram, people very often spoke quite well of Lawrence, and I know understand why. Their breakfast, were outstanding!
We sat down our waiter came right away with a great smile, and very professional. We were given a vintage milk bottle filled with refreshing water, which did not taste like chlorine, unlike most other places I’ve been to.
As I looked around, I noticed the deco is quite simple. White walls and different styles of lamps. Imperfection at it’s best. The place is small, loud, yet very comfortable chairs and benches.
We decided to order two things, knowing already I would want to come back. We began with a large ramekin of one egg, caramelized onions, chili peppers and stewed tomatoes. Each bite was a bite of perfection and a spicy kick. Those that do not like spicy food, this is not for you.
We also tried their french toast, which by far was the best I had. This dish was as warm and comforting as your typical Christmas cookies. The French toast consisted of two slices of delicious & buttery brioche. Which is how a good French toast should be done! It was dipped in a delicious sweet mixture, so it would be soft on the outside, and still moist without being soggy on the inside. It was served with a fresh canberry compote and a perfect small amount of fresh house made whipped cream. Decorated with small chunks of juicy apples, and cinnamon. Again, the best I’ve had to this day. The Ritz Carlton couldn’t match up to this breakfast.
Oh, you may ask yourself. With this great review why only four stars? The one, and only down side to this charming restaurant, is it’s noise level. Due to the fact that it gets crowded easily and it’s small, it’s a loud ambiance. My solution to this? Speak louder and focus on the food! :)

I’ve been here twice for dinner and I wasn’t too impressed.
The food is… OK, nothing particularly great, the bread they served was very good though, but the meal itself was forgettable. I had the lamb the first time and the octopus the second time, my friend got the porc. The meat we both found was overcooked and ended up being dry and tough.
The second time I was there the service was abnormally slow, we arrived at around 7:30 and was seated immediately, but we didn’t actually get our meal until 9:30, partly because they had messed up the order and brought the wrong main course.
The staff were very nice though, approachable, friendly, and offered a free dessert for the mix up of the main course.
I’ve never been here for brunch… I would be willing to go back and try the brunch, but I probably won’t come back for dinner if there are other choices.

Nous avons été au lawrence pour dejeuner ! Après 30 minute d’attente et un service corecte, nous avons mangé des plats plustot ordinaire ! Né prenez pas le chili il n’est pas tres bon !
Je n’y retournerai pas

I know Lawrence is known for their brunch, but we came here for dinner and couldn’t be happier. It was our first group meal in Montréal, and we really went all out.
Lawrence does not play around when it comes to their menu. They had just about everything you could ever want. We got oysters from Massachusetts, a fish and pickled vegetable plate, charcuterie, and two of the greatest entrees I’ve ever had.
Let’s back up for a moment. Lawrence also has a butcher down the block, where they can get super fresh produce and meat. That alone should inform you of the quality of food here.
For our mains, we shared beef neck and lamb shoulder. This was for 7 people, and we still couldn’t finish. It was THAT much food. Just look at the photos I uploaded.
The beef neck fell off the bone and has this wonderful meaty sauce. It also came with a side of roasted/​fried cauliflower, which was amazing. Seriously the best cauliflower I’ve ever had. We saw our waitress actually leave the restaurant to go pick up a fresh head of cauliflower. Joked about it with her.
The lamb shoulder was a gigantic hunk of meat served in a Dutch oven. SO MUCH FOOD. Served in a broth with a ton of vegetables. So incredibly tender.
Also had a few cocktails, while others had wine or whiskey. Lots of options here. It was super laid back, and all of the waitresses were super friendly and put up with our manly hijinks.
The bathroom also has the coolest wallpaper ever.
Can’t recommend Lawrence enough!

I’ve been here for brunch and dinner, both times the food was absolutely delicious. I have had no issues with service the two times that I’ve been here and I find them to be very reasonably priced for brunch (on the expensive side for dinner, but you get what you pay for here). No matter what you pick to eat, you can’t go wrong. So don’t look at the Unilocal recommendations, just go with your heart — you’ll be fine :)
Love the vibe, décor and service. Lawrence is a great place for a special date. This the the first 5-​star restaurant rating that I’ve given since moving to Montréal a year ago. Since the food scene in Montréal is a blessing from above, the competition is stiff.

I was in the mood for Brunch after a long day of shopping this weekend. I decided to check out Lawrence since it’s one of those restaurants I always pass by and see a long line up. How long was the wait? 10 minutes. Okay no problem, I wanted to try a new place anyways.
Good: the top part of the baked eggs with celery root and oyster mushrooms. That was tasty, the portion looked small at first glance, but its actually really filling.
Bad: We had to wait about 15 minutes to get a glass of water. When I asked the waitress what was a popular dish here or what she’d recommended, she said «everything.» Great, might as well have played eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Bottom line: I’ll be honest, I was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t anything special, might not return, especially since there is always a line up.

This restaurant was amazing for dinner. I know it is popular with people for brunch but you had to try their dinner!!! It is phenomenal!!! The décor sort of reminded me of a restaurant in Williamsburg.
We had the linguine with sea urchin, octopus with corn risotto and veal! All of it was amazing!!! I highly recommend the sea urchin linguine — it hit the SPOT! The staff was incredibly attentive and so friendly. It definitely felt like a neighborhood dinner spot.
They also were so great as to accommodate our baby stroller

Been there twice for brunch and really not that impressed.
You always need to line up and quite frankly I rather go somewhere else for the same waiting time.
Also been there for dinner and was disappointed the last time I went.

I’m going to say something and I hope whoever is running Lawrence reads it.
My friend. You clearly have a good thing going. The reviews below show that people are into your food and vibe. Sometimes they’re even into the service. But not always. CONSISTENCY is key, my friend.
I have been to Lawrence a handful of times in the few years that they’ve been open. The brunch is kinda weird but super yummy, with limited options. The dinner is totally awesome and so good you don’t want to stop eating it. But the service is lame.
There is NO excuse, when you’re charging upscale prices, for crappy service. I’m going to tip a percentage of my meal cost, so if you’re going to put out great plates and charge $ 45 for a starter and main before I even order a drink, you best be doing the following five things which you did not do tonight (and have inconsistently done on previous visits):
1) Offer me a drink
2) Tell me what’s great about your menu, and explain some of the lesser known items on the menu instead of forcing me to ask
3) Be present for me to actually ask
4) Be timely with the check
5) Have a baseline pleasant demeanor.
You don’t HAVE to fake-​laugh at my joke, but the sourpuss look was really uncalled for. If you don’t like your job, quit. I’m a server myself, so I get it that the chef/manager/owner’s wife can be a jerk sometimes… but you know what? I wasn’t a jerk. Sometimes the best part of your day is a nice customer. I wish I’d had the opportunity to show you… but you weren’t really around.

Maybe I expected too much from the very popular restaurant. Visited them for lunch with a friend and was quite surprised at the quality of food. Yes, on the menu it sounded very appetizing and I was so excited to try my food. When I got it, I was surprised at the portion a little bit and the taste. The food itself was very good, but I guess I expected a WOW factor, which I didn’t get. It also was quite expensive for lunch ($ ⁵⁰⁄₂ people with 2 small dishes each). I might return for brunch since they’re so highly praised for it, but not for lunch or dinner.

Forget about brunch, supper at Lawrence is what makes this place truly unique!
We went during Grand-​Prix weekend and despite us messing up the reservation time and showing up 45 mins late, they still kept our table once we called to advise them of our tardiness. Talk about excellent service!
The décor is very casual but very inviting with wooden tables, art-​deco chairs and staff in jeans and black t-​shirts.
The menu is simple yet varied in their choices of more unfamiliar cuts of meat (think pigs ear, oxtail, pigs feet).
So many original dishes I wanted to try but with the help of the waitress, we finally settled on the seaweed ravioli, octopus with merguez sausages and braised oxtail.
All dishes were delicious, however the oxtail really stood out for us and made us utterly speechless as we devoured the oh-​so tender meat and the heaven sent buttery polenta.
It was such a mouth watering dish that I’m still drooling as I write this!
Dessert was also very good, we had the caramel and fleur-​de-​sel tarte. I could really taste both flavors and they we’re balanced to perfection!
The bill was also a nice surprise as it came out to under 150 after tax with 4 glasses of wine.
We will definitely return as this place has become a new favorite of ours!

Though we were unable to make a reservation for 5 people (they only allow reservations for parties of 6 or more), the food was really worth the hassle.
I love curry, so I ordered the kedgeree — it is a decent-​portioned, richly flavoured curry rice with chunks of soft boiled egg, fish, and cherry tomatoes. This thoughtful combination worked like a charm.
My friend who started off with their infamous scone swore it was the best she ever had. Others at my table ordered the French toast, and scrambled eggs with charred salmon. We all enjoyed our food, will definitely visit again!

This is the restaurant for you if you want brunch other than the typical pancakes, eggs Benedict, omelettes, and such
Nice décor and friendly staff !
I really like the scrambled eggs — it’s super creamy, and i tried my friends scrapple, which was pretty tasty as well.
They have really good service as well! My friend and I ordered the donuts, but they forgot about it and after we reminded them, they gave it to us, on the house!
My friend and I split the donuts, which were pretty good — I particularly liked the one with chocolate filling :)
Definitely very unique brunch items and I would come back to try their other selections, as well as their scones!

Lawrence has been on my list of go-to’s for a long, long time. When my parents came to town for a visit, I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to try Sunday brunch at Lawrence. My initial excitement was dampened a little when we arrived and the hostess said we would have to wait for 45 minutes. We decided to tough it out and walk around the area until we got our table. In the end, we only had to wait 15 minutes.
As per former Unilocal reviews, we started off with scones and donuts. The scones had blackcurrants with cream, jam and butter on the side. It was quite good but I do agree with another reviewer who said the scone should have been served warm. The donuts were quite tasty — Lemon, vanilla and chocolate.
To eat we ordered three different dishes:
1. Pig’s trotter with soft boiled eggs, anchovy and root veggies (parsnips, carrots, potatoes) — Amazing flavours in this one. The pig’s trotter was tender, fatty and flavourful with a good mix of root veggies. I can also really appreciate a properly cooked soft-​boiled egg.
2. Scrapple with eggs and bacon — From the waitress’ description, we expected the scrapple to have a little but more meat. It seemed more like a fried square of cornmeal and aside from the desirable crispiness, the inside wasn’t that great. The sunnyside eggs were perfect and the bacon was well-​cooked.
3. Kedgeree — The curry rice was mixed with flaked haddock and soft-​boiled eggs. The dish was incredibly complex in flavour — Fragrant, a little spicy with an unexpected sour taste at the end.
All in all, the flavour combinations for brunch are very unique and worth a shot for sure. I’d recommend going right at 10 to avoid waiting for a table. Next time I’d probably go for the apple cinnamon french toast (looked unreal at the next table) and the deviled kidneys.
Enjoy!

My partner and I popped into Lawrence for lunch when we arrived in Montréal, having heard of the restaurant from food blogs. We did not have a reservation, but were able to get a table in about 20 minutes. (In the meantime, you can walk around the Mile End area while you wait for your table, and there is an amazing boulangerie named Guillaume where we bought amazing bread.)
After reading the blogs, this place did not disappoint. It has a very adventurous vibe to some of the food, though the menu is not very large. It’s heavy on odd foods, such as lumpfish caviar, pig’s head, pickled herring.
Literally everyone seemed to be getting the cheeseburger, so I just had to join the bandwagon order one as well. It was delicious, though the potato wedge fries look better than they tasted. The beef tartare was also delicious, though I have had better. My partner opted for one of the specials, a pasta that was pretty good.
Overall, we enjoyed Lawrence. It was very quaint, and was packed with locals, which is always a good sign.

Definitely a place to go if you want a solid brunch to start your day right.
The service is rather slow but it’s definitely worth the wait. Their donuts have the perfect textures and the right amount of filling. I had the pickled herring which was served on top of a slice of bread and topped with a sunny side up egg. Each bite of pickled herring made my jaw tingle because of the acidity. So good! Also, I’ve tried the English breakfast and the sausages are to die for.
Overall, the food is excellent and this restaurant would have 5 stars if only the service was quicker.

L’ambiance est chaleureuse, la bouffe est très bonne … On a attendu pas mal mais on nous a servi le café sur un bout de canapé alors l’attente était supportable :) Né loupez pas les beignes au chocolat! C’est malade!

Avec tous les beaux commentaires, j’avais vraiment hâte d’y aller. Malheureusement j’ai été vraiment déçus. Des mariages comme anchois et kale… Non. Du porc avec 90% de gras… Non. Le brunch est peut-​être meilleur mais le souper, pour moi, c’est non.

Premièrement, c’est toujours plein, alors soyez préparer à attendre. Ensuite, il perd une étoile car il fait froid, la porte ouvre sans arrêt et malgré le rideau on reçoit un coup de vent –25 à chaque fois car c’est tout petit: une pièce à 30 places environ. Il faut qu’il règle le problème! Niveau nourriture, mon scone était le meilleur que j’ai mangé à Montréal, ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Ensuite j’ai pris le déjeuné à l’anglaise, c’était bon, mais la grosse saucisse était de trop pour moi. Nos voisins ont pris des beignes fourrés qui avaient l’air succulants. Le menu est différent, mais j’ai pas été assez courageuse pour m’aventurer à prendre autre chose. Le service était impeccable et rapide. Si j’y retourne, ce sera en été.

J’ai adoré! Surtout qu’on nous a offert de laisser nos noms et un numéro de portable pour être avisé de la disponibilité d’une place. Le service est impeccable et la serveuse était souriante. La nourriture était très bonne. Les portions étaient plus qu’adéquates. Un seul bémol, avec le temps froid, être assis près de la porte, nous rappelait constamment la température extérieure, quand les clients entraient ou bien sortaient.

La bouffe est vraiment excellente et les prix très raisonnables! À tester sans hésitation !!

LOVED our evening there! I went with a large group so I got to see a taste a few things. Everything was great, and they had a couple nice wines for us to discover. I suspect that the bill for our group was quite a lot but I would definitely go there again.

Quand vous arrivez, l’endroit est plein, toujours! Votre nom et votre numéro de téléphone est pris en note et on vous appelle quand une table se libère 25 – 30 minutes plus tard. Au moins, sur St-​Laurent et les rues avoisinantes (Laurier et Fairmount), il y a des choses à voir!
J’étais assise au bar avec mon père, nous étions un peu coincés, mais ça va.
On commence par un jus de pommes pressés sur place. Petit, mais très bon.
Pour le brunch, on a commencé par les beignets au chocolat (5 $). Je m’attendais à avoir un beigne et oh! surprise! Il y en avait 3! J’aurais pu mangé seulement ça que ç’aurait presque été assez! Des beignets roulés dans le sucre granulé et fourrés de chocolat fondant! C’était riche, cochon et délicieux!
Comme assiette principale, j’ai opté pour le pain doré servi avec fraises du Québec, rhubarbe, crème fouettée et le tout baignant dans le sirop. C’était délicieux et gigantesque! Surtout après les trois beignets! J’ai tout de même tout mangé (quitte à avoir mal au ventre jusqu’à 21h!) parce que c’était trop bon, je né pouvais plus m’arrêter!
Mon père, lui, a pris le toast avec jambon, Tommes, oeuf frit et cresson. Totalement différent de mon plat et tout aussi bon!
J’ai bien aimé.

J’ai adoré mon «petit déjeuner anglais» avec mon latté, seul moins, il faut une bonne trentaine de minutes d’attente, les week-​ends pour les brunchs, soyez patients, ça vaut la peine.

Voici l’effet «Platô» Mont-​Royal dans son illustre grandeur. Au Lawrence, attendez-​vous à faire la file tôt le matin pour être reçus par une équipe distante et prétentieuse.
Une fois à l’intérieur, il nous a fallu attendre de longues minutes avant de recevoir notre premier café et d’enfin recevoir un menu. Oui, la place était bondée, mais ce n’est pas une excuse, surtout pour un resto à déjeuner. Pour ajouter l’insulte à l’injure, la serveuse nous a littéralement boudé quand nous avons passé un simple commentaire sur la qualité du lait servi à notre table.
Les portions sont petites. La qualité est au rendez-​vous certes, mais les prix sont trop cher pour la quantité. J’y suis allé qu’une seule fois et je n’y retournerais pas. Tout près, il y a de bien meilleurs resto, moins snobs et moins «Platô».

Pendant une belle heure, j’ai eu l’impression de me retrouver dans mon café favori de Sydney (Australie, pas la Nouvelle-​Écosse) pour un brunch entre amis. Le brunch du dimanche avec ma gang d’amis est en train de devenir un de mes moments favoris de la semaine. On était 5 à commande des lattes et ils étaient tous jolis avec des différents design. Et bons! Pour le brunch, j’ai commandé les pancakes Gloucester avec pommes, bacon et ricotta. Oh mon dieu! C’est tellement décadent! Le mélange du salé du bacon avec le sucré-​sûrette des pommes était divin. Bien qu’il n’y ait que deux petites pancakes, vous serrez pleinement satisfaits. Avant le déjeuner, j’ai partagé un scone avec mon chum qui était pas mal bien aussi. La seule chose qui semblait avoir déçus mes amis était les saucisses qui venaient avec le déjeuner anglais. Pensez à faire des réservations la veille, ou bien présentez vous de bonne heure ou bine vous risquez d’attendre au moins une heure.

Excellent déjeuner originaux, attention par contre, un peu dispendieux… Le latte est sublime, la nourriture bien balancée, décor trends comme on les aime à la hauteur de St.-Laurent que je préfère… Arrivez tôt!!!