Sliced seared steak beside a pile of hand-cut fries on a rustic plate over burlap, with a fork and scattered peppercorns

French brasserie / Plateau Mont-Royal

L'Express

THE 1 A.M. BISTRO

A 1980 Plateau brasserie with a glass roof, a zinc bar and a kitchen that stays open late, serving the classics without fuss.

From home: 10 min drive; 4.17 km. Walk 56 min
Spend: $$$$; est. $45-75 per person
Our dates: Open Tue-Thu. Mon holiday hours unconfirmed; Give it 1.5-2 hours

ReserveMenu

Mood photo, not this exact place.Photo: Paras Kapoor, Unsplash License

The verdict

Go. This is the bistro you pick when you want steak frites and a big wine list at an hour when most kitchens have quit. Order the hanger steak, a marrow or rillettes starter and ask the staff about the cellar. Expect a classic, slightly formal room, and reserve ahead.

Late kitchen, open till 1am daily per official site
Cult MTL Best of MTL 2026: No. 4 for vibe, No. 1 French
About 11,000 bottles in the cellar per MTL Blog

Order this

Tap the circle to want it. Tap again once it's eaten.

L'Express, the short list

Must order
Onglet beurre échalote, frites
$40
Hanger steak with shallot butter and fries
Steak frites with shallot butter is the dish The Infatuation singles out; MTL Blog lists it as a diner favourite.
On their menu: Official website
Must order
Os à moelle & fleur de sel
$25.25
Roasted bone marrow with flaky salt
A staple starter, recommended by The Infatuation and listed among diner favourites by MTL Blog.
On their menu: Official website
Tartare de boeuf
$35.50
Beef tartare
Classic order.
On their menu: Official website
Rognons de veau, sauce moutarde
$33
Veal kidneys in mustard sauce
For the offal-inclined; bistro throwback.
On their menu: Official website
Cuisse de canard confite
$37
Confit duck leg
A dependable brasserie main.
On their menu: Official website
Rillette l'Express
$16.75
House rillettes
Recommended by The Infatuation as a starter before the mains.
On their menu: Official website
Profiteroles à l'érable
$19
Maple profiteroles
Quebec spin on a classic finish.
On their menu: Official website
Tartelette citron, ganache au chocolat blanc
$16.50
Lemon tart with white chocolate ganache
The Infatuation reviewer says they always finish with it.
On their menu: Official website

Menus change. Prices are from the posted menu, before tax and tip.

What people actually say

Recurring themes, not cherry-picked quotes.

Love

Classic Parisian-style room with black and white tile, zinc bar, glass roof
Steak frites with shallot butter
Big wine cellar
Late hours and a long history (opened 1980)

Know before you go

Top price tier per The Infatuation
Reservation advisable (Libro booking on official site)
Confirm Oct 12 (Thanksgiving) by phone
Homepage still shows an outdated closure notice
Kitchen closing time not stated
Menu is in French only on the page I read

Dishes that keep coming up

Steak frites / hanger steak, Bone marrow, Rillettes, Poached salmon, Lemon tart

Room: Old-world bistro: tiled floors, zinc bar, mirrors, burgundy banquettes, warm light.
Service: Not reliably sourced; no service claims made.
Value: Pricey for a brasserie: The Infatuation puts it in its top price tier; Michelin lists $$$ and MTL Blog three of four symbols.

Synthesized from The Infatuation (Dec 2024), MTL Blog (Jul 2026) and the official menu; Cult MTL poll not re-opened in this check; platform reviews not accessed, so no recurring-complaint claims are made.

Vibe check

old school/buzzy/lively/elegant

Best forlate dinner, steak frites, wine lovers, post-theatre

How much we'll spend

$$$$Est. $45-75 / person

Official menu: entrees $11.50-26, mains $22-40 (onglet $40, tartare $35.50), desserts $11.50-19; one main plus a starter or dessert and a drink. Wine not priced here.

Our estimate from posted prices, CAD, before tax and tip. Québec purchases carry the 5% federal GST plus the 9.975% Québec Sales Tax (QST, TVQ in French): 14.975% combined on taxable items. Tourisme Montréal: it is customary to tip restaurant servers, taxi drivers and hairdressers 15% of the bill, before taxes. Bellhops, porters and doormen generally get at least $2 per bag or service; coffee and food counters often have a tip cup by the register.

On our dates

Daily 11:30am-1am

Mon 12Maybe11:30am to 1amThanksgiving: holiday hours unconfirmed
Tue 13Open11:30am to 1am
Wed 14Open11:30am to 1am
Thu 15Open11:30am to 1am

Thanksgiving MondaySite says open 7 days a week but makes no explicit statement about holidays; no Thanksgiving notice found as of Oct 8. Call 514-845-5333 to confirm.

Full week

Mon	11:30am to 1am
Tue	11:30am to 1am
Wed	11:30am to 1am
Thu	11:30am to 1am
Fri	11:30am to 1am
Sat	11:30am to 1am
Sun	11:30am to 1am

Site says 7 days a week, 11h30 to 1h. Kitchen closing time not stated.

Hours from the venue's own listing, checked Oct 8, 2026.

Make a night of it

Dinner, drinks, late night. Real walking times between.

DinnerL'ExpressThe 1 a.m. bistro
4 min walk (0.23 km)
DrinksDièse OnzeThe cellar with a piano
8 min walk (0.56 km)
Late nightLa BanquiseThe 3am poutine ritual

Pair it with

Parc La Fontaine, a walk away, for a stroll before an early table

Where

3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2W 2M4

56 min walk (4.1 km) / 10 min drive, no traffic / 25 min by bike

From 216 Rue Young. Routes from OpenStreetMap data; transit times are in the maps app.

Show on our map restaurantlexpress.com Instagram Call

Reserve button on the official site. Walk-in policy not stated.

While you're there

A rustic ceramic bowl of loaded fries topped with sauce, herbs and minced meat on a dark wooden table in warm candlelight

FOIE GRAS, NO APOLOGIES

Au Pied de Cochon

Plateau Mont-Royal10 min drive or 60 min walk$$$$

5 min walk from here

A pianist seated at a white piano in a dim, red-lit room hung with framed paintings, seen past a blurred glass in the foreground. An illustrative jazz-bar scene, not Dièse Onze itself.

THE CELLAR WITH A PIANO

Dièse Onze

Plateau Mont-Royal10 min drive or 60 min walk$$$$

4 min walk from here

A single clothing rack holding a green jacket, camel suede coat, black leather jacket, cream knit and a light denim jacket, with a felt hat, tan heels and a sheepskin rug on a concrete floor

THREE FLOORS OF DIGGING

Marché Floh

Plateau Mont-Royal11 min drive$$$$

7 min walk from here

A large street-art mural of a figure in an ornate headdress in red, green and white on a brick building's side wall, seen across a street through bare trees

THE MAIN, ON THE WALLS

Saint-Laurent Boulevard murals (MURAL)

Plateau / The Main10 min drive or 52 min walk$$$$

9 min walk from here

THE BENCHMARK, STILL

Schwartz's Deli

Plateau-Mont-Royal (The Main)9 min drive or 50 min walk$$$$

11 min walk from here

A whole spice-rubbed chicken turning on a rotisserie spit over a dark grill

THE CHICKEN, THEN THE NATAS

Romados

Plateau-Mont-Royal10 min drive or 57 min walk$$$$

10 min walk from here

Shirts, a denim jacket and knitwear hanging above a worn wooden trunk holding folded chinos and striped trousers

THE MEN'S VINTAGE STOP

Carole

Plateau Mont-Royal11 min drive$$$$

8 min walk from here

A crowded rail of colourful second-hand clothing in a dim shop, with a glowing lamp, string lights and a mirror in the background

Y2K, CURATED BY A DOZEN

Club 777 Vintage

Plateau-Mont-Royal12 min drive$$$$

8 min walk from here

The receipt

Where every fact on this page comes from.

Fact-checkedResearched and independently re-checked Oct 8, 2026, 4 details corrected. Confidence: medium.

Details to confirm

Is L'Express open on Thanksgiving Monday Oct 12 2026 (call 514-845-5333)?
Kitchen closing time
Walk-in policy
Whether Michelin 2026 listing is a Bib Gourmand or plain selection
Closure-news sweep for 2025-2026 not independently repeated; Cult MTL award not re-verified

OfficialOfficial website: Homepage: hours, address, phone, menu, reservations, noticesaccessed 2026-10-08
OfficialOfficial website: Regular wine list PDF (last modified Oct 8 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
AwardCult MTL: Best of MTL 2026 (May 2026 PDF): No. 4 Restaurant With the Best Vibe, No. 1 Best French Restaurantaccessed 2026-10-08
EditorialMTL Blog: Charming Montreal restaurant like a hidden bistro in Paris (Jul 16 2026)accessed 2026-10-08
EditorialThe Infatuation: L'Express review (Dec 20 2024)accessed 2026-10-08
AwardMichelin Guide: L'Express listing, Guide MICHELIN Canada 2026accessed 2026-10-08
CommunityWikipedia: L'Express (restaurant)accessed 2026-10-08

RecognitionCult MTL Best of MTL 2026: No. 4 Restaurant With the Best Vibe; Cult MTL Best of MTL 2026: No. 1 Best French Restaurant; Listed in the Guide MICHELIN Canada selection (no star or Bib shown; MTL Blog Jul 2026 says 2026 edition)