Montreal - Dieu du Ciel and surrounding area

[tupalev]

I've had the cheese plate at DDC several times and always found it excellent and good value.

Agreed it is not a place for a meal, but I also agree with Greg, I've found the snacks decent.

[Belgian]

ow that I know Bond is close, we can grab a meal there and not be forced to have picky foods at DDC.

I am struck by the number of good places to eat in Quebec. You can almost bet dinner that the food will be good anywhere you pull up.

So... any thoughts guys on what are particularly good places to eat nearby (or a short subway ride away?)

[mjohnston]

Any subway ride is short... Au Pied de Cochon? St. Viateur or Fairmont for bagels? Shwartz's? Go get a horse steak at Frit Alors? (altho I don't really like their frites).

[Derek]

Unfortunately Metro Joanette is in new hands & going downhill, so I didn't even bother checking it out.

A bit of a drive from DDC, but a really great bottle shop:

Dépanneur Grand-Duc
1330 Maple
Longueuil, Quebec, J4J 4N9
Canada
phone: (450) 674-7225
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9006

A little closer, newly expanded, wickedly organized:
Dépanneur Peluso (Boni Soir)
2500 Rachel E.
Montréal, Quebec, H2H 1S1
Canada
phone: (514) 525-1203
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17316

After Rahman, Duluth is probably the next closest thing to DDC:
Épicerie Au Coin Duluth
418 Duluth Est.
Montréal, Quebec, H2L 1A3
Canada
phone: (514) 288-8830
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19492

For a phenominal tap list:
Vices Et Versa
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9572

L'Amère à Boire... love their craft-brewed lagers:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1142

[sprague11]

Unfortunately Metro Joanette is in new hands & going downhill, so I didn't even bother checking it out.

A bit of a drive from DDC, but a really great bottle shop:

Dépanneur Grand-Duc
1330 Maple
Longueuil, Quebec, J4J 4N9
Canada
phone: (450) 674-7225
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9006

A little closer, newly expanded, wickedly organized:
Dépanneur Peluso (Boni Soir)
2500 Rachel E.
Montréal, Quebec, H2H 1S1
Canada
phone: (514) 525-1203
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17316

After Rahman, Duluth is probably the next closest thing to DDC:
Épicerie Au Coin Duluth
418 Duluth Est.
Montréal, Quebec, H2L 1A3
Canada
phone: (514) 288-8830
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19492

For a phenominal tap list:
Vices Et Versa
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9572

L'Amère à Boire... love their craft-brewed lagers:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1142

bought bottles at le grand duc when i was visiting in march. gotta love a convenience store that has taps for sampling before buying

[Derek]

bought bottles at le grand duc when i was visiting in march. gotta love a convenience store that has taps for sampling before buying

I didn't even realize the taps were real... it never crossed my mind. So are the growlers in the fridge filled from the tap? If so, you'd only think they'd be good for a few days.

When I first went in, the lady that was working didn't seem to speak much English, so I didn't ask many questions. Another guy (presumably the owner) showed up before I checked out... we chatted about a few of the beers & he threw in some free glassware & a bottle opener. Great stuff.

As for Peluso, anyone headed to Mondial should really check it out. The expanded room has everything arranged by style, with each style going from low to high abv. It's an interesting way to shop.

[tupalev]

There was a thread over on ratebeer where some folks were asking about Montreal. After lots of info from people who have visited, one of the regular Montreal good beer locals (and a friend) popped on and offered this honest and very good advice. I asked him if he would mind if I posted it here, as I happen to agree with pretty much all of it and it really should help anyone plan their Montreal beer visit (language alert - homebrews = made by the brewpub, not homebrew!):

Long and opinionated:

It’s about time a local jump into this thread. I see many wrong and out-of-date information here. I’ll try to be objective. I won’t give the addresses they are on ratebeer. I won’t make an itinerary, that’s your job.

I’m listing the places in alphabetical order to avoid specific rankings

The must-go (in alphabetical order)
- Amère À Boire: I think their non-lagers are good but do not really stand-out. However this is the place to go if you can appreciate a great Bohemian Pilsner, Helles, etc. Menu is limited but you can have a full meal. Burgers are originals (rabbit, etc.) and very good.
- Benelux: Good all around selection. From 5 to 10 home-brews on tap (variable). The entry-beers (blonde, amber) are guest beers from the Trois-Mousquetaires micro. All their homebrews are the “tasty” brews. Food is snacks, unless you consider a panini a full meal.
- Brouhaha: Brewpub/beerbar. 2 or 3 homebrews and about 8 guest beers. The owner-brewer is very specific about his selection of guest beers. You will often find an excellent guest brew there that is not anywhere else in Montreal. Food is snacks, no full meal.
- Dieu Du Ciel: Excellent all around selection. Average of 10 homebrew on taps. Foods is more like snacks (sandwiches, cheese, etc.)
- Vices & Versa: Biggest selection in town. 33 tap lines, all quebec micros. With so many tap lines only half are really worth it. They don’t have brewing equipment but recently they have started to brew their own beer at Maitre Brasseur (a microbrewery in Laval city). They will have 3 or 4 of their homebrew on taps. Food is snacks, hot-sandwiches. Not really a full meal to me.

The Good (in alphabetical order)
- Cheval Blanc: This one can be a hit or miss. Very variable menu. Can be great, can be so-so. Average of 6 homebrew on tap.
- Saint-Bock: brewpub/Beerbar. About 20 taps, half homebrews, half guest quebec micros. Their homebrews are mostly bland but they are improving. The guest brews selection is inferior to Vices & Versa and Brouhaha. Good food, full meal. Nice ambiance.


The Might-Be-Worth-a-Visit (in alphabetical order)
- Brasseurs de Montreal: All their beers are “accessible” beers, well brewed but nothing to get the beer-geek excited. I was told the food is good, haven’t eaten yet, rather new place.
- Bond (not on ratebeer, 101 Fairmount O., Montreal): only three blocks away from Dieu Du Ciel. A funny trendy place that has 5 tap lines, all Hopfenstark. Food is tapas, order many and you have a full meal
- Helm Brasseur Gourmand. Relatively newcomer. Sucked big time when they opened. Are now getting better. Food is tapas, order many and you have a full meal. Two weeks ago I liked their APA. They are improving but still a bit risky. Worth a stop between Dieu Du Ciel and Vices & Versa.
- Réservoir: Some beers are very good (IPA), most are bland, a few are bad. Food on the other hand is exceptionally good. This is creative fine cuisine in a brewpub. If you’re in the mood for something more than pizza/burger you owe it to yourself to eat there and have a pint (IPA if possible).


The To-Avoid (in alphabetical order)
- Trois Brasseurs: Food is good standard greasy pub food. But this is a chain. The beer is what I call McBeers.
- Brutopia: Awful beer. They were never good but the past few years it got worse. This place is a student hang-out. If you’re 30 you’ll feel out of place. They are at a point where they brew beer because it is cheaper than to buy it from a macro. Their customers wouldn’t care either way. To avoid.

The What-the-hell-is-it-doing-on-anybody’s-list?
- Yer-Mad??? Why is it still on some people’s list. Let’s list every bar in town that do not exclusively serve macro while at it. A little hang-out for the 21 year old Che Guevara wanna be. Nothing for the beer geek there.

Place to bottle-shop:
- Peluso: Now the best bottle shop in Montreal. By far.
- Marché des Saveurs: good beer selection but Peluso is much better. However this is THE BEST ice-cider shop ON THE PLANET. Given that Quebec in the capital of ice-cider, the best ice-cider shop in the province is by definition the best ice-cider shop on the planet.

There are other beer stores but really the two above are all you need. All others put together won’t have anything that you won’t find at these two.

Please people remove Atwater from you place-list. They gave up on beer one or two years ago. There is an SAQ there where you can buy ice-ciders but you will have all those ice-ciders and twice more at Marché des Saveurs. Even for food the Marché Jean-Talon (where Marché des Saveurs is) is a much better open market.

One thing I would add is that Brasseurs De Montreal is worth a visit - we had an excellent meal there and while most of the lineup is well made if not exciting, there are a few standouts (the Ginger beer was awesome, as was the Absinthe Stout). Nice spot for a proper meal or to hang out in the slowly developing industrial old montreal area.

Also, most bars/brewpubs open at 3pm, but I believe Benelux opens for lunch.

[maple99]

One thing I would add is that Brasseurs De Montreal is worth a visit - we had an excellent meal there and while most of the lineup is well made if not exciting, there are a few standouts (the Ginger beer was awesome, as was the Absinthe Stout). Nice spot for a proper meal or to hang out in the slowly developing industrial old montreal area.

Yes, I also loved their ginger beer (they call it La Chi) although I had it on tap at V et V. Unfortunately I also bought a sixer at Peluso and something was badly wrong with it, 100% drain pour.

[tupalev]

Yes, I also loved their ginger beer (they call it La Chi) although I had it on tap at V et V. Unfortunately I also bought a sixer at Peluso and something was badly wrong with it, 100% drain pour.

Damn, that's too bad. A lot of the folks I went with also bought 6's of it (not sure where) and all have been good so far.

[sprague11]

I'll be hitting Ottawa, Montreal and the surrounding area in the next couple weeks. I have family in Repentigny, about 10 mins from Hopfenstark.

As for Le Grand Duc - the Growlers they have there are not filled from the in-store taps. From what my rather crappy french could gather, the taps were strictly for sampling whatever was fairly new to the store.

[kwjd]

I just made plans to go to an event in Montreal on Saturday. I'll be at the event from early morning until about 2 or 3 pm, then I am heading to Ottawa at 8 or 9 pm. I have to fill that gap and I won't the one driving, so I'd like to fill myself with as much beer as possible.

I want to try and buy a bunch of bottled beer. I think Dépanneur Peluso seems to be the best choice to head to.... any other shop I need to make sure I get to, or will this one be sufficient? Any beer recommendations to buy while I'm there?

For after the bottle shop, I am going to drink and eat (don't have to be the same place). There could be anywhere from 5 to many people with me depending on who comes out after the event. Would Dieu de Ciel be able to handle a group? The post from tupalev seems to imply that it wouldn't be ideal for dinner, so any suggestions on where to go to eat?

[Zuma]

Just a few doors from DDC there is an excellent Thai restaurant:

Restaurant Phayathai
107 Laurier O
Montreal, QC H2T 2N6

(514) 272-3456


There are a bunch of Thai places in that area, but this one is by far the best. Thai Grill is on the corner of St. Laurent and Laurier, but was I was not very impressed.

[Brews Phillips]

Eat at Reservoir, drink at DDC. They are not really all the far from one another, and the food at Reservoir has been really good the few time I've eaten there....Salmon fish and chips, flank steak sandwiches, plus a brunch that was a work of art. All reasonably priced. I might try to call ahead and reserve a table though.

[Cass]

Update on DDC: Unfortunately they are no longer renting the apartment above the pub, they've converted it into an office.

Too bad, it was nice while it lasted.

[Brews Phillips]

I followed my own advice this past weekend in Montreal by eating at Reservoir and drinking at DdC (and Reservoir, Vices and Versa and Benelux for that matter!). The food at Reservoir is as good as ever (steak tartare, salmon fish and chips). They've FINALLY opened up the second floor for business. There is now a bar on the 2nd floor and a small patio overlooking Duluth.

Maybe I'm spoiled, but the menu at DdC seemed a little sparse this time around. Most of the beers available were draught versions of the bottled stuff. Not that that's bad... I'm just used to seeing more variety there.

V&V had about 25 Quebec micros on tap (brasseur et freres, 3 mousquetaires, Hopfenstark, etc) There are also several "house" beers which I suspect are brewed by La Barbarie since I think they are part owners of the place.