Monkland Tavern

Monkland Tavern Restaurant Review:

Monkland Tavern is a friendly watering hole in the residential Monkland Village. While most visitors to Montreal don't venture this far afield, the tavern is the best option for a pint and a satisfying brasserie-meets-trattoria-type meal west of the Decarie. The space is small for the number of tables, and with a long bar running the length of one wall, it looks more like a polished hipster bistro than a barroom. Among the many patrons, there’s a predominance of young singles mingling. The menu has toned down its previously fussy fare to a respectable selection of comfort foods: pastas, steaks and burgers with just enough red wine sauces and almond emulsions to push it into chef-y territory. Start with the hand-cut beef tartare accompanied by sun-dried tomato and chipotle crackers, arugula and Parmesan, and follow with either the Sambuca-flambéed linguine with pan-seared shrimp, fennel and bacon or the tavern burger with pepper-onion relish. Portions are generous without being excessive, and prices are affordable. Staff serves and busses with an efficiency born of a perpetually overbooked restaurant.