Réservoir

RéservoirRéservoir
RéservoirRéservoir
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

9 Duluth E.
Montréal, Quebec
Canada

(514) 849-7779 | map
brasseriereservoir.ca
BEER STATS
Average:
3.65
Beers:
20
Ratings:
62
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.86
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
28
pDev:
11.4%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DaveR514:
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Rated by DaveR514 from Canada (QC)

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3

Jun 16, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Nov 23, 2023
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Reviewed by TheDoctor from Canada (QC)

3.89/5  rDev +0.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I'm surprised it has taken me this damn long to visit this place despite repeatedly walking past it, hearing about it, etc. This is a cool brick building converted into a tight-feeling bar with an open kitchen behind the taps and a really nice terrasse area and second floor, but unfortunately (or rather fortunately) it was not open in December. They have 12 taps of their own beers, a couple bottles that you can drink there or buy to take home (all wild beers) as well as the occasional private import bottle or two (Lambics, et al.). They have a simple little menu with "degustatory" style snacks including headcheese which is defnitely not a common menu item in MTL as well as some sandwiches. The food is quite expensive for what it is, but it was (and the other plates looked to be) pretty high quality. Service was okay.

As for the beer, they have a decent variety of styles, but some annoying overlap, which hilariously I wouldn't usually pay much attention to. Except that, a cream ale, a pilsner, and a pale brut lager as well as three IPAs (less unusual to see) means half the menu is effectively two styles, but whatever. The beers I sampled (bitter, IPA, stout) were decent. Simple, textbook, unchallenging beers. All had slight things that I wasn't nuts about or weren't to style/complimentary, but all-in-all they were drinkable and tasty. This probably won't become a destination for me, but I will have to check out the terrace and it is definitely nice for the folks that live nearby.
Dec 29, 2019
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Rated by eberesford from Canada (ON)

3.79/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
Nice atmosphere, great beer. The food is good but is more tapas. You won't get a full meal here. The service was friendly but not fast.
May 14, 2017
Photo of papat444
Reviewed by papat444 from Canada (QC)

4.18/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
It's a lot smaller on the inside than it looks from outside. Very attentive staff, nice vibe overall with a mix of regulars and some newcomers. Nice place to hang out.
Mar 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.73 by e_beaulieu from Canada (QC)

Sep 08, 2015
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Reviewed by cnagle28 from Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
I was unimpressed when I saw this rating before I visited. However, I gave it a shot and was very impressed. I like the vibe a lot. No overkill on the beer selection (which is a good thing). The cream ale rousse was my favorite. The servers are friendly (a little understaffed, but no big deal). If I lived in Montreal, I would come to this place all the time.
Jul 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.28 by misternebbie from Pennsylvania

Feb 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by TimWakimika from Canada (QC)

Jan 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Whatup14 from Canada (QC)

Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by edugasmtl from Canada (QC)

Jul 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by sdaly3 from New Hampshire

Jun 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mfunk9786 from Pennsylvania

Jun 02, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by rale from France

Apr 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by zhivago373 from Canada (QC)

Feb 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Andy_Luft from England

Oct 25, 2013
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
we stumbled across Reservoir while ambling around the Plateu after dinner one night, a place that had been discounted for it's relatively low beerfly review, but in the end we chose to return here for dinner the next night rather than hit Benelux - which just looks too hip for my preference

the downstairs is a small but lively arrangement of tables and a small bar, lots of conversation but never too loud, good music, the kitchen is open to the bar area, air conditioning seems to be nonexistent in most bars here (not a complaint) - while ceiling fans and swingout storefront windows provide some relief from the heatwave, very much a local/community feel, never made it to the upstairs patio but it's likely a great spot

it was the chalkboard stretching nearly floor-to-ceiling with food specials changing daily that really pulled me back in for a meal - lots of inventive and appealing choices, we settled for the cold cucumber and mint soup with a yogurt base, and the calamari and cow tongue with pureed vegetables and a chorizo/tomato salsa (paraphrasing here, the actual descriptions were quite elaborate and even more appetizing untranslated), the soup was very tasty and refreshing, while the veal tongue dish was creatively presented and had a great contrast between the rich, tender tongue and cold puree splashes (beet, squash, and green bean)

selection was okay, and perhaps the only disappointment here: IPA, pilsner, vienna lager, blanche, and a stout were the only choices at the time, the beers themselves were adequately tasty if without any standout characteristic

service was typically quick and efficient, though level of friendliness varied by server, no complaints here

thought Reservoir was a great value, prices 0.50 lower before 8 pm, and both pint and the smaller "glass" serving sizes available, most meals $12 - $18 range
Jul 12, 2010
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Reviewed by BoitSansSoif from France

4.08/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Visited while on vacation w/my wife when her friend was giving us a tour of his favorite brewpubs. This place is easy to walk by and miss since their sign outside is so small. Atmosphere was decent. We stopped here twice, and sat once upstairs, and once downstairs. Nice wooden tables and comfortable chairs. The service was decent, and the brews were good. I had a creme ale and the barley wine, but sampled several others, and all were decent. The food was very good...would have given a 4.5 but one dish wasn't too great. We ordered several appetizers, and the fried calamari was probably the best I've ever had. Also had a beef/eggplant pizza-like creation that was awesome. The cheese plate was also a delicious way to sample some regional cheeses. Wife's friend said this place was his favorite local establishment, and I can see why. I also marked it as inexpensive, which is probably a stretch, but it had the lowest prices around for the quality. The pints were about $5.50, and the food was very reasonably priced. I got a 750mL bottle of Barley wine for $12. Very pleased w/all aspects.
Mar 10, 2009
Photo of Deuane
Reviewed by Deuane from Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Trendy looking place from outside and in. Nice garage style doors open up to the outside world. Pleasant decor and ambiance.

Seven beers on tap, which is one above my bear minimum for a brew pub.

The quality of the beers were fair to good. Some of them being a bit on the thin side but tasty nonetheless.

Our waitress was polite and accurate with our brew orders. Nothingout of the ordinary but sufficient. It was during a fairly busy lunchtime.

Food, we had just eaten a a little soup and sanwhich shop downt he street that our local bud Josh took us to...which was REALLY good btw. So, didnt try any here but we oogled at the plates that went by....it all looked wonderful! Next time.

All in all a nice expereince at this new to me location. I will be back next time I find myself in town.
Jul 04, 2008
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5
This brewpub sits less than a stone's throw away from Boulevard St-Laurent, the city's main "nord-sud" artery. I entered Le Réservior just minutes after its 3pm opening and saw a small interior and bar, but with stairs leading to a second floor. Seven house brews were offered on-tap at the time, along with their bottled barleywine. Presentation of the beer and quality itself was good, but getting into conversation with the staff was the highlight. The bartender noticed I was taking notes of the place, and he retrieved a "secret list" of brews the pub brewed in years past, probably to leave a good impression on me. Even if it weren't for the secret list, the staff knew exaclty what malts and hops were used in each brew, including the seasonal dubbel which I had.

Add this to your pub crawl if you plan to tour up St-Laurent.
Dec 26, 2007
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Reviewed by slyke from Minnesota

4.36/5  rDev +13%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
We (the SO and I) stopped in to Reservoir during our July 5 pub crawl. It was a warm day and the doors and windows were open to the street - that probably contributed to the atmosphere. The place seemed to be the kind of place I wish was in my neighborhood - a single spot to go for coffee in the morning and beer later in the day. It was definitely the "local" for most, if not all of the other patrons.

I had the Cream Ale, the SO had the Blanche, we found them both to be very tasty beers that fit their styles well. The bartender took our order and switched from French to English only when she brought our beers and asked for payment. Not to worry - I'm a beer drinker, I can order in several languages!

I could have stayed for the afternoon here, but other pubs were calling. I'd definitely visit Reservoir again.
Jul 09, 2007
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Reviewed by MarcGetty from Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +20.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Without a doubt Réservoir is the best brew pub I have ever been to. Yes. Let me write that again, Réservoir is the best brew pub I have ever been to.

The atmosphere is terrific. Situated on a small street in the Portuguese district the glass doors have always been open every time I've visited (spring and summer). It has never been packed, not has it ever been empty. The staff are francophone, but after all this is Montréal.

I've restrained myself for too long, on to the beers.

Réservoir has the best beers of any brew pub I've ever been to. Each of the styles they offer easily compare with the top-of-the-line craft brew example of each style sold. Their white beer is terrific. Their stout is very good even though I'm not a fan of the style. The list goes on.

Not only is Réservoir a place that I must go to each time I'm in Montréal, it is a place I find myself at multiple times each time I'm in Montréal!
Jul 01, 2007
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Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

3.15/5  rDev -18.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 4
“Who cares what your name is?”

“Yeah that’s easy for you to say you’re name is Mr. White, you have a cool sounding name”

With visits to Brutopia and Benelux under our collective belts, it was time for the music intro and the cool walk down the street to Réservoir. The brick frontage doesn’t even seem to have a sign, on closer examination it does, a thin oblong box thingy which sticks out above the arched doorway, reminded me of a 1950’s advert for some long forgotten hemorrhoids treatment. Trading as Mr.Orange and flanked by BA’s Goldorak (Mr. White) and Erica (Miss. Pink) the entrance into Réservoir needed to be a high brow one; self-important, confident and all “look at me” but I think we failed miserably to pull it off, because the beautiful people hardly seemed to flinch when we entered.

Inside the feel is…..trendy, yep, smelled trendy, looked trendy and distinctly had a “never mind the quality, feel the width” feel about it. Punctuated with wannabe Bohemians and Parisians, the atmosphere is relaxed with an intellectual flavor, I wanted to look in the know but sadly I forgot to bring that really big hard-back book which my Dad bought me for my 10th Birthday….oh well. The bar is set back and slightly raised, behind which a myriad of Austenitic Stainless Steel tanks and storage vessels sit regimented but cramped, yet in complete order, behind the sealed glass windows.

Wooden topped bar seems functional but I would be uncomfortable sitting here, with my back to rest of the interior and frontage, hey I couldn’t watch all the beautiful people coming and going! Didn’t these people do Fung Shui when they laid the place out? Guess not. Has interior stairs leading to an upstairs floor which in turn opens out onto a terrace area out front.

Beer range was limited; five brews in all: Blonde, Pale Ale, Ambrée de Blé, Noire and Cream Ale. $5 a pop for a Pint, the Pale Ale was OK; the Ambrée seemed a little lacking though.

The food however was excellent, all listed in a small handout booklet. The long winded menu had many specialties listed on one or two chalkboards around the bar area, with many a mouth-watering offering. Along with Goldorak I plunged for the Sandwich Au Poisson, fresh fluffy white Cod to boot. The Sandwich was $10.50, not exactly cheap but the quality was worthy of the price for sure.

A little bit different, a tad upmarket and not quite the place to sink a Gallon whilst watching and shouting at TV’s showing the latest sporting event, but that makes a nice change. More a Restaurant which sells OK beer than an average Brewpub that sells great food, if you know what I mean. Sadly the beer is not in the same category as the Food or the Burgundians which inhabit the Réservoir. A big thanks to Gentleman BA Goldorak for the escort and company here, that Sandwich was damned good.

It all started with Mr. Brown: “Let me tell you what "Like a Virgin" is about. It's all about a girl who digs a guy with a big dick. The entire song. It's a metaphor for big dicks”. I don’t think you need a big dick to hit up Réservoir, but it might help.

Last Visit: Sunday 4th June, 2006.
Jun 13, 2006
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Reviewed by Goldorak from Canada (QC)

3.05/5  rDev -21%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 4
As mentionned below, le Réservoir is one of the newer brewpubs in town. However, I noticed that some effort seems to have been made to give the place a more "worked in" feel, with old iron barstools for example. I kinda have the feeling the concept of this brewpub was conceived by some interior design major first, and by a brewer second. Is it the potted plants, the stylish decorative nick-nacks on the walls? I don't know. Not that this is a bad thing, in fact it gives it a little something extra the other brewpubs around here don't have. It might explain why the clientele is a lot more chic than at Sgt.Recruteur or Cheval Blanc. Brewing facilities inclosed in plate-glass doors can be seen on both floors, with one directly behind the bar on the second floor, looks really nice. You can also sit out on the second floor balcony with a good view of St-Laurent and Duluth street. I like the second floor better, more cozy, less noisy.

5 Beers were on tap when I last visited (20AUG2004), with something for everyone, from a Bio Blonde to a Stout, and quality goes from decent to quite good. No absolute knockouts here. My friends and I agree that the Bitter is their best offering, but unfortunately I think it's only available on a rotating basis.
Pints are 4.50$ before 8, 5$ after 8, so not bad.

Service could use a little more pep, but then again you could say that about every bar here when business is good. I didn't get to talk shop with any of the staff either so I can't juge their Beer knowledge. I should go on a more quiet afternoon.

Another thing that seperates Réservoir from other places is the food they offer. Compared to say Dieu du Ciel, that only serves snacks and basic pub fare, at Réservoir you can eat very well. They have classics like paninis, cheeze platters, and a bit of seafood like salmon tartare. Everything I had here was great, but I only gave it a 3.5 because as good as it is here, you could eat even better at the hundreds of restaurants surrounding the area, and for a lot cheaper. Duluth street is the "bring your own Beer/wine" restaurant epicenter of Montréal, and with institutions like Schwartz's just around the corner, hold your appetite for somewhere else. But do drop in for a few Beers if you're in the area.

***Edit Aug2005***
I knocked quality down a notch, on my last visit a few of the brews tasted infected, however the food was really nice, so I bumped it up. Value is cheap for pints, but a bit pricey for food. Selection also gets a decrease, even though selection varies somewhat it always comes back to the same old thing, never anything off the beaten path. Service was just as lackluster, in fact the waiter looked like Napoleon Dynamite and didn't seem to know squat about Beer.

This place has potential, but for now they seem to be putting food first, Beer second.
Aug 29, 2005
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Reviewed by DrJay from Texas

3.86/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Cozy, clean main floor. We didn't make it upstairs on my visit. Lots of small wood tables fill the room and the bar stretches the length of the back wall (looks like it seats about 8 people). The brewing equipment is visible through glass to the right of the bar. Large windows opened to the street all along the front of the room and provided great air circulation. Staff were friendly and courteous. We didn't have any food, but there was a decent menu. The food that showed up at the next table looked pretty good. Five house beers were available (noire, tripel, blonde, blanche, bitter) and those that we tried were quite tasty. Happy hour prices were in effect until 8pm. I really liked this place. Great vibe and just different enough from the other local brewpubs to make an impression.
Jun 26, 2005
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Reviewed by Rastacouere from Canada (QC)

2.5/5  rDev -35.2%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2.5
Now this is a pub that did disappoint me a bit. I didn't like any of their beers besides the saison which was not really a saison, but felt very refreshing. The ambrée et blé is a decent summer quaffer too I'l recognize, but it really feels like brewing is just a complementary thing rather than the focus in this trendy little portuguese neighborhood bar where they serve breakfast and beers at the same time at noon! Felt a little too trendy, I didn't feel at home at all and we had to get up to order our beers which often take time. Only 6-8 beers available at a time... I wouldn't spend more than 2 hours there let's say.
Sep 28, 2004
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Reviewed by 3Vandoo from Canada (QC)

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5
I just went last night, and it quite a small brewpub on the "plateau".
The atmosphere was quiet, as it is not a big place at all. But, the waitress we got was very very good, she knew her beer well and was quite friendly.

We had, the bitter, blonde, Scotch ale and IPA

Would I go again yes, but not when its 35c outside, they need AC, I was sweating like a madman!

PS: It was filled with nice women, compared to other brewpubs, filled with people like me! LOL

I recommend it to people who want a quiet evening, a good beer and chat with friends, maybe a place for a first date.
Jul 24, 2004
Photo of francisweizen
Reviewed by francisweizen from Washington

4.3/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Another brewpub right off of St. Laurent street in the Latin Quarter of downtown Montreal. This is one of the newest brewpubs in Montreal (with La Cheval Blanc and Sergeant-Recruteur being two of the oldest) but it is still a very nice place. The atmosphere is good enough for a brewpub. It is a very fresh/open air sort of place with locals enjoying some food, or reading a book whilst enjoying a nice pint of brew. Granted, some of the other brewpubs in Montreal look much better than Reservoir, but Reservoir is still very nice inside. The quality and selection of brews was quite good as well, with the stout being a highlight personally. On my visit in May they had 7 beers on tap! An amber, a blonde, a scotch ale, a blanche, a bitter, a ipa, and a stout! The bartender was friendly enough. I asked her if they had a sampler, and she said no, but pointed out that I could taste anything for free, or get a half pint if I wanted to. The food looked and smelled very good, but we opted to eat at another place down the street instead. Reservoir is the new kid on the block, but he should be treated with respect!
Jun 18, 2004
Réservoir in Montréal, QC, Canada
Brewery rating: 3.65 out of 5 with 62 ratings