Gibby’s Restaurant, Old Montreal

Most people never get the opportunity to experience dining as it should be. They don’t know the attentiveness of a good waiter, the balance of a perfect menu, or the atmosphere of a restaurant that is sophisticated, but not pretentious.

Gibby’s restaurant in Montreal is dining as it should be.

The atmosphere begins as you arrive at the stone restaurant, navigating through the charming Old World-feel streets of Old Montreal. Inside, the host is attentive and accommodating, and will show you to your table, lit softly by the glow of a fireplace.

The menu is predominantly steak and seafood — melt-in-your-mouth steak, that is, and to-die-for seafood. Portions are incredibly generous and come with a choice of sides (the Monte Carlo double baked potato is figuratively, if not literally, life changing).

I got one of the group menus, a fixed-price menu that has to be reserved in advance for a specified number of guests. The menu comes with your choice of appetizer, entrée, sides, dessert and coffee. Wine is extra, though the wine list is reasonably priced. The two group menus are $56 and $66.

But the food is only as good as the experience around it. And the experience at Gibby’s amplifies the quality of the food. Palate-cleansing sorbet is served between courses. When I dropped a spoon, I swear our waiter had a replacement even before it hit the ground, without me having to say anything. The wait staff takes pride in their hospitality, a rare thing these days.

Overall, Gibby’s was one of the best dining experiences of my life. And probably the best fine dining restaurant I’ve ever eaten at.

Gibby’s Restaurant

414 Rue Principale

Saint-Sauveur, QC J0R 1R4

450 227 2623

gibbys.com