ReviewLeCommensal


Background on Montreal Restaurants

 

As part of my trip to Montreal, I did much research via chowhound, Fodor's, Frommer's, Yahoo travel, and other web sites on good restaurants nearby. I knew I wanted to eat at places that I can't find back at home. That meant French bistros and nice bakeries. But it also meant so much more. I learned Montreal really was a good town for foodies, with countless other unique dining experiences with restaurants specializing in items ranging from fois gras and Montreal bagels to smoked meats and poutine. Even though I was in the city for five days, I could've easily filled many times more days than that with recommended restaurants.

 

We went to Le Commensal twice on this trip, once on 2006-09-24 and once on 2006-09-27.



 

Context for the 2006-09-24 Visit of Particular Restaurant

 

Le Commensal is a small chain of vegetarian buffet restaurants in Montreal. Most reviews I read said it provided a good, satisfying, healthy meal that's a nice change from fancy, heavy, or fast food. As one of the few non-intimidating (i.e., not too sophisticated) restaurants I saw recommended downtown, I figured it was a good lunch stop as we explored downtown.

 

Le Commensal Review for 2006-09-24

 

Le Commensal provided us a very wide selection of decent vegetarian food, served buffet style by weight. The most appealing aspect was the variety.

The items I tried included:

 

The decor was welcoming, with comfortable Ikea-style plastic tables and chairs.

 

The Le Commensal location we went to was centrally located downtown and had a nice view of the street from its second story windows.



 

Context for the 2006-09-27 Visit of Particular Restaurant

 

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is large. While visiting it we needed a lunch break. We wanted a place that was fast, casual, and near our current location, but not a generic fast food joint. After consulting my notes, I realized I didn't have a suggestion and so we decided to return to Le Commensal, which we already knew fit all those criteria. En route, we kept our eyes peeled for alternatives but didn't end up seeing any that made us willing to bet on something new.

 

Le Commensal Review for 2006-09-27

 

Our second visit to Le Commensal was much like our first. We even sat at the same table.

I had:

 

It was nice to see many new dishes at the buffet. If I worked in the area and visited the restaurant often, I imagine I'd greatly appreciate the variety.