Bistro makes Top 100 list
A popular West Island restaurant has made a list of 100 best terrasses in Canada.
Bistro Nolah, in Dollard-desOrmeaux, is one of seven Montreal restaurants that made the list compiled by OpenTable, which calls itself “the world’s leading online restaurant booking site.”
Richard Taitt, part-owner of Bistro Nolah, takes pride in making the list, considering his southernstyle resto is located in the Blue Haven shopping mall on St-Jean Blvd. He said the bistro patio, which seats about 40 and is decorated with plants, can help make you forget you’re dining at a suburban strip mall.
“It’s a little eclectic,” Taitt said of the terrasse.
“Even though most West Island restaurants are in strip malls, when you’re sitting out there, you don’t really realize you’re in a strip mall. It’s cosy; it’s quaint.
“You forget that St. John’s is 200 metres west from where you’re sitting. You kind of get lost in the fact you’re off a busy street.”
Dining al fresco is a cherished summer tradition in Montreal, where people go to chill (and thaw) after long cold winters.
“Montreal is a place that is patio crazy,” Taitt said.
Bistro Nolah, which also gets top marks from TripAdvisor, packs ’em in when the weather is nice.
“On Friday and Saturday, if the weather is nice, our terrasse is full,” Taitt said. “Customers show up here and they are willing to wait 25 or 30 minutes just to get a seat outside.”
“It’s first come, first serve. We don’t take reservations out there. It would just be crazy to control.”
“We’re cursed here in Montreal,” he added. “We probably get three really nice weeks in the summer, then we have issues with mosquitoes or humidity.”
While terrasses are quite common in other neighbourhoods of Montreal, like Plateau Mont-Royal, Taitt said there are not a lot of terrasses in the West Island.
“Our terrasse is a definite asset and adds another dimension to the restaurant.”
OpenTable said it analyzed more than 550,000 restaurant reviews between May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018 before compiling its list of the 100 best outdoor dining restaurants in Canada for 2018.
Here are other terrasses in the Montreal area which made the list: Brasserie T!
Hoogan et Beaufort
Lov de la Montagne Maison Boulud Salmigondis Vieux-Port Steakhouse