Bocata Review
Food Rating: 7.5/10
Service Rating: 9/10
Ambiance Rating: 8.5/10
Cost For 2 with Wine & Tip: $200.00
Would I Return: Yes for special occasions
For my first dining experience as a Montrealer I made reservations at Bocata this past Saturday which is one of the most popular (Trip Advisor #3) restaurants in Montreal and located within the old city. To my surprise (and delight), I was able to make a same day reservation for two at 8PM mere hours before we arrived, luck of the draw I guess. The restaurant sits on a quiet street and is pretty easy to navigate to, just be sure to don’t confuse it with Barroco which is right next door as I almost did.
Upon arrival at the restaurant we were greeted and given two seating options as the table we’d been booked at was right by the door in a high traffic area. Thankfully, the second option was what seemed to be one of the best tables in the place right by the fire in the middle of the room. After getting situated our server for the evening came over and made her introduction asking if we’d dined there before and gave us an overview of how the restaurant works. Basically the dishes are served tapas style (great for sharing) but the portions are actually a little larger than a traditional tapas dish (which I liked) making it easy to try a bunch of different dishes while still actually leaving with a full stomach.
The Food:
The menu at Bocata includes an eclectic mix of seafood, meats and some traditional Spanish style dishes ranging from about $8 – $24 per dish. After consulting with my dinner date we decided on the Pata Negra Iberico (market price was $15 for 15 grams), ½ Dozen Oysters ($16), Seared Scallops and Chanterelles ($19), Sea and Mountain (Butter Poached Lobster and Oxtail – $24) and finally the Autumn Black Angus Filet Mignon ($21).
First to arrive at the table was the Iberico and Oyster dishes. The Iberico dish was served with bread and tomato (Spanish style) that was to be rubbed on the bread before eating it with the Iberico ham. The dish was great but it’s such a small serving of Iberico that I really wanted more; however with the price of Iberico so high I’d say that it was a fair portion. The Oysters, which were served with a Shallot Vineagrette were from the East Coast and were delicious – on par with my favourite Oyster bar in the world Rodneys in Toronto.
The other three dishes came pretty much in succession to the table which was nice as it allowed us to try everything at once and get a sense for the contrast in the menu. The Scallop dish was by far the best of the three “main” dishes and was served with Chanterelles, Creamed Corn and Bordelaise Sauce.
The Scallops were cooked perfectly and the whole dish had a great consistency and was well executed. The Sea and Mountain dish consisted of Butter Poached Lobster and Oxtail Ragout and while it was tasty I felt that the Lobster in particular was a tad dry and wasn’t sauced with the butter as I expected, nonetheless it was a pretty good dish.
Our last dish and unfortunately the most disappointing was the Black Angus Filet which was served with Puree Potato, Cashews, Fresh Cherries and Dark Chocolate Veal Jus. While the meat was cooked very well I found it quite bland and come to think of it don’t think that the Jus was present in the dish (if it was I definitely didn’t notice it). This is the only dish I had at Bocata that I feel they could really improve upon by adding some more flavour to the meat with a more generous portion of jus poured over it.
Service and Overall Opinion:
I was very impressed by the service at Bocata and our waitress was excellent throughout the night making us feel welcome and assisting us with any questions we had. Our wine and water glasses were full all night and the food came out quickly and was fully explained by our server as each arrived. I was also surprised to find out they actually have an in-house Sommelier and while we didn’t require their assistance it’s a nice touch for those who are more knowledgeable on wine than I am.
Overall I really enjoyed my dining experience at Bocata and would return but probably only for special occasions since the price ($200 for two) is a little hefty for a weekly night out. The food as a whole was very well done and that combined with the ambiance and level of service makes it a worthwhile place to check out. Lastly, I stupidly forgot my camera and didn’t get any pictures from the night out but rest assured I won’t be making that mistake again 
Bocata Restaurant
310 Rue Saint-Paul Ouest
1-514-507-8727