Mike Cohen, born and raised in Côte Saint-Luc, has long been active in the community as a volunteer, journalist, and consultant. He profiles restaurants in Montreal and beyond.
mikecohen.ca and @mikecohencsl
Moishes Steakhouse has enjoyed a special place in my palate ever since I can remember. Come back with me to the days when this iconic restaurant was located on St. Laurent Blvd. It was situated at the second level of an industrial building noted for its large parking lot, where the attendant remembered the owner of each vehicle and spotted them coming a block ahead. The coat check fellow was just as remarkable, never handing out tickets.
Founded in 1938 by Moishe Lighter, his sons Lenny and Larry carried on the tradition nicely and brought the spot up to legendary status. I have fond memories of some family dinners where you’d see the movers and shakers of our city and beyond.
The Grandio Group, which also owns Le Cage Brasserie Sportive, Gibbys, Chez Lionel and a host of other dining establishments, purchased Moishes towards the end of 2018. They shut the place down and sold the building (and lot) when the pandemic started. At the time, Grandio Group President and CEO Jean Bédard insisted that Moishes would rise again in a new location and he was true to his word.
Three years ago, Moishes was reborn at Victoria Square, next to the W Hotel, with an entirely new identity. There is 7,000 square feet of space here and seating for 200 diners inside and another 75 on a beautiful terrasse. I’ve had the good fortune of dining at the “new “ Moishes several times since its reincarnation. This included a recent Saturday evening meal for two. While I fully enjoyed my previous experiences here, this one was unquestionably the best. If it had not already, in my opinion, Moishes has indeed been reborn as one of our city’s absolutely finest steakhouses.
Those comments were music to the ears of Pier-Émile Jomphe, director of operations. “This year our management team has stepped up in a big way,” he said. “Everything is really clicking. In fact, for the fiscal year that ends in August, this will be our best since Moishes debuted here at Victoria Square. The old crowd is coming back; the ones who stayed with us are happy; and we have, of course, an entirely new clientele that has developed, not to mention a lot of groups and tourists.”
It was vintage “Moishes” when a server greeted us with the traditional coleslaw, pickles and some warm rolls and whipped butter. That differs from the original brand, which started everyone off with a basket of assorted breads, breadsticks and the option of verenekes and knishes. The new administration decided not to bring that back. However, the menu itself was expanded significantly.
For drinks, we started with a rocket (Ketel One, passion fruit, green tea syrup, cayenne pepper and lemon) and a quenching Fanfreluche mocktail (Earl Grey tea, vanilla syrup, orange blossom water, lemon and egg white).
We shared some delicious appetizers, the beef tartare, double and a half a dozen PEI oysters. The former was impeccably prepared, with two spoons to scoop up the finely minced raw beef and some crostini sticks.
For the main course, we opted for the Japanese A5 Sirloin Wagyu, a five-ounce piece and an 18 ounce bone-in-filet mignon. We both chose an all-time Moishes favorite, the Monte Carlo potato fully loaded. The portions were exceedingly generous. They are topped with sour cream and have some delicious beef bacon bits inside. Waygu is one of the most luxurious and highly prized beef cuts in the world. This one sliced like butter and was outstanding. Each piece literally melts in your mouth. The filet mignon here was a tender beef steak cut from the tenderloin muscle, but unlike the traditional filet mignon, it is left attached to a bone—typically a portion of the short loin or T-bone structure. The tenderloin does very little work, making it one of the softest cuts of beef. As for the bone, it adds richness and helps the meat retain moisture during cooking. Our server, Jean-Phillippe, incidentally brought us a selection of different knives to choose from.
We concluded our meal with a decadent piece of chocolate explosion cake, a mousse with some breaded praline.
The large dining room was packed on the night we visited. So was the circular bar and the patio. We arrived at 6:30 pm. Within 90 minutes, large groups of a “youngish” crowd started to arrive. I noticed a bachelor party of more than 20 people, all sporting sailors’ hats. Soon after, a bachelorette party entourage arrived. Given its location, the “new” Moishes is popular with tourists.
The venue is divided into four rooms — a bar area, two distinct dining rooms and a private dining room — to recreate the warm, intimate ambience of the former space on Boulevard Saint-Laurent. There’s a mural by Jason Wasserman that tells the story of Moishes through the ages to the present day. In the bar area, the centrepiece reuses the onyx of the original bar. Photographs by David Leonard Sidaway grace the first dining room, alongside the historic map of Montreal from the National Archives, also salvaged from the former space. Original temporary collections from the Canada Council Art Bank are presented in the second dining room. The private dining room features a specially created work by internationally renowned Montreal artist André Monet.
We also enjoyed one of the all-time Moishes favorites, the ultra-crispy fried onions.
When we go to Moishes, steak is always among our first choices for a main course. Phil came to our table to showcase all of the cuts of meat, providing a nice explanation about each. We opted for the 32-ounce porterhouse, half tenderloin, half strip, all indulgence. Its rich, mahogany crust gives way to a warm, juicy center, cooked to your perfect temperature. The meat is marbled with just enough fat to melt on the tongue, delivering a buttery tenderness with every bite. Infused with a hint of char from the grill and seasoned simply with salt and cracked pepper, this steak doesn’t need anything else—but a glass of bold red and a quiet moment to savor it. Before we began to enjoy the steak, Phil returned to the table with a selection of different steak knives. That also marked a new Moishes twist.
Murteza Talu has been the executive chef since the “new” Moishes made its debut. He deserves a tip of the hat.
Moishes is open for lunch daily and attracts a nice happy hour crowd.
On your way out, you can still grab a handful of double bubble gum. Valet parking is available for free and run by an outside contractor.
Moishes is located at 1001 Rue du Square-Victoria. Opening hours are: Sunday to Wednesday from 11 am to 10:30 pm and Thursday to Saturday from 11:30 pm to 11 pm There is valet parking for a fee ($23), provided by an external company. For reservations, call (514) 405-2046 or e-mail moishesmontreal@moishes.ca. You can also log on to www.moishes.ca to reserve and to view the complete menu, including the gourmet lunch specials.
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