Le Mont Royal

Stopped by because I heard DJs were spinning vinyl tonight. So the atmosphere is chill tonight. For Happy Hour they advertise a glass of wine for $8 (a really small pour) but realistically it's closer to $11 because there's a 20% service charge included. If you pay with cash, you're charged more because they don't have change to give you. I'm not sure how the food tastes but I'm not sure I would come back to find out.

History of Present Indulgence:We came for dinner in a group of 8 to celebrate our friend's birthday before heading out for a cabin weekend in West Virginia. I was very excited about the French-Canadian, always-changing menu. Physical Exam: Taste - The Prime Rib Sando was a preemo sandwich of balanced cheese and meat between two slices of toasty sourdough. The Cheeseburger Americain was a standard 3.5 out of 5 American cheeseburger that beats the average suburban chain restaurant burger with its double patty and sesame bun, but isn't gonna knock your socks off like a steakhouse burger. The poutine kept my socks on too (I was particularly excited about the poutine and ended up a tad underwhelmed). The biggest disappointment was the mozzarella sticks, which...... I'll just get to in the service part. Cocktails were mid. All interesting concepts, but most missed the mark. the Polar Express was a little too sweet, I forgot what the name of the riff on an old fashioned or Manhattan I had but that was okay, and the Fleur de Citron tasted like when you ask for a Sprite and they ask, "Is Sierra Mist (now Starry) okay?" and you reply, "yeah that's fine," but then what you get is actually a flat 7-Up. Ambiance - This place runs on vibes like America runs on Dunkin'. Live DJ, neon lights, feels like a place you wanna eat a little, dance a little, drink a little. Fun place. Tanked by the service. Skip to the Assessment/Plan if you don't want to read this novella retelling of our evening. Service - Relatively early for the dinner service, we were the largest and one of only a few tables in the restaurant. I counted 3 other tables seated (small parties of less than 4 each) and a few patrons at the bar. It took about 20 minutes before we first got our menus and the guy who handed them to us didn't say a word just dropped them off. Then it took another 20 minutes before he came back to get our drink orders, and 1) seemed like he was having a bad day, which... fine, but 2) was rolling his eyes when some of us were a little between some options and wanted a recommendation, which... alright my guy let's chill. We weren't talking loud, we weren't drinking before and being obnoxious, we just wanted to ask about what some of the drinks were like on a very cool menu of cocktails we haven't tried anywhere else. Upon returning with our drinks, he accidentally spilled a not insignificant amount on my friend sitting across from me, and while we reacted and started handing him extra napkins, he just glanced at him, finished giving out the drinks, and walked away. No "oops", "my bad", "oh let me get you some paper towels", nothing. So at this point, we're all staring at each other like "Did we do something? Do we smell?" Whatever, friend's birthday, we've been talking about this cabin weekend for several years and it's finally happening, let's just vibe.Now another 20 minutes went by and we were getting antsy because we wanted to order our food but it looked like there wasn't a lot of staff, and we didn't want to upset anyone by hurrying them. Another man came over who we thought was going to take our orders. Nope.He starts picking up our menus so I say, "Oh, hey we haven't ordered yet." To which he replies, "OK, but I need the menus." Alright cool, yeah, that makes sense if he needed them for other tables and can leave us with a few to share. Nope. He just took them and placed them back at the host stand. Awkward stares across the table again. Whatever, we had enough, I guess.Tick tock, tick tock. A third guy came over, and when he smiled and asked, "Hi are you all ready to order?" I was like "Oh finally a human being!" Food took another 20-ish minutes while we nursed our drinks and really had no interest in ordering another round (not that anyone asked us). We ate. We chatted. We had an okay time. We were super ready to get out of there. Oh right, the mozz sticks. Le Mont'zarella sticks. They had one order left of four sticks for $18. We were one of the first diners. You can imagine after all the above, that's just a major facepalm emoji. Assessment/Plan: Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for Le Mont Royal to improve their service, now and at the hour of ASAP, because the place has so much potential, and maybe it was just an off night, or the staff just finished arguing with each other in the back so they took it out on us, but dearly beloved Lord it was like we offended nine generations of their ancestry from the moment we walked in. With "a 22% service charge has been added for your convenience," I thought we were getting Punk'd. The always-changing French-Canadian menu is a cool and unique concept, but it's a lot of bark with very little bite. It didn't make the disappointing service worth it. "This life hasn't turned out quite the way I want it to be."-Rockstar, Nickelback

Came here on a Monday at 6:30 and there were only four other people at the bar but the male bartender took forever to take our orders (despite us standing at the bar). He was kind of rude as well and we didn't know what his issue with us was. Took 30 minutes to get 6 drinks :( Looks like service is an ongoing issue here. Probably wouldn't come back just for that. HH prices were comparable to other places nearby. Vibe was cool and we played pool upstairs.

What a cute and upscale cocktail bar! I was in town for a bachelorette weekend and we made our first stop here. The entire place was the perfect backdrop for cute pics. We started with a round of Quatra Savage cocktails that were delicious. The owner Ryan ended up coming over and introducing himself, giving the bride-to-be a congratulations and gave us a round of espresso martini shots on the house as a great way to start our night out. It sounds like him and the other owners are very hands on with maintaining such a fantastic cocktail bar!

This place is a vibe. If you are looking for a quiet place--it is not. However it is super fun.We went at the end of brunch on a Sunday and it was still popping. Everyone was having a great time and they had a live DJ. The staff seem to enjoy it, or they're just really nice. 4-6 is happy hour even on Sunday, so drinks are $10 and I think they have discounted oysters. We got the poutine with the duck confit on too. Ir was sooo good. I will be back for that. Everyone who works there is really nice and at least around brunch it feels like a party. Reminds me of L'Enfant Cafe also in AdMo before it closed. Fyi, there's an automatic %20 service charge added to the bill, but still a tip line, so don't get confused like me

Went for happy hour and got a good deal. Espresso martini had a unique twist and was quite good. I got the oysters and the bone marrow w/ escargot which were both impressive for bar food. I went alone on a weekday and no one around me was particularly chatty so this may not be the best place for that but if you are in AdMo it is a good choice for a meal out.

Walking in, you're immediately struck with a fun, disco vibe. Playful details from fun lights, boldly colored walls, and creative wallpaper come to life in every corner. The team is welcoming and helpful with questions about the decor or the menu. This restaurant is a great spot for cocktails or a meal. I went for brunch and everything was delicious. The Polar Express espresso martini was tasty with a fun maple twist. The poutine was my favorite part, with extra cheese and gravy. The Smoked Salmon was delicious and presented so you can make little sandwiches.

Noteworthy food and drinks in a fun, yet classy environment makes for the perfect date night. On a Saturday, my wife and I dined at Le Mont Royal from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Here's our experience.1) Food: With quite the resume, the chef-owner creates dishes that change often based on what's in season. Literally every single dish was unique and flavorful, even dishes I was hesitant on like the bone marrow and escargot or the rabbit sando. Here are our favorites.-Scallop ceviche- it was very refreshing and the pickled strawberries added a unique twist. -Miso mushroom gravy and cheese curd poutine- it's the ultimate comfort food and the cheese wasn't spongy. My wife doesn't like poutine and really enjoyed this one.-Mushroom tart- even though it comes out in big portions, the dish is confident and yet very light.-Bone marrow, escargot- it comes with toast that could stand on its own and full of flavor. Spread the escargot with the marrow on the toast and you're in buttery heaven. -Chocolate mousse- it comes with layers of texture that make it unique while preserving the chocolate taste. 2) Drinks: The owner knows wine and drinks with a background in a distillery and wine bar. He paired every dish perfectly and even served us a Czech wine and an Austrian wine that made the entire evening. 3) Service: It's impeccable from the hostess to the server to the chef. Everyone was down to earth and passionate about what they've created together. That passion rubs off on its patrons. 4) Space: It's in a two-level building with purple neon lights and disco balls surrounded in a more classy bar with funky wallpaper. (Don't believe me? Head to the bathroom.) It's what D.C. needs. It's sophisticated yet accessible and funky in a fun way. It gives D.C. permission to unwind. 5) Neighborhood: It's near the heart of Adams Morgan surrounded by nightlife and other restaurants. (Though, all you need is inside Le Mont Royal staying open late and with good food.) Parking can be tough but doable. (Disclaimer: Our food and drink were comped, but we left a generous tip. Views are my own.)

The entree + all you can drink brunch is amazing. The breakfast poutine is something I never knew I needed but will be getting again. The cocktails were delicious and you can get a whole French press coffee. Our server was amazing and so nice. The only negatives is that the restaurant was dead when we went and the orange wine is disgusting. The ambiance is so cool!

New bar alert! Heard about this bar via Washingtonian and decided to stop by. It was definitely a vibe as soon as I walked in. We didn't eat there but a few other guests said their food was great; so I will definitely come back for dinner. We had a fun chat with the manager and the owner Chaz who shared some of his favorite local wine with us. If you're in the Adams Morgan area, stop by & support this new business!