Iconic Montreal steakhouse Moishes to live on at new downtown location
What makes a great steakhouse?
A dozen different cuts? Maybe. Searing hot charcoal? Yes. Side orders of karnatzlach and verenikas? Also yes.
Those were, at least, some of the things that kept Montreal’s legendary Moishes institution around for the better part of a century.
During that time, Moishes fed the greats. Quebec’s darlings, Leonard Cohen and Celine Dion were among many more politicians, artists, actors and the like who have sat down for a meal there.
It’s long been a staple of the Main, along with its former near-neighbours: Warshaw’s, the Rachel Street Market; their physical locations exist, but their stories of bustling crowds of locals, of garment workers, immigrants and refugees, have ended.
Many feared a similar fate for Moishes which, in 2020, announced it would close its doors on Saint-Laurent.
While the pandemic certainly stuck a wrench in the gears, Moishes was set to move for some time. The restaurant had been bought by a Quebec company in 2018, and with the lease on the building set to expire, it was an organic end for Moishes as many knew it.
The new owners, those also at the helm of La Cage Sports bar, said they would move the steakhouse downtown.
Details have since come to light: Moishes new home will be on the corner of Viger Ave. off Square Victoria. Construction on the new location is set to begin in May. If all goes well, the dining room will open in the fall of 2022.
An artistic render of plans for Moishes' new dining room in downtown Montreal (Image: Patty Xenos Design)
An artistic render of plans for Moishes' new dining room in downtown Montreal (Image: Patty Xenos Design)
With a swanky new interior, and plans for a more-visible kitchen and bar, the new Moishes is probably going to be a great steakhouse. But there’s another question: with new owners, a new location, and new clientele, what makes the new Moishes Moishes?
“What we're trying to do is to keep the iconic items of Moishes there,” said Jean Bedard, president of Groupe Sportscene, which now owns the restaurant.
“I think that we’re keeping the DNA of the past, but we’re bringing Moishes into the future,” he said, “which is a very delicate operation.”
Bedard told CTV the group developed the plans for the new location with previous owner, Lenny Lighter.
The menu will evolve too, he says.
“The winners will stay there,” he said. “You know, the pickles, the famous coleslaw, the steaks, obviously, but I think we can go a little bit further, maybe in terms of a fish” option, he said. “People are eating very differently.”
Staff from the previous location will be invited to work at the new one, said Bedard, and the workers’ union structure will remain in place.
Bedard has big plans for Moishes as an international brand as well, and he says Sportscene has plans to expand exports of Moishes retail foods across Canada and in the United States.
“Moishes already has … a good retail business,” he said. “So, if we put that business together with La Cage … we believe in (its) potential.”
“First, have to move the restaurant and get back on track in Montreal,” he continued. After that, though, “maybe we can expect have more Moishes (across) North America.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.