As English Montrealers who have never had a problem pronouncing the word foie gras before, we found it rather confusing why this restaurant would purposefully misspell their name. After stepping inside, we knew right away that there was going to be nothing confusing about the delicious food we were about to eat.
Foiegwa is located in the ever so hip part of St-Henri. It is a small but perfectly fitting 20-25 seater restaurant with an open kitchen adjacent to the bar. The décor is diner inspired with a modern twist, as you can either sit in a booth with a group of friends or alone on a barstool.
Another diner inspired aspect that many of you might enjoy is the hours in which the restaurant is open: during the week from Monday to Thursday from 5pm-2am and Friday to Sunday from 10am-3pm, where breakfast is served, and then reopened from 5pm-2am for dinner.
The menu is simple but has everything you expect in a classic diner. If you are into burgers, then their cheeseburger, that is made fresh every day, is a must. Warning, this cheeseburger is far from classic. They have replaced the onions with those from the French onion soup, leaving you with an explosion of taste from the sweetness of the soup to the juiciness of the burger. If that’s not enough for you, go ahead and order one of their milkshakes or floats too.
Let’s move on to their famous spaghetti: anyone that steps foot in this restaurant must order. Homemade butter and truffle spaghetti, a perfect 64-degree egg yolk topped with an absurdly delicious amount of parmigiano reggiano cheese. The dish is simple but brings a sense of comfort to your plate reminding anyone of their favourite home cooked meal.
Their fried chicken is classic and comes from the local farm “Les Voltigeurs”. As you break apart the pieces, you can taste the tenderness of the fresh chicken, which combines perfectly with its light and fluffy batter. We also absolutely love their escargots and bone marrow. Not for the faint of heart, but we encourage you to be adventurous.
Foeigwa also offers a wide variety of mixed cocktails to choose from. We enjoyed the Pimm’s cup, which despite the cold weather outside, reminded us of summer, as the fruity and sour flavours swam in our mouth. If nothing from the list seems to impress you, they give you the opportunity to make your own drinks based off of what you enjoy, essentially making it a unique experience for everyone.
And here’s a plus: you can continue your night at their speakeasy next door, Atwater Cocktail Club (ACC)! Pro tip: if you can’t get a reservation at Foiegwa, make one at ACC. You can order the entire Foiegwa menu, but the vibe is a touch noisier and more lively (it is a bar, after all).
Foiegwa is nothing short of an experience that we highly recommend. Of course, how could we have forgotten, for $9.95 you can add Foie Gras on anything!
3001 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, QC H4C 1N9
(438) 387-4252
Photos courtesy of Foiegwa and Stefano Apostolakos (@stefano_mtll).