The Bottom Line
That's right, they make a girl/guy duo with a tambourine dance up the crowd on busy nights around 9-ish p.m. It's tacky as hell and I love it!
Bottom line? The food is simple, down to earth, yummy and $30 for all-you-can eat grilled meat is a deal. And the ambiance is so much fun.
Pros
- Unlimited meat on skewers, shaved at your table.
- Great serve staff.
- Brazilian dancing interlude works for me.
- Alternative to sports bars with a 6-foot projection screen and big flat screens air sporting events.
- Good choice for groups.
Cons
- Unlimited wood charcoal grilled meat is a carbon footprint poke in the eye.
- Wine selection is limited and some prices were unreasonably jacked up (Trapiche Malbec for $50?)
- Vegetarians may cringe at the sight of said skewers.
- Good luck controlling your sodium intake.
- Clients looking for refined haute cuisine in an intimate setting risk disappointment.
Description
- Location: 1445 Bishop, between Ste. Catherine and de Maisonneuve
- Get There: Guy Metro
- Phone: (514) 985-0777
- Le Milsa Website
Guide Review - Le Milsa Brazilian Churrascaria - A Montreal Restaurants Review
Le Milsa, in case you haven't seen their campy commercial on CTV, is a churrascaria, a steakhouse restaurant specializing in churrasco, the Brazilian art of cooking meat on skewers over an open fire, and in the case of this Bishop street joint, over a wood charcoal grill.The menu is simple, with three options under $30: the "turnstile" (all-you-can-eat assortment of ten meats), cornish hen, or salmon steak. All dishes are served with non-iceberg lettuce salad, sweet potato, Uncle Ben-ish rice, and I quote, "exclusive mushrooms." Kids ages 5 to 10 eat at half price.
So I went on a Saturday evening around 7:30 p.m. The place was packed and loud with large screens playing some random hockey match. The wait for a seat was 10 minutes for two but groups had to wait twice as long (hint: make reservations). The earlier pre-9 p.m crowd was mostly families with older kids later replaced by late teens/early twentysomething groups in casual wear to club dressy. The decor was cluttered, reeking of garage sale finds but who cares. Some might even prefer le Milsa's down-to-earth feel over a monochromatic look with snooty staffers.
On the topic of staff, they were fantastic here, warm and personable, sporting Robinho and Ronaldihno jerseys.
Foodwise, I made the mistake of eating one too many moist and smoky pork sausages, chicken drumsticks, and bacon-wrapped turkey bites, bloated by the time the wee dry medium cooked roast beef came out. The medium-rare roast lamb was a little fatty but good, the rib steak followed by rare filet mignon was also nice, the roast pork was wondefully tender, but you must, I repeat, must pace yourself. Leave some room for the sirloin beef because they bring it out last and of course, it's the finest cut of all. And if can you manage it, get the grilled pineapple lightly sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, it's lovely.
