The Puzzling Case Of Montreal's Number One Restaurant (And Why It Doesn't Actually Exist)

TripAdvisor can seem like a great way to find universally acclaimed restaurants. What happens, though, if a fake TripAdvisor review brings diners to a trash-filled alley? That really happened once, in England circa 2013, and it's not even the only example of diners getting tricked like this. In 2017, Oobah Butler recounted for VICE how they listed their own garden shed as a reservation-only restaurant on TripAdvisor and got their fake food service establishment to London's number one spot at the time. It's not merely diners who get bamboozled, though. For instance, a customer once left a bad review for a restaurant he dined at and dashed from. "The customer is always right" only goes so far, and it's a shame when any hard-working restaurateur sees their ratings fall.

That sort of thing is, sadly, not uncommon. A 2020 TripAdvisor transparency report (summarized by Forbes) showed that the company took down almost a million fake reviews from its website that year. Some of the fakes come from shady review-for-hire services, while others come from users with a bias, whether positive or negative. Fake reviews for real restaurants are an ongoing issue for TripAdvisor's moderators. However, in light of Butler's viral prank, one TripAdvisor representative claimed, "As there is no incentive for anyone in the real world to create a fake restaurant, it is not a problem we experience with our regular community." By that logic, one could assume the situation never arose again. Unfortunately, they would be mistaken.

A made-up restaurant has once again scored its city's top spot on TripAdvisor, but this time, it wasn't Butler's doing. Instead, on the other side of the pond, someone in Montreal was pulling the prank, per the CBC. This restaurant's name? Le Nouveau Duluth.

TripAdvisor has since taken down the page for Le Nouveau Duluth, but while it was still up, the restaurant promised customers Canadian-style deli food, served at all hours of the day. It also told people it accepted digital payments yet was somehow cash-only. It mentioned a buffet and table service, too, plus a full bar that was B.Y.O.B. Additionally, diners could find live music at its "beachside" location and even a playground for kids. This joint truly had it all! It's no wonder all 85 of its reviews were five-star. The top comment read, "Can't believe this place really exist [sic]." That's because it didn't.

The phone number listed on TripAdvisor for this fake restaurant seemed to belong to Charles Deschamps, a self-described punchy, irreverent, and endearing comedian who writes, performs, and gives back to his community. He will, coincidentally, be putting on a one-man show in Montreal this spring. Deschamps has confirmed he was indeed behind the hoax. Why? He had a bone to pick with TripAdvisor. "One person destroyed a friend's spot on social media," he explained. "She asked 22 people to leave a one-star review just because a wine glass was spilled on a dress."

Are fake restaurants truly hurting anybody? Customers shouldn't be confused and lured into trashy alleyways or garden sheds, but at the same time, restaurants don't deserve to be unfairly review-bombed by some dine-and-dashers or winey customers. Admittedly, these sorts of pranks do spotlight the unreliability of sites like TripAdvisor — and hey, it got us writing about it! Still, at the same time, they also draw attention away from the real restaurants trying to fairly rise to the top. So, should we as a society go back to exclusively relying on food critics? We don't claim to have the answer, but we will take this opportunity to spotlight what's currently the number one Montreal restaurant on TripAdvisor.

Bistro 1843, with 263 reviews (plus four whole dollar signs), promises its diners French Canadian fare that's vegetarian-friendly. Quite unlike Le Nouveau Duluth, it only serves dinner and makes a whole lot less contradictory guarantees. This restaurant was established in 2009, inside a historic building, and it's owned and operated by a pair of family business partners. Its kitchen focuses on providing culinary value in simple yet unique ways, and the bistro encourages its diners to bring their own wine to help them relax in this cozy manor environment. The place is quite popular, it seems, considering reservations up to two months in advance are suggested. Let's just hope, for Montreal foodies' sake, TripAdvisor hasn't been duped again and that this restaurant is actually the real deal.