Quebec has a unique food scene in North America. You’ll feel transported to another era and place with the real-life castles and French in the air. The French colonists created Quebecois food by using local herbs and vegetables, as well as game. Add a homemade poutine to your meal, which is a rural Quebec dish that will help you get through tough times. Also, don’t forget the liquids like maple whiskey, craft beer, ice wine, or ice cream.
Quebec City’s food guides are full of posh Quebecers who talk about French cuisine and French fries covered in brown gravy. This ain’t our baby. We are an couple that had a great time eating our way around old Quebec. Simple. Easy. Fun. We invite you to join us on a culinary tour of Quebec City.
Bistro Le Sam
The first stop on our Quebec gastro tour is the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, the castle perched atop the hill that is the most photographed in Quebec (and around the world). Chateau Frontenac, the most iconic building in Upper Town Quebec City, is located at the top of the hill. You’ll stay at Le Sam for the creative cocktails and for the stunning views. The charcuterie was so delicious, I thought I had been transported to Paris. The hives located on the roof produce over 650 lb. of honey each year. This honey is served by the three restaurants in the property.
Delices Erable & Cie
Keto is a thing of the past when you visit Quebec sweet shops. Delicieux Erable & Cie has everything maple (in your best Forest Gump voices …) Maple syrup, maple pearls and maple vinegar. List goes on. On the second floor, they have a maple-themed museum. Quebec produces 70% of all maple syrup in the world. The province of Quebec, not just the City.
Erico Chocolatier
Erico Chocolatier makes it worth breaking your diet. There are chocolates that melt into your mouth, with rich creamy goodness. They also have a chocolate-themed museum. You could say that you’re there to learn, but an education wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include a taste.
Champagne Chocolatier
What goes well with chocolate? You can’t have enough chocolate. What else? Champagne. Champagne Chocolatier carries them both. Whodathunkit a name like this? I was there as part of a tour but could have easily stayed the whole day.
Fromagerie Des Grondines
Another stop in my Quebec tasting trip was Fromagerie des Grondinesor, the cheese shop located in Grondines. This village is situated on the countryside of Quebec. The best grilled-cheese sandwich I’ve ever had was at their provincial masterpiece. I love the smell of freshly toasted bread with gooey, high-quality cheese.
Noctem Artisans Brasseurs
Noctem carries on the tradition of brewing locally-brewed craft beer. There is also cat-themed décor for those of you who are cat lovers (just admit it). I won’t lie. This is the kind of place I like.
Bar Le Sacrilege
Sacrilege can be viewed in different ways. Quebecois, for example, are a majority Catholic. Quebec has many beautiful Catholic cathedrals, including the St. Jean Baptiste Church. The adjacent bar Le Sacrilege has all the seats in church pews. Locals enjoy the dancing and cheap drinks. In Quebec, we did commit several food sacrileges. We’ll discuss them next.
Chez Ashton
Poutine, Quebec’s native dish, is made of French fries topped with brown gravy. It also contains squeaky-cheese (a good poutine will squeak as you bite into it). Chez Ashton is the most famous poutine purveyor. They are a local fast food chain that has become famous for their poutine samples and discounts on poutine when temperatures drop below -30c. Chez Ashton is loved by Quebec City in the same way that regional burger chains are popular in the US. (I’ll go with In-n Out).
Chic Shack
Chicshack served my favorite poutine. The La Braisee Poutine, or Poutine 2.0, featured red ale-braised beef, parmesan curds and pickled onions. Fresh herbs, horseradish aioli, and fresh herbs were also included. You can exhale disgust in French. It’s a kind of Pffft. When used in a sentence: Pffft! That’s not real poutine. Too much stuff in it. Sacrilege.
For the record, my Le Chic Burger was also delicious with maple-smoked bacon, local cheese, and chic sauce, paired with a boozy Shake of French vanilla ice cream with Bailey’s Irish Cream.
L’Echaude
We need to go to dinner. And not just any dinner but to one of Quebec’s most famous restaurants L’Echaude. L’Echaude serves classic French dishes like tartars and blood budding. We couldn’t choose just one so we chose a group of digital influencers. We all ordered one of almost everything and shared it when the food arrived. It was divine.
Sharing food was not the sacrilege. The photo shoot with off-camera lighting was the sacrilege. The natives, restless and angry, let us know their feelings with a French response that was undoubtedly harsh. They responded in English by saying that they were expecting the same thing. It was a bit sacrilege, but we now have a good story to share and a reason for getting a camera that has better low-light sensitivity.
La Buche
Close your mouth! That’s my favorite French curse. Ironically, this is what we did not want to do at La Buche a rustic hunting cabin-style restaurant. Warning! Look away if you’re vegan. You won’t find anything here. Try the rabbit wings or venison tartar if you’re willing to go all out. Try the Kalibu, a regional Caribou Mulled Wine house speciality. Also don’t miss the bathrooms located in the basement. The basement decor is a bit random, but it reminds me that someone must be crazy to eat poutine outside in temperatures of -30 degrees.
Chez Boulay
French people are naturally great hosts because they love food. Two beautiful dinners were hosted by my hosts in Quebec City. The first dinner I hosted was at Chez Boulay which, ironically, features Nordic-inspired food. Nordic food is unique in Quebec because it was brought by the Norse.
We quote Quebec City Getaway Recipe for Spring Romance. We started with cappuccino onions soup. The rich, deep flavor is due to the generous amount of caramelized onion and melted cheese. We recommend the slow-cooked braised beef cheek, marinated with red currant vinegar. It will melt in your mouth. Dessert is a must for any romantic meal. We ate sea buckthorn pie and meringue. “
Chez Muffy
The Chez Muffy is located in an historic warehouse from 1822, attached to the Auberge Saint-Antoine Hotel. The restaurant has a farm to fork concept, where most of the ingredients are sourced locally. The foie gras and green beans were both delicious. Nothing could have prepared for the desserts sampler, which included maple pecan pie with meringue bits, berry tarts with smores and chocolate cake, as well as the choux pastry with chocolate pudding topped with Baileys Irish Cream (see a pattern here?). If you’d like to know more about our experience, please read . We will definitely be back to try their Sunday Brunch.
Paillard
Our food tour of Quebec is almost over. One last stop remains. The Violent Womens probably said it best: “Vague sketch, a fantasy. He laughs at the dawn like he has been awake all night.” You’ve now eaten all the best food in Canada, or North America. You may be heading to Montmorency falls by bike, or just wandering to your hotel room to wait for your flight. If you only have room for one meal, choose Paillard.
There are classic French pastries such as savory ham-and-cheese croissants served with Hollandaise Sauce. It’s like an egg Benedict, but in pastry. You know that Benedict Arnold also spent some time in Quebec. Hollandaise Sauce is the best for everything.
Our foodie tour of Quebec City is wrapping up
These fifteen restaurants were the best for our Quebec weekend. We had a difficult time choosing our top fifteen restaurants in Quebec because there were so many great ones. The memory still makes my mouth water and I cannot wait to return and sample more of the delicious food. The most difficult part of the decision will be whether I want to go back to any of my past venues or try something completely new. Each meal was an adventure in Quebec. I wish I had more energy and time.