Restaurants

With a little research, it's possible to eat extraordinarily well in Québec City. It used to be that this gloriously scenic town had no temples de cuisine comparable to those of Montréal. That has changed. There are now restaurants comparable in every way to the most honored establishments of any North American city, with surprising numbers of creative, ambitious young chefs and restaurateurs bidding to achieve similar status.

By sticking to any of the many competent bistros and a couple of jazzy fusion eateries, you'll likely be more than content. Another step up, a half-dozen enterprises tease the palate with hints of higher achievement.

Even the blatantly touristy restaurants along rue St-Louis in Upper Town and around the Place d'Armes, many of them with hawkers outside and accordion players and showy tableside presentations inside, can produce decent meals. The less extravagant among them are entirely satisfactory for breakfast or lunch.

The best dining deals are the table d'hôte (fixed-price) meals. Nearly all full-service restaurants offer them, if only at lunch. As a rule, they include at least soup or salad, a main course, and a dessert. Some places add in an extra appetizer and/or a beverage. The total price ends up being approximately what you'd pay for the main course alone.

At the better places, and even at some that might seem inexplicably popular, reservations are all but essential during traditional holidays and the festivals that pepper the social calendar. Other times, it's necessary to book ahead only for weekend evenings. In the listings below, where no mention is made of reservations, they aren't necessary. Dress codes are rarely stipulated, but "dressy-casual" works almost everywhere.

The evening meal tends to be served earlier in Québec City than in Montréal, at 6 or 7pm rather than 8pm.

Smoking in restaurants, bars, and most other public places in the Québec province has been prohibited since 2006.

Picnic Fare -- Le Petit-Cartier is a mall for foodies: About a dozen merchants in open-fronted shops purvey cheeses, pâtés, terrines, glistening produce, pastries, confections, fresh meats, fish, sushi, deli products, and fancy picnic items. A few counters make sandwiches to order and there's a small grocery store in back. It's open 7 days a week and located just outside the tourist orbit: west of Parliament Hill, in the Montcalm residential neighborhood, at 1191 av. Cartier (1 block off Grande Allée).