Restaurants in Quebec City
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 equal 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.
Meals & Deals
There are blatantly touristy restaurants along rue St-Louis in Upper Town and around the Place d'Armes, many of them with hawkers outside. They can produce decent meals and are entirely satisfactory for lunch.
At the better places, reservations are essential during holidays and festivals. Other times, it's necessary to book ahead only for weekend evenings. 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 7pm rather than 8pm. In the winter months, when tourist traffic slows, restaurants can close early or cut down on their days, so confirm before heading out. The best dining deals in Québec City are table d'hôte, fixed-priced meals. Nearly all full-service restaurants offer them. Generally, these meals include at least soup or salad, a main course, and a dessert. Some places add an extra appetizer and/or a beverage. The total price ends up being approximately what you'd pay for the main course alone. At lunchtime, table d'hôte meals are even cheaper (and you have more time to walk off the big meal).
Price Categories
Very Expensive C$30 and up
Expensive C$20-C$30
Moderate C$10-C$20
Inexpensive Under C$10
- Traditional
Aux Anciens Canadiens
QUÉBÉCOIS Situated within one of Upper Town’s oldest homes (circa 1675), under a hard-to-miss, quaintly red roof, is the city’s favorite destination for traditional Québécois cuisine. A dinner of pea soup, tourtiere (meat pie), baked beans, and maple syrup pie may sound basic, but…$$$Haute-Ville (Upper Town) - Bistro
Bistro B
This newish, open air, open kitchen bistro is a solid addition to city dining at large and to the Montcalm neighborhood just adjacent to Parliament Hill in particular. For one, it has cocktails that can be enjoyed out front in warm months and indoors at a cozy bar. (And it’s not a…$$$Parliament Hill (Near the Grande-Allee) - Light Fare
Café Krieghoff
Café Krieghoff can be habit-forming, especially if you visit Québec City often enough. It may not wow or woo those seeking haute cuisine, but it can make you feel like you’re taking an afternoon off from tourists and settling in to a low-profile Québécois way of life. Partly it’s the…$Parliament Hill (Near the Grande-Alleel) - Bistro
Chez Boulay Bistro à Boréal
It’s almost as if chefs Jean-Luc Boulay and Arnaud Marchand anticipated the reviews when naming their restaurant: “Chez Boulay Bistro à Boréal is more than a mouthful . . .” It’s much more, actually (and it goes by Chez Boulay for short). The airy, modern bistro opened in 2012 as…$$$Haute-Ville (Upper Town) - Light Fare
Chez Temporel
Québec’s visitors often write up Chez Temporel as a “discovery,” or as “authentically Québec” experience. That’s what we like about it, too, especially in relation to this part of Upper Town near rue St-Jean, where non-touristy restaurants can be hard to find. This modest,…$Haute-Ville (Upper Town) - Italian
Il Matto
You might choose Il Matto because you’re simply craving Italian or perhaps you want a change-up from Québécois bistro fare. Or maybe you want to sip cocktails among the fresh-faced after work crowd. The menu features Italian comfort food (Caesar salad, minestrone soup, pizza,…$$$Basse-Ville (Lower Town) - Bistro
L'Échaudé
There are many menu combinations at this competent venue, such as table d'hôte and carte d'hôte (menu of the day) or additions to entrees or wine flights, which can make dining here a good value. The setting is confidently chic, as if the white linens and silver set themselves. The…$$$Basse-Ville (Lower Town) - Bistro
L’Affaire est Ketchup
The expression, “l’affaire est ketchup,” is unique to the province (or so claim the locals) and means “it’s all good” or “everything’s cool.” Rightly so at this boho slip of a restaurant (we are talking small and seriously homespun). You could walk past the half run-down exterior a…$$St-Roch - Contemporary
Laurie Raphaël
QUÉBÉCOIS Dining in this part of town can be very expensive, especially at accomplished restaurants like Laurie Raphaël. However, here there’s an exceptional three-course “chef chef” lunch for C$29 per person. On sunny days, it’s ideal to reserve a table on the corner terrace and let…$$$Basse-Ville (Lower Town) - Traditional
Le Café du Monde
This spacious waterfront restaurant simultaneously channels T.G.I. Friday’s and traditional French cooking, with a long menu that truly has something for everyone. Count on the baby spinach salad, fries cooked in duck fat, or three-cheese fondue for starters and the black pudding as…$$Basse-Ville (Lower Town) - Fusion
Le Cercle
Here’s a perfect spot to gather with friends, order “tapas mania” (small plates on chef’s whim from C$15–C$60 per person), and choose a bottle or two from Le Cercle’s carefully selected wines. Sommelier and co-owner Fréderic Gauthier really knows his stuff. Some tapas plates are…$$St-Roch - Bistro
Le Clocher Penché Bistrot
Clocher Penché has laid-back European sophistication down pat. Its early presence in the bohemian St-Roch neighborhood has paved the way for other experimental, down-home restaurants to take form and it has a loyal local following. The shifting menu relies on regional terroir—from…$$$St-Roch - Contemporary
Le Moine Échanson
QUÉBÉCOIS This earthy, adventurous restaurant started as a hole-in-the-wall kitchen, with a few oak barrels out front and lots of hanging plants. It served funky wines and food in jars and became the go-to for artsy, engaged eaters. Word spread (in part, by us) and it doubled in size…$$Parliament Hill (Near the Grande-Allee) - Contemporary
Le Pain Béni
QUÉBÉCOIS If you want to sit outdoors on the touristy, pedestrian-only part of rue Ste-Anne (it can be abuzz with action), find an open table at Le Pain Béni. It pegs its menu as “bistronomique,” a mix of high and low, with traditional French fare punctuated by avant-garde…$$$Haute-Ville (Upper Town) - Contemporary
Le Saint-Amour
QUÉBÉCOIS The owners of this quirkily exquisite endeavor, Jacques Fortier and head chef Jean Luc Boulay, wouldn’t want a neon arrow pointing to their restaurant. Since they opened Le Saint-Amour in 1978 they’ve hardly needed a shingle out front. It’s tucked away on a quiet Upper Town…$$$Haute-Ville (Upper Town) - Light Fare
Paillard
Paillard has a high-end fast-food feel to it, but it’s one of a kind, and thoroughly Québec. Frankly, it’s what one wishes all fast food could be. The bread is crusty and sometimes piping hot, either used on sandwiches or served with soups that are (and taste) homemade. It’s perfect…$Haute-Ville (Upper Town) - Contemporary
Panache
QUÉBÉCOIS Panache is a superior restaurant housed in the repurposed buildings that make up the likewise superior hotel, Auberge St-Antoine. Historic preservationists will appreciate that the massive wood beams and stone walls of a 19th-century wharf have been incorporated into a…$$$Basse-Ville (Lower Town) - Bistro
Patente et Machin
Not surprisingly, this way casual undertaking has ties to L’Affaire est Ketchup. In this instance the name’s rough translation is “thingies and gadgets” or maybe, food-wise, “nibbles and bites.” That’s how the menu is divided: Machins are smallish: oysters, bisques, and such, while…$$St-Roch - Contemporary
Toast!
QUÉBÉCOIS Chef and co-owner Christian Lemelin started cooking at age 17 and, now into his 30s, still seems young. His menu is agile and not afraid to reveal itself with grand verbosity: “Breast of young duck from Canard Goulu farm, fried on its chest and spiced with adobo” for…$$$Basse-Ville (Lower Town)

