The best seafood restaurants Canada

Voted one of the best new restaurants in the country by En Route magazine shortly after it opened a decade ago, The Chase offers a high-flying dining experience. On the slate are dishes to share, meat, fish and seafood, as well as large gourmet plates for two. Not surprisingly, a superb wine list accompanies it all. Nestled in the heart of the downtown skyline, its superb rooftop offers a more peaceful perspective on the urban frenzy.

With four gourmet locations in Ottawa, oyster and seafood lovers are in for a treat. While oysters are the star of the show (on special for $2 CAN each on Sundays all evening), they don't have to overshadow the rest of the menu, including generous platters of hot and cold seafood and dry-aged steaks. Also worth mentioning are the selection of wines by the glass, cocktails (try the barrel-aged Negroni or the Oyster House Caesar) and craft beers, including the Oyster Stout.

What a wonderful discovery, and we'd like to thank our pirate-in-chief Stéphane for the tip! In a beach bar atmosphere, with our eyes riveted on the ocean, Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island, we come here to taste the best the sea has to offer. Almost everything is here, from cod acras and oysters to red tuna tartare and a plate of whole lobster. If you want to try all the starters with a lobster and two sections of crab legs, the platter for 2 is highly recommended. A fine selection of spirits, including cocktails and local beers.

Inspired by the Lobster Shacks of the American East Coast, this resto, cantine and snack bar is a must for seafood lovers. Fresh lobster, guédilles, clam chowder, lobster poutine and other delights are all on the menu, along with a selection of burgers, grills, pastas and more. All set in the distinctive décor of an old octagonal barn with a contemporary touch (we particularly like the lobster traps transformed into tables). Also on site: café-bar on the first floor.

A member of the family that unites the restaurants L'Affaire est Ketchup, Kraken Cru and Patente et Machin, l'Albacore focuses on seafood and seasonal vegetables, but not only. The menu is of course evolving, but always impeccable: ginger-confit fish dumplings with ponzu-marinated roasted mushrooms and St. Lawrence seaweed-infused pork broth, or raw scallops marinated in citrus and olive oil with yogurt squash puree, spiced pumpkin seeds, crusty bread crumbs, shiso and fleur de sel.

The specialties of the house: oysters, but also raw and cold seafood appetizers, good small dishes in the same spirit and privately imported wines, including a selection certified organic, biodynamic or natural. The name is well deserved considering the range of oysters on the slate, from Quebec, the Maritimes, Maine (USA) and other regions renowned for this seafood delicacy. And given the popularity of the place, additional seats have been added in the basement. Nice and unpretentious.

An address that doesn't look like much from the outside, but is well known to Quebecers. Open since 1977, everyone knows this small family cooking restaurant, renowned for its famous seafood pizza, its fresh lobster in season, its trawler's plate or its chicoutai pie. The house also prepares land and sea dishes or fish and seafood, grilled meats, fish, crab club sandwiches, scallops, gratinated pastas, various pizzas, BBQ chicken, etc.

On a beautiful summer day in Old Montreal, we had an irresistible craving for lobster. That's how we discovered this gourmet table that puts forward the products of lakes, rivers and the sea. The lobster is undoubtedly the great star of the place, whole, in raviolis or in guédille (this famous sandwich that we tested, filled generously with lobster meat). The decoration of the restaurant makes some references to the maritime world, in particular with its lobster cages acting as suspended lamps. To test: the Bloody Pincette cocktail.