The best restaurants Quebec

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.

A beautiful caliente atmosphere in this cerveceria de barrio (neighbourhood brasserie) decorated with a huge fresco, winks to Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, skulls in the style of Cinco de Mayo... The house specialties are tapas and tacos of all kinds, but also some raw and grilled pork chops, and desserts such as hot churros with Nutella. All this is accompanied by an excellent house cocktail, a Mexican beer, or a small glass of mezcal or tequila. Salud!

Located just a few steps from the shore of Lac Saint-Pierre, this little gourmet address is a must! In a resolutely vacation spirit, it prepares on-the-go dishes such as breaded shrimp and calamari, smoked trout and salmon gravlax sandwiches, the famous shrimp or lobster guédille, and side dishes like salmon chowder. Bonus: there are a few picnic tables on site, but our best bet is to head down to the beach to enjoy your meal.

Right in the heart of the Île-des-Moulins historic site, this restaurant occupies a period building on the banks of the Rivière des Milles-Îles (its terrace offers a superb view). The menu follows the bistronomy concept with an international touch (naan crab and shrimp, bao bread with crispy pork, linguini with jerk chicken, etc.). On Sunday mornings, the place attracts brunch enthusiasts, and we recommend the "Festin brunch" menu for two or more people. A fine selection of beers, wines and spirits from Quebec.

A new, friendly address, just like the neighborhood. In this unpretentious bar-restaurant, wood and warm colors dominate, and you quickly feel at home. At the helm are true wine and Spanish enthusiasts who have decided to transcribe the Spanish art of living. Tapas to share, like classic patatas bravas and fried squid, but also creations like cheese portobello or tilapia ceviche. The wine list is exclusively natural, organic or biodynamic, with many private imports.

One of our favorite Tremblant addresses, this restaurant definitely puts us in the Savoyard mood, thanks to its typical mountain chalet decor and the scent of cheese that tells us we've come to the right place. La Savoie offers, as its name suggests, a selection of Savoyard specialties, including fondues (cheese, red wine, etc.), raclette and pierrade. And here, everything is prepared according to the rules of the art! A fine wine list accompanies everything, and service is attentive and professional. Don't forget to book in advance.

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.

The little brother of the renowned restaurant Tanière3, Légende offers a menu inspired by Quebec's culinary heritage and the imprint of time on this cuisine. A place to meet and share around the table, to discover or rediscover the land, the forest and the river, in a constantly evolving menu. The wine list is also renowned, with the American magazine Wine Spectator ranking it among the best in the world. A real favorite at this address, which offers exclusively Quebec products.

The reputation of its fries, meatloaf and burgers is well established, as is its retro American diner-style decor, which was preserved during the recent renovations, with its old posters, jukebox and other period items. On the menu: burgers and sandwiches for every taste, hot dogs, a vast selection of poutines, fries and other extras, all at ridiculously low prices. It was one of René Angélil and Céline Dion's favorite addresses when they visited the Quebec capital.

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.

Here, Italian cuisine is simple, sharing and fresh. In a pretty little white room with large windows, everything is prepared in-house according to seasonality and the quality of the produce. From appetizers and starters like citrus-marinated olives, homemade mortadella and Savoy cabbage and leek fritters, to dishes like absolutely delicious fresh homemade pasta. It was voted best new restaurant in the country in 2017 by Air Canada's enRoute magazine.

A poutine with kimchi, hot sauce and fried chicken, amazing isn't it? Well, it exists, and was even voted best poutine of Poutine Week 2021. The place to find it is, of course, at La Belle Tonki, the meeting point of Cambodian, Vietnamese and Quebecois cultures. This fusion restaurant, right down to the chopsticks, offers delicious phô, banh-mi burgers, cheese ramen and poutine. Unheard of as it may seem, it's a successful bet! You'll come back again and again.

In a large, unpretentious wooden room, this address offers pure delight for gourmets. At the dawn of spring, the sugar shack comes alive and hearty meals are cooked on the wood stove in the traditional way. All you can eat, and the experience ends with the famous taffy on snow. But don't forget to bring your own booze. Note that the sugar bush also manages the Chez Ti-Jean cross-country ski center in L'Épiphanie, where you can also enjoy snowshoeing (admission fee, equipment rental on site).

Housed in a pretty little house, chef Justin Dunlop Lemieux blends local produce with French-inspired dishes for a truly delicious regional cuisine from Quebec. Black garlic fries, oysters Rockefeller, chanterelle cream, rabbit and foie gras, pork belly and scallops, seafood spaghetti... Makes you hungry! Add to this a warm, rustic-chic atmosphere and you'll understand our infatuation with this address. Another of the group's restaurants to discover: Jules - fromages & convives.

In the heart of Wakefield village, facing the Gatineau River and boasting a lovely terrace, Le Hibou offers cuisine inspired by the four corners of the world: ferme aux saveurs des monts' butter chicken poutine with home fries, tandoori chicken sausage, cheese curds, cilantro and red bell pepper; fish taco with fried cod, red coleslaw, pickled onions and cilantro; or Ferme Hale's sirloin burger with Jarlsberg cheese, double bacon, maple barbecue sauce and chipotle.

A newcomer to the Tadoussac gourmet scene, Le Bar Rayé is housed in a charming ancestral home with a breathtaking view of the marina, bay and St. Lawrence River. The watchword in the kitchen: source locally to offer the best the Côte-Nord has to offer. And there's something for everyone on the slate, especially fish and seafood, the hallmarks of this maritime region. We sampled a lobster guédille with a house cocktail, followed by a succulent cheesecake with homemade camerise syrup. Top-notch!

Greenery is at the heart of the concept, from the decor to the plate, where plants are the stars of the place. This restaurant is another project by renowned chefs Jean-Claude Boulay, Arnaud Marchand and Pierre Joubaud, who are not new to the business (Emeline Péro succeeded Pierre Joubaud at the helm of the kitchen in 2021). In addition to greenery, proteins are also on the menu, whether they are animal, vegetarian or vegan. In the glass, a nice selection of cocktails, Quebec beers and even botanical lemonades.

A deluxe snack bar that started out in Saint-Roch before opening a branch in the charming village of Kamouraska, Grand'Ourse prepares succulent dishes using local produce. The fries are delicious, accompanied by one of their many homemade mayonnaises. The menu also includes gourmet burgers, exquisite guédilles (shrimp, lobster, spicy duck, etc.), fish & chips and poutine for every taste. Top it all off with one of the gourmet desserts. Unmissable and unbeatable!

An ultra-popular gourmet address in the village, located just below the Ras L'Bock microbrewery. Come for its delicious breakfasts or bistro-style dishes such as tartares (we recommend the bison and cranberry tartar), ribs, burgers and poutines, and enjoy them all with a breathtaking view of the St. Lawrence River. In the glass, a fine selection of cocktails, wines and, of course, local Ras L'Bock beers. Vegetarians and gluten intolerants: the restaurant has thought of you!

For those nostalgic for the Isle of Beauty (read Corsica), this is the place to be. Island beers, liqueurs, eaux-de-vie and wines feature prominently on the menu, while the chef's menu will also transport you to Corsica with a number of imported products. We recommend the tasting boards (charcuterie and cheese, fish, Mediterranean, gueuleton), braised veal ravioli, oysters and octopus, not forgetting "Les douceurs de Marie-Pierre", a trio of sweet delights to crown the meal.

Éric Garand, creative chef, and Jinny Dufour, sommelier, are not at their trial run. This gourmet project has been attracting crowds to the heart of Magog since it opened in 2017. And they insist: everything here is cooked homemade with local and seasonal products. Smoked pork from Ferme Lennon de Compton, cheeses from Coaticook, organic vegetables from Ferme Les Vallons Maraîchers de Compton, 1855 beer dishes - the official beer of the restaurant brewed by Boréale - are just a few examples of the products used in cooking. It's fresh, it's generous and it's local!

The potato caravan is well known in Tadoussac - and even beyond - and is highly reputed for its fries, the know-how of which goes back several decades. All the great snack classics are on the menu, from the ultra-popular cheese burgers to the grilled cheese, not to mention the poutine, which comes in a dozen versions. But we repeat, you absolutely must try the fries, which are gladly accompanied by the house maple mayonnaise. A delight!

Often credited as the best fried chicken sandwich in town. We had to check it out... So a soft bun, a fresh herb mayonnaise sauce, pickles, lettuce and a nice piece of chicken breast marinated in piri-piri, then in buttermilk before being fried. So the rumor was true, especially since the other sandwich recipes are just as good. With a growing success, those who were initially installed in a temporary residence in a record shop finally acquired in 2022 their own room.