Quebec City, founded by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1608, is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. Some quarters of the city still retain the look and feel of centuries past. Nowhere is that more true than in Old Quebec City, close to the banks of the St. Lawrence where Champlain first landed. The restaurants of the old city carry on the proud traditions of French culinary excellence.
Located in the heart of old Quebec, this popular restaurant offers diners a journey back in time. It offers five dining rooms on two floors of a building that dates back to the 17th century. Period decor evokes the sense of history, as does the wait staff, all of whom wear period dress. The restaurant specializes in dishes that are typical of those eaten by Quebec's earliest French settlers, such as wild caribou filet and meat pie. Other menu selections feature game animals, such as those hunted by early settlers, including stag, bison, pheasant and duck.
Restaurant Aux Anciens Canadiens
34 Rue Saint-Louis
Quebec, Quebec G1R 4P3
Canada
418-692-1627
auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca
This restaurant in the Hotel Clarendon is named for the famous Quebec-born architect who designed one of the structures in which the hotel is now housed. The restaurant, one of the oldest in Canada, serves local produce, much of which is grown in the eatery's own garden. House specialties include filet of beef; rack of lamb; sweetbreads; and local game, including pheasant, rabbit and venison. As with much of French cooking, the magic is in the sauces, and the chefs here whip up some memorable sauces, such as port wine reduction and merlot sauce with apple and fleur de sel. Lunch and dinner are served seven days a week.
Charles Baillairgé
57 Rue Sainte-Anne
Quebec, Quebec G1R 3X4
Canada
418-692-1511
charlesbaillairge.com
The specialties of this restaurant in old Quebec blend French and Italian cuisines, reflecting the native culinary influences of its owners, French-born Michel Antoine and Italian-born Beppino Boezio. Specialties include grilled Alberta beef au poivre; veal sweetbreads with a sauce of portabella and oyster mushrooms; roast rack of lamb; Atlantic salmon stuffed with scallops and served in a citrus butter sauce; penne pasta with grilled bell peppers, artichokes and brie; and pappardelle with porcini mushrooms.
La Crémaillère
73 Rue Sainte-Anne
Quebec, Quebec G1R 3X4
Canada
418-692-2216
cremaillere.qc.ca
In a city that's so overwhelmingly French in heritage and character, this English-style pub offers a change of pace. Not only does the Saint-Alexandre serve the beers, ales and stronger spirits that one expects at a pub, but the menu is more casual in nature than most of Old Quebec's eateries. Nachos, burgers, steak and fries fill the menu at this establishment. Other specialties include steak and kidney pie and barbecued ribs.
Saint-Alexandre Pub
1087 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec, Quebec G1R 1S3
Canada
418-694-0015
pubstalexandre.com
This elegantly appointed restaurant specializes in foie gras, offering this delicacy in a wide array of variations. Other specialties of executive chef Jean Luc Boulay include rack of Alberta lamb, angus beef, caribou steak, squab, beef tartar and red snapper fillet. For dessert fanciers, the menu features crème brulée made with Quebec wildberries and baba au rhum with passion fruit, raspberry and chocolate macaroon.
Le Saint Amour
48 Rue Sainte-Ursule
Quebec, Quebec G1R 4E2
Canada
418-694-0667
saint-amour.com
