The best food in Québec City

Spend 24 hours in Québec City and you’ll quickly discover why it is ranked among the 20 best food cities in the world by Condé Nast Traveler readers. Spend 48 hours in Québec City and, well, your stomach might never let you leave. 

If great food is your favorite part of travelling, this foodie’s guide to Québec City will have you packing your bags in no time. 

Québecers love their food and there are a few local specialties that you shouldn't skip on any trip to Québec City.

The food

There are of course, the classics. When people think of Québec, they often think of poutine—that messy piles of fries, cheese curds and gravy. In Québec City, many people swear by Le Chic Shack for their gourmet poutine, but any small diner or restaurant serving local cuisine will have its own variation of this famous dish.

Then there are the childhood dishes that most Québecers would eat at home, which you can find scattered among restaurants serving traditional cuisine. There's tourtière, a simple meat pie made with minced pork or beef and often eaten with ketchup. There's fèves au lard, a type of baked beans, often seasoned with maple syrup and served as a side with breakfast. And there's poor man's pudding (pouding chômeur), which is made from a series of very basic ingredients: sugar, flour, cream, cake or bread, and an absurd amount of syrup. The spongy, sweet result is truly worth a visit to Québec all on its own.

Beyond these favorites, in Québec City you can find a myriad of traditional French restaurants, multicultural foods and modern cuisine. We'll talk about some of the most renowned restaurants in more detail below.

At the heart of Québec City's food scene are ingredients made in and around the city. Cheese producers such as the award-winning Alexis-de-Portneuf, apple orchards and berry farms on Île d'Orléans, a multitude of wineries such as Vignoble Sainte-Pétronille and Saint-Pierre Le Vignoble, and the maple products from Québec's famous sugar shacks are all commonly found in the best meals and the best restaurants around Québec City.

The restaurants

It's impossible to make a concrete list of the best restaurants in Québec City. There are just too many chefs making great food. Below you'll find a few of the biggest names and a few award winners, but you can just as easily close your eyes, walk through the streets and bump into a truly fantastic restaurant.

For authentic Québécois cuisine, head to Aux Anciens Canadiens, where meat pie and poutine are always on the menu. At Laurie Raphaël, one of the province's greatest chefs, Daniel Vézina and his son Raphaël push 'locavore' food deeply connected to Québec's roots. Or step even further back in the history of this land and enjoy a meal inspired by First Nations cuisine at La Traite in Wendake, just a 20-minute drive north of the city.

For French cuisine, you'll want to visit Chez Muffy, a French-Canadian farmhouse-inspired restaurant, located in the Auberge Saint-Antoine hotel. 

Of course, Québec's local farmers, fishers and producers are as integral to the food scene as its chefs and restaurants. A specialty? Local mackerel, larch-infused butter, grilled zucchinis and sweet-and-sour radicchio.

French master chef and one-time Québec chef of the year Jean-Luc Boulay is at the helm of  Le-Saint Amor, a local leader in fine dining. The restaurant has one of the best wine lists in Canada and celebrities including Sir Paul McCartney and Sting have enjoyed its French cuisine.

Then there's Le Clocher Penché, a Québec institution that uses artisan ingredients to create dishes like salmon tartare, homemade blood pudding and crispy sweetbread.

L’Orygine offers fresh, local cuisine, highlighting vegetarian and vegan options. Located in a historic building, the bright environment adorned with an elegant bar hides one of the most beautiful terraces in the city. In short, L’Orygine has that je-ne-sais-quoi that will charm you.

Restaurant Légende is another local favorite, named one of the best new restaurants in Canada in 2014 by enRoute Magazine. Here you'll find torchon foie gras, lamb fries, monkfish and elk carpaccio on a menu that changes with the seasons, so that only fresh, local ingredients are served.

If you're looking for an immersive gastronomic experience, hidden in ancient vaults, Tanière³ is the ultimate boreal cuisine destination. A mysterious environment where research, refinement and attention to detail will leave you speechless.

If one restaurant just won't cut it, sign up for a food tour of Québec City. A guide who lives in the neighborhood will lead you on a walking tour during which you'll sip wine, sample cheese and savor pastries. You'll eat crêpes, maple snacks, poutine and locally made chocolates, all while discovering the history of the city through the food of the different cultures that have called it home.

The foodie hubs

1. The Old Port has a high concentration of fine dining restaurants, featuring seafood, tasting menus, and more, all set along cobblestone streets with a historic waterfront backdrop.
2. The Petit Champlain District, also found in Old Québec, has a wide variety of bistros, pastry shops and sweet shops, all in a beautifully historic setting. 
3. Grande-Allée is home to some of the best nightlife in Québec City, including great cuisine. Fine dining, Italian, and casual options line this main street, which is often filled with people.
4.  The Saint-Roch district recently underwent a trendy transformation, which was followed by the emergence of new restaurants and bars. Walk along rue Saint-Joseph and have your choice of fine dining or a burger and beer at a brasserie.
5. Limoilou is an up-and-coming area with majestic trees, narrow alleys and old brick buildings. Walk around and try out some of the low-key bistros and restaurants showcasing flavors from around the world, often tucked away and barely noticeable, but full of great eats.
6. The Island of Orléans (Île d'Orléans) is just a short drive across a bridge from Québec City but is home to a multitude of farmers and food producers. Stop in to enjoy fresh produce, wine and meals with that homecooked feel.