St-Roche: Where It's At

St-Roche: Where It's At

If you want to be where it's at in Québec City, take a trip to the funky former industrial area St-Roch, bordered by the St-Charles River and the cliff, where artists first flocked about a decade ago and cafés, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, lofts, and condos followed.

St-Roch's epicenter is Parc St-Roch, with its elongated flower beds and benches around a modern square. Rue St-Joseph is a shopping hot spot with places to savor a pot of imported tea, and pick up a little something for the house at Villa (600 St-Joseph Est. 418/524-2666) or Baltazar (461 rue St-Joseph. 418/524-1991). For high-end shopping, there's Hugo Boss (505 rue St-Joseph Est. 418/522-5444) as well as a flurry of smaller boutiques with the latest urban wear.

There's plenty of green public space along boulevard Charest and the odd sculpture, too. Complexe Méduse is an avant-garde arts cooperative that houses multimedia artists, a community radio station, a café, galleries, artists-in-residence, and performance spaces.

St-Roch is also becoming known for its exquisite dining experiences, such as the luxurious L'Utopie (226½ rue St-Joseph Est. 418/523-7878) within walking distance of a night on the town. After dinner, you can boogie down to a live DJ's picks at Le Boudoir (441 rue du Parvis. 418/524-2777). Any way you slice it, St-Roch is cutting-edge.