215 Best Restaurants in Quebec, Canada

This low-key destination is the perfect spot for an intimate yet elevated meal, where diners can safely anticipate irreproachable dishes (including the $125, five-course tasting menu with wine pairing) and a finely curated wine list. The decor is grandiose and includes a very large mural taking up one long wall, a vintage tin ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. The creative market-based menu changes frequently and focuses on the use of local products. Staples include suckling pig, arctic char, and chanterelle mushrooms with kale and bleu d’Élizabeth cheese.

If you're in the market for traditional French Canadian food, Les Ancêtres Auberge is highly unlikely to disappoint. With all dishes created from local ingredients, you can dine on classic Québécois fare like meatballs and pork hock ragout with root vegetables and pickled beets, or try another house specialty, the "famous" Ancêtres pea-and-ham soup. It doesn't get more Québécois than that. Another plus is the vantage point of the dining room, so while dining on the local grub you can also feast on the beautiful views of the St. Lawrence River and Montmorency Falls a little farther off in the distance. The restaurant is vegetarian friendly.

With its fine French cuisine and convenient location in a 95-year-old house on the bustling Grande Allée, this restaurant has long been popular with many of Québec's élite. Dining areas range from the very public summer terrace to discreet second-floor meeting rooms, a solarium with bamboo chairs, and a cozy dining room with exposed stone walls and warm wood accents. Chef Hervé Toussaint's top dishes include seafood such as shelled lobster, as well as fresh pasta and a rack of lamb. With more than 5,000 bottles of wine on hand, nobody goes thirsty, and the owner checks in on diners himself.

With its airy, all-white-and-green, plant-filled décor, dining at LOV (Local, Organic, Vegan) is like eating in a beautiful greenhouse. This fashionable restaurant is the kind of plant-based establishment that even die-hard carnivores will line up to enter. Starters here include LOV calamari (tempura heart-of-palm rings with lemon-truffle aioli) and mushroom and vegetable dumplings with almond butter kimchi sauce. Highlights among the mains are coconut butternut squash curry and mushroom risotto with cashew cream. 

Lueur, a recent Bib Gourmand recipient from Michelin, is essentially the more fun sibling of the seriously high-end Laurie Raphaël. It shares the same dedication to excellence but in a livelier, more casual setting. Its immense wraparound bar, seating just 14 guests, showcases affordable access to the finest local produce, simply prepared. Expect a short but enticing menu and signature cocktails that outshine even its impressive wine list.

Local celebrity chef Derek Dammann teamed up with famed British chef Jamie Oliver to open this pub-style restaurant that perfectly blends Canadian and British traditions. The interior is dark and cozy; the handwritten menu changes frequently based on what's in season. Expect dishes like black pudding, Welsh rarebit, oven-baked oysters, foie gras parfait, or cold roast with dandelion.

If you're in the mood for a big, nourishing, market-fresh salad served in a colorful ceramic bowl in a pastel setting, Mandy's is the place to go. Choose from among a dozen signature varieties or make your own. If you don't believe that a meal can be a meal without meat, there are options that do include meat or another protein source.   There's a second Downtown location in Phillips Square, as well as others in Westmount, the Old Port, and Mile End.

This is one of the most interesting microbreweries in the Québec City region, producing a colorful range of beers named after historical characters from Île d'Orléans. You can taste them all at the adjoining Pub Le Mitan, along with standard pub fare including burgers, pizzas, and fries. The pub's terrace is particularly pleasant, and there's a beautiful view toward the St. Lawrence River. It's a great place to take a break from a tour of the island.

For fine dining in Old Montréal, head to this elegant contemporary restaurant and brasserie serving expertly presented Canadian fare, from oysters to Prince Edward Island côte de boeuf. A chic, illuminated bar showcases the wine collection, with 400 selections including some Quebecois bottles.

You won’t see anything too familiar on the menu at this fresh, light-filled restaurant with its high ceilings, clean white walls and tablecloths, and modern mix of wood, glass, and sliding industrial windows that open to outdoor seating in summer. You will find whimsical yet unpretentious dishes that surprise and delight. Menu items might include brochettes of duck hearts, baloney cannelloni, and "Chinatown" razor clam. Dessert is a must, so pace yourself to allow for favorites like buckthorn berry meringue tart or white chocolate mousse with rhubarb puree.

You can dine inside amid old stone walls or outside on the patios at the foot of a tiny, peaceful waterfall at this restaurant, which was converted from an early-18th-century stone mill. Scrumptious snacks, such as quiche and salads, are available on the terrace, and evening dishes include local pork tenderloin and venison stew. You can stay overnight at one of the Moulin de St-Laurent's chalets—eleven available in summer; seven in winter—on the edge of the St. Lawrence. Lodging packages, which include some meals, are also available.

This is another five-star coffee shop to visit in St-Roch, either for a roasting lesson or a warm macchiato respite from the Québec winter. Known for its ecological and humanist approach, Nektar works closely with its fair trade producers in Brazil to produce the Para Ela blend, which means "for her" and is harvested by hand and processed exclusively by women who are paid 50% more than the regional average. With its beautiful packaging, Nektar's coffees are also a perfect travel gift for yourself or for friends.

The dining room is small and not much to look at, but no matter—the food here is the main attraction, and locals come in droves for the homemade noodles and dumplings. If you time your visit right, you might see the staff through the huge kitchen window working on the dough. Noodles with spicy vegetables and pork are popular—either for one, or to share. Traditionalists take note: the General Tao chicken is one of the best in the city (you can also order it with tofu instead).

A little off the beaten path, this intimate Italian eatery can be easy to miss. The restaurant's head chef Dmetro Sinclair emphasizes simple, seasonal dishes using techniques and ingredients outside the classic Italian canon yet feel more attuned with the true essence of Italian cooking than what you find in most other Italian restaurants.

Hipsters head to this laid-back ’70s diner for one thing: delicious, classic greasy-spoon dishes with a modern twist. A close second is the décor; think cheap wood paneling and vinyl seats. The Palace Hamburger (Palais Burger) is gaining a reputation among Montrealers as one of the best in the city, and the sweet-potato pie for C$6 also has fans. On Friday and Saturday the bar is open until 1 am.

This small, unpretentious, plant-filled eatery serves up the usual Lebanese fare—meze, salads, and pita sandwiches—but the sandwiches come with a variety of twists: Thai, Indian, Latin American, Italian, pescatarian, with grilled veggies, and so on.

This new sophisticated Chinese eatery in Old Montréal is the city's second Uncle Lee location. This one, however, emphasizes “Kăo”, which means grill in Mandarin, but there is also a good selection of rice and noodle dishes. The 80-seat space is warm and welcoming, with high ceilings, hardwood floors, and lots of red and wood accents. A private room at the back can be reserved for between 12 and 36 people.

More of a brasserie than a restaurant, Orange Rouge pays tribute to its neighborhood with creative interpretations of traditional dishes that might ruffle the feathers of authenticity sticklers but will please Asian food aficionados. The chef takes liberties by combining familiar flavors with a surprising twist like the unusual, slightly herbaceous chrysanthemum salad or the intriguing foie gras steam buns. The whole roasted duck is an homage to Chinese-style Peking duck and can easily be shared by five people.

Ouroboros, a Michelin Bib Gourmand honoree, offers a cozy bistro ambiance, centered around a large circular bar mirroring its namesake. This unique spot champions low-intervention natural wines, and yet, boldly, does not have a wine list—just ask owner Daniel for a recommendation. The creative market cuisine, with many ingredients sourced directly from the owners' garden. The menu, designed for sharing or solo enjoyment, embodies a cyclical philosophy: from market to plate and even composting. In spring, don't miss the Arctic char, served on a layer of zucchini with a fish skin chip and a delicate, creamy dill emulsion.

This bakery, pastry counter, sandwich bar, pizza shop, and ice-cream parlor is a long-standing local favorite. Long wooden tables, designed to get customers talking to each other, create a convivial atmosphere.

This lively café and bakery offers a wide variety of classic and unique pastries and breads (hello, preserved-lemon bread!), sandwiches, and quick breakfast and lunch options. It's a favorite with locals, who either eat in or take out after a quick chat with the friendly staff. It's a great resource for pâtés, cheeses, and breads to pack for your explorations of the region.

Opened in Spring 2024, this rococo-inspired tea room feels a little like attending a real-life, Disneyfied Mad Hatter tea party. Think bubblegum pink walls, checkerboard floor, thick coral pink velvet curtains, salmon pink and burgundy button back seat banquettes, quirky tableaux, and lots of chandeliers. It's the perfect spot to enjoy a kooky Quebecois take on the English High Tea experience, finger foods on tiered platters and a tea sommelier and all. Go with your friends, your mother, daughter, or grandmother. And don't be afraid to take the kids; they're sure to delight in the fanciful children's menu.

Don't be fooled by the name: Pastaga is not a pasta joint; the name is a slang term for alcoholic drinks composed of anise, specifically pastis. Pastaga is best known for its all-natural wine list and small sharing plates.

This fun and friendly place has a menu with terrific meats, grilled cheese, and whimsical ideas, like the use of guinea fowl wings in lieu of chicken wings. The food here has personality, humor, and . . . lots of butter. Sit at the varnished plywood counter, have a glass of tasty organic wine, and watch the kitchen run in a way that seems a tad chaotic but always delivers. Its twin restaurant, L'Affaire est Ketchup, is a little farther east on rue St-Joseph.

This compact bakery serves some of the best croissants in Montréal, but the specialty here is the eponymous kouign-amann, a multilayered butter-and-sugar cake originally from Brittany. The aroma of freshly baked bread is alluring to say the least, and the passion for pastries is evident and sometimes demonstrated by perfectionist owner and native Breton Nicolas Henri. In fact, if he sees you eating your croissant the "wrong" way, Nicolas will even suggest the proper way to eat it—broken in half so you can bite through the many layers; according to him, it tastes better that way.

Sophie Sucrée was the first vegan bakery to open in Montréal in 2013. Owner Milène Laoun, a self-taught pastry cook, developed her skills by cooking and baking for her loved ones. The quaint space is very small, with no seating, but of course Laoun's decadent confections—croissants, cakes, cupcakes, bars, cookies, and tarts—can be purchased to go. She prioritizes the use of unprocessed plant-based ingredients as well as organic and local products. Gluten-, nut-, and soy-friendly options are available as well, and the pâtisserie offers a small savory menu featuring items like fennel "sausage" and mozza puff, "tuna" salad croissant, and gourmet grilled cheese.

Initially an artisanal frozen dessert brand, Végania unveiled its sit-down patisserie-boutique in August 2022, mere steps from Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montréal. Chef-pâtissier owner Justine's plant-based, mostly gluten-free desserts, made with cashew nuts, Québec maple syrup, and organic ingredients, marry gourmandise with healthy eating. The pâtisserie-boutique's antique décor is quaint and attractive, but it's the artfully presented, divinely delicious desserts that will have you coming back for more.

Unveiled in September 2024, Pavillon, the Société des arts technologiques (SAT)'s new eatery replaces Le Labo culinaire. The new third-floor space was completely redesigned to accommodate a casual social club/wine bar concept, with the central focus the long, U-shaped bar. Small, Parisian-inspired bistro tables, pendant lamps, and dark red banquettes complete the interior look. A non-profit associative establishment with no chef-owner, prices at Pavillon are reasonable. With natural wines and aperitifs for C$10, cocktails at C$13, and a short menu of small plates plates costing between C$7 and C$30, you can't go wrong.

A local favorite in Westmount, this BYOW Greek estiatorio (more upscale than a taverna) specializes in seafood and has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. With its Grecian-blue tiles and shutters, white walls, traditional Greek music, and friendly, bona fide Greek/Greek-Canadian waiters, Petros makes you feel as if you've stepped straight onto a Cycladic isle. Favorites here include the jumbo shrimp, the octopus with capers and red onion, and the moussaka, but it serves a range of grilled meats (no souvlaki) and a vegetarian gemista (rice-stuffed tomatoes and peppers) that is one of the house specialties. And of course there's tzatziki, fava, and hummus served with moist grilled bread. Ask for a table upstairs or on the terrace on warm summer nights, since the basement is a bit claustrophobic.   If you forget to bring your own bottle of wine there is a SAQ liquor store half a block away.