With quaint sidewalk cafes and international restaurants on every corner in Quebec City, it’s difficult to find a bad restaurant. But that also can make it overwhelming – with so many options and limited vacation time. On our summer vacation to Quebec City, we dined at a bunch of fabulous restaurants – and one that we probably won’t return to.
Family-Friendly Restaurants in Quebec City
Sapristi
This new addition to the Quebec City restaurant scene offers outdoor sidewalk dining along the trendy Rue St. John. Our concierge tentatively recommended Sapristi, because it was so new, but we loved it. It’s kid-friendly, but has some great drink options for adults. I had the Tartare de saumon, which was my favorite meal on our entire trip.
Portofino
If you pick up a guidebook of Quebec City, chances are that you’ll see one of the ubiquitous ads for Portofino, a bustling Italian restaurant in the old city. The food is pretty standard Italian, but the atmosphere is great. This is a busy restaurant, so arrive early or prepare to wait.
Le Cochon Dingue
We wanted to try traditional Quebec food, so our tour guide directed us to Le Cochon Dingue, a popular restaurant in the lower city. It offers an outdoor sidewalk with a view of the river, as well as indoor seating. There’s also a small cafe a few doors away for quicker service. We really enjoyed the food here for lunch. I’d advise arriving in the late afternoon for a late lunch/early dinner before boarding one of the river cruises.
Le Chic Shack
Don’t let the name similarity to the popular US chain fool you – this is an independent restaurant. They have a small patio facing the Chateau Frontenac, and offer several different delicious hamburger options. There’s no kid’s menu though, and the shakes have alcohol in them, so definitely review the menu before taking your kids. We enjoyed eating there, although the service was a bit slow.
Petit Chateau
We wanted to love the Petit Chateau so much that we tried it twice. But sadly, I can’t recommend it because the service was atrocious. The employee who delivered my mushroom crepe threw it on the table with such vigor that half the mushrooms slid off – yet we got no apology. Then after being assured by our server that none of the dessert crepes had nuts (my daughter is allergic), the chocolate crepe my son ordered was actually Nutella. It’s unfortunate, because the food was good.
Have you been to Quebec City? Which restaurants were your favorites? If you are traveling to Quebec City, check out our favorite things to do with kids in Quebec City here.
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Stefanie says
Not quite a restaurant, but we can’t visit Quebec City without a visit to Chez Ashton for poutine.
Jodi Grundig says
I’ve seen their sign a bunch of times, but we’ve never ventured in! Next time…
Laurie B says
We eat at the Restaurant Le Grand Cafe when we visit for Winter Carnival. The food is great, we travel with my granddaughter, who this year was 7 during the trip. Many families were there, wet, snowy mittens were warming near the fire, there was plenty of room to take off the extra layers while we dined. I was traveling with a vegan, three vegetarians and a carnivore. Everybody had a satisfying meal. Portion was allotted for the 7 year old.
We will definitely eat there again.
Laurie B says
Thought about it a little (Quebec City is a routine travel destination for us) and there’s a great little Moroccan restaurant we’ve tried in the past. While we were there for Winter Carnival this year I noticed it was still open. It was mid day, and we were on our way to skate in Place D’Youville, so we didn’t stop. It is off the Rue St. Jean, and called Maison Marocaine. When we last ate there, they didn’t have a wine license, but there’s a market across the street to buy your own. Vegetarians delight. We had freshly made hummus, tabbouleh, pitas…. I forget the rest. Traveled with children under the age of 5, too. It’s down the stairs, in a stone walled basement. Beautiful.