Charlevoix l Photo Credit : TQ / G. Leroyer
Discover delicious gourmet food and drink in Québec, wherever ‘Bonjour’ takes you.
Québec’s rich history, celebratory culture and gourmet food and beverage scene are unique in Canada, offering a wealth of locally grown delights that will appeal to foodies and families looking for culinary adventures, beautiful landscapes and a wealth of outdoor activities.
Travellers can discover terroir restaurants that incorporate regional products in their menu items and country-style dining where you can enjoy meals on a working farm while sampling food grown right on that land.
Whether you prefer fine dining, farm-fresh picnic fare or hand-crafted drinks such as maple whiskey, ice wine and artisanal beer, you’ll love eating and drinking in Québec. Here are some of the most delicious ways to see and enjoy the province.
Experience some must-try restaurants
Québec’s food culture originated with French settlers who cooked with local game, herbs and vegetables, as well as English and Indigenous influences. Classic Québécois dishes developed since then, such as tourtière (meat pie), pea soup, baked beans, sugar pie, Montréal-style bagels and, of course, poutine remain very popular.
Québec chefs tap into a wealth of fresh, home-grown ingredients to create special culinary delights, ranging from game meats to foie gras. You’ll often find local chefs in conversation with their customers, as is the modern Québec tradition. Visitors seeking modern gastronomic delights will never run out of options here.
Taste the best Montréal chefs have to offer at renowned eateries including Joe Beef, known for scrumptious lobster spaghetti and Montréal smoked meat croquettes, Au Pied de Cochon, where you can taste foie gras poutine, rich onion soup or duck in a can, and L’Express, a classic French bistro that features house-made Toulouse sausage. Be sure to pick up hot bagels at St-Viateur Bagel to munch while sightseeing.
In Québec City, duck into Bistro Le Sam, located in Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, where you can enjoy the view along with a delicious charcuterie board. More than 70,000 honey bees live in the rooftop hives and produce the 295 kg of honey served in the hotel’s restaurants. Sample some quintessential Québécois poutine loaded with cheese curds and gravy at Chez Ashton, but save room to try classic French fare at L’Échaudé in the city’s old port.
Visit some of the province’s public markets
Since most Québec farmers markets stay open year-round, you can pick up local seasonal ingredients for a picnic lunch from dozens of bakers, fishmongers, vegetable farmers and cheesemakers on site.
There are many international treasures in Québec’s farmers markets beyond produce. For example, at Montréal’s Jean-Talon Market—a fixture in Little Italy since 1933—you’ll see stands with freshly made baklava, crepes and Vietnamese spring rolls.
Taste and tour Québec’s microbreweries, cider mills and distilleries
Québec is home to wineries, microbreweries and cider mills, so there’s a lot to toast across the province. Many specialty products such as ice cider—which is unique to the province thanks to the cold winters that give the apples higher sugar concentration—black currant liqueur, maple syrup whiskey and artisanal gin are made here as well. The first beer in Canada was brewed in Québec City in 1668; today, many locally crafted beers are made here.
Tourists can tour the Wabasso Distillery in the Mauricie region, Château de cartes vineyard and cider mill in the Eastern Townships and eight different breweries in the Chaudière-Appalaches area.
Sample some of the world’s finest cheese in the Eastern Townships
Early Québecois food traditions were also shaped by the colonists of New France who brought their cheese-making skills with them. The first North American cheese-making school was founded in Saint-Denis-de-Kamouraska at the end of the 19th century, and, today, the province’s cheeses are world-famous. Artisanal cheesemakers across Québec have helped make this one of the fastest-growing sectors in the food industry.
One of the best ways to learn about and savour gourmet cheese is to head out on the “Les Têtes Fromagères” cheesemakers circuit, which features 15 stops in Québec’s Eastern Townships region. Follow the map, and you’ll meet passionate producers of raw milk, curd, sheep and goat cheese, and hear the stories behind how this delicacy is crafted.
Follow the Flavour Trail in Charlevoix
Take a day trip to explore the gourmet wonders of the Charlevoix region, located about an hour east of Québec City. The area is famous for its beautiful rolling hills and mountains along the St. Lawrence River and attracts visitors eager to explore its agritourism and regional farm-to-table cuisine.
The Flavour Trail offers visitors the chance to delight in gastronomic adventures and terroir products, such as organic meat, pickled mushrooms, award-winning cheeses and more. This self-guided driving tour takes visitors through farms and bistros where they can meet the producers and chefs responsible for Charlevoix’s delectable farm-to-table dishes.
Some spots to discover include Les Volières Baie-Saint-Paul, a family-run farm that houses thousands of quails, rabbits and ring-neck pheasants. Children will love the mini-farm and aviaries featuring more than 1,000 birds. At Fumoir St-Antoine, visitors can find artisan plank-smoked salmon and trout that’s been cold-smoked the traditional Indigenous way. Discover how three generations have prepared sausages and cured meats at Charcuterie Charlevoisienne and visit a family-run cheese shop and economuseum showcasing artisanal cheeses at Laiterie Charlevoix. Then, quench your thirst by sipping some of the famous Dominus Vobiscum beer at Microbrasserie Charlevoix.
Eat and stay on a working farm or vineyard
Part of the joy of visiting Québec’s farms is meeting growers, breeders and producers so you can find out how they work and thrive. Visitors can enjoy the foods and flavours of the countryside at the dozens of orchards, vineyards, sugar shacks and apiaries from spring through fall. Many offer the chance to pick your own produce, enjoy hearty sit-down meals and spend the night in cozy accommodations so you can get a true taste of farm life.
At Bergerie La Vielle Ferme in the Saguenay region, you’ll experience the beauty of the natural surroundings while sampling charcuterie, local cheeses and other terroir offerings. Visitors are encouraged to help feed and care for the animals onsite, including many sheep, pick plums, currants and other seasonal fruit, and then stay overnight in a spacious loft.
Or, take a romantic getaway near Sainte-Marie in the Chaudière-Appalaches region to explore the countryside, relax at the spa and stay at a working vineyard at La Cache à Maxime, either in a quiet cottage or a luxurious hotel suite. The vineyard makes a variety of red, white and rosé wines ready for tasting.
