Restaurants Montreal & Quebec

[LVSue]

I'm just beginning my research on this subject, but I'd like a nice dinner in Montreal old town and a nice lunch in Quebec old town, quebecois or french, but not SUPER fancy. Any suggestions?

[Earl Rosebery]

I'm just beginning my research on this subject, but I'd like a nice dinner in Montreal old town and a nice lunch in Quebec old town, quebecois or french, but not SUPER fancy. Any suggestions?

 

We always went to Gibby's for a special accasion. Busy, noisy but very good and very Montrealais. Convenient to the old port. Built in an old Convent. Check on trip advisor under steakhouses. They serve plenty besides steak.

[pizzalady1]

We always went to Gibby's for a special accasion. Busy, noisy but very good and very Montrealais. Convenient to the old port. Built in an old Convent. Check on trip advisor under steakhouses. They serve plenty besides steak.

 

Do you know what Gibby's prices are? Their menu does not quote the prices. Thanks.

[Earl Rosebery]

Do you know what Gibby's prices are? Their menu does not quote the prices. Thanks.

 

Sorry we moved to Vancouver, haven't been there for a number of years,. Ephraim would know

[Ephraim]

Old Town (Vieux ville) is in Quebec City. Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal) is in Montreal. Please use these terms, everything else confuses us locals.

 

There is nothing really "cheap" in Old Montreal. It's some of the most expensive real estate in Canada.

 

For Gibby's, expect to pay about $40 per person before taxes and alcohol. Wonderful steak and seafood and excellent romantic atmosphere. But definitely not cheap.

 

Well known restaurants in Old Montreal....

 

Le Club Chasse et Peche - http://www.leclubchasseetpeche.com/ Expensive, but with a reason. Expect to see a lot of things that you don't normally see on a menu. Think Duffy, Porky, Bambi, Thumper, Bullwinkle and Rudolph.

 

Garde Manger - http://1dl.us/bKm Famous chef Chuck Hughes from FoodTV's Chuck's Day Off.

 

Olive & Gourmando - http://www.oliveetgourmando.com/ (Until 6PM only)

 

Stash Café - http://www.stashcafe.com/ Very reasonable and tasty Polish food. Wonderful.

 

Barroco - http://www.barroco.ca/

 

Gibby's - http://www.gibbys.com/

 

Bonaparte - http://www.restaurantbonaparte.ca/ This is where I sent people who want "French" restaurants and by that, OLD French. Think of Julia Child French cooking.

 

Restaurant Holder - http://restaurantholder.com/

 

Aix Cuisine du Terroir - http://www.aixcuisine.com/ Quebec French cooking.

 

DNA Cuisine - http://www.dnarestaurant.com/

 

Le Bourlingueur - http://www.lebourlingueur.ca/

 

Can't help with Quebec city though.

[Silvermist]

In Vieux Ville (Old Town Quebec City) there's a very popular restaurant called Le Couchon Dingue (The Crazy Pig). You can find it by the gold pig on the sign! :D It's on, if I'm remembering correctly, the "bottom" street by the river. However, I don't think you can go wrong at any of the restaurants in Vieux Ville. Most restaurants have a Prix Fixe menu and it's generally a very good value. Appetizer, bread, entree and dessert, and usually coffee. They also have menus in English and French so if you are handed a French-only menu but your French is limited or non-existant, ask for the English one. In Quebec City, French is definitely the language of choice and although most of the touristy area has people who speak English, if you venture further into the city, you will find that French is pretty much exclusively spoken. If you decide to go up the hill, take the Funiculaire. It's only 75 cents or a buck or something and it's worth every penny -- that hill is some steep!!! :D And if you do go up the hill, see if you can find the Cannonball tree. It's kind of cool.

 

In Montreal, if you have time for a gelato and a way of getting there, you must go to Atwater Market (I think that's the one) near the Canal. There's a little gelato stand that has dee-lish gelato with some popular and unusual flavours. As for restaurants, I can't help you there. We only ate in BISE which is not in Old Montreal nor is it casual or inexpensive. But it's excellent service and very good food. Montreal is more bilingual than Quebec, but you will likely be addressed in French first unless you initiate with a Hello or Excuse me.

[LVSue]

Thanks, all! I think we've about decided on the Keg since it's across the street from our hotel (Queen Elizabeth) and we'll be pooped from the trip the first night and Le Bourlingueur the second night in vieux Montreal (sorry, Ephraim). I think I can try poutine anywhere, so I'm planning on hitting Dunn's Deli, where SIL can have a normal sandwich.

 

As for lunch in Quebec City, I have a feeling we'll end up at le Cochon Dingue; I've seen a lot of good comments and figure we won't want anything too fancy. Glad to see your second, Silvermist.

[Silvermist]

There's a Keg across the street from Queen Elizabeth? We missed that one! :o We stayed at the QE and I loved it there! Beautiful rooms and quite comfortable.

 

Here's a couple suggestions from one tourist to another: There is a church across the street from the Queen Elizabeth called Cathedrale Reine Marie du Monde (Mary, Queen of the World). It's on Rene Lesveque and Metcalfe. If there isn't a service being held, take a peek inside. It's beautiful and is one of those things that isn't a "usual" tourist place - if I didn't have a friend who lives in Montreal, I'd have never known about it or that you can just go inside and admire its beauty. It's not quite as elaborate as Notre Dame Basilica, but it's certainly worth a few minutes and is very beautiful. Just like Notre Dame you can take photos, just obviously you should be respectful. There's no admission, but donations are of course accepted.

 

A warning (obviously your mileage may vary) -- watch the cab drivers. As you should in any city, know where you are going and make sure they know that you know where you are going. Bring a map into the cab if you have to. Sadly we had that scam pulled on us. Our cabbie took us the long way from the Queen Elizabeth to the Cirque du Soleil (Totem - great show!! :D). We recognized that he was taking us a few blocks off course and complained to him that he needed to turn but suddenly he couldn't speak English (he most certainly could!!) :rolleyes: and he still continued on a few more blocks. Obviously he didn't get a tip and if we'd been thinking, we should have taken his name and reported him to the cab company and to the QE where the doorman got us the cab. He managed to make what should have been a $5-$7ish trip into a $12 trip. :mad: And we took a horse & carriage ride in Old Montreal and felt it wasn't worth the $50 we paid. It's a novelty and we did get a brief tour, but we have taken the horse and carriage rides in other cities and just didn't think this one was as good. Maybe it was just our driver/guide. I did get to feed the horse a banana and got a kiss from her after we were finished and that was worth a couple bucks in my books. :)

 

That said, you will love Quebec (the province)! I can't wait to be able to return to both Montreal and Quebec City.

[laverendrye]

There are so many places in Québec City that you can hardly go wrong with any--check the menu outside to see if it's in your price range. However as you are looking for something not too fancy and presumably not too expensive, my first recommendation would be Aux Anciens Canadiens in one of the oldest buildings in the city. It features traditional Québecois cuisine and while it is pricey for dinner, the lunches are very good value.

 

http://www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca/home.php

 

There are a couple of nice pubs which I like which might suit you.

 

The Pub D'Orsay, which is really more a restaurant/bistro than a pub, is very good and the menu is quite reasonably priced.

 

http://www.restaurantpubdorsay.com/en/default.asp

 

I also like the Saint-Alexandre Pub, which calls itself and English Pub, but the menu is much better and more extensive than typical English pub fare.

 

http://www.pubstalexandre.com/

[LVSue]

Silvermist, the Keg is on place Ville Marie, according to their website, at the corner of Rene Levesque and Mansfield. I actually was planning on stopping in at the cathedral since it is so close to the hotel. Glad to hear it's worth a stop. Sad to hear about the cab drivers since all the other Canadians I have ever met are the nicest, most helpful folks in the world. The hard part about trying to go by a map is that you never know what driving secrets there are (one-way streets, construction, short-cuts)....

 

Laverendrye: See how you are! I get my mind all made up and here are some more ideas. Thanks! Part of our adventurousness depends on how far "up" we can go since everything is up from the port, and it's fairly steep! The menu at Pub d'Orsay looks yummy.

[Sally Forth]

I'm just beginning my research on this subject, but I'd like a nice dinner in Montreal old town and a nice lunch in Quebec old town, quebecois or french, but not SUPER fancy. Any suggestions?

 

We are big fans of Pierre du Calvet. It is in a lovely building from the 1700s and the food is fabulous. It is expensive, but you needn't worry about fancy dress.

 

Viv

[Silvermist]

Silvermist, the Keg is on place Ville Marie, according to their website, at the corner of Rene Levesque and Mansfield. I actually was planning on stopping in at the cathedral since it is so close to the hotel. Glad to hear it's worth a stop. Sad to hear about the cab drivers since all the other Canadians I have ever met are the nicest, most helpful folks in the world. The hard part about trying to go by a map is that you never know what driving secrets there are (one-way streets, construction, short-cuts)....

 

Oh, ok! Yep, right across the street! :D

 

That cab driver we got was hopefully the exception and not the norm. I suppose it's important to follow that same advice in any city. This was just our first time hitting that scam. If you don't think you can find a map, stop at the Concierge desk in the hotel. We found them to be very helpful - they gave us a lot of tips, a map of the underground mall and a map of the subway. Ask them anything!

[Ephraim]

For taxis, we always use the same company for our clients. It cuts down on the games, because the company would lose ALL my business. My suggestion for anyone taking a taxi ANYWHERE in the world... as you step into the taxi, take your phone and take a picture of the taxi driver's licence. It's a lot more intimidating for them to do anything when you have a picture of their licence to hand in as proof of who it was when you need to make a complaint.

 

The Keg is across the street in Place Ville Marie. Besides the corner, at that point, Rene-Levesque has a crosswalk in the middle to get across. The Keg is fine, for a chain restaurant. There is another Keg in old Montreal.

 

For poutine, Patati Patata, Ma'am Bolduc and La Banquise are both well known for their poutines. But there are many others. You need a place with enough foot traffic to get curd deliveries daily. I think the most expensive is au Pied du Cochon's, but then again, it comes with foie gras. Macaroni bar uses gnochi instead.

 

http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/09/poutines-montreal-canada-la-banquise-patati-patata.html

 

We are big fans of Pierre du Calvet. It is in a lovely building from the 1700s and the food is fabulous. It is expensive, but you needn't worry about fancy dress.

 

Viv

 

Pierre du Calvet is ancient. The name of the restaurant is officially "Les Filles du Roy" and I would put it in the same realm of Bonaparte, a more traditional French restaurant / bistro. In some ways, bistro fare with restaurant prices.

 

Almost no restaurant in Montreal needs "fancy dress".

[bento2744]

I'm just beginning my research on this subject, but I'd like a nice dinner in Montreal old town and a nice lunch in Quebec old town, quebecois or french, but not SUPER fancy. Any suggestions?

 

Don't be shocked at prices of food in Canada! I have traveled in Europe recently and it is as expensive. Tourists in general complain about high cost of food in Canada.:confused:

[Silvermist]

Don't be shocked at prices of food in Canada! I have traveled in Europe recently and it is as expensive. Tourists in general complain about high cost of food in Canada.:confused:

 

Oh gosh! That's an excellent point! The prix fixe menus in Quebec City are usually a really good bargain versus ordering a la carte. There can definitely be sticker shock when you look at the right side of the menu in Canada. :rolleyes: You'll find the same holds true with shopping. Clothes and electronics are generally more expensive here.

 

Also a non-food-related head's up about shopping in Canada. On a variety of items especially books, greeting cards, calendars, and magazines there will likely be a dual price. One is for USA and the other is for Canada. Don't expect to get the USA price if you are using American money. Plain and simple - you won't. The sticker doesn't refer to currency, it refers to location the product is sold. It costs the retailer more to import the item into Canada (at least that's what they tell us so we'll keep paying the higher price) so if you buy in Canada, you pay the Canada price. That's just something to keep in mind when you are souvenir shopping or looking for a magazine to read on the plane or the ship. I don't mean to hijack the thread, I just thought this might be considered relevant advice because I'm sure it's something that could seem confusing.

[PennyAgain]

I was in Montreal in June and found that many of the taxi drivers were recently up from Haiti. They speak very little English. I found the best way to get where I was going was to write down the name and the address of my destination with the cross street.

 

If I asked for a place by an English version of the name, I got no where.

 

I never felt that I was overcharged.

 

On the subjects of where to eat: we never had a poor meal. The prices were about what I would expect to pay in a large US city downtown area. That is, substantially higher than what I am used to paying out here west of Dallas, but not far off from good restaurants in Dallas.

 

Wine is expensive in Canada, but Canadian wines can be top class.

[Ephraim]

Only Montreal anglophones will know place names in English. And it's too hard for tourists to figure out what names are in English or pronounced in English. For example, St-Laurent is St Lawrence to English speakers (anglophones), but Pie IX is always pronounced in French as "Pee Nehf" and never in English. So, always use the French names for streets for taxi drivers... I've met very few who are native English speakers, especially downtown.

 

Restaurant prices always depend on where you go and what you order. If you want to go to a "French" restaurant, you are basically asking for a restaurant that caters to tourists, with higher prices and during the summer, some restaurants cater to tourists because of websites like Trip Advisor. (For example, one of the top restaurants in Montreal on TA is often considered by the locals to be a winter restaurant... food we prefer to eat in the winter.) Fame has it's price and at the table is where you are going to pay for it.

 

I can have a great dinner in Montreal for $6 to $10 per person (without drinks or dessert), you just have to know where and how. But tell me that you want to go to Toqué and expect to pay $94 for the tasting menu. Frankly, we went into shock when we saw the prices in Italy for restaurants and we eat out in Montreal frequently.

 

I can point someone to a great meal for $20 and a mediocre meal for $50, it's all in knowing where to go... and when. At the moment, I can't figure out why one of the restaurants at the top of the list in Montreal is even there.... there are so many better restaurants for the price. But that's the difference between running to a list created by tourists for tourists than in going to the locals or where the locals talk about food.

[LVSue]

Well, Ephraim, point me to a great meal for $20! We'll be there this Friday night and would prefer an easy taxi ride from la Reine Elizabeth. We're a couple of older ladies; my SIL is not an adventurous eater, but I AM! This is my Europe fix this year (a good thing, I think) so I would like French food (and I do speak French), but French cuisine is not mandatory.

[elcuchio24]

There are so many places in Québec City that you can hardly go wrong with any--check the menu outside to see if it's in your price range. However as you are looking for something not too fancy and presumably not too expensive, my first recommendation would be Aux Anciens Canadiens in one of the oldest buildings in the city. It features traditional Québecois cuisine and while it is pricey for dinner, the lunches are very good value.

 

http://www.auxancienscanadiens.qc.ca/home.php

 

There are a couple of nice pubs which I like which might suit you.

 

The Pub D'Orsay, which is really more a restaurant/bistro than a pub, is very good and the menu is quite reasonably priced.

 

http://www.restaurantpubdorsay.com/en/default.asp

 

I also like the Saint-Alexandre Pub, which calls itself and English Pub, but the menu is much better and more extensive than typical English pub fare.

 

http://www.pubstalexandre.com/

 

Aux Anciens Canadiens is one of our favorites. Lunch is around $20-$25 a head for lunch, including a beer/wine and dessert. It gets real busy, so rezervations are a good idea. Great food.

[Sally Forth]

We like the old non-touristy Jewish smoked meat places. Our son has lived in Montreal for 6 years as a student and is good at showing us some of his favourites.

 

Viv

[Host Caroline]

Second the recommendation for Aux Anciens Canadien... have never visited Quebec without eating there at least once, usually twice. Even though I try, I can't duplicate the recipes in their cookbook... Also Lapin Saute in the lower town which specializes in rabbit and duck!

For inexpensive we've gone to Casse Crepe Breton on rue St Jean for brunch each visit.. it's not fancy but inexpensive, crepes are good and service is decent... this is more a "family run" type restaurant..

[bcscot]

Old Town (Vieux ville) is in Quebec City. Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal) is in Montreal. Please use these terms, everything else confuses us locals.

 

There is nothing really "cheap" in Old Montreal. It's some of the most expensive real estate in Canada.

 

For Gibby's, expect to pay about $40 per person before taxes and alcohol. Wonderful steak and seafood and excellent romantic atmosphere. But definitely not cheap.

 

Well known restaurants in Old Montreal....

 

Le Club Chasse et Peche - http://www.leclubchasseetpeche.com/ Expensive, but with a reason. Expect to see a lot of things that you don't normally see on a menu. Think Duffy, Porky, Bambi, Thumper, Bullwinkle and Rudolph.

 

Garde Manger - http://1dl.us/bKm Famous chef Chuck Hughes from FoodTV's Chuck's Day Off.

 

Olive & Gourmando - http://www.oliveetgourmando.com/ (Until 6PM only)

 

Stash Café - http://www.stashcafe.com/ Very reasonable and tasty Polish food. Wonderful.

 

Barroco - http://www.barroco.ca/

 

Gibby's - http://www.gibbys.com/

 

Bonaparte - http://www.restaurantbonaparte.ca/ This is where I sent people who want "French" restaurants and by that, OLD French. Think of Julia Child French cooking.

 

Restaurant Holder - http://restaurantholder.com/

 

Aix Cuisine du Terroir - http://www.aixcuisine.com/ Quebec French cooking.

 

DNA Cuisine - http://www.dnarestaurant.com/

 

Le Bourlingueur - http://www.lebourlingueur.ca/

 

Can't help with Quebec city though.

 

We stayed in Montreal on Friday night & taking your advice, we had a very nice meal in Bonaparte. Thank you for your suggestions, Ephraim. It also happened to be very close to where we were staying. I thought that the prices were better than Victoria.

 

I have tended to find the food prices in the USA to be similar to Canada, or even higher. Maybe it is just those places frequented by tourists, wherever they happen to be!

 

Driving in Montreal was an enlivening experience! Unlike in BC, the Montrealers, although their style looks rather wild, know how to read the road & HOW TO SHARE IT!

 

Graham.

[LVSue]

Thanks, Graham, for bringing up Ephraim's list again. I guess I just spaced it the first time through. Bonaparte sounds exactly like what I want, with some normal food for SIL. And thank you, Ephraim, for specifically pointing out the "French" restaurant I was seeking, even though I was doltish enough not to notice.

 

I'm make reservations as I write.

[bcscot]

Today we had Tourtiere for dinner, a traditional Quebecois minced beef pie. It was very good & was washed down by a cheap & cheerful French 'vin de table' (very cheerful).:)

[MM42]

Old Town (Vieux ville) is in Quebec City. Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal) is in Montreal. Please use these terms, everything else confuses us locals.

 

There is nothing really "cheap" in Old Montreal. It's some of the most expensive real estate in Canada.

 

Old Town? I've never heard the name before. It's called "Old Quebec" for "Vieux Québec". By the way, 'Old Town' in french would be 'Vieille ville', not 'Vieux ville'.

 

Most expensive real estate in Canada? Try Toronto and Vancouver. Montreal is very cheap compared to them.