This Limoilou staple places its kitchen front and center in the dining room, meaning guests surround the staff at every step of the meal. It’s a team effort as cooks act as waiters, offering rich descriptions of every dish. Expect local, seasonal ingredients prepared with great attention to detail. It’s a good idea to make a reservation online, where you must choose (and pay for) your regular or vegetarian menu ahead of time.

Every detail of Rioux & Pettigrew is rooted in the history of Quebec City’s antique district along St-Paul Street. The design hearkens back to a former general store of the same name founded in 1860. Brick walls, wood floors, and a vintage gramophone make diners feel as if they’ve traveled back in time, but chef Dominic Jacques brings a conversely modern take to the food. Brunch is a must, especially with a side of house-made boudin.

Stylishly decorated with local artist Berko’s street-style graphics and chic, velvety banquettes, this vegan restaurant brings a touch of modern pop to Old Quebec. You won’t miss the meat with chef Anne Marie Grenier’s seasonally inspired dishes, heartwarming soups, and finger-licking desserts.

At Wong, the broths are made from scratch, dumplings are hand-crafted, and the rice is always stir-fried in a wok. But what truly makes this historic dining establishment stand out from the crowd is chef and owner Steven Wong’s ability to showcase his Chinese roots with flair in dishes featuring unexpected ingredients like mussels and burrata. Among the staples is a generously flavored beef and tomato saute.

This Parisian-inspired bistro is a favorite among locals for its simple yet refined market cuisine. The modern decor is inspired by the colors of nature, and the carefully selected wine list reflects the eclecticism of the neighborhood, St-Roch, which Le Clocher Penché has helped make into a gourmet destination.

Ninety seconds is all it takes to cook a pie in Nina’s 900-degree wood-fired ovens, which are tamed by owners Penelope Lachapelle and Lucie Nadeau, the undisputed queens of Neapolitan pies in Quebec City. Crafted from fine ingredients, the pizzas are simple and satisfying. But to truly understand the gift of Nina, go beyond pizza and indulge in burrata and any of the cocktails. The St-Roch location is the original and showcases one of the city’s last wood-fired ovens, but both locations are very kid-friendly.

Jonathan Marcoux and François Borderon joined forces to create a sandwich revolution in St-Sauveur. The Franky Johnny counter assembles generous and comforting creations. Go for the classic that keeps regulars returning for more: pork belly in focaccia with lightly fermented veggies in a zesty homestyle mayo. Don’t hesitate to pair it with the house kombucha.

Set in a historic building on a side street in the heart of touristy Old Quebec, Le Clan serves food driven by chef Stéphane Modat’s incomparable passion for Quebec’s terroir. Modat sources ingredients from friends on the Lower North Shore of the province — whom he calls ‘’le clan’’ — to produce dishes free from conventions. Pier-Alexis Soulière, dubbed Canada’s best sommelier in 2021, orchestrates the wine menu and pairings.

Chef Tim Moroney takes sustainability to heart at his restaurant. Everything on the daily menu in this elegant, minimalist dining room is sourced within a radius of 150 kilometers (about 93 miles), though milk, yeast, salt, wines, and ciders travel just a few clicks farther to reach the restaurant. The entire business runs on hydroelectric energy, and organic waste is composted.

Small spaces often make for memorable experiences, especially at this French Mexican bistro. Through a fixed menu, chef duo Alexandra Romero and Jérôme Gilpin offer a refined, elaborate experience. The duo showcase local seasonal ingredients through the lenses of Gilpin’s French training and Romero’s Mexican heritage. The wine menu, which changes constantly, almost exclusively features private imports and natural wines. Reservations are mandatory.

Taking up residence in underground vaults dating to 1686, Tanière offers an immersive experience based on detailed research of Quebec’s culinary history. Choose a seat at the counter to hear from chef François-Emmanuel Nicol and his team about the creative process, inspirations, techniques, and seasonal ingredients in each modernist dish. Then check out sibling establishments L’Orygine and Légende for more of the group’s signature fresh, local, root-to-fruit approach.

Le Pied Bleu celebrates the pig with a nose-to-tail menu that features charcuterie, renowned blood sausages, and Québécois adaptations of classic Lyonnaise dishes. Owners Thania Goyette and Louis Bouchard Trudeau have created a two-in-one destination: On one side, there’s a charcuterie counter featuring a wide array of classic terrines, pates, and sous vide dishes, and on the other, a bouchon where the kitchen mixes Quebec terroir with chef Fabrice Quenehen’s background in France’s Savoie region. Calvados, Beaujolais, and Côtes du Rhône vintages flow in abundance on any given day. Brunch at Pied Bleu is an absolute must, especially with a large group of friends.

This retro-styled, somewhat punk diner — outfitted with faux-leather banquettes and bright neon colors — brings a vibrant Québécois spin to Southern soul food. Expect sweet and spicy chicken with waffles, a foie gras shepherd’s pie, and generously dressed burgers. All mains are offered with funky side dishes like fried pickles, mac and cheese, and poutine with a thick, herby sauce. The staff are super friendly, and the place becomes even more festive after midnight.

Simple and affordable, Buvette Scott is an underground wine bar with a neo-bistro soul serving wine by the glass and spinning vinyl all night at the bottom of Scott Street. Chef and co-owner Jean-Philippe Lessard creates affordable fare from local ingredients and seasonal produce, and no dish stays on the menu for more than a week. Buvette Scott’s minuscule little brother, Sardines, is also worth checking out for its farmhouse cheese, canned sardines, and atmosphere that channels an easy-going Portuguese way of life.

There’s nothing in Quebec quite like Phil’s, which delivers trips to the heart of London in every bite. Chef and owner Philip Hammond ensures that the fish batter is handmade every morning using red ale, the green peas are hand-mushed, Allen’s malt vinegar sits on every table, and sticky toffee pudding is available to top off every meal.

Helena offers Quebec-style Portuguese cuisine with finesse. The experience is at once flamboyant (thanks to the flaming grills), seductive (the irresistible beauty of Quebec seafood), and heartwarming (the comforting scents of chef-owner Helena Loureiro’s native land).

Part of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux list of establishments, Chez Muffy is located in a historic maritime warehouse from 1822 that includes its original stone walls and wooden beams. Chefs Alex Bouchard and Arthur Muller showcase great savoir faire and artistic ability in every dish, calling on European techniques and influences and using fresh produce sourced directly from their garden on Île d’Orléans.

Chef-owners Alexandra Roy and her partner, Charles Provencher-Proulx, drew inspiration from their travels in the French countryside for this midcentury-style bistro. Together with Guillaume St-Pierre (chef and co-owner of Battuto), they offer simple yet superbly refined dishes alongside an eclectic wine list of exclusive vintages and global rarities.

Chef and owner Maude Desroches operates a locavore grocery store equipped with a kitchen that celebrates the food of local farmers. Here is where you’ll find the best brunch in town — a flavor-filled journey through local and seasonal food cultures with such sweet and salty dishes as crepes with house-cured meats.

Stunning Albacore stands out among the group of four sister restaurants that bill themselves as “restaurant pirates,” the others being Kraken Cru, L’Affaire est Ketchup, and Patente et Machin. Chef Benoit Poliquin is a punk with a passion for all things seafood. Go for the impressive seafood platter or any of the fish-centric creations, but come back for sweetbread, a staple dish among all four sister restaurants.

Chef Pierre-Olivier Pelletier is one of the country’s rising stars, representing Canada at the San Pellegrino Young Chef Academy in Milan, Italy, in 2023. He and partner Cassandre Osterroth welcome guests in a chic commercial loft in the St-Roch district, where they cook and serve a 10-course meal with exacting finesse. Guests sit at a single large table to enjoy a high-dining experience made from local foods, herbs, and spices that the couple forage across the Quebec City region.