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Le Café Du Clocher Penché
Categories: Restaurants French Restaurants Modern European French, Modern European [Edit]
203, Rue Saint-Joseph EQuébec, QC G1K 3B1
(418) 640-0597
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 11 am - 2 pm
Tue-Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 9 am - 2 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
15 reviews for Le Café Du Clocher Penché
15 reviews in English
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Review from Marc L.
Québec, QC
2/11/2012
Everything about this place is great. The look of it, the service, the food and the price.
We went for brunch here and were seriously not disappointed. I can't wait to go again for dinner!
Beautiful little bistro-type place. With a surprise (for me) little cup of fancy yogurt before our meal (yogurt over spiced pineapple gelée and a tasty crumble on top) and two little espressos included, it gave a rough Sunday a perfect start!
Basically, try it now! -
Review from Lexie L.
Etobicoke, ON
2/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Headed there for a super late dinner. Started with the salmon tartar and the beef tataki. The tataki was good but the salmon was outstanding. Topped with fennel and with pieces of yellow beet mixed in, all of the flavors married fabulously. I almost wished that I had opted for this as my main. We then moved on to the mains... Piglet shoulder and vegetarian plate. We found that the piglet was too salty and the vegetarian plate was too bland. It was a bit of a disappointment after the fabulousness of the appetizers. However, the service was excellent and the servers were all quick to offer assistance.
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Review from Jocelyn b.
1/9/2012
Had a great dinner here. Attentive service by a waiter who was only too happy to help me with my spotty French in deciphering the menu.
great local ' red beer' wonderful wines by the glass. superb fresh oysters with a ginger dressing. Boudin noir with vegetables and a celery root purée. Lamb- 2 cuts both exquisite , all our vegetables- and there were approximately 8 different ones with our entrees were afforded such attention to detail.
Desserts tried too hard but were interesting, Apple dessert of crab apple puree and a steamed sponge a quince dessert of jelly, mousse and a purée were tasty. Only disappointing course was a weird overcooked and dry tempura of fish with arugula pesto that was pretty inedible
Overall a great meal. -
Review from Maritza L.
Scarborough, ON
10/29/2011 Seated via OpenTable
Their prixfix lunch menu is great and creative. Brioche sandwiches were yummy. European feel and intimate. Friendly service. The eggs dishes were all good!
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Review from Geneviève A.
Québec, QC
9/30/2009 2 photos
This place is good! So good that after eating here, I'm usually still thinking about my food for the rest of the day and sometimes more. In this price range, it's probably the best restaurant I've eaten at in Quebec City.
Lately, I've been here a couple of times for lunch and have always been delighted with my experience. Lunch starts at $16 for an entree with soup or dessert. However, some options cost an extra $1 to $3, for example +$3 for the duck, +$1 for the dessert du jour. To be honest, that's a bit more than I want to pay for lunch, but the quality of the food is remarkable and they don't serve dishes that you could easily cook at home (no simple pesto pasta or Caesar salad on the menu here).
There is a brunch menu during the weekend which works just like lunch in regards to pricing. It starts at $16 for a main dish, a small glass of plain yogurt with fruit compote and granola and tea or coffee. Brunch is always packed so I would recommend making a reservation a day ahead of time. Last time, we called the restaurant the day before to make a reservation on Sunday morning and they only had a table available at 1pm.
The food is the star, but the service and atmosphere are great too. They also change their menu very often (maybe weekly?), so it's always great to come back and try something new!Listed in: Fancy schmancy
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Review from Trish L.
Calgary, AB
9/11/2008
I had high hopes for this place... It received rave reviews in a couple foodie forums. However, I was totally disappointed... It is totally over-rated.
They had a feature entree that was something like grilled short rib. I remember being actually quite surprised that they would choose to prepare this cut of meat in that fashion. Typically, I see menus with braised short rib. It would not a instinctive thing for me to think grilling short rib would be a good idea.. given that this cut of meat tends to be on chewier/tougher side. If this cut was sliced really-thin and pounded to death, like korean kalbi, then that actually be a tasty idea... I wasn't expecting to be served korean-style kalbi in a french local cuisine type of bistro. In any case, my friend ordered it and just as I had initially suspected, the short-rib was VERY chewy and almost inedible.
I ordered their seafood cioppino-style dish which consisted of mainly mussels and clams in a white-wine broth. It was decent...but nothing spectacular. Definitely no wow-factor!
The service was decent.. but the food was nothing memorable. I definitely wouldn't go back... not sure what all the hype was about. -
Review from Oggie B.
5/26/2009
Fantastic lunch prix fixe deal here during the week (brunch takes over on the weekends). Really cute little neigborhood bistro in the once-rundown, now up-and-coming, still-a-little-dingy Saint Roch district of Quebec City, a stairclimb down from the touristic and atmospheric Old City--though St Joseph street, where this restaurant is located, has enough on it to make it worth the trip if you're visiting.
For $16 (though there is a supplemental for some dishes), you get either an appetizer and a main dish, or a main dish and dessert. My appetizer looked like a big arancine, but instead of rice and ground meat, the fried ball was stuffed with flavorful braised pork--very very nice. The guinea fowl I had for a main had been cooked for 12 hours, served with beets, roasted potatoes, cauliflower and a beet puree, all plated very smartly. I'd never eaten such a bird before, so I have no point of reference for a comparison, but I will say that it was moist and not at all gamey, not very different in taste and texture than chicken, though a little fattier (which is good). I would have preferred perhaps a bit more savory umami-action to it, perhaps, but I was very impressed with the dish overall, particularly in relation to its cost.
Beer on tap was provided by local brewer La Barberie, and decor was very clean. For the restaurant's decidedly French vibe, the menu was quite varied (some Italian some Spanish flavors).
No English menu, but service was friendly and willing to translate. Worth the trip down for lunch, definitely. -
Review from K. L.
8/3/2011
The long and the short of it: Clocher Penché hit the spot. We had the lobster appetizer and I ordered the Boudin Noir as my main course. Both were perfectly well prepared. The casual but sophisticated ambiance is exactly what we were looking for. The pricing is appropriate for the quality of the food and the service was attentive. It is the perfect location for a stroll in St. Roch. No complaints here.
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Review from Pierre-Luc D.
Québec, QC
1/24/2011
I recommend this place to anyone looking for tasty food and high quality ingredients.
Went with my gf last weekend.
Started with a glass of great locally brewed beer.
Had a wonderful beet and goat cheese salad (8$). Just lightly dressed and balanced, the perfect appetizer.
As a main course, I chose the pork leg (25$) cooked sous-vide then grilled and napped with a juniper flavored sauce. It was served with veggies, wild rice and a puree. I have to say that the puree was a bit cold but the meat was quite tender and the sauce was delicious.
The portion sizes were alright. I'm a big eater and I didn't have any appetite left for dessert. Service was great and friendly.
All in all, we had 2 appetizers, 2 main courses, 1 caesar, 1 beer, 3 glasses of wine and 1 coffee. It cost us 140$ taxes and tip included.
Dinner is a bit pricey but still worth every penny! To save some money, try it at lunch for a fantastic deal! -
Review from Andrew S.
9/20/2010
The wait staff were very friendly, and very accommodating of our small children.
The food was great and very reasonably priced. We had three scotches, a bottle of wine and food for five and it came barely above $100. -
Review from Dave F.
7/10/2010
We've eaten here roughly five times over the last eight years and every time we've had a fantastic meal. The food is creative and really tasty. They've always had at least one vegetarian item on their menu, which is good, as neither of us eat meat. The last time we went, around a month ago, there were two vegetarian entrees, each of which was extraordinary. The desserts we've had here have been insanely good.
The restaurant is located in what used to be the lobby of a bank. So there are large windows and a high ceiling. It's a very attractive setting, and is pleasant even when quite crowded. The service has always been excellent. They have a good selection of wine and beer from a local microbrewery, La Barberie, on tap.
This is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. It's truly superb food, the atmosphere is great, and the price is reasonable price, given the quality. Every time we're in Quebec we make a point of going here. -
Review from Wino K.
9/6/2009
This place rocks! Visiting for vacation and Frommer's recommends this place. It's a bit out of the way from tourist hotels, but the local foodie crowd, amazing service, and inventive bistro fare made this place a highlight of our dining in Quebec. Good wine list, too. We spent more than we planned ($150 for two with a bottle of wine, apps, and entrees), but it was worth it. Make res'vs - we got very lucky with a walk-in table given someone was late, but the place was packed and festive, and our waitress could not have been more helpful, well informed, and charming.
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Review from Josh S.
7/16/2010
This was the best meal we had in 5 days in Quebec. Creative, great presentation, good taste. Very pleasant staff.
The location is not as convenient to old Quebec as Ryan's review might suggest. But it's worth the effort. -
Review from Ryan T.
7/3/2010
This restaurant made our first night in Quebec! The location was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel. The food was great. Wine and beer selection was extensive. Service great. All and all a wonderful dinner! Would go back no questions.
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Review from Sandy M.
7/28/2010
Really great place I highly recommend even though, its not in the old city the food is great. The service was outstanding. And St. Josephs Street is actually a fun place to walk around with a bunch of really good coffee shops etc. My girlfriend and I came here for brunch which is only Saturday and Sunday's but it was great, I am tempted to go five stars, but I save that for the elite.
