- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Le Café Du Monde
Categories: Restaurants French Restaurants Modern European French, Modern European [Edit]
84 Rue DalhousieQuebec, QC G1K 4B2
(418) 692-4455
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 9:30 am - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
14 reviews for Le Café Du Monde
13 reviews in English
-
Review from Valerie G.
Montréal, QC
1/16/2012
This lovely bistro (which I think looks more like a Brasserie), is one I have frequented many times over the last 10 years. This place has many things I like, one there is free parking (always a good thing in Quebec as parking can be difficult), it offers a great view onto the St Laurent, and lots of natural light as it is windowed all around, the decor is very appealing, authentically french and spacious. The personnel is always welcoming and they are pros that know their way around both food and wine. Their menu is classic, and they know how to prepare and serve very good food. The menu changes occasionally and there is always some new item on the menu du jour. The price is reasonable and well worth it for the overall experience. Be sure to ask about becoming a VIP client, (not sure what they do now for new clients, but we enrolled 8 years ago, and both my husband and I have gotten rewarded and are happy to be members), I have and will continue to recommend this great place to all, enjoy.
FYI we were advised (as members), that they were renovating and will be reopened in the beginning of Feb, so be sure to check their website to find out the date. -
Review from Eric W.
7/25/2011
We arrived at Cafe Du Monde in soaked clothes (it was unbelievably pouring rain) after visiting the museum across the street only to survey the room to find people impeccably dressed for the most part. Apparently, Quebec has not heard that restaurants with wonderful views are supposed to be full of badly dressed tourists (which we were) and serve subpar food.
The hostess kindly found us a table that was both out of the way and had a wonderful view. The waiter and waitress we had both seemed to enjoy my children's polite efforts at French ("Je voudrais ca...") and that led to some very friendly service. Rose was soon in our glasses and an unrushed lunch experience was underway.
My son had the Croque Madame which had some unbelievably great cheese on it. My wife had a seafood soup which was like a reduction of a wonderful bouliabaise packed with flavor. It was rich and flavorful without having to resort to cream to thicken it. My daughter had the house soup, which she also enjoyed. I had beef tartare and it was fresh, unvbelievably flavorful without hiding the flavor of the meat and came with a just right portion of frites and a salad that went perfectly with it.
We finished off with a piece of creme-fromage cake that had been burnt just right like a creme brulee.
The food was outstanding and I'm only sorry we didn't make it back for a dinner there. What was even more wonderful was the warm service we received. We obviously didn't fit in with the well-dressed lunch crowd and yet they sort of adopted us and made sure we had a great time.
I would recommend going to this restaurant and would go back again. But, next time I'll try and dress up a bit and also manage to arrive in dry clothes. -
Review from Dustin T.
Toronto, ON
3/22/2011
We eat here every time we come to quebec because we enjoy classic french bistro fare and a good wine list for a reasonable amount of money. Dinner for 4 with a bottle of wine is usually around $200.
I recommend the trio of mussels with frites.
As we are from T.O. we usually compare this with le Select Bistro. Both restaurants have been around for quite some time and changed hands / locations. Le Select is a bit more formal with a bit of nightlife at the bar, where Cafe du Monde is a good mix of locals and tourists. If I had to pick one over the other I would pick le Select because of the extensive wine list, perhaps one of the best in Toronto.
If you are on a cross Canada tour, try both of these restaurants. i am sure you will enjoy them. -
Review from Bijan V.
8/27/2008 5 photos
After arriving at Quebec city, we asked the staff and porters where a good place for a quick lunch would be and they all agreed on Cafe Du Monde and for good reason.
The view from the patio is absolutely amazing and the atmosphere of the restaurant is very unique. Service is great and the food was very good although it might be a bit pricier as it's in the touristy area.
The matchstick fries were a great addition to the toulouse sausage and the lobster ravioli was tasty as well. The chicken caesar salad was a bit disappointing and the sauce was a bit strange but I'll consider that an anomaly as the rest of the food was pretty good.
If you're looking for a good place to relax and look over the St. Laurence river then Cafe Du Monde is a great place to start.
P.S. They serve brunch as well! -
Review from Jessica E.
8/29/2010
I would go here for the view from the terrace on a beautiful day, not for a great experience eating French bistro food.
I was particularly surprised how expensive food was for lunch with most dishes ranged from $19 to over $30. There were about five entrees that were lunch specials between $17 and $22. We tried to eat as cheaply as possible, so I had the trio of mussels at $21. The mussels were very fresh with three different sauces poured over them. the mariniere was the best because it wasn't thick and goopy like the other two -- one was a green curry and the other was a nondescript white cream sauce. In both, I could taste the flour used to thicken the sauces.
My husband got the seafood au gratin, and we expected some sort of casserole. However, it was two shrimp and a handful of bay scallops drenched in a Velveeta-like cheese sauce. It was edible but hardly filling for the $17 we paid for it.
The highlight of our food experience was the matchstick fries that came with my mussels. They were crispy and seasoned well.
Since we were walking around town and not coming from a cruise ship, we had a little trouble finding the spot, but it is in the same building as the cruise terminal with the door just to left of the door to enter the terminal. From Rue Dalhousie, you have to go behind a building on the street and then cross a parking lot to get there.
If you're a tourist, know that you will be surrounded by mostly American tourists. The up side to this is that the servers speak excellent English and are very friendly. -
Review from Nadia O.
Toronto, ON
9/22/2011
I was quite disappointed in the boeuf tartar, otherwise everything else was delicious. It is a higher end restaurant averaging $80 for a four course meal for two with a remarkable view of Vieux-Port, Quebec. My cousin and I received excellent service and I would love to introduce this restaurant to my boyfriend when we visit Quebec city together.
-
Review from Jef S.
6/24/2009
Cafe du Monde is not bad, all things considered. They've moved to a new location since the first time I ate there. They used to be across the street in a smaller space, much more cramped. It was bedlam, and that was actually part of the fun. The new restaurant is across on the quai and affords a nice river view from the patio.
The food at CdM is french bistro food: robust, consistent, with somewhat of a flair for the nouvelle in areas. They make a good steak frites here, as well as some very tasty shellfish dishes and various soupy-stewy type entrees.
There are several drawbacks to CdM: Aside from the high prices, it is touristy as it gets during evening hours. Even the new location on the Quai, further away from the crush, still manages to draw in obnoxious, overfed Americans loudly demanding to see the manager. The parking at the Quai looks dreadful; I'm glad I've never had to try it. Walk here instead. Lastly, service is inconsistent. The first time I ate here, the server was wonderful despite the fact that it was Saturday night and he was busy as hell. The next time we went, our server was clearly slammed at an odd time, only at 6pm. 6pm is hardly peak time in Quebec. Maybe he was new, who knows? I don't mind some delay, but it took a LONG time to get our food without apology. And on top of that, he rang it up all wrong and seemed unwilling to correct it until we made noises about the manager.
In short, Cafe du Monde is the Legal Seafoods of Quebec City: the food is solid, but the overall experience is so-so masquerading as upscale. 2.85 stars and some steak frites. If you want to eat here, it won't hurt. Personally, I'll stick to L'Echaude, where they can do no wrong. -
Review from Bungalow B.
7/25/2010
My fiance and I ate lunch here in April based on the recommendations of a friend and our hotel's manager. Both recommendations mentioned the view and glossed over the food, and now we know why. The view is nice. If you can get an outside seat and preferably one not blocked by other seats or the staircase (as happened with us), you'll have a nice view of the river while you eat. Unfortunately, the food is where this review turns negative.
I ordered the beef with scallions with the salad and fries and my fiance ordered the sausage with mustard sauce with fries and a salad. The "salad" consisted of a few pieces of an unidentified green with no sauce/dressing; we debated whether or not the "salad" was actually a "garnish." My beef was a tiny portion and had a nice flavor to it. My fiance's sausage w/ mustard sauce was excellent, but also a small portion. We felt that the restaurant attempted to distract us from the skimpy serving sizes by dumping huge piles of very small fries on our plates.
After an iced tea and a soda, the total cost of this small lunch was $40 plus tip. We strongly recommend packing a picnic and eating down on the river's edge rather than paying $40 for small portions 300 feet away. -
Review from Mary N.
8/30/2009
A French Bistro which is French! Loved the whole experience. Food was very good, extensive wine list with many selections offered by the glass! The patio is great on a pleasant evening / day for viewing the St. Lawrence which is wonderful . . . The service is very good! Our waiter was friendly, colorful as in entertaining . . . thank you
Slyvain for all the extras! C'est Bon! -
Review from Holly T.
10/14/2008
A surprisingly wonderful Parisian-style bistro attached to the Québec City Cruise Terminal. Frankly, I was worried about it being too touristy given its location, especially since we went on a day when a cruise ship was departing, and it was raining, so those on the ship would likely be looking to stay nearby rather than wander through the city. Those fears turned out to be completely unfounded. The primary customers were all local businesspeople, and very few of the cruisers found their way inside, despite the fact that this place has stellar write-ups in all of the guidebooks. It turns out those stellar write-ups are well founded indeed. We had a truly excellent lunch, a strong competitor for the title of best meal we had in the city.
The restaurant has a great view of the St Lawrence river, and the decor has that business-casual feel to it, reminiscent of The Daily Grill chain the the US. We had an awesome server, whom we truly enjoyed throughout the meal.
For our starters, Vince got the caesar salad and I got foie gras mousse crème brûlée(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Amazing. For our main courses, Vince got filet mignon with peppercorns, and I got beef tartare. I got a choice of how "spicy" I wanted my beef tartare, and they even brought me out a little bit to taste on an ear of endive before serving it to me, to make sure it was to my specifications. The beef tartare was made with cornichons, red onions, and capers, and was served with french fries and fresh mayonnaise. I hate American mayo with a passion, but the homemade mayonnaise here was delicious. Our meats were both perfect. The cornichons in a jar on the table were some of the best I've ever had. For dessert, Vince got the assiette trio (chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, and tart de triple sec), and I got a sugar tart with pear. We finished up with some espresso and scotch. The restaurant also had an excellent wine list, I should mention.
I found a quote on their website which sums this place up well: "Don't even mention frozen food, gastronomy, awards or five-star quality-the chef does not want to hear about them! He prepares the dishes he wants and what the Café wants: unpretentious and delicious meals." I also appreciate the chef's unswerving loyalty to products grown or made on Québec farms.
I was interested to see that this restaurant is affiliated with the same restaurant group that owns Cochon Dingue and Lapin Sautée. Next time I am in Québec City I will definitely try one of those other restaurants if I can expect the same high quality we found at Café du Monde. Café du Monde was a perfect Québec City experience. I could happily eat here again and again and again. -
Review from Josh S.
7/16/2010
We had a great experience here. The location is unlikely from the outside, but has a great view. Very busy/popular; not at all touristy.
I was in search of the perfect sweetbreads when we visited here. I have not yet found them. Shame on me for ordering sweetbreads in a marine setting. My wife ordered mussels, which arrived in incredible quantity & were very good. -
Review from Chris C.
9/10/2009
This place is tucked away overlooking the river and many of the tables have a really great view in this second floor restaurant. The place was quite busy -- even during what might seem to be an off day. But it was worth a little wait to enjoy the experience. I was worried it might be a bit touristy -- and that is something I try & shy away from - but I was pleasantly surprised to feel completely at home. The food is expensive but also very good. The menu is a little strange for an American palate but so is most of the food in Quebec City. I was still able to find a very enjoyable dish. The service was attentive. If I was travelling in Quebec City & wanted a nice date place this would work great.
-
Review from s. h.
Etobicoke, ON
8/3/2010
Good food, excellent paté. Kind waitstaff. Café du Monde was packed when we ate there on a Saturday night. Our waiter was efficient and made an excellent wine recommendation. Everyone enjoyed their typically french meal and the desserts were good.
Read more reviews for this business:
French (1)
