Bistro Hortus

Brian

5.0

We loved Hortus. My wife & I are both gluten free & were excited to find this restaurant. We were able to sit outside as I made reservations online before travelling. We both had French Onion Soup & it was amazing. My wife had poutine & loved it, & I had wild boar rilletes (on the appetizer) menu & it was delicious. We would go back again.

Karen

5.0

Completely gluten free restaurant. Farm to table. I ordered burger (which was extremely good) & fries & hubby ordered vegetable curry. Plus they have Helix beer ( gluten free)

Jean-Philippe

5.0

Amazing 100% gluten free experience! Highly recommend!

Joey

5.0

Best food in Quebec city! 100% gluten free, local fresh foods, home made honey, & just a great experience overall! Not only compares to the greatest restaurants around the province, but competes!

Jim

5.0

Menu is completely gluten free & nut free. Safe for people with celiac disease & tree nut allergies.

Karla

5.0

Amazing restaurant with the best gluten free food! It is so cozy & accommodating with great quality ingredients. We went to visit from Boston & cannot wait to go back.

Jenorise

5.0

When I arrived at Bistro Hortus on my birthday for my reservation for three people, I decided I wanted to eat alone because my family was driving me insane. Marianne, who was also my server, was happy to allow me to eat alone. She sat my family separate from me. I am so glad that I at alone.
The staff was wonderful & very sympathetic to me being very sad on my birthday. My mood changed when I sat down. The music playing was great & the atmosphere was classy, but it gave me a casual homey feeling.
After ordering the Quebec Lamb Shank, I settled into a super yummy meal. I found myself rocking my head back & forth to the music & enjoying the delicious food. At one point, I actually closed my eyes without knowing it because I was so relaxed & the food was so good. The cider I ordered was also refreshing & light.
For dessert, I ordered Pouding Chomeur. Because they knew it was my birthday, my dessert came with it a super cool zig zag candle that came out of the board It was served on. I felt really special in a place I had never been before. It was simply divine. If you do not like very sweet desserts, this one might not be for you. Although the caramel sauce is very sweet, the maple ice cream that is served with balances it out. ORDER IT & see!
Overall this is a great place to eat, or just to get some tea, coffee or a glass of wine. If you are living a gluten-free lifestyle, you will love this restaurant. Instead of searching all over the menu for something that you can eat, the entire menu is open to you. I will come back again before my trip is over.

Clay

3.0

A Tale of Two Dinners
We had dinner here twice. The person greeting you at the door is consistently warm & engaging but that was where the similarities ended.
The first night we were delighted to discover that most everything on the menu is gluten free & celiac safe. It's always a relief to find a dedicated gluten free restaurant. Our server was attentive & helpful navigating the menu. Cocktails were interesting & the appetizers were wonderful. The onion soup in particular was rich & delicious. The burger was fantastic & the gluten free bun had a fantastic brioche like texture. The vegetable soup was innovative & delighted a 10 year old. The meal was memorable enough that we decided to return.
Unfortunately our follow up dinner was a mirror image of the first. Our server was inattentive & largely absent. When she brought us a ketchup that had been mostly used by someone else there was no apology, she just shrugged it off. The same onion soup was incredibly salty & barely warm enough to soften the cheese. Never having had poutine I decided to try their spin on the dish with duck a l'orange poutine. It was far too sweet to enjoy & again not warm enough for the cheese to melt. The care & attention paid to our previous meal was out the window & we left feeling that we had paid a lot for second rate food & sub-par service.

Michael

5.0

A very unique & special dinner in Quebec City. The Bistro Hortus prides itself on locally sourced ingredients & a menu that is exclusively crafted around both Gluten Free & Nut Free .

We had made reservations weeks in advance as I had heard it gets very busy & reservations are highly recommended.

Upon arrival we were greeted & immediately shown to our table . Our waitress explained the philosophy of the restaurant & took our ordered . Cocktails included locally sourced ingredients & local artisanal gin. Both delicious .

Appetizer we got a fresh goat cheese platter with GF crackers & grilled zucchini. Honey drizzled over goat cheese is their own harvest. Great combination of flavors .

Main dishes we got a vegetarian dish with Beluga lentils , smoked tofu & roasted squash. Truly special dish packed with flavor & good healthy fiber . Also as a main the organically raised chicken was juicy & well seasoned . Accompanied by an array of vegetables including beets , carrots & sweet potatoes with a homemade BBQ sauce that had hints of honey . Definitely a memorable plate .

The entire dessert menu is also Gluten Free which is often a rarity at restaurants. We tried the pudding Chomeur which is a moist cake soaked in a hot caramel sauce that soaks up into the cake . On top of that was an organic maple syrup ice cream that tied everything together . Warm cake & ice cream : a dream of flavors .

The staff was great . Fast & accommodating by explaining the menu & making recommendations.

You can tell the owners take pride in this farm to table plus locally sourced ingredients restaurant .

Great job to the team of Bistro Hortus .

Colin

5.0

Our experience at the Bistro Hortus was so good, we went twice in one day. Having a completely gluten free menu made dining a breeze for myself (a celiac). The service (Available in French & English) was outstanding as was the food. I would highly recommend the restaurant to anyone with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance. I would definitely go again!