Bistro St-Malo is widely celebrated for its authentic French bistro experience in Old Quebec, offering a warm and intimate atmosphere defined by charming decor and classic music. Guests frequently praise the high-quality, flavorful cuisine, with standout dishes such as the onion soup, beef cheek, seafood stew, and duck confit earning particular acclaim. The service is consistently highlighted as friendly, professional, and welcoming, with the staff often going above and beyond to ensure a memorable visit. While portions are generally considered generous and the overall experience highly recommended for special occasions and casual dining alike, guests are encouraged to secure reservations in advance to enjoy this popular local gem.
The food was done very well, with mussels, beef tongue, seafood, dessert & the place has a friendly vibe...unfortunately I was served a fridge cold glass of red wine & cannot give it a 5 in good conscience. While it is common in the industry to preserve open wine in the fridge overnight, to serve it this cold is a fauxpas. It should have been brought much closer to room temperature before being offered or served. When I mentioned it, I was offered an apology. I suggest you ask about the wine's temperature before ordering, that being said, they have a very good wine list.
One of our best meals for a good while. Mrs H loves a good mussel, & these apparently were right up there with the best she's had. The beef cheek was magnificent, accompanied by a splendid Bordeaux, one of many wines in an extensive & impressive wine list.
Absolutely superb! Came here with my partner on a Sunday night. We made a reservation because we knew we wanted to come here. Really cozy & friendly atmosphere with great food & lovely staff. As a tourist, I got the sense we were amongst many regulars, enjoying a nice meal over wine with their loved ones :).
We sincerely enjoyed everything we had, which was the ravioli appetizer, the fois gras, mussels in marinière (half portion, still 1 pound so plenty!), cassoulet, & the crème brûlée. The cassoulet was our absolute favorite - so fresh & absolutely delicious. The duck meat fell right off the bone & was seasoned so perfectly. We savored every bite.
The staff was so kind they gave us complimentary glasses of amaretto to enjoy with our crème brûlée. Merci beaucoup! We can't wait to come back!!
We didn't make reservation, walked in at around 7:30pm.
They served authentic french cuisines. I ordered grilled poulet with fries & an mussel dish, 5 out of 5.
Their wine hit because the vibe of the place making it 5 out of 5.
The servers were friendly, 5 out of 5.
Highly recommended!
We ordered mussels which was my first time having it. I noticed they were all "crunchy" which I was told by my partner that it is probably sand. We are not experts but mussels should not have crunchy parts. We had also asked our waitress for the small format but were given a huge bucket. The main issue we had was that we were given way too much food. I don't like letting my food go to waste but I could not even finish a quarter of my main dish. I had ordered the tartiflette which the sauce was good but I prefer sliced potatoes over wedges (that's my personal preference!!). Lastly, my partner ordered the chicken which was dry but the fries were good. Overall, the food was okay but do not order anything else with the main!!
I loved this little spot. They have all you can mussels on Wednesday night, which was a great surprise. Our server, megan, was great! Owned by two chefs. The chicken was so so so good, almost sweet. However, I would skip the tartare next time. It was a bit fishy for me. The only "complaint" I can think of. Would love to visit again!
This was our favorite experience / meal in QC. It's a must with reservations as we saw them turning people away left & right w/o one. It's a quaint restaurant - with an outside seating & upstairs. We sat downtstairs & loved the atmosphere. For drinks - we got the Pinot Noir & it was delicious. I had several glasses of it! For food - we started with the mussels. They had 5 different flavors & we did the mustard / cheese one & asked for bread to dip in the sauce. It was delicious - that sauce! I then had the Octopus Limencello & my husband had the Carbonaro (which used a similar sauce as the Mussels). I loved the salad that came with the octopus & I snuck a few bites of the rich pasta. It was a great meal & I would recommend the restaurant.
The Best Meal we had in Quebec City!! A must go for anyone. Make a reservation to ensure you can be seated, worth the preplanning. Best seafood stew have ever had. It was filled with ever possible seafood you could want; shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, salmon, white fish. Just amazing. The sauce was perfect. Every part of it was perfection. Had the carrot soup to begin & that as well was beautiful. The staff was so nice & tentative. No issues communicating in English if needed, but we are bilingual. Will come again for sure when I visit Quebec City again. ~~~ Le meilleur repas que nous ayons eu à Québec ! Un must pour tout le monde. Réservez pour vous assurer d'être assis, cela vaut la peine de s'y prendre à l'avance. Le meilleur ragoût de fruits de mer que nous ayons jamais mangé. Il était rempli de tous les fruits de mer possibles & imaginables ; crevettes, palourdes, moules, pétoncles, saumon, poisson blanc. Tout simplement incroyable. La sauce était parfaite. Tout était parfait. J'ai pris la soupe de carottes pour commencer & elle aussi était magnifique. Le personnel était très gentil & attentif. Pas de problème pour communiquer en anglais si nécessaire, mais nous sommes bilingues. Je reviendrai à coup sûr lorsque je visiterai à nouveau la ville de Québec.
