With their rigorous climate marked by a distinct seasonal cycle, northern territories are gifted with unique fauna and flora adapted to their extreme reality: game, fresh water fish, wild fruit, forest mushrooms, lichen… inspired by these unique elements, a rising number of chefs are exploring this once neglected exceptional culinary legacy.
In Quebec, Jean-Luc Boulay and Arnaud Marchand, supported by a passionate team, have been standing up to the challenge of inventing quebec inspired northern cuisine since 2012. Connecting the abundant proximity of boreal forests and the exceptional quality of local products, they salvage amidst french techniques to favour a true encounter of flavours. Local, healthy and inventive, the Northern cuisine from Quebec expresses within each bite the very best of our emerging culinary tradition.
Chez Boulay - Bistro boréal offers a memorable dining experience characterized by its creative, high-quality boreal cuisine that highlights fresh and local ingredients. Guests frequently praise the exceptional service, noting that the staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive, often providing helpful recommendations that elevate the meal. While the atmosphere is vibrant, stylish, and welcoming, it can occasionally become busy and lively. Many visitors consider it a must-visit destination in Quebec City, highlighting signature dishes like the onion soup and beef cheek as true standouts. Overall, the restaurant consistently delivers a refined culinary experience that earns strong recommendations for anyone seeking an authentic yet modern taste of local northern cuisine.
Lovely restaurant with excellent menu, I had the special that night, which was a venison dish & my husband had the beef cheeks both were delicious meals
Overall, a memorable dining experience but with some flaws. Beginning from the door & host desk: a very friendly greeting & all the more so as I bone-headedly mixed up my own reservation date of March 14 & we were a day early. Given it was a later seating time, they graciously accomodated us with a table for 3, for which I commend them! Service staff are young, energetic, fluently bilingual, & very knowledgeable about the varied menu - a bonus given that exotic boreal dishes benefit from some explanation & help. We ordered two cocktails & a bottle of white wine. An apple cider rum concoction that my 25 year old son loved. My martini was superbly mixed, but the olives were small, pitted, & under-ripe. Get better martini olives & it goes from a'3' to a'5'! The wine took almost 10 minutes to arrive after the cocktails because they were out of the chardonnay we ordered. The wine manager needs to communicate stock-outs to the staff else customers & table servers will be disappointed. We were. On to starters: we spilt two between us - the smoked whitefish & a medly of exotic mushrooms. Both dishes were exceptional. The bold & smoky fish was beautifully balanced by the accompanying puree. The mushrooms mixed textures - some crispy browned, others more gently seared & tender. Amazing! Mains: son planned to go conservative with flat iron steak but our server backed his decision to try braised beef cheek. It was spectacular & a nice experience to try a less-common cut of beef. I ordered the duck breast & was disappointed. The cook was a perfect medium rare but the meat itself was impossibly tough & chewy. I noted raw bits of blubbery, unrendered fat under the skin which tells me they seared the duck in a hot pan vs. starting cold & raising the heat to render the fat before crisping/colouring the skin. This will unavoidably tighten the meat, even more so if the resting period is rushed. Duck breast is wickedly technical to prepare, but I very much looked forward to a Michelin-level treatment & was sadly disappointed. Suggested wine pairings from our server (a different red for each of the mains) were spot-on! Son doesn't care for red wine generally but became a convert on this one. I actually forget the dessert we shared, because it was so delicious, I entered a dessert-dream-state & became foggy on the details! Overall, a very memorable experience, which we'd happily repeat - perhaps ordering differently from the duck.
Honestly the best dining experience I've had in Quebec City. Not only were the the atmosphere & service top notch, the food & especially the duck was at the same level as the one I've had in Paris. The taste, presentation, & how everything came together harmoniously really shows the mastery of their duck handling & gastronomy. My husband really liked the slow cooked & dry aged beef cheek. I think they deserve the Michelin Guide! You won't regret this one.
Mar 20, 2026
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We had a fabulous dinner at Chez Boulay in the depths of winter in early January. Very creative & inspiring dishes, all perfectly executed. There were many standouts: their French onion soup is one of their signature dishes (absolutely three thumbs up), seabuckthorn meringue pie (very'lemony-y' satisfying). I was enjoying dinner so much I forgot to take any photos of our main courses, one of which was beef neck (?...which was very tender & flavourful). The service was attentive with just the right amount of friendliness. All in all a memorable evening & we'd definitely return at the first opportunity!
Had an amazing dinner Sunday afternoon, excellent suggestion by my server with the beef cheeks. Tender, flavorful & did not break the bank. This is on my top list of favorite restaurants in Quebec. Thank You!
An amazing meal! We had the flat iron steak & the beef cheek, both were incredible. Outstanding service, perfect amount of attention. A little bit loud, but I guess that's because it's busy because it's so good. Highly recommend!
My family & I (party of 7) had dinner at the restaurant four days ago. Following our server's recommendation, four of us ordered the braised beef cheek. It was indeed, delicious, EXCEPT my son's serving. He found it rancid, & with a foul smell. The other three were amazing. We tried his & it did not taste good & did smell bad. We kindly asked our server to smell it, he took it back to the kitchen & promptly returned with'another' piece which had more sauce & tasted equally bad. It seems the chef just put more sauce over the cheek. We asked again our server, he went back to the kitchen, & said the chef told him we had to order something else from the menu. The chef was upset & rude. We decided to just finish our dinner, paid & left. Having said that, if a customer finds his food is rotten or bad, you should be understanding & accepting of this. We asked him to smell it( that is how bad it smelled) & try it. They should have just done a new piece & served it. Not a way to treat a customer. & btw, as I stated before, the other three were amazing. I wish our experience would have been better!
Chez Boulay is a nice option for dining. The pate en croute & carpaccio of char were really good appetizers. My friend was very happy with the onion soup he had. Beef cheek & scallops for the main - très délicieux. However, duck breast & pan seared fois gras - something I would not order again, hence 4 stars. Overall good experience & nice atmosphere.
Had a New Year's Eve dinner here. The appetizers were amazing, especially the smoked fish. Braised Beef was delicious. However, 2 in our party ordered the steak that came in cold. French onion soup is a must have here, delish!
Fantastic dinner last at Chez Boulay-bistro. Our reservation allowed us to arrive early & get seated. Server was fantastic. Wine list was excellent (although expensive). Enjoyed wonderful conversation with our neighboring table & we shared what each other was eating (Duck-Excellent, Beef Cheek - Fantastic, Beef Steak - Delicious, Seal - yes, Seal - Amazing.).
