Overall, reviews describe L'Affaire est Ketchup as a tiny, cozy, open kitchen dining experience with a constantly changing seasonal menu and just two seatings each evening, both requiring reservations well in advance. Guests note a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a vibe that feels like dining at a friend's kitchen, with the menu explained aloud in both French and English. Dishes are praised for creativity and quality, with highlights including sweetbreads, duck, salmon, and ris de veau, and portions that feel generous for the price. Some reviews mention occasional service delays, pacing issues, noise, and ventilation that can make the room uncomfortable, while others praise the wine and beer selections and attentive staff. Overall, despite a few hiccups, the restaurant is described as a memorable, unique, and highly regarded dining destination.
Although L'Affaire est ketchup is super highly rated, the portions, food, & atmosphere fell a flat.
The menu changes daily which is a unique & fun concept which allows for ingredients to be fresh & seasonal. The vegetables, grains & pasta were cooked to perfection & had great flavour. But the main star of the dishes such as the beef & duck were dry & tough. The croquette we ordered was soggy, the fish appetizer was dry, & the mozzarella appetizer was something you'd see at any average restaurant. We found most of the proteins to be very tough & lacking in portion size especially for the price.
We loved the lamb dish as well as the sweet breads appetizer but the rest were very average. The wine list was well selected & we ordered two bottles which were both great. Overall there were one or two dishes that we liked, while the rest were nothing to write home about.
The interior was unique & homey but was very noticeably dusty & a bit neglected. Also the bathrooms were insanely small, & super awkward to wash our hands in. This was a minus for us in atmosphere. It was bustling & busy, it felt great to have a conversation there with friends & the staff, but we couldn't overlook the inaccessibility & state of the interior.
TLDR: Slightly overrated. If you're in the area you should try it for yourself if you really want to, but I wouldn't recommend anyone go out of their way. We enjoyed our experience but probably wouldn't come back again.
A truly unique experience. A tiny worn down row house with a small 4 burner stove that was played like it was Beethoven, churning out inventive, culinary masterpieces. To utilize the most basic instrument to produce works of art, awe inspiring. A+ A+
A truly unique concept unlike any restaurant I've visited. Reservations are required, & service begins for everyone at 6 p.m. The space is intimate, with only nine tables-eight for two people, one for four-& a bar that seats up to four. Once all guests have arrived, the experience starts.
The kitchen is essentially a home-style kitchen in full view, which adds a warm & personal touch. The daily menu is explained at the beginning: five appetizers to choose from & a main course featuring beef, pork, fish, seafood, or duck (options vary with the season). From what I understood, vegetarian choices seem limited or unavailable.
We tried the ris d'agneau & the pork belly as appetizers, followed by the duck & the beef for our mains. The duck was exceptional-honestly the best I've ever had. The beef, however, was just okay. Most of it was good, but the thinner end was slightly overcooked & a bit dry. Normally I wouldn't mention it, but at this price point, I expected more consistency.
After finishing our mains, we were still a bit hungry & ordered foie gras, which was excellent.
We also had a glass of wine & a beer. The wine selection is solid, but glasses are on the expensive side ($15-$20). The staff really know their wines, though, & can guide you toward something you'll enjoy.
Overall, the service is knowledgeable & friendly, the concept is original, & the food is very good. The main downsides for me were the small bathroom & the overall cost of the meal.
A lovely dining experience in this quaint & cozy restaurant. It appears the menu changes on a daily basis based on the fresh ingredients available. The server orates the menu options to the patrons. I had an amazing steak entre & a lamb sweetbread appetizer. The food was delicious & they had a very nice wine selection. It was a unique & special dining experience. I highly recommend.
L'Affaire est Ketchup ,
est une véritable révélation culinaire ! L'expérience gastronomique offerte,du canard au porc, en passant par le poisson & les fruits de mer, était absolument fabuleuse & d'une qualité exceptionnelle.
?L'approche du menu, affiché au mur & présenté avec passion par un serveur à la connaissance encyclopédique de chaque plat, ajoute une touche d'authenticité unique & très appréciée. Le service est ainsi parfait, attentif & incroyablement bien informé.
?Surtout, ne manquez pas les fameux ris de veau : c'est une tuerie !
?Notre repas a été couronné par un excellent vin (un 15 ans d'âge) suggéré & soigneusement choisi par notre serveur. Une recommandation impeccable qui a rendu la soirée parfaite. Ce restaurant est un incontournable pour tout amateur de bonne chère.
Ketchupeureusement vôtre !👍👌⭐?⭐?⭐?
Oct 23, 2025
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Absolutely fantastic. Sat at the bar for a bird's eye view of the kitchen to watch the team work. It's amazing to watch them turn out impeccable dishes using such basic, classic appliances & equipment.
Jonathan was especially engaging. As manager, he has an incredible presence & personality & keeps the service flowing & entertaining. He really made the experience over the top & unforgettable.
If you've never been here, it is a very unique & non traditional dining experience. The menu is small & changes daily. Most everything is sourced locally. For our seating, the menu was read aloud by Jonathan to the entire group in both French & English.
Reservations are a must as there are only 2 seatings each evening (6pm & 8:30pm). Generally you'll need to reserve a table at LEAST 2 weeks in advance & much farther out if you have a specific seating request.
The dining area is small & seats maybe 20 people at the most, including bar seating. Although the food is fantastic, you'd never know it by the outside appearance or the decor inside. It's almost like walking into a run down dive bar! But that aesthetic contributes to the charm & experience. Everything is VERY laid back & casual.
The entire service is run by just 4 people. Sitting at the bar gives you an entertaining view of the the kitchen crew in action as well as great conversation with the team as they work. It's really unique.
The wife & I were in town for our anniversary & made sure to book a reservation here a couple weeks beforehand. Tremendous experience. Forget the hoity-toity airs of the typical fine dining experience & come in looking at L'Affaire as performance paired with cuisine. & while they are super cool & laid back, do yourself a favor & get there on time -- because the menu presentation is done for the entire group & every night is a different menu. That being said, if they have them when you are visiting, get the sweet breads: they were phenomenal (as was the halibut, which my wife had, & the pork chop). Prices were absolutely reasonable considering the level of quality. Great beer & wine selection -- again, go in with an open mind because it isn't like most places with a full bar or the same stuff you find everywhere else.
It truly is a unique dining experience & if you are reading this review I'd assume you already have some familiarity with the whole concept. These guys are just as much artists as they chefs. & they do it all extremely well.
We had an amazing time & truly the most memorable dining experience I've ever had. Will most definitely be back next time we are in Québec. Tres magnifique. 💙 ⚜?
This was a very unique & memorable meal. We were a little concerned when we showed up a little before 8:30 & the door was locked. We had not paid attention to the fact that they do 2 separate seatings per evening & that the door opens at the set time….
That being said the food was amazing, the wine recommendations were on point & the service was fun & personable.
We will absolutely be back on our next visit to Quebec City.
Highly recommend this unique dining experience! The staff were friendly & very well educated, I really appreciated their knowledge of the wine list, they recommended the perfect pairing for my meal. The meal itself was amazing, high quality ingredients & perfectly executed (I had the duck). This was one of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had.
Apr 25, 2025
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I can't believe I hadn't written a review on this place before. I was providing a friend recommendations for Quebec City & suddenly thought about the food here. I visited about a year ago in May & this restaurant still lives rent free in my head. I went in with no expectations & no explanations on what this was. It was such a great meal with such a unique & wonderful experience. I don't want to spoil it too much with my review but this place was stellar & I would 1000% go back if I am in Quebec City again.
This restaurant offers a unique dining experience that creates a fun & family like environment. There are two dining sessions & customers are seated simultaneously to prepare for the round of service. You start with some drinks & then the menu is explained in detail in both English & French to all customers. The food is solid, especially the apps (buffalo mozz & sweetbreads were phenomenal) but there were some issues for the temperature of the proteins on the mains. We ordered duck & swordfish, which should be cooked between a medium rare to medium, but both our dishes were on the rare side of rare. Very undercooked with made the fish tough to eat as the connective tissues have not broken down. We expected a nice fish steak & instead got a more sashimi style strips that were almost inedible. The flavors on the duck dish were fantastic, but again…duck should not be served rare as there are some tough parts to chew through. dessert was awesome & drinks were ok overall. The restaurant could use better ventilation as the entire building fills with smoke once they start cooking. Very nice guys though & cool atmosphere.
If you're visiting Quebec City this place is a must. The dining experience is a quirky, informal, & unique experience. Friendly staff with some amazing cooking skills. Every dish we tried was amazing. The format has seating times & serves the whole restaurant at one go so be prepared to wait a bit before eating but I found that added to the experience. 5/5 & will come back if I'm back in QC.
Nov 11, 2024
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Un de mes restos préférés. L'expérience est unique. La nourriture est excellente & le Staff est juste parfait. Une soirée unique chaque fois que nous y allons. On mange au bar pour tout voir & avoir des échanges merveilleux avec le staff.
One of the best culinary experiences I've ever had. We sat close to the open kitchen & were welcomed with open arms, chatting with the chefs throughout the night, explaining cooking methods & ingredients, & giving us things to try. Our server Sabri gave us some of the best service I've ever experienced. He was extremely knowledgeable & so warm & friendly. Made us amazing drinks using funky obscure liquors that left us feeling nice & buzzed as we ate our food. The food itself was insanely delicious. So fresh, using unique ingredients. The bison tartare was the best tartare I've ever had. So fatty & rich. We had the most tender sirloin steak I've ever had. Delicious fresh sea bass. They gave us an extra main - calimari steak which turned out to be the highlight of the meal. So meaty, fresh, & tender. Ive travelled & eaten in a lot of top restaurants & can honestly say this was top 5 meals of my life. Already planning our next trip to Quebec City to see what delicious fares are offered here the next time we come. Thank you for an amazing once in a lifetime experience.
A cozy home-like ambiance, where every table is served simultaneously, fostering a communal vibe. The menu boasts creative & flavorful dishes featuring unique ingredients & techniques that elevate the dining experience. The wine & cider selection is genuinely incredible, adding an extra layer of sophistication. The small & personable wait staff enhances the overall charm, ensuring attentive service that makes you feel right at home-a delightful fusion of comfort & culinary excellence.
Cheers to the Chef & staff who make this unique, small dining room full of entertainment & food that will live on in your dreams! We ordered everything our server recommended, & it hit the spot every time. The standout dish for me... the sweetbreads. If it's on the menu, try it!
