Le Lapin Sauté centers its culinary focus on regional French preparations featuring rabbit as a signature element. The menu emphasizes locally sourced ingredients transformed through classic market cooking techniques. Diners encounter dishes like rabbit confit and braised cuts that showcase depth of flavor and traditional preparation methods. The architectural space utilizes exposed stone walls and wooden beams to define the interior atmosphere. Tables occupy a rustic environment that reflects a historical regional building style. The selection of poultry and game selections provides a cohesive narrative centered on seasonal offerings and farm to table sensibilities. Every plate maintains a strict adherence to authentic regional standards by highlighting the versatility of game meat in modern kitchen applications.
Le Lapin Sauté is widely celebrated as a charming, cozy, and quintessential destination in Old Quebec City, particularly favored for its authentic rabbit and duck specialties. Many visitors praise the restaurant for its warm, welcoming staff, impeccable service, and a picturesque patio perfect for people watching in the Petit Champlain district. While the majority of diners highlight the high quality of dishes like the rabbit poutine, cassoulet, and salted honey pie, some guests have noted inconsistencies in food preparation, occasional service delays, or a preference for larger portion sizes. Despite the high demand making reservations essential, most guests consider it a must-visit venue that captures a unique, intimate atmosphere suitable for families and romantic outings alike.
The venue is well lit, small & cozy, a refuge on a cool autumn evening. The wait staff are warm, welcoming, & attentive. It was easy to dine here with limited French language skills, as the wait staff were bilingual & also good humored about rusty, high school French. Both the menu & wine list were thoughtfully composed to reflect some of the highlights of French & Quebecois culinary cultures. The food was outstanding. The plates were artfully presented & composed with layers of complementary flavours. The duck fois gras & the cassoulet (with confit duck leg) were both absolute show stoppers. The suggested wine pairings were also delicious. Le Lapin Saute is absolutely worth traveling out of one's way to visit. Reservations recommended.
Chat GPT recommended this restaurant, but it was the worse French Onion Soup either of us ever had. It was watery & tasteless with barely any onions. The cheese was the only good part of the soup. It was so bad, we went elsewhere for the rest of our dinner. The girls were lovely though.
Sep 13, 2025
on Google
🍽️
Know where to eat in Quebec before everyone else.
Get the first look at the hottest openings, secret menus, and RestoQuebec.ca's weekly top picks. Join 50,000+ foodies.
Seeing that this was a must visit restaurant,we decided to try it although we are not planning to have rabbit dishes. We opted for the duck leg ,duck confit platter & the French onion soup. The toasted bread slices looked burnt so immediately brought this to our waitress' attention to which she replied that is how it's supposed to be. We could not eat it as it tasted burnt as well.see first photo,compared to someone else review photo 2. We did not make a fuss further as we are not familiar with quebecoise food. However,upon reviewing other reviews,that was not the truth she told. Very appalled for such an expensive resto. The food did not deserve the price status. The French onion soup was also extremely salty. Very disappointed.
From the moment I stepped inside, the atmosphere of this charming French bistro took me straight to Paris. The low lighting, soft jazz music, & the scent of freshly baked bread filled the air. The menu, a delightful combination of classic French dishes & modern twists, was hard to navigate, with so many tempting options. I opted for the duck confit, which was cooked to perfection-crispy on the outside, tender & flavorful on the inside. The accompanying potato gratin was creamy, rich, & perfectly seasoned. The service was impeccable, with our server being attentive yet not overbearing. Every course was beautifully presented, & the wine pairing suggestions were spot on. A true taste of France, from the decor to the cuisine.
I found this place through Google search for highly rated restaurants in old Quebec City & it did not disappoint. When we got to the restaurant, it was almost 12pm, as we didn't have a reservation, we were told that there would be seats available at 2pm. Very busy during the peak of summer! The inside & the patio seating area aren't very big so it fills up easily.
We ordered a rabbit poutine, French onion soup, rabbit leg & a kid's meal of salmon. The rabbit leg is excellent, I love the sweet potato puree. The beans & peas are soft, flavourful & plentiful. The onion soup was on the saltier side for me but if pairing with the rabbit leg, they go well together. We wanted to try at least one poutine dish while at Quebec so ordered the rabbit poutine as the restaurant is known for rabbit dishes.
The kids' menu is great & reasonably priced. It comes with a soup of the day, main, dessert & drink for $14. The portions are big enough to fill an adult. The soup is watermelon & veggie mixture, nice & cold on a hot day. We ordered a salmon dish & it came with a generous portion of salmon, lots of fries & peas & beans. Very healthy & tasty option for the kids.
The minor complaint is that the table is a bit small, it would have been okay if adults were dining, but with young kids, it feels a bit cramped.
Love the vibe of the street & the patio looks out onto a small park. Will be back when we visit Quebec again!
What an unexpected & lovely little spot. The ambiance & food was very French countryside quintessential. We enjoyed the large'to share' platter, which was plenty for the three of us to get a good sampling of the menu. The duck & roasted vegetables were especially delicious.
I learned French for this place. C'est tout tres charmant. (Probably bad French but I'm trying.) The staff are wonderful. The food is delicious. The place is charming, indoors or out. The location is perfect. Our favorite place in Quebec City. We ate here twice in the four days we were in QC, & would have come back for more if there weren't so many other places we wanted to try. (A couple of them...not naming names...made us wish we'd just gone back to the cooked rabbit....)
I had such a wonderful meal at Le Lapin Sauté in the heart of Old Quebec. The atmosphere is cozy & full of charm-perfect for enjoying traditional French-Quebecois dishes.
One of the highlights of my visit was their French onion soup. It was simply outstanding-deep, rich broth layered with perfectly caramelized onions, topped with a thick layer of golden, bubbling cheese & crusty bread that soaked up all the flavor. Every spoonful was comforting & delicious, especially on a cool evening.
The service was warm & attentive without being rushed. You can feel that they care about offering a genuine local experience.
If you're exploring Petit Champlain & want an authentic taste of Quebec, don't miss this place. I'll definitely be coming back for the onion soup alone!
Best meal of the trip! Highly recommend you make a reservation here & try the French Onion Soup. My husband especially loved the Rabbit & Duck plate. Very small but cozy restaurant with great service. We loved it here. Thank you again!
