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.
Loved our dining experience! Charming & quaint inside. Our waiter was delightful & he had great recommendations. The bartender & other waitress were helpful & smiling. Unfortunately, we weren't too hungry - I wish we were because everything looked so good. We had the French onion soup & soup du jour, sweet potato - both amazing. The Quebec wine & salted honey pie were sooo good. Highly recommend - a charming, delightful, warm & wonderful place. Make a reservation for sure. Merci, La Lapin Sauté!
This little restaurant is super cute & charming, both inside & out! We came here on our first night in Quebec City. There are only maybe 8 tables, so a reservation is a must. As the name implies, the menu leans heavily towards rabbit dishes, but there are also several duck dishes, if you don't fancy rabbit. I started with the rabbit croquettes on a bed of beet hummus. The croquettes were nice & crunchy on the outside, but maybe a touch dry inside. The beets added more color than flavor to the hummus, which was to my liking (not being a big hummus person). My husband started with the onion soup which he enjoyed very much. You will find there are as many variations on onion soup in Quebec City as there are restaurants. I gave this one a 7 out of ten, but my husband gave it a 9. So, there you have it. There's a taste for everyone!
For the entree, I ordered the rabbit leg with mustard sauce, a traditional preparation done fairly well. My husband went off-theme & ordered the pork loin, but he was not disappointed.
Overall, it was a great first Quebecois meal. More than anything, I just loved the charming ambiance.
Wonderful local food. Great ambience & servive. Should have tried their rabbit dish. But their pork shoulder & ravioli easily impressed us. The onion soup is a must.
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.
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.
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!
It's a cute little restaurant but idk. I'll preface this by saying it's known for its rabbit & I don't eat rabbit. I had the onion soup, which I found to lack any flavor, onion, & broth, it was very bread & cheese forward & not what I was looking for. I then had the grilled cheese, which was…fine. I appreciated the thin bread so the bread didn't take over, but could have used more cheese; it's a grilled cheese after all. The fries & side salad were very good. I finished things off with the crème brûlée which was pretty clearly preprepared but fine. Overall my meal was fine but not the 4.6 stars the restaurant has.
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!
