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.
Located on the popular Rue du Petit Champlain, this quaint French bistro felt very on theme with the charming traditional Quebec City architecture so synonymous with this location. The authentic tastes of their food left an equally memorable impression on us. We were lucky to grab a table for two early in the evening for dinner. The restaurant was full of guests but there remained a pleasant, cozy ambience with its gentle lighting as well as a clear view through the windows to the street out front. The staff helping us was friendly & patient when we gave our orders in English. To start, we had the French Onion Soup & Cheese Fondue & those came with plenty of fresh bread & butter. The cheese in the soup was stringy & different from the cheese in the fondue. The rich onion flavours in the soup also made it a great dip for the bread. Together with our delightful cocktails, anticipation for the mains was building. The rabbit themed signage at the door & on the menu made an obvious dish suggestion. We ordered the Rabbit Leg Cassoulet & the Duck Cured Meats Platter as our mains. The cassoulet was cooked well & the rabbit leg was juicy & tender. There were plenty of vegetables which added heft to the hearty stock. The Cured Meats Platter was beautifully arranged & tasted as good as it looked. It was a lot of fun mixing & matching the different meats & crackers as we worked our way around the platter. Overall, we really felt having dinner here made our short stay in Quebec City a memorable experience. We would recommend it to anyone, but especially to anyone who is not the most au fait with French cuisine.
Oct 3, 2024
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.
La nourriture n'est pas bonne, fade, mal cuisinée, mal cuite. Le restaurant ne mérite aucunement sa note élevée. Nous avons mangé en terrasse avec une amie végétarienne. Elle a pris les pâtes aux légumes & j'ai pris la soupe de poireaux puis le cassoulet au lapin. - Il y a peu d'options végétariennes, ce qu'on peut excuser étant donné le nom du restaurant - le plat de pâte : les légumes ne sont pas cuits, on n'a pas enlevé la queue des asperges de sorte que certains morceaux sont très filandreux & inmangeables. - le cassoulet : Aucun goût. J'ai du rajouter une grande quantité de sel & du poivre sur place pour essayer de trouver quelque chose. J'ai pris le reste à emporter à la maison & j'ai dû rajouter bcp de poivre, du bouillon de poulet & des herbes de Provence pour essayer de réhausser le plat & qu'il soit mangeable. Je ne comprends pas ce manque de goût. Même la saucisse de Toulouse & le lapin était complètement fades. Le lapin mal cuit semblait bouilli à l'eau (pour un restaurant qui se veut le spécialiste du lapin, je suis vraiment surprise). - service : ma cuillère est tombée sous les yeux de la serveuse qui n'a pas proposé de la changer. - Presque 70$ pour la soupe & le cassoulet c'est exagéré quand la qualité n'est pas plus élevée qu'une quantine de base. - le cadre & l'emplacement sont très bons Je suis désolée de mettre un commentaire si dur mais j'espère que vous allez améliorer la qualité de la nourriture car l'emplacement ne fait pas tout.
The atmosphere of this place was just what we needed on a rainy night - we sat at the balcony & listened to the rain while eating hearty food. The food itself is not mind-blowing, but is good & the portions are generous. The cassoulet for one was big enough to feed us both, which was great, but the dish itself did not feel cohesive... As if every part was cooked separately. The onion soup was good, but there was more bread than soup. Overall a nice place to stop for dinner.
Crispy stewed rabbit meat is still good, just like onion soup. I brought two rabbit legs with me, but I didn't expect any seasoning, but it was very fragrant. The small restaurant is lovely & romantic, & it is worth punching in here.
It was very busy when we went, but luckily tables for 2 are easier to get. They do have a very robust wait list, they can send international text messages to tourists from around the world. We got the French onion soup & the Quebec discovery platter. French onion soup was very rich. The platter would have been better if there was more bread to go with the pate. We were not fans of the blue cheese, but I'm glad we got to try it.
I love the atmosphere of this place & I got to try rabbit for the first time! It's interesting because it was very different based on how it was cooked. The sausage was too gamey for my liking, the rabbit leg tasted like chicken so I really liked that, & I enjoyed the rabbit poutine so much. The poutine seemed like the most Quebecoise thing I could have tried, & no regrets with that. The French onion soup was okay, but not great compared to the other meals.
Definitely recommend making a reservation. Visited for brunch Saturday morning. Very intimate & cozy spot. Ordered the French onion soup. It had zero flavor. Majority of items on the menu are rabbit. Possibly the worst soup I've ever had. Unfortunately, the service was a bit off as well. I don't even believe we had a waitress towards the end of our brunch. Their cocktails are phenomenal though. Very beautiful outdoor seating as well. Even during the rain.
