Entrecôte Saint-Jean, located in the heart of Vieux-Québec, is a jewel of a UNESCO world heritage site… just a few steps from St- Jean gate. Since opening in 1983, its Paris and Geneva- inspired French style has been its trademark: steak, fries, and secret sauce. With its stone walls, and outdoor terrasse in summer, you can enjoy a warm and savoury experience in a charming French bistro ambiance.
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Our Specialties
Entrecôte Saint-Jean offers the best steak and fries available inside the
walled city. Fine grilled steak and special secret mustard sauce, house fries, waln
L'entrecôte Saint-Jean is widely recognized as a classic destination in Old Quebec, offering a quintessential French bistro experience defined by its signature steak frites and flavorful mustard sauce. Many diners appreciate the generous table d'hôte menus which provide a well-rounded meal including soup, salad, steak, and desserts like profiteroles at a reasonable price point. While the atmosphere is frequently described as warm, cozy, and inviting, the attentive and professional service provided by the staff often enhances the overall dining experience. Although opinions on meat quality and consistency vary among patrons, the restaurant remains a popular tradition for visitors and locals alike who enjoy its nostalgic ambiance and reliable, straightforward culinary offerings.
Yesterday, I went to dine at this restaurant. I'll begin with the best which would be the profiterole ice cream. Absolutely delicious & would recommend to come for the dessert. On the other hand, I was not content about the restaurant service. While the food is a fair price, I had an issue with the hostess. I came with a group of tourists & she became overwhelmed with seating & organizing the guests. Likewise, service was lacklustre because I felt the wait time between the dishes was quite large. In addition, I ordered the steak & chicken. My dish felt warm & the chicken was quite dry even with the sauce. I was disappointed because my food was not warm enough. While the steak frites had a very dry steak, the fries were poorly cut & tasted like pre cooked leftovers. While a waitress did hear my feedback I mentioned the waiters & waitresses were very busy so I did not request for new plates. No one came to ask us or check on us where I believed the restaurant does not care about customer feedback nor quality assurance.
I also wanted to try to write this in French if the staff had trouble understanding.
French Translation:
Hier, j'ai mangé au restaurant. Je crois que le meilleur plat est le dessert. Les profiteroles glacées étaient délicieuses. Je recommande vivement que les clients commandent les profiteroles pour déguster, & le menu à prix fixe. En revanche, je n'étais pas contente du service au restaurant. Avant de manger, l'hôtesse avait organisé des places assises, après elle était submergée. De même, le service était médiocre à cause de longs temps d'attente entre chaque plat. En plus, j'ai commandé du poulet & du steak. Mon plat de poulet était trop sec, même si je l'ai mange avec de la sauce au vin. Également, j'ai trouvé que la viande n'était pas assez chaude. Le steak était sec & les frites étaient coupées irrégulièrement & goûtaient comme des restes précuits. Pendant que je mangeais le repas, une serveuse m'a demandé des commentaires.Je lui en ai dit que les serveurs étaient très occupés, alors je n'ai pas demandé de nouveaux plats. Ne personne surveillait le dîner & ne faisait pas attention aux clients. J'ai cru que le restaurant ne fait pas attention aux commentaires des clients ni à l'assurance qualité.
Jul 20, 2025
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I had a great experience at this place on a very busy Saturday night. The table d'hote was great value, I enjoyed a soup, salad, steak, dessert, & coffee for under 50$. My daughter is a picky eater & managed to finish everything on her plate. The sauce was my favourite part of the meal. Service was fast, & my water was never empty. I will definitely be back.
Nous avons dîner le 12 juin.
Bon accueil, nous avons pris une poutine au canard confit, une salade & des profiteroles en dessert.
Les plats sont bons & bien servis.
Le service est rapide sans oublier d être sympathique.
Les prix sont mesurés. Bonne experience. Nous avons bien mangé
It's in the center of old town. The staff was great & patient. It's famous for steak & fries. Strongly recommend going for the prefix deal. With an additional $14 Canadian dollars you get salad, tea/coffee, & dessert. The steak was tender & the fries were crispy.
Le déjeuner s'est plutôt bien passé. Les serveurs étaient rapides & enthousiastes.
Un déjeuner complet (entrée + plat de 12 oz + dessert + café) à 25 € (hors boisson) restait raisonnable.
Seul bémol : la cuisson du beau morceau de boeuf, malheureusement trop cuite par rapport à la cuisson saignante demandée.
We were thankful to be accommodated on a busy Friday night for our party of five. We started with a basket of bread & butter. The kids' menu was simple, & the kids actually finished their pasta with tomato & meat sauce-so that's a win! I had a salad topped with shredded duck, which turned out to be a surprisingly good combo.
We also tried the entrecôte set menu, which included soup, salad, a 9 oz steak, profiteroles, & coffee or tea. Overall, we enjoyed our family meal, but there's definitely room for improvement.
Some suggestions: offering freshly baked bread would elevate the start of the meal. Presentation could also be a bit nicer-everyone takes photos of their food these days! The soup was great, but the salad dressing from the set menu wasn't very tasty. The steak, however, was cooked perfectly-we ordered both medium & medium rare, & we'd definitely go with medium rare next time. It came with fries, which unfortunately had no seasoning at all. Just plain fries, which felt like a missed opportunity.
The dessert of two profiteroles with vanilla ice cream & chocolate syrup was a nice way to end the meal. Coffee & tea were included, but the coffee tasted burnt-like the end of the pot. I didn't bother asking for a replacement since the overall experience was still pleasant. Service was exceptional - busy night but very attentive to our needs.
I wouldn't recommend this place if you're a picky eater like me. I only ended up here because the restaurant I originally planned to visit was closed, & this one was nearby & convenient.
It was my last day in Quebec, & up until this point, I'd had nothing but amazing food. Unfortunately, this place broke that streak. Honestly, it reminded me of eating at Applebee's back in the U.S.-a place I never go.
A gentleman greeted me & seated me in the center of the dining area, even though there was a perfect table for two by the window that was available. He greeted me in French, & I responded with'Hello.' I had the feeling he didn't appreciate that. As I sat there, I realized this restaurant catered more to locals.
The server seemed busy, & I had to wait quite a while for both her & my food.
The meal was underwhelming. I ordered a set course, & the soup was the only thing I truly enjoyed. The main was duck poutine with a pile of French fries, which were soggy & overcooked.
The dessert was disappointing too-frozen éclairs. The coffee was bitter & tasted burnt; I couldn't even finish it.
The bathroom is completely filled with the pungent smell of harsh chemicals & has an industrial appearance.
Bonne cuisine, bonne quantités.
La plupart des plats sont complets & variés (viande, sauce, légumes, accompagnements) mais le plat d'entrecôte est un peu décevant. Une pièce de steak de la grosseur choisie (il y en a 3), accompagné de frites, que de frites, trop de frites, une montagne de frites! Pour la bonne santé alimentaire du client, la quantité de frites pourrait être réduite de moitié & remplacé par quelques légumes pour un plat mieux équilibré. Oui c'est tel que decrit au menu, mais lorsque l'assiette arrive, c'est un peu surprenant!
Excellent desserts!
