Aimee H.
Yelp
When I go to Quebec City, I don't want Italian or Thai food... No, I'm here for the homegrown, authentic, hearty French Canadian food experience to satisfy my adventurous belly. Looking up a 2019 list of the "incontourables" of FC cuisine, Le Buffet de l'Antiquaire was among the recommended for it's quality and timelessness. Indeed, this resto has been around for over 40 years and still going strong! Count yourself lucky if you don't see a line outside in this first come first served establishment.
We got there after 1pm on a Sunday and there was a 15 min wait to get in. If you go in the winter, make sure you wear insulated pants because being close to the river makes the cold especially biting! You can park for under $10 in the public parking across the street.
We took a seat at the counter and the staff was warm and welcoming. Since the breakfasts looked pretty standard, I flipped to the main dishes and focused on those with the fleur-de-lis symbol that indicated typical Quebec dishes.
I really enjoyed the #10 Pork Meatball Stew. The creamy mashed potatoes were a perfect side to absorb the rich gravy. The beets, pickled to perfection added some punch to the meal. If you thought one side of veggies was enough, well they gave you two! One salad and one cooked veggies topped with a pile of peas. It's a generous meal so if you aren't absolutely famished, you might want to skip the soup entree! I definitely recommend this dish. It was perfect!!
The #11 House Specialty Pie had similar side dishes but I found the spices to be a bit strong and didn't suit my taste buds. It's a heaping portion of beef, veal, pork and potatoes stuffed in a pie crust. Because it's so rich, eating it with the pickled beets made it lighter tasting.
If you're a milkshake fan, here's a place to indulge. They make their strawberry milkshake with homemade jam to give it that extra strawberry fragrance and flavor to delight every sip.
After that filling meal, they asked if we wanted dessert and though I could barely breath (stomach too full) I said what the heck, bring on the pouding chomeur cause no Quebec experience is complete without the iconic dessert!! Sweet and sugary, topped with vanilla ice cream... You definitely ought to wash it down with a coffee!
This is definitely a place to discover in Quebec. I liked everything about this fun experience!