Two-Day Food Itinerary with All the Best Eats

Your first stop is on Île d’Orléans, a short way from the bridge. The black currant extravaganza that is Cassis Monna & filles is a lot like the Monna sisters themselves: welcoming and innovative, with plenty of surprises in store. There’s a wine cellar and a shop where you can sample the various spirits they produce and pick up some of the other products they make with their black currants. Feeling peckish? You can eat at Monnaguette or have a gelato or sorbet at the ice cream parlour. Interested in the liqueur-making process? Check out the mini museum in the barn behind the shop.

Take a moment to visit Vignoble Ste-Pétronille, where the Denault family will welcome you to their magnificent winery and invite you to admire the breathtaking view of Montmorency Falls from the patio, paired with a glass of Voile de la Mariée and a slice of delicious Neapolitan pizza. 

There’s something magical about Confiturerie Tigidou, where craft jam maker Vincent Paris turns local berries into jams, marmalades, and syrups, including some with very little sugar. You’ll be charmed by the whimsical old-timey feel of the place and delighted by the strawberry scones and parfaits. Yum!

Your final stop on Île d’Orléans is Du Capitaine Ferme & Vinaigrerie, a farm that grows organic black currants and uses them to make vinegar. Learn more about this unique production process on one of their farm tours and visit the shop for a vinegar tasting and a cone of black currant gelato. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for their upcoming selection of black currant liqueurs.

Carry on from Île d’Orléans to Côte-de-Beaupré for one of the best-kept secrets in the Québec City area: Comte de Roussy. This farm produces an impressive variety of vegetables and fruit, including pears—something of a rarity among Québec orchards. The farm stand is so delightful that the produce seems even more fresh and colourful. There’s a patio with a lovely view of the St. Lawrence River where you can have a slice of homemade pie and a hot beverage. And in harvest season you can even venture into the fields to pick your own fruit and veg.

Make your way to Les Canardises for more dazzling scenery and delicious treats. This free-range duck farm turns out mouth-watering duck mousses, rillettes, foie gras, and cassoulets, to name but a few.

Cap off your first day at the Québec-Oies farm in Saint-Tite-des-Caps, where Natacha and Simon raise geese in their big fields and use them to make terrines, pâtés, mousses, and rillettes. Once at the farm, it doesn’t take long to realize that the well-being of the geese is a top priority. The innovative pair are brimming with passion for their work and are currently testing a technique for producing foie gras without manual force-feeding. Once you’ve visited the farm, stop by the picturesque boutique to purchase their fine geese products.

Start your second day in the western part of Portneuf County with a guided tour of Fromagerie des Grondines, which produces excellent organic raw milk cheese in a facility designed to welcome visitors. Through the big windows, you’ll see the cows in the stable, the milking and production rooms, and the cellars where the cheese is aged. You’ll also learn about the history and values of this family business from your guide. And of course, the tour ends with a cheese tasting.

Next stop is Deschambault-Grondines, a charming village where you can enjoy a fine cup of coffee at La Dinette du Cap. The shop itself is in a beautiful heritage home built in 1840 and features a lovely garden patio.

From La P’tite Brûlerie, your next destination is just a few steps away. So leave your car parked and stroll over to Julie Vachon Chocolats, a chocolate and ice cream shop whose fame extends well beyond Portneuf. The shop’s fine chocolates, pastries, decadent chocolate and hazelnut spread, and other chocolatey treats are created on site by owner and chocolate-maker Julie Vachon, named pastry chef of the year in 2018. In the summer, there’s also a divine selection of artisanal ice cream.

Your fourth stop of the day is a 12th-generation farm established in 1667. You’ll find the fascinating history of this ancestral farm laid out in the Médé mini-museum. Take a guided tour of the place or explore it at your own pace, supported by the information panels. That being said, if Médé himself is there, we highly recommend the guided tour! If you’re visiting in August, be sure to pick up some of the farm’s delicious Neuville sweet corn.

Your next stop on this tasty adventure takes you to Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, in the Jacques-Cartier Region. In addition to breads and pastries, Pascal Le Boulanger serves up cakes, sandwiches, quiches, and other dishes. It’s the perfect place for an afternoon snack.

Trundle down the street to wrap up your gourmet getaway with a craft beer on the patio at Microbrasserie La Souche, where they brew up something new every season. That sense of novelty extends to the names of the beer, which often carry an element of local pop culture. If you’re ready for another meal, the menu features plenty of local fare and uses beer in most dishes, from appetizers to dessert.