Le Continental
- Getting there
- Rue Saint-Louis, inside the old walled city
Why it’s in the log
Anthony Bourdain visited Le Continental for the Quebec episode of Parts Unknown, ordering his way through the restaurant's old-guard tableside repertoire — beef tartare, Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail, Dover sole — the kind of dishes finished in front of the table rather than plated in the kitchen.
It's a formal French-Canadian dining room inside Quebec City's walled old town, running since the 1950s on a menu that leans on flambé and tableside preparation more than most restaurants still bother with. The room and the service match the food — white tablecloths, an unhurried pace, waiters who've worked the floor for years.
Reserve ahead, and go with an appetite for a full multi-course sitting rather than a quick meal — this isn't a restaurant built for speed.
“Beef tartare, Caesar salad flambéed tableside, Dover sole — Bourdain ordered the room's whole classic repertoire in one sitting.”