• Courtesy Of Maewenn Bianic
• Chez Boulay

I'm a lazy traveler. When planning where to eat in a new destination, I'd much rather send an SOS email to an in-the-know friend than do my own research.

In Québec City, that friend is Rémy Charest, a lifelong resident who has been writing about food and wine for nearly 30 years.

Though it offers fewer dining options than Montréal — being home to 550,000 people versus 1.7 million — the provincial capital promises many of the same cosmopolitan pleasures that draw Vermonters over the border to Québec's largest city. Think natural-leaning wine bars, dumplings, bustling bistros and, of course, poutine.

It's a dynamic, inventive scene, Charest said. And Québec City has come a long way from when he worked in the kitchen of the now-closed Aviatic Club in 1989.

"They served Tex-Mex, and it was kind of a big, exotic move," he said with a laugh. "Nowadays, you get a sample of all styles of dining in the same way that you'd have in Montréal," whether that's a great Japanese izakaya; a Corsican bistro; or Peruvian, minimalist Italian or locally inflected Mexican fare.

Still, Québec City's "French accent is strong," Charest said, with 92 percent of its residents considered primarily French speaking as of the 2021 census, compared to 60 percent in Montréal. (It's still common to find service in English.) It's no surprise that French pastry abounds in this city — look for Pâtisserie Chouquette's namesake sweet choux puffs in the Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood — alongside emphatically Québécois fare such as tourtière and the sticky-sweet pouding chômeur with pan-fried foie gras at La Bûche.

For Vermonters, the prevalence of local-first sourcing will feel familiar — albeit with more seafood. Snow crab season is now dwindling, but May is the height of Québec's lobster harvest, which lasts from late April to July. Asparagus, fiddleheads and local meats, such as squab and guinea fowl, are other ingredients Charest suggested diners seek out.

Charest winnowed his restaurant recommendations into two daylong itineraries spanning leisurely brunch to late-night drinks. One captures the city's old-school culinary chops, and the other heads out into hip neighborhoods for a taste of something new. An epic weekend of eating awaits.

Old-City Eats

• Courtesy Of Restos Plaisirs Membre Grandio
• Hokkaido scallops at Ciel! Bistro-Bar

Fortified Old Québec is a big draw for tourists, with its stately stone walls, winding cobblestone streets and historic landmarks such as the Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Québec, the oldest church in Canada. Even as a local, Charest spends his fair share of time walking by the St. Lawrence River that borders the city. "The history and the beauty, it's gorgeous," he said. His itinerary in and around the oldest part of the city makes the most of that 400-year backstory, including a stunning aerial view and classic French fare that still gets visitors fired up.

Brunch: Ciel! Bistro-Bar

It takes 90 minutes for this revolving restaurant on the 27th floor of Hôtel Le Concorde to complete its 360-degree spin — an ideal window in which to enjoy a relaxed weekend brunch while gaining a unique perspective of the river and the Château Frontenac, the castle-like hotel opened by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1893. With staples such as steak and eggs and French toast-like brioche perdue, "the food is solid; the view is amazing," Charest said. (cielbistrobar.com, 418-640-5802, brunch CA$25-29)

Late-afternoon drinks: 1608 Bar

• Courtesy
• 1608 Bar

Following an afternoon of sightseeing within the historic center, pop into the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac itself to visit this elegant wood-paneled bar, named for the city's founding date. Order a Québec-brewed Le Bilboquet beer, or try the Cask Mates, a fruity, bitter cocktail made with bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup. If you're seeking an alternative brunch spot, Charest said, the Château's adjoining Restaurant Champlain is a long-standing Québec City tradition with a bountiful buffet. (fairmont.fr/frontenac-quebec/dining/1608-bar, 418-692-3861, drinks CA$12-35)

Dinner: Le Continental

• Courtesy
• Flambéed shrimp at Le Continental

Open since 1956, Le Continental is "old-school done particularly well," Charest said. Go for steak, duck à l'orange for two or crêpes Suzette flambéed tableside — a theatrical trademark of French haute cuisine from the restaurant's founding era.

"You're in the historical part of the city," Charest said. "Why not have service that goes back to the previous century?" (restaurantlecontinental.com, 418-694-9995, dinner CA$44-109)

New City Nosh

• Courtesy Of Alma Kismic
• Foie gras terrine at Chez Boulay

Since Québec City's footprint is pretty small, Charest said, it doesn't take long to branch out from the well-traveled tourist spots. "It's good to see what's a little edgier," he said. "Get out of Manhattan, go see Brooklyn, right?"

Candidates for the hip and happening "Brooklyn" (or Winooski, for a more local analogy) of Québec City include the neighborhoods of Saint-Roch and Saint-Sauveur, each a reasonable walk or short taxi ride from the city walls. Both are hotbeds of exciting coffee shops, fun bars and restaurants from casual to fancy, Charest said, with the action central to rue Saint-Joseph and rue Saint-Vallier, respectively.

Brunch: Chez Boulay

Despite a location within the walls of the old city, this "boreal bistro" is distinctly au courant with its celebration of hyperlocal ingredients such as smoked bison breast, Saint-Laurent redfish and foraged sea buckthorn. Even at weekend brunch, you might see fir tips in the hollandaise slathered over a seared steak, hay whipped cream on the French toast or smoked mushrooms atop eggs Benedict. (chezboulay.com, 418-380-8166, brunch CA$26-32)

Afternoon tea: Camellia Sinensis

Wander out to Saint-Roch after brunch, stopping for a cup of oolong, matcha or Assam along the way. This boutique tea shop — with two stores in Montréal, too — stocks hundreds of carefully sourced options from India, China and Japan alongside local herbal infusions. Regular workshops, which are mostly in French, include an all-encompassing introduction to tea; category-specific classes on green, black and Pu'er; and even tea mixology. (camellia-sinensis.com, 418-525-0247, tea CA$4-8, workshops CA$45-90)

Snacks and drinks: Chez Tao!

• Courtesy Of Alma Kismic
• Street-food favorites at Chez Tao!

Continue walking toward the edge of Saint-Sauveur, Charest said, and you can find yourself at Chez Tao! for midafternoon drinks and southeast Asian snacks. Street-food favorites such as som tam, fried-chicken bao and shrimp chips pair perfectly with tropical cocktails. Try the Last Island, with rhum Agricole and citrus. No need to plan too carefully — the bar doesn't take reservations. (cheztao.ca, 418-204-1850, cocktails CA$14.50-22, food CA$4.50-19.50)

Dinner three ways: Le Pied Bleu, Melba, or Patente & Machin

Charest offered three dinner suggestions, none more pork-filled than Le Pied Bleu. It's "like a Lyonnais bouchon on steroids and extra lard," he said, comparing the charcuterie-focused menu to the French city's offal-loving traditional restaurants. The 14 plates of its "tour de tripes" offer a quick introduction for the table.

Other, perhaps lighter, options include "very fine and inventive French cuisine" at Melba and "hearty, delicious, casual gastronomic food" at Patente & Machin (piedbleu.square.site, 418-914-3554, CA$3-45; restaurantmelba.ca, 418-614-3042, CA$19-38; patenteetmachin.com, 581-500-2548, CA$30-65).

Last call: Jjacques

• Courtesy
• Oysters at Jjacques

Still hungry, somehow? This "stylish speakeasy" could work for dinner or early drinks, Charest said; even Jjacques' website debates if it's a restaurant, an oyster bar or a cocktail bar.

Charest likes to stop by for late-night drinks and a snack, whether oyster shots, warm olives or mushrooms six ways. Stick to a nightcap from the travel-themed cocktail menu — perhaps a Veuve de Venise with Campari, green Chartreuse, amaro, citrus and bubbles — or go all in on a seafood tower. It's lobster season, after all. (jjacques.ca, 581-491-3286, cocktails CA$10-45, food CA$6-90, seafood towers CA$65-230).

Correction, May 22, 2024: An earlier version of this story misidentified the brewing location of Le Bilboquet beer. It is brewed in Québec.