Dead set on eating as local as possible when travelling somewhere? Me too! Love seafood? Of course! (Stay around if not, I promise it’s worth it anyways.) Ever heard of the Magdalen Islands or Îles de la Madeleine in the Maritimes of Canada? Let me bring you to one of my favourite places in the world, but definitely my home away from home in Quebec; an archipelago that is the exact definition of local and foodie all at once when it comes to eating and restaurants and gourmet boutiques. Bring your appetite; here we go!
But First, Why Are the Maggies So Scrumptious and Locally Oriented?
Because you’re on islands in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (5h ferry from Prince Edward Island), local and seasonal aren’t just a trend here, but a way of life.
Before we dive into the actual restaurants, let’s talk about why food in the Îles de la Madeleine (a.k.a. “the Maggies”) feels so different and so good everywhere you go.
Fishing and farming have always been part of daily survival, and today chefs take that heritage seriously. Menus often change based on the catch of the day or whatever the fishermen, producers and foragers bring in. That’s why you’ll see lobster, scallops, crab, cod, and oysters everywhere, alongside local veal, salt, honey and fresh veggies from small producers.
Even traditional dishes like seafood pot-en-pot or smoked fish have a modern, playful twist. The result? Meals that taste incredibly fresh, with flavours tied directly to the land and sea around you, from protein to dressing as even the salt comes from neighbouring Alcyon!
Dining in the Maggies isn’t just about eating, t’s about connecting with a community that still lives close to its roots and is super proud of what fellow residents create. Local beer is in every restaurant, just like the local cheeses and produce. That’s something I absolutely love about eating in the Magdalen islands: local pride taken to a whole other level, one that you can’t really find elsewhere, in my opinion.
My Overall Favourite Restaurants in The Magdalen Islands
I’ve written about this before and shared the 5 Incredibly Scrumptious Restaurants in the Magdalen Islands You Need to Try, so you know exactly where to book first if you’re looking for a gourmet upscale meal without the stuffy atmosphere.
Here’s a fast recap, but read the article for details:
- Chez Renard – Always a winner, this is where high-quality food meets a no-frills vibe. You can show up in sweats or dressed to the nines, grab a bar stool on your own, or share plates with friends at the tables. Don’t skip their fried chicken, I’ve literally ordered it twice in one sitting! Menus change often on the chalkboard, so expect everything from scallops to seal carpaccio and local veal and veggies.
- Restaurant Eva – My go-to spot again and again. Between the stellar service, whitewashed coastal decor, and killer terrace sunsets, it never disappoints. Seafood shines here, but desserts (hello, Paris-Brest!) are on another level thanks to their in-house pâtissière.
- Quai 360 – Once the islands’ lone fine-dining star, it still earns its spot with upscale seafood like crab arancini and lobster pasta. Bigger portions, tasty cocktails, and a lively atmosphere make it perfect for celebrations.
- Café de la Grave – The coziest dining room, set in a restored general store with shelves of antiques and spontaneous piano jams. Food is classic Madelinot with a twist: smoked scallop carbonara, cod cakes, or the famous seafood pot-en-pot are prime examples.
- Le Millerand – Not always consistent in the past, but this past year it blew me away. Think lobster bruschetta, scallop risotto loaded with the good stuff, and a terrace with a killer view.
Must Try Staples and Where to Try Them
There is so much to eat in the Magdalen Islands, and so many different local ingredients. Here’s my breakdown of all the great stuff you should taste and where!
Lobster, lobster, lobster and a bit more lobster
After all, almost every family has its fisherman, so it’s been a booming economy for ages and local restaurants in the Magdalen Islands reflect this.
Lobster season in the Magdalen Islands stretches from the first week of May to the first week of July, but you can still eat fresh lobster later in the season thanks to the tanks that keep them alive.
Lobster can also be frozen in salt water without losing its flavour so no worries if you miss the high season, you can have lobster anyways.
Here are the places I recommend:
- My favourite lobster roll is from Cap Dauphin Fish Shack in Grosse-Île, but the runner up is Effet Mer’s generous one in La Grave.
- Pêcheries Léomar is Cap-aux-Meules’ funky fast-food counter with a tempura lobster tail on a stick that I order every time I visit. Their lobster poutine is also quite good.
- For fresh lobster or warm, cooked lobster, try Pêcheries Léomar or Fruits de mer Madeleine.
Pot-en-pot
If you love seafood and traditional foods, then you have to try pot-en-pot. It’s a dish I am crazy about!
This staple in the islands consists of a rich seafood pot pie layered with shellfish in a creamy sauce. You can find it in a few places, but it’s mainly a home-cooked dish in the archipelago:
- Café de la Grave serves a mean, lean, delicious pot-en-pot, and it’s most definitely my favourite place to eat it in the Iles de la Madeleine.
- Pizza d’la Pointe sells frozen ready-to-bake pot-en-pot if you rent a house or have a kitchen you can use to cook it yourself.
- Boulangerie Madelon serves pot-en-pot on occasion among its daily menu of hot meals.
- La Poissonnière also has pot-en-pot, but I have to say I’ve never tasted it.
Other Seafood and Fish
- Fruits de mer Madeleine always offers some fresh seafood as well as canned traditional seafoods like whelk.
- At La Poissonnière you can buy fresh fish, seafood and sushi.
- Cultures du large produces famous fresh Magdalen Islands oysters and their interpretation centre sits right in front of Fumoir d’Antan, another great place to pick up smoked seafood (see below).
- Decker Boy has the best seafood pizza, although some say it’s at Pizza d’la Pointe, but I beg to differ!
- Makilinot is a sushi foodtruck that has the best rolls and sushi pizza in the islands, in my opinion. Although I find them a little bit expensive for their size, I have to say they are tasty and it’s fun to eat lobster, crab, or scallop sushi I can’t find at home.
- Gourmande de Nature has poké bowls and their to-go options are great too. They also occasionally have a cod pizza too that’s a bit salty but extremely tasty.
- Hallibut definitely holds the title of my favourite fish to eat in the Magdalen Islands, and many places serve it up in an impressive way. Try Restaurant Eva, Le Millerand’s fish and chips or Le Cachalot food truck’s take on this giant fish.
Seal Meat
You’ve probably never had seal meat unless you’ve travelled to the Magdalen Islands or other nordic destinations where this is a delicacy. After a terrible false blame campaign that hurt the industry in the 70s because of Brigitte Bardot, people worldwide boycotted seal meat and the population increased so much in the following decades that it has thrown fish populations out of whack nowadays.
It has therefore been important for locals and some Quebec restaurants to fight to bring the popularity for this lean, healthy meat back to the province’s kitchens! Definitely try it!
- There are tons of ways to eat seal. I’m not a fan of it as a burger, as it tastes a bit stronger of iron, but the Pas Perdus restaurant has a good one if you do want to indulge.
- Le Millerand in Havre-Aubert sometimes has tataki that is really good.
- I prefer the pépérettes dried jerks that you can buy at Boucherie spécialisée Côte-à-Côte, where Réjean Vigneault is THE seal guy. There are all kinds of transformed products to taste it many ways, and he is a passionate guy well-known across the world as an ambassador for this wrongly understood hunt.
Smoked Herring and Other Products
Not even a century ago, traditional smokehouses lined the shores of the Magdalen Islands and helped preserve the fish that were caught in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with herring being the most popular. Alas, fisheries have changed and fish stocks have plummeted, forcing these smokehouses (fumoirs in French) to close, leaving nothing but buildings left to remind us of this past.
Luckily, the Arseneau family kept these building intact and as the new generation got older, Benoit Arseneau and his brothers decided to reopen his dad’s “boucanerie” according to traditional practices. And I’m happy they did, because it’s one of my favourite foodie spots in the Magdalen Islands.
Go for a tasting at the Le Fumoir d’antan of smoked herring and other smoked products. They even have tofu now. The history of the place is worth investigating deeper too within the economuseum. If you get a chance, ask for Ben à Ben, he’s quite the character to chat with!
Mackerel
Mackerel is also quite common and served in many ways around the islands.
- Go mackerel fishing with Maxime from Interprétation Pêche en mer! Tell him I sent you; you’ll have a blast. It’s one of my favourite tours I recommend you do in the islands. If fishing is prolific, you’ll leave with a bag of cleaned mackerel for dinner, so you just can’t get any fresher.
- The smoked mackerel fillets from Le Fumoir d’Antan are also delicious to add to any salad or picnic! Buy them at the smokehouse or at any local grocery store. I love to snack on them at the beach while watching the sunset!
Beignets
You simply can’t leave Maritime Quebec without trying beignets, or bread dough that is braided and then fried to create delicious breakfast breads. Dipped in molasses or Cheez Whiz or caramel, while still delightfully warm, they are simply amazing. Historically, mothers would make these with the rest of their bread dough to try to entice their young into eating more when times were tough.
- Most breakfast restaurants have them, like Resto du village in the shopping centre, but Gampy’s food truck are my favourite during high season, because you can eat them out on the deck.
- There is also a version of beignet which is braided differently and cooked in seal oil, which is hard to find outside of the Rendez-vous du loup-marin festival held in end of February-beginning of March. They are called croxignoles!
Local Cheeses
There’s definitely no shortage of good, local cheeses to eat in the îles de la Madeleine, like in the rest of Quebec! There are 2 cheese shops or fromageries, the oldest being Fromagerie du Pied-de-Vent and the most recent one being Les Biquettes à l’air.
At Fromagerie du Pied-de-Vent, cow’s milk is used to create all kinds of amazing cheeses like the eponymous Pied-de-Vent that has gained popularity outside of the islands’ borders over the years.
- An interpretation centre enables you to learn more about the process, and you can also book a tour to visit the cows and do a tasting of the various products.
- On Wednesdays around 3:30 pm the fromagerie releases its curd cheese and don’t wait too long cause there will be none left, it’s a staple among locals and travellers alike!
- To try the cheese as a meal, the poutine au Pied-de-Vent at Pas Perdus is pretty good, as well as the pizza at Pizza d’la Pointe.
At Les Biquettes à l’air, goat cheese is the star! Their spreadable cheeses leave me wanting more over and over again. They are unfortunately closing or being sold in the near future, but if you can catch some go for it before things happen!
- My favourite is the pepper version, but there are also a tomato and basil one and even a grapefruit one, to only name a few. Make sure you try multiple to figure out which ones you love best. They are sold in perfect portions for beach picnics!
Magdalen Spirits and Drinks
If you’re into beers and spirits, the Maggies have got you covered with multiple producers and you’re lucky, because many places will serve the ciders, berry alcohols, eau de vie and beers that are made here. You can also visit the places directly for a tasting menu, cocktails or even an evening on the terrace at the microbrewery.
- The islands have their own alcohols, the first were Le Barbocheux. Their products are not all equal, but a visit with Léonce who’s quite the character definitely leaves you speechless. This is where Bagosse is made, which is a traditional alcohol ancestors all used to make at home.
- You need to head over to the microbrewery À l’abri de la tempête for beer that spent the winter underwater: Corne de glace. strong as heck but wow, very original. All their beers are delicious though and very local inspired, Corne de Brume (smoky Scotch ale), La Belle Saison (farmhouse-style), or Saison de l’Île, and so many more. They also make a beer from local roasted coffee. It’s a great place to be, with many themed nights and even a food truck in summer (Le Cachalot).
- Verger Poméloi is an orchard that makes hard alcohol and cider which is quite the feat in this climate. The L’escarbille light cider is delicious as an afternoon “apero”, however between you and me, I must admit that I’m not a big fan of their spirits. However, I think you should most definitely stop in and go for the tasting flight, this way you can decide for yourself. They have a really nice like outdoor nook for cocktails and a walk in the orchard is fun!
- There is now also a winery in the islands, but as far as I know, no wine has been sold yet but stay tuned in the upcoming years!
Local Products and Condiments
There are so many products that are made here that don’t really fit into a broader category, but I had to include them in my list of what to try in the Magdalen Islands, but also of great souvenirs to bring home to remember the Madelinots by.
- At Gourmande de nature, all kinds of salts and spices are crafted with typical island greens and products like dune pepper/peppery green alder, as well as sea asparagus (Salicorne), a crunchy, salty green harvested in marshes used in salads or as garnish. It’s a good way to sprinkle a bit of island life into your future salads and barbecues.
- Living in a salt air environment makes it quite self-explanatory when a salt shop opens up, but Alcyon actually is one of the few places in the Maritimes and Quebec by the sea that makes local salt. Their shop is gorgeous and their products delicious. Try their chips and their salsa dip as well as a few sauces.
- Relatively recent in the food scene of the Îles de la Madeleine, Miel en mer has created a little paradise for bees on their land and around the region, harvesting interesting honey for you to take home. There are also bee-knowledge workshops where you dress up as a beekeeper and visit the queen and her subjects.
- L’Anse aux herbes and La Belle Occasion make bottled products available in grocery stores and some shops, like vinaigrettes, spices, dehydrated vegetables, etc.
- Cranberries, blueberries and wild strawberries are common all around the various islands, so keep your eyes peeled for some instantly gratifying snacks.
Desserts to Try in the Magadalen Islands
After so much food and flavour, one needs a good dessert to digest, right? Here are some of the best places to have desserts in the Magdalen Islands!
- Pâtisserie Rabiole has viennoiseries and pastries that sit at a whole other level. Be sure to stop by the small shop on rue du Quai before the daily fill runs out.
- Pâtisserie Chez Hélène des îles has great canelés and an “everything-cookie” that will melt in your mouth. That’s what I always order, but there are many more cakes and pies and bites that will fulfill your sweet tooth.
- O’Glaces in Havre-Aubert serves a twisted fruity ice cream cone with real berries and it’s just simply fantastic. I might (cough, cough) go out of my way to pass by there often… and you will too, I’m convinced.
- Gourmande de nature makes the best Pied-de-vent gelato with the cheese from the Fromagerie as well as rosehip jam.
- Boulangerie Grandma’s Bakery has recently reopened with new ownership, and they have some really good homemade desserts and breads just like the grandmothers of Grande-Entrée and Grosse-Île used to make.
- If you’re in La Grave, stop into Café de la Grave for a carrot cake and a coffee. It’s one of the best I’ve ever had!
- As far as desserts in restaurants go, I have to mention Restaurant Eva and their pâtissière’s delights… that Paris-Brest still haunts me when I have a sugar craving.
Îles de la Madeleine’s Best Coffee Spots
- Brûlerie de Café has island roasted coffee right in town in Cap-aux-Meules.
- For a good working hangout spot, go to Hook Café coffee shop and tell Cindy I sent you! it’s definitely one of my reading and working spots for a great view of the water.
- L’Îlot café buvette is nice and has good coffee with vegan sandwiches but it’s expensive for the food. The coffee is perfect though!
- Café des Lupins has me craving its tonic coffee-infused cold drink in the summer, but it serves all kinds of other coffee delights during high season.
- Ramea has got some good coffee as well. If you’re in La Grave, check out their little cabin.
- Boulangerie Madelon was muffins and croissants and all kinds of accompaniments that go good with their lattes and drip coffees.
One last thing I want to mention is the chiard or bouilli à la viande salée, a traditional family dish that consists of boiled salted beef and vegetables. It’s not easy to recommend places to try it, because it’s rarely prepared outside of family gatherings, but keep an eye out for it on menus, it’s divine!
Try to catch Marché du village fresh market if you’re there one of the Wednesdays they are held, you’ll see all the fresh produce directly from the islands, it’s impressive to see how many there are and how much local restaurants use them.
If you need someone as a local resource for food questions, don’t hesitate to ask them hereunder or to email me, I’d be happy to set up a tour or put you in contact with my local friends!
Here’s some more content about the Magdalen Islands that you might like:
- Top Things to Do in the Magdalen Islands This Summer
- 5 Incredibly Scrumptious Restaurants in the Magdalen Islands You Need to Try
- 20 Must-See Quebec Attractions to Add to Your Province Bucket List
Are you on Pinterest?
No Comments