✦ Gourmet guide
Old Port Market of Quebec
Local flavors, passionate producers, lively atmosphere. The Old Port Market is one of the most beautiful routes in Quebec, and Carrera Café is its signature stop.
The Old Port Market
An extraordinary route
For over thirty years, the Old Port Market has brought together the best producers of the region in a space with unique architecture, facing the Saint Lawrence River.
A hall of authentic flavors
Under the red brick arches, the stalls overflow with fresh products: aged cheeses, artisanal charcuterie, seasonal fruits and vegetables, honey, jams, fine chocolates. The atmosphere is that of a grand gastronomic prize. The energy, the smell of warm bread, the exchanges between customers and artisans.
A meeting place
The Market is not just a place to shop. It’s a living agora where Quebecers and visitors meet, where producers tell the story of their lands and methods. A human stopover, at the slow and voluptuous pace of a city that loves good food.
Essential producers
Local players
From Charlevoix to Île d’Orléans, the producers who bring life to the Market are often the same ones who supply the best tables in Quebec, including Carrera Café.
Organic Charcuterie from Charlevoix
Dried sausages, cured ham, flavored rillettes. Their products appear on the signature board at Carrera Café. A craft of transformation that smells of the Charlevoix woods.
Quebec Cheeses
Soft cheeses, semi-firm, washed in beer or cider. The cheesemakers of the region produce wonders. Some end up directly on our sharing boards.
Borderon and Sons
Sourdough breads, herb fougasses, crispy strings. It’s their bread that you’ll find at Carrera Café, thickly sliced, always served warm.
Local honey and sweets
Clover, buckwheat, wildflower honey. The beekeepers of the region offer products of remarkable complexity. Perfect to accompany a cheese platter.
The Gourmet Itinerary
Market in the Morning, Carrera in the Afternoon
A perfectly timed day: strolling among the stalls in the morning, then a stop at Carrera Café for a slow brunch in Petit-Champlain.
Day’s Route
Discovering stalls, chatting with producers, first purchases: cheeses, bread, cured meats.
10-minute walk along the river, passing Place-Royale. The neighborhood slowly awakens.
Board of local cured meats and cheeses, whole milk latte, grilled Borderon bread. The day’s pole position.
Artisan shops, Petit-Champlain Street, Casse-Cou Staircase. An afternoon in your own colors.
Market Every Season
A Circuit That Evolves Over Time
The Old Port Market changes its face with the seasons. Each period offers its own treasures, colors, and exclusive flavors.
High Season
Strawberries, raspberries, heirloom tomatoes, edible flowers, fresh herbs. The market overflows with life and color. The lines at the best stands are a sign it’s worth it.
Harvests and Squash
Orchard apples, squash, wild mushrooms, late-season honey. Autumn may be the most beautiful season at the market. The colors of the stalls blend with the surrounding foliage.
The Winter Market
Aged cheeses, dried cured meats, preserves, maple syrups. The winter version of the market is more intimate, deeper. The perfect time for long-lasting products.
The First Sprouts
Fiddleheads, asparagus, new maple syrup, pink radishes. After a long winter, the first spring products taste like freedom. Each stall tells the story of the end of the frost.
The Barista’s Tip
“After a morning at the Market, our recommendation is simple: come to us with your purchases, settle on the terrace, and order a hot latte. We’ll take care of the rest.”
The Market Board
Our seasonal pairing
At Carrera Café, we compose our sharing boards with producers you meet at the Old Port Market. Here’s what it looks like on the plate.
Pit Stop board
Charlevoix cured ham, herb dry sausage, local soft cheese, grilled Borderon bread, artisanal mustard, homemade pickles. The essential board at Carrera. Made for two, devoured by one.
Seasonal board
Composition varies according to the Market’s arrivals. Cheese of the month, seasonal charcuterie, local jams, Borderon bread of the day. The surprise our barista creates each week based on what he found that morning.
On the podium
Our market favorites
Three must-visit addresses to spot on your next visit to the Old Port Market.
✦ Old Port Market Podium
Key market producer. Sausages, hams, and rillettes from organic farming in Charlevoix. Also find them on our boards.
Quebec’s quintessential bread. Natural sourdough, hearth oven baking, crust aroma of cara poulette. It’s also our bread of the day at Carrera.
Soft cheeses aged in cider, delicate bloomy rinds. A cheese to enjoy on site or take home for the evening.
Stopover at Carrera Café
The Petit-Champlain pit stop
After the market, the Carrera Café is the natural next step. Terrace overlooking Rue du Petit-Champlain, exceptional coffee, boards you recognize — because you just saw the ingredients.
Post-market brunch
Hot or iced latte depending on the season, Pit Stop board, toasted Borderon bread, local jam. A brunch designed to extend the pleasure of the market. Sit down, slow down. The day is beautiful.
Your next stop
The Old Port Market in the morning, the Carrera Café for brunch. A gourmet circuit that Quebec offers to those who know where to look.
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