Local products
Best focaccia in Quebec City: where to find real artisanal bread in Old Quebec
The focaccia from Borderon and Sons Bakery, served every morning at Carrera Café, is an institution. But what makes a real focaccia? And how do you recognize it among impostors?
The real focaccia
What sets it apart
Focaccia is one of the oldest doughs in Italian culinary tradition. A good focaccia is instantly recognizable: airy and light crumb, thin golden crust, generous olive oil, salt on the surface, sometimes rosemary. It should be soft inside and slightly crispy on the edges.
An industrial focaccia is immediately recognizable: dense crumb, flat flavor, lacking that characteristic lightness. There is no middle ground.
Borderon and Sons
Quebec's artisanal benchmark
Borderon and Sons Bakery is one of the few places in Quebec where you can truly talk about artisanal focaccia without exaggeration. Their process respects every step of tradition: hand kneading, long natural sourdough fermentation, baking in a stone oven. The result is unmatched.
Borderon and Sons Bakery
Their focaccia is kneaded every evening, left to rise all night, and baked in the early hours of the morning. It arrives at Carrera Café still warm, every day without exception.
Type of bread
Natural sourdough
Baking
Stone oven
Delivery
Every morning
Natural sourdough
Why it makes all the difference
Natural sourdough is the difference between living bread and dead bread. Unlike chemical yeast that acts quickly and uniformly, natural sourdough is a culture of wild bacteria and yeasts that work slowly, creating a complex fermentation that gives the bread its aromas, lightness, and natural preservation.
A well-made natural sourdough bread is as aromatically complex as a good specialty coffee. It’s no coincidence that Carrera Café chose Borderon et Fils.
Our versions
Focaccia at Carrera Café
Plain + butter
The base. Warm focaccia, salted butter from Quebec, fleur de sel. For those who appreciate simplicity.
5 $
Topped with Fresh Cheese
Fresh Quebec cheese, fresh herbs, olive oil, black pepper. Our signature version.
8 $
Circuit Board
Whole focaccia + Charlevoix charcuterie + aged cheese. The full version.
28 $
The bread that changes everything
Borderon et Fils Focaccia at Carrera Café
Rue du Petit-Champlain, Quebec. Fresh focaccia available from opening every morning.
See the menu
How to enjoy
Focaccia in all its glory
Focaccia is eaten hot, ideally within 30 minutes of coming out of the oven. At Carrera Café, it arrives warm every morning. The first bite should be taken as is, to appreciate the flavor of the bread alone. Then, according to the toppings offered.
Ideal moment
Warm, in the morning
Side
Espresso or latte
Toppings
Plain, cheese, charcuterie