La Belle Patate — Restaurant in Esquimalt

Having lived all across Canada, I have had a lot of great poutines. Hole in the wall style joints like this place are usually poutine gold, but this is definitely not the case. I have tried this place twice now. The potatoes they use must be caked with dirt cause every other bite is a gritty sandy crunch. Nothing turns my stomach more than gritty fries.

The gravy on the other hand was ok. Nothing tasty but fine. The problem is you almost get more gravy than fries. I mean by the time your done there's a cm or more of solid gravy at the bottom. Being that its kinda ordinary makes the whole thing a sloppy soggy mess. I've had poutines where the gravy is so good you want to drink it. Not here.

Finally the cheese curd. These guys claim to use the original quebec style cheese curd or something to this effect, and that they are not supposed to melt. Every decent poutine should be hot enough so that the cheese curds partially melt. I got my poutine fresh to order both times, and both times the gravy wasn't hot and the curds were like rubber with no flavor.

Dude, even cheap Wendy's has a better poutine, c'mon! Don't believe me? Go get yourself a $3.99 poutine and put it beside La Belle Patate's poutine and taste them. Tasty gravy, tasty curds, hot non...

This is a poutinery. It was the best poutine I've ever had. I had a poutine called Glavaude. Poutine with chicken and peas. I know that doesn't sound good, but it was yummy!! I also had a steamie, which in Quebec is a staple. A steamed hot dog with mustard, onion, relish, coleslaw. Fantastic!!! The gravy was soooo good, not too salty and I think they used Yukon gold potatoes. The fries didn't have a greasy taste and were fresh, not frozen. I would like to add to this today(8/26/25). My friends and I went there today and I had an unfortunate mishap. As I was bringing the poutine to my table(very very hot), the whole container literally collapsed on to the floor. It was everywhere. One of the young men helped me clean it up. He asked the two guys cooking to remake me another one. They didn't have to do that at all but it was truly...

Being that I just moved from Quebec, I was legitimately excited to try what had been touted as the best poutine place in Vic.

However, the main fella running the cash and taking orders (larger, bearded, black stud earrings) needs a hug- big time. That was easily the worse customer service I've ever experienced. He had so much attitude, and never directly answered my questions about the food. Instead, he opted to silently point at things, and mock me in front of other customers.

I'll likely give them a second chance, since poutine gravy is in my blood, but I, in total sincerity, hope this guy was just having a bad day and that I was the unlucky target for his lack of emotional control.

Otherwise, if that was his true nature, I hope his kids (if he has some?) can acquire a better role model in their...