1640 Bistro — Restaurant in Quebec

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J’ai été victime de discrimination raciale dans mon restaurant préféré

Racially discriminated at my favourite restaurant of all time. (Photos for reference) I went there to have dinner a few weeks ago, and I was so excited to visit the place again after my last visit during winter. The problem began immediately when I went to the restaurant this time. A young woman who was guiding all the customers seemed like she did not want to work. She gave us (me and my mom) a very cramped seat right in front of the entrance outside, despite having plenty of other tables and seats. It was barely possible to fit two people. So I asked her if we could have another seat because two people may not fit there. Then, she gave us a seat made of two tables pushed together, but with a big height difference between them. I began feeling something was not right because there were plenty of tables and other seats available, but she was still giving us nonsense seats. I asked her again for another seat and asked her if we could rather go inside. She said no. I asked her, “Why is that?” and she just answered again, “No,” without any explanation. I was confused and thought the inside seating might not be open that day. So again, I asked her if we could have a seat at one of the two-person tables. Again, she immediately said “No.” I asked her for the reason again, and she bluntly answered “No” again. The situation was getting tiring and we just wanted to sit and eat, so I asked her to seat us at any empty place at the right side of the outside long table. That’s when we were finally able to have a proper two-person seat with two chairs.

I felt very discriminated. Right after our frustrating interaction, we tried to shake it off and enjoy the moment. However, her face changed immediately when dealing with white people. She gave them proper seating and guided them to the inside of the restaurant, gave them proper seats, and gave them table seats that she refused to offer us.

You know this is serious when the locals start to intervene. We were sitting at our seat silently, feeling a bit bittersweet, and a local Quebec guy and his wife came to check on us and asked if we were feeling alright. He said he had been watching the whole situation from their table. He offered his table to us since they were planning to leave immediately. I was very thankful to the guy, but told him that we couldn’t have a table since the young guiding woman clearly asserted that we couldn’t have a table.

I considered a lot before bringing this to the review. I love the food here, especially the glazed duck pasta. It is one of my life’s favourite foods, and I loved this restaurant so much that I have brought each and every friend every time we had an opportunity to come to town. Our server was great and super friendly, which made it a bit less worse.

Only the young woman at the front outside with a short tight low bun hair style who guides people ruined our whole memory with this restaurant. Everything was perfect before then. I still see her when I pass by during night time.

Just to avoid her, I visited today during lunch. Our experience today at lunch was perfect as usual.

Canada is a country that treat minorities without discrimination by law. I hope it is time for her to learn something.

I love this restaurant still, and want to keep visiting with my free will without being afraid of the young woman. I love the food here, and this place holds a lot of my memories. I don’t want to be brutally disrespected like this again. If you are the owner of the restaurant, I hope this young woman is just a seasonal employee. Don’t let your chef’s foods go in vain, because I absolutely love their food.

Thanks for the reply, but everyone who sat at back terrace table had a whole dinner there.

I‘ve attachted photos to show the empty tables and the cramped seatings we were...

An Unforgettable Culinary Experience at Bistro 1640

From the very first sip to the final bite, our dinner at Bistro 1640 was nothing short of spectacular. Nestled in the heart of Old Quebec, this gem delivered one of the best dining experiences we’ve had in years.

We started with cocktails to cool off on a hot summer day: • I had La Récolte • My wife had the Mojito El Pepino

Both were expertly crafted and incredibly refreshing, the perfect start.

To begin, we shared the Cassolette d’escargots as our appetizer. It was so fresh, tender, and surprisingly light, a delicate twist on a classic dish that set the tone for the rest of the evening.

For our entrées: • My wife had the Duo 1664 tartare platter with the fois gras add-on. The portion size was generous and both tartares were exceptionally seasoned, fresh, and delicate. Every bite was a delectable experience.

• I ordered the Braised beef jowl, which was cooked to absolute perfection, tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture with outstanding flavor. I don’t know why they gave me a knife. It certainly wasn’t needed.

• Our friend Jon had the Le Cendré smash burger, which was juicy, flavorful, and cooked to perfection.

• His wife Shannon enjoyed the Charcutière pizza, which had a perfect crust and the freshest toppings. It was one of the best pizzas we’ve ever seen.

• Their daughter Jenna had the Fettuccine with veal and Romano cheese, which she absolutely adored. It was her first time trying veal and she was blown away.

Chef Thomas Plante created a culinary experience that was exceptional and unforgettable. Every dish was thoughtfully prepared and presented, and the quality was consistently outstanding from start to finish.

Our server Nico was fantastic. He was both professional and personable at all times, attentive, thoughtful, and made sure our table was so very well looked after. He truly elevated the entire experience.

My only regret is that we didn’t take more photos of the foo, because as soon as each dish arrived, we couldn’t help but dive in. Every plate was irresistible.

If you’re in Quebec City, do not miss Bistro 1640. This wasn’t just a dinner. It was a culinary journey and night we’ll remember for...

I cannot say enough about this restaurant! We took a big risk and arrived to a busy restaurant. They kindly accommodated us. My French is not great- but it was not an issue. Staff were kind and polite. Our server was VERY helpful and observant. Service was fast despite the busy hour. The atmosphere was warm, mildly dim lighting w 1940's jazz to current day softly playing as we sat gazing outside the window at people playing in the snow. All this across from Chateau Frontenac! The food is locally sourced - which for us is important. The portion sizes were generous, the service was quick without being intrusive and our server was patient and we never felt rushed to vacate as we saw more customers arrive and go. We started w French onion soup and escargot casolette - we could have stopped there. It was filling on its own. Perfect if you want to come in for a warm bite of comfort food. But we came for the full experience!The food quality was very fresh, the glazed duck was delightful - complex in textures and rich in flavour and tradition. The linguini cooked to perfection with a subtle blend of herbs that paired well with the duck. The roasted French cut pork chop w the goat cheese was a revelation! Very large serving w scalloped potato underneath and goat cheese on top of a glorious cut of tender pork. Of course we had cocktails at the start (the bartender was a magician himself and makes the BEST martini my partner has had in years) and shared a bottle of wine for the meal. Beyond sated and very content, we departed- but...