CONTI - Cuisine Italien / Francaise - Fruit de Mer / Burgers / Steak - Bar a Vin / Cocktails — Restaurant in Quebec

Long review but worthy it. Wish I could give 0 stars:

We were staying in Quebec city for family day along with some friend. We had a large group, 7 adults and 11 kids/teens. We were looking for a nice place for dinner and our hotel concierge recommended us the Conti Restaurant. They told us that the place was excellent and child friendly with many options for kid’s meals so the reservation was made.

Having experience with such a large and diverse group, we called the restaurant ourselves too and confirmed that they were child friendly/would be able to accommodate us and the kids with no problem. They also stated that they had many choices for kid’s meals so we were feeling confident that the evening was going to be unforgettable.

Unforgettable it was for sure, but not in the way that we expected. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by a staff member name. He showed us to our tables and we sat. From that moment forward this staff member was extremely rude to us. A child stood up from the kids table and WALKED to talk to her mom. He immediately informed us that kids could not run in the restaurant. Then, he placed a napkin in front of one of the kids and kids being kids, he just removed and placed on the table like any 10-year-old would do. This staff member yelled “oooooh” at the child, mesmerized that this would happen. Mind you that that is also a special needs kid so it took us a long time to calm him down after we left the restaurant and assure him that the whole incident was not his fault.

Fast forward another 15 min in which we were choosing meals and drinks (and being rushed to do our wine selection), he asked as if the kids were not there and he was disgusted by the sight of so many kids: “well, will you choose for the kids?”. Then we found out that there were only 2 options for the kids: French fries and some pasta. This does not constitute several options for kids. This person then suggested we order a very fancy pork loin and split between 2 kids. These are kids…. They do not eat fancy pork loin. They do not know what it is. They were expecting food for them as it was advertised by the hotel concierge and the restaurant staff who answered the phone.

Now we understand that kids being kids can be hard to cater for. But they were on their absolute best behavior, playing quietly with each other using online games. Then this staff member came and stated that there were complaints about the kid’s noise. This was the last straw, so we proceeded to leave the restaurant immediately. Then he said: “ it is not the kids, it is the ipad’s noise.” The kids were quiet, the ipad’s set at very low volume. Clearly, we were misled to believe that this place could cater to our group. But the attitude of this staff member (who said that he was the manager) could not have been more demeaning towards us as customers and towards our kids. The disgust in which he spoke to us since we arrived until we left was unbelievable.

Two other tables left at the same time clearly disgusted by the staff attitude, for that I thank you.

To the couple whispering and shooting us dirty looks with another staff member, I feel sorry for you. Sorry, that you can live with such a mediocre service and be happy with it.

We do not recommend this place. If you are in Quebec City, there are many wonderful options but the Conti Restaurant is not...

In a snapshot, the ambience is good, the service is poor, the food is average and the prices are too high for the quality of food and experience provided ... especially by local standards.

We had been in the city for most of the day and were looking for dinner options that would be a nice way to cap off our visit. There are many restaurants to choose from in the area. Most are quite pricey and did not blow us away with their menu offerings. A review of this establishment's posted menu drew us in because it seemed like a good blend of options and value.

Once we stepped in we asked for a table for two. At this point the restaurant was fairly empty but they seemed to make a "show" of it to see if they could accommodate us. Duh ... there were obviously lots of open tables. Naturally, a table was provided after the hostess went and checked with someone else. Felt a bit like we were visiting a used car lot.

Eventually (not quickly) a server came around to see what we'd like. Water was not instantly provided so we had to ask for it. That took a while since the staff were all busy entertaining each other rather than attending to the customers. Prospective patrons often waited at the door for someone to finally make their way over.

When our meals arrived they were very presentable and tasted quite good. We had to ask for water refills several times because, as before, the staff were more interested in socializing than caring for customers. I could see other patrons were equally frustrated.

Would I go here again. No! I believe there are better options nearby, but since this was our only visit, I will never know. It left a bit of a sour taste on our enjoyment of the city, so if you're reading this review, I hope you have...

We started off hoping to have a pleasant evening however the man at the front of house (maître d' ) who was supposed to be the 'face' of the restaurant was very unkind, rude and we almost left right from the start because of his unwelcoming nature. We truly felt like we weren't welcome there and this place. He refused to smile , yelled at our kid, and then just tossed menus on the table without even a nice tone.

We were planning on leaving right from the start with how he behaved but waited to sit down and see what happens.

The waitress was pleasant.

The veal medallions weren't round, but were odd shaped. Aside from the potatoes on that dish, the rest lacked flavor.

The lemon picatta veal was ok. The flavor was nice but the veal was definitely overcooked. The tagliatelle was nice. Thw food overall was small in portion size and underwhelming.

The kids penne pasta was nice.

Dessert was ok. Looked nice. But flavour? meh

Not to mention a $9+tax bottle of sparkling water. 😐

Whilst we hoped to have a nice dinner in old Quebec city, we don't think we'll be returning because if weighing the pros and cons, the cons definitely outweighed the pros. Also the super expensive meal which was very underwhelming

Also, please change who greets potential customers. It puts a lasting impression from the start to finish. If English speaking customers are not welcome, then change the signs on the door.. or keep the maître d ' in the back When we were leaving, that same rude, disrespectful waiter / maître d' was super nice, smiling, welcoming AND chatty to the French speaking...