Il Teatro Restaurant Italien — Restaurant in Quebec

Great environment serving below average and overpriced food. Non fresh ingredients for dinner and breakfast( they didn't serve fresh pancakes!! but stale hard ones that appeared pre-made). There are other better Italian restaurants in the city. Unfortunately no photos are taken when the food is unacceptable. Thank you management also for ruining my daughter bday surprise dinnerRestaurant Il Teatro, Beautiful Layout with Disappointing Quality & Management

1-Disappointing communications The surprise was out of the bag regarding my Daughters surprise bday dinner. Thank some restaurant staff who thought to call me an hour before I arrive, while driving to spill the beans. You know that if the restaurant calls you to ask permission to make a $48 cake to serve 2 people, than they already know the answer….NO. At that point the 2 days surprise was busted. It was a petty level of discussion. No attempt was made even at offering anything else.

2- Dinner & Breakfast; Disappointment for a 5 star Hotel Restaurant : Il Teatro The dinner I had the Lobster Bisque Pasta. At a price of $40 you would expect significant lobster considering the rest is just pasta. I was surprised to find only ½ of a claw of lobster( most likely canned as it was rubbery and not fresh) This was a disappointment. It was not acceptable. The pasta was sitting in a lobster broth with some other non-identifiable parts. Unacceptable.

The dessert we ordered was Tiramisu . The Tiramisu served was premade( like the type you buy at a grocery store). Very average, pre-chilled in a freezer in a glass jar. THIS IS UNACCPETABLE FOR THIS TYPE OF ITALIAN RESTAURANT. And to put more displeasure to this phase of the dinner, no attempt was made by the chef to provide any type of celebratory dessert or finishings to my daughter. Choosing this restaurant was a mistake on multiple levels. They knew the purpose of this dinner and no attempt to rectify the bad communications was done. The dinner was unacceptable and the treatment was even worse. My original request was slept under the carpet.

Fortunately we ate at another Italian restaurant the night before that served an amazing Tiramisu, fresh and amazing. The restaurant went out of their way to celebrate my daughter’s bday with great quality food and celebratory finishings.

The breakfast at Il Teatro was equally disappointing. I had the French Toast. It was a simple stale cinnamon brioche covered with custard sauce with additional sauteed fruits. The following day I switched plates with my daughter who ordered from the child’s menu, a series of pancakes. We do this frequently in restaurants so I can taste what my daughter is eating. I was shocked to find that they had served old pancakes to my daughter. Hard as leather. I almost chocked on it. I immediately called the waitress and said ” This was terrible” The manager came by and apologized and said “we will make fresh ones for her now”………Really! Your pancakes in a 5 star restaurant are not always fresh?

The French toast and the pancakes were not fresh. Pancakes are supposed to be made on the spot and to assume a child will not notice such poor quality with a parent was a miscalculation and sloppiness by the kitchen. At this point I had realized this was not a good restaurant and I would have had a better and fresher breakfast at Tim Horton.

Conclusion: Il Teatro sits in a spectacular architectural location and serves average food not worthy of its location or billing.

Please note that on the previous night I had a great meal at another Italian restaurant in the city. It was fantastic. Thank you Il Teatro for compromising my daughter “ Italian weekend bday celebration” with 3 star food in a 5...

What an AMAZING restaurant to go have a romantic dinner date! The atmosphere is so warm, luxurious and well decorated. Located in the same building as “Le Capitole” auditorium & hotel. When we arrived, we were greeted by a valet parking service. The gentleman was very nice & polite. He even took off the snow off our car all night while we were eating, to make sure it was nice and cleaned up for our exit. We could see him do it from our diner table, very good service. In the restaurant, we were greeted and checked our coats for free. Once at the table, we had a beautiful view out the window of the city. My wife started by ordering a glass of Champagne and I ordered a very tasty pint of IPA beer. We then each ordered an appetizer. The first appetizer was “Mozzarella Alla Marinara” (Fried mozzarella, marinara sauce, white balsamic gel, tomato confit & basil) It was so tasty, I bet you never had a cheese appetizer this good. A must try!👍🏻 The second appetizer was “Carpaccio Di Manzo” (Sliced beef, fried capers, grated Bottarga, Tomato confit, marinated fennel, candied lemon zest & anchovy vinaigrette) This appetizer was so so good it was like heaven in our mouth. Succulent ! We then ordered a light and smooth Valpolicella Italian red wine to pair with our two main courses. The first main course was « Tortellini Al Parmiggiano » (Giant tortellini stuffed with cheese, arugula pesto topping, meat stock & parmesan cream) These pastas were house made and very tasty and creamy in our mouths. Also a very good choice on the menu. The second main course was « Risotto All’Anatra Affumicata » (Creamy smoked duck and foie gras risotto & parmesan crumble) This was one of the best risotto I have ever tasted and I try them in every restaurant when available on the menu. Taste wise it was So so smooth and the smoky flavors of the duck mixed with the parmesan crumble was DELICIOUS 🤤 !! We were so full from our choices that we couldn’t even share a dessert but the « Crème Brûlée » was very very tempting 😉 The service in general by everyone was really good but our waiter went above and beyond to make sure all our needs were taken care of and he was really proactive all night. AMAZING 🤩 The prices are a bit pricier than normal compared to other high end restaurants but we’ll worth every penny. Always ok to pay more as long as we get quality and the quantities & quality in our plates were perfect. HATS OFF TO THE CHEF!!! Highly recommend this restaurant !!! AMAZING JOB...

$40 CAD for the POLLO ARROSTO, which claimed to be seasoned with lemon and sage, but tasted isolated and bland, with not even a hint of flavor. The portion of the POLLO ARROSTO was frankly insulting; the quarter chicken was very bland, oddly textured, and worse than supermarket rotisserie chicken. However, the sides were amazing—the candied fingerling potatoes and the truffle oil/chimichurri sauce were among the best I’ve ever had, though this did not make up for the main dish's poor quality. I ordered lemonade but was served an $11 CAD drink with a strange pink color that was excessively sour and potentially contained alcohol, which is concerning as I am not of legal drinking age. The staff's limited English led to confusion about my dietary restrictions, resulting in me being charged for a plate I couldn’t eat despite informing the waiter. Additionally, bread is only served upon request, which isn’t typical for a restaurant in this price range. Although the bread was surprisingly tasty, it was cold and served with butter cups. The MOZZARELLA ALLA MARINARA appetizer was solid, with the marinara sauce being very fresh and good, though the portions were incredibly small for $22 CAD. I also ordered the SALMONE ALLA GRIGLIA, which didn’t taste very fresh, was extremely bitter, and the portion of the filet was only slightly larger than a finger. It was grilled, but I suspect it was pre-cooked, which is outrageous for $40 CAD. I tried to order scallops as a side rather than a main dish, as I just wanted to try them, and was given a scallop barely the size of a quarter for $11 CAD. When I clarified, the waiter audaciously asked if I wanted just one for $11 CAD. On the positive side, the atmosphere was beautiful, the bathroom services were clean and modern, and the indoor and outdoor seating were nice. However, the outdoor seating was very crowded, with small tables overloaded with huge plates of barely any food. I was prepared to have a nice dinner for my only day in Quebec City, but this experience really set a bad mood as I was expecting so much more. Based on the quality, quantity, and prices, I would recommend choosing from the many other restaurants in the area to avoid leaving with an empty wallet...