Symposium — Restaurant in Rivière-du-Loup

First off, I want to acknowledge how great this place smelled. It definitely added to the atmosphere, and it is not something I generally notice when I visit a restaurant.

The service was good, but not great. I did notice quite a few servers had their masks below their nose, which was a bit off-putting. Maybe they wanted to smell the fragrant restaurant a little bitter!

The food was quite good, but it felt a bit pricey for the quality. It seems like they're definitely going for a sophisticated vibe, and the price reflects that. I enjoyed my BBQ Ribs Poutine, though it was a bit soggy. The sweet potato fries with the BBQ sauce, the ribs, and the curds were a very good combination that I don't think would have been achieved with regular fries.

My partner ordered the beef tartare and we both enjoyed it. The edges of her toasted baguette were charred, and inedible, but otherwise it was a great dish.

We were also given sushi at the start of our dining experience, as I guess the sushi restaurant nearby closes early, and Symposium gets their leftovers and gives them to customers? We were a bit confused, as our French isn't the best, but we were happy with the surprise nonetheless!

The beer menu wasn't anything to write home about, which is disappointing, as I think a good beer could really compliment some of these dishes. We tried two beers of the few beers on their menu, and while they were good, a bigger selection would have been appreciated.

If you are looking for a higher-class, more sophisticated dining experience, Symposium seems to do a decent...

Kinda disappointing dining experience given the very high Google rating

We came to this restaurant with high expectations since it has an outstanding Google rating. Unfortunately the restaurant did not live up to its reputation.

The location is excellent, right in front of the historic Princess theatre. Parking was free on street. The decor was tasteful, also had an artsy vibe. Staff was very friendly and accommodating, also pleasantly surprised that they were bilingual.

What came up short was the dishes. One big problem was the food temperature, pretty much everything we ordered came out lukewarm, even those fried calamari and fish and chips were not hot and crispy, they taste like prepared frozen dishes from grocery stores. Husband had the 2 salmon tartar, he said it was average. My blackened cod was cooked to perfection, but I was the only happy camper in my household of 4. :(

Final bill was on the higher end too, so we will probably not return,...

What a great restaurant - this was an impromptu stop for us on our way through town but will be remembered as one of the highlights of our trip. The waitress that served us was serving a lot of tables yet was still incredibly attentive and helpful. They also brought us English menus which was much appreciated. And the food was phenomenal - we had the Ze burger and fries (so so good!), the General Tao chicken (pleased our pickiest eater), the pork loin (excellent) and the blackened cod with hollandaise sauce and butternut mash (absolutely amazing!). Highly recommend...