The Chouchou Team’s Favourite Spots in Quebec City

At the helm of Chouchou, the counter that won over Limoilou the moment it opened in spring 2026, Frédéric Samson and Marie-Ève Massicotte are a couple in life as at work. Their story is inseparable from La Planque, the address that helped turn 3e Avenue into a food destination, and from Le Cendrillon, its festive neighbour.

Restaurants have always been part of Frédéric’s life, even though he studied industrial relations, then business administration. Fresh out of university, an opportunity came up: in 2012, he opened La Planque in a former florist’s shop on 3e Avenue, at a time when the neighbourhood still had few restaurants. In 2015, he co-founded Le Cendrillon, the buvette next door, with his friends Carl Dumas and Joffrey Beaulieu.

Marie-Ève, for her part, joined La Planque when it opened and never really left: with a degree in communications, she juggled an office job and evening service, unable to bring herself to leave her second home. That’s where the couple got together. Two children later, the urge to build something new led to Chouchou, set up in a space that long housed a neighbourhood sandwich shop and was already full of memories for them. “There was a little hidden counter at the front that we called, between us, the love zone. We kept it: it’s now the nicest seat in the house, with the view onto 3e Avenue.”

Frédéric is the sole owner, but he is quick to point out: “Everyone got so involved that you can really say the Chouchou team.”

Chouchou Limoilou’s sandwiches

So, what is Chouchou?

The menu was developed with Thomas Barry, chef at La Planque, and is run day to day by chef William Martineau. “It all started with the late-night staff meals at La Planque. Tom’s kimchi, his fried chicken technique, my love of sandwich shops and burgers: we ran some tests, and that’s what made sense.”

“We’re doing volume for the first time, but we want to stay as artisanal as possible. We’re learning to have fun with the soft-serve machine: I think our wildest ideas are still to come.” — Frédéric Samson

Long-time producers are along for the ride. “The burger bun is our own recipe, developed with Pascal le boulanger, with potato starch, butter and eggs. Borderon makes our Japanese milk bread. The meat, a Highland and Wagyu cross aged for over a month, comes from Croc-Mignon butcher shop, right next to Chouchou.”

The decor, thrifted and designed by the couple, fully embraces its mid-century spirit. “These are all things we love but wouldn’t allow ourselves at home because they’re too bold. We wanted it to be different, loud, to look like us.” The back of the building is under construction: a proper dining room is set to be added in November 2026, with “a few surprises.” “Chouchou is a big toy. We’re really having fun.”

The decor at Chouchou Limoilou, photo credit: Trsto-Media

Your top 5 food recommendations in Quebec City?

#1 – Le 101, Saint-Roch

At 101, rue Saint-Joseph Est, Charles Gignac’s neighbourhood restaurant is an obvious pick for Frédéric, who has known the chef since high school. “It’s a second home. I know where he’s been, and through the rigour of his French technique, his story comes right through. When I eat there, I see my life in every bite.” A refined yet family-friendly table, where kids are welcome.

Le 101 restaurant, photo credit: Vincent Caron

#2 – Lueur, Old Quebec

Laurie Raphaël‘s little sister brings together several familiar faces: Frédéric learned the ropes with Raphaël Vézina, the current chef is a former sous-chef from La Planque, and the artwork on the ceiling is by Marie-Ève. “Friendship aside, the experience is really fun, the service is warm and the food, exceptional.”

The decor at lueur, photo credit: Prestige

#3 – Les Ouches, Île d’Orléans

A young vineyard on the island, where a small seasonal menu comes as bites to take away or to enjoy on site, among the vines. Vinifera grapes, natural cuvées, bubbles: “Simple, effective, lovely pure flavours. Sometimes simplicity wins: you get there with stars in your eyes. Just being there is already beautiful.”

The landscape at Vignoble Les Ouches, photo credit: Instagram

#4 – Paul Pizza, Limoilou

Newly landed on 3e Avenue, the pizzeria satisfies “an unconditional love for New York-style pizza,” a style Frédéric had been searching for in vain in Quebec City. “A beautiful sourdough crust, micro-batches every day, as crispy as you could want.” A fine addition to Limoilou!

Paul Pizza, photo credit: Alexandra Thibault

#5 – Crèmerie Sammy’s, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

On the Côte-de-Beaupré, a hop from the falls, this ice cream stand makes New Zealand-style soft serve with real seasonal fruit, blended in to order. “It’s one of the only places doing that in the region, and it’s an ice cream shop that really inspired us when we created Chouchou. They work with beautiful products and the branding is lovely too: everything feels good when you go there.” The kind of stop that rewards a run or a bike ride out from Quebec City.

Wild blueberry soft serve at Crèmerie Sammy’s, photo credit: Instagram

Special mention – Pascal Le Boulanger, Stoneham

Chouchou’s partner for its burger buns, he was impossible not to name. The bakery of this Frenchman who made Quebec City home has become a destination for cyclists and anyone out for a drive. A baguette tradition that “knocks you flat,” viennoiseries, sandwiches, and cakes that mark every family celebration, including a big Paris-Brest requested every year by Frédéric’s father.

Pascal Le Boulanger in Stoneham, photo credit: DQC

Where do you go out to celebrate a special occasion?

Kebec Club Privé remains the couple’s go-to for big gastronomic evenings, but in real life, celebrations happen as a family, and Julio Taqueria, in Saint-Roch, wins a unanimous vote from kids and grown-ups alike. The children love the tacos; the parents, the margaritas, “which is the most dangerous part,” and everything built around corn, vegetarian options included. “They bring you a whole range of sauces and come describe them at the table. Everything is easy to love, convivial, eaten with your hands and shared.” All of it in a gorgeous, colourful decor, as playful as it is transporting.

Julio Taqueria, photo credit: Mikael Lebleu

And for a date?

Gisèle Buvette, in Saint-Sauveur, for its fine wine selection, its DJs who rotate every week and its disco ball. “There’s a big platform in the middle; settling in side by side or slipping over to the little bar, there’s something festive and really fun about it. The ideal apéro: olives and a gimlet, and the night is on.” — Marie-Ève Massicotte

The decor at Gisèle Buvette, photo credit: Instagram

Your best-kept secret in Quebec City?

Chez Carlos Café, in Vieux-Limoilou, the bakery and Colombian café run by Carlos, a La Planque regular. Empanadas, drinks and small dishes that “take you straight to Colombia from the first bite,” with little dipping sauces, including a green avocado one “you could drink by the pint.” The right move: take it all to go to Parc Cartier-Brébeuf, right next door. “What he makes is really good.” — Frédéric Samson

Special mention: Chez Denise, in Shannon, a family casse-croûte where even the pogos are homemade. “The kids go crazier for those pogos than for the regular ones,” says Marie-Ève, laughing.

Best grab-and-go lunch?

Baloney, in Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the sandwich shop that Benoît Lacourse, long-time chef at Le Cendrillon, opened at 545, rue Saint-Jean: his dream come true. You go for the reinvented Louisiana classic, grilled baloney topped with ketchup chips, “instead of mustard: personal choice, no judgment,” or for the chopped cheese, “extraordinary, if you’re planning a nap afterwards.” “It’s just fun to go as a group and taste everything.”

The sandwiches at Baloney’s, photo credit: Instagram

One activity you absolutely have to do in Quebec City?

A full day in their neck of the woods, north of the city. “You grab your coffee at Les Gamines, in Stoneham, you head out mountain biking at Empire 47, in Lac-Delage, then you swing back by La Souche to pick up a few beers to go and by Pascal le boulanger for a quick lunch. You finish on the banks of the Jacques-Cartier River, on the beach next to the Tewkesbury church. Everything is five minutes apart.” A new staircase built by the municipality now leads right down to the shore. “I don’t know if we’re allowed to say this, I’d rather keep it secret: it’s going to become a place everyone goes.” — Marie-Ève Massicotte

Empire 47, photo credit: Etienne Dionne

Someone visits who has never been to Quebec City. Where do you take them first?

The great classic, fully owned: see the Château, stroll along Dufferin Terrace, ride the funicular down and wander the little streets of Petit-Champlain. “Yes, it’s touristy, but we do it every year with the kids, and we come back as full as we would from a trip to Europe.” Along the way, a stop on rue Saint-Jean is in order for a spritz and a pizza at Nina Pizza napolitaine, then a chouquette at Chouquette, right next door, for the road.

How would you describe Quebec City in one word?

“Charming. It’s so beautiful to look at, it has everything it takes to charm: the food, the setting, the château.” Frédéric adds: “Its people, its restaurant scene, the service… That’s really our strength.”

Written by Maya Cloutier
Photography by Alison Slattery