Percé

Café des Couleurs

This hidden gem is in off-the-beaten-path Barachois, a good distance away from downtown Percé, but it's well worth the trip. Breakfast is the main attraction at Le Café des Couleurs: you can get hot cereal, yoghurt, and standard eggs-and-bacon fare, but the specialty is a range of Belgian waffles that come topped with everything from standard favourites like maple syrup and fruit compote to oddballs like smoked salmon, scallops, and ceviche. Upscale coffee concoctions are abundant. At lunchtime, there's a range of light fare including daily soup and salad specials. The ambience is quiet and pleasant, with walls adorned with the work of local artists.

Jun-Sep: daily 09:00-17:00·$15-30

La Maison Mathilde

Owned by the same folks that run the motel next door, the Auberge les Trois Soeurs, La Maison Mathilde is a cozy little place that's far enough from the centre of town to afford diners a bit of quietude, yet not so far as to be inconvenient. Deliciously prepared and exquisitely presented seafood dishes are the name of the game here, with scallops a particular specialty; if you're not a fan of seafood, there's also a range of meat entrées and pasta dishes that, unfortunately, tend not to be quite as good. Local beer is available on tap. Points off for the service, which is hit-or-miss, and the prices, which are a bit high for the somewhat skimpy portion sizes.

Open Jun-Sep·$35-65

La Maison du Pêcheur

La Maison du Pêcheur is easily the most upscale fine-dining restaurant in Percé, but you'd never know it from the unassuming exterior: like most of the buildings next to the wharf, this place used to be a fish warehouse; then it spent a period as a youth hostel (check out the 1960s-era FLQ graffiti that remains on the ceiling rafters!) Locally sourced seafood is the crux of the menu here — salmon, halibut, scallops, lobsters, and other delights come in multi-course prix fixe meals or can be ordered à la carte, and are crafted into some of the most unique, creative selections you'll find anywhere in the Gaspé (cod tongue with sea urchin sauce, for example). Matching the topnotch food is one of the best waterfront views in town, looking out onto Percé Rock and Bonaventure Island. The attentive yet unobtrusive service befits the level of luxury, and the extensive wine list emphasizes European vintages.

Daily 11:00-14:30 (lunch) and 17:00-22:00 (dinner), Jun-Sep·$35-80

Les Sacs à Vin

There's nothing pretentious to be found at this combination bar, bistro and campground (!) at the north end of Percé town centre — just some of the hugest portions of home-cooked seafood goodies the Gaspé Peninsula has to offer, served up with friendly, folksy verve by a staff headed by a French expat named François. Most visitors to Les Sacs à Vin seem to gravitate toward the lobster, which is some of the cheapest and most delicious around, but there's also a bevy of other local specialties on offer: scallops, smoked salmon (served over fettuccine), maple syrup pie for dessert, and a small slate of Québécois wines. Open year-round.

$15-40

Restaurant des Margaulx

If you've set out for a day of hiking on Bonaventure Island and forgot to pack a lunch, des Margaulx is your answer. Located just at the foot of the dock at L'Anse à Butler, this beautifully restored building served as a fish storehouse back in the days when a small, hardy community of fishermen lived on the island, and the restaurant stays true to its heritage with a hearty yet healthy menu of local seafood specialties, served cafeteria-style. You can get lobster, crab and shrimp sandwiches here as well as heartier entrées, but the specialty of the house that's not to be missed is authentic, old-style Gaspesian fish chowder flavoured with a delectable hint of saffron.

Daily 09:00-17:00, mid-Jun through late Sep; daily 09:00-16:00, late Sep through early Oct

Resto de l'Anse

More popular with locals than the tourist crowd, the bread and butter at this roadside snack bar in L'Anse-à-Beaufils is deep-fried goodies like breaded cod filets, fish and chips, and scallops, as well as poutine, Montreal smoked meat sandwiches, and other Quebec specialties. However, Resto de l'Anse is probably most famous around these parts for their seafood pizza, which they deliver to any location from downtown Percé to Sainte-Thérèse starting at 11:00 every morning. Service is friendly and folksy, seating is either indoors or outside on picnic tables, and prices are hard to beat.

Daily 11:00-21:00 in season

Biard

Fresh seafood and fish. Lobster dinner $30-38, crab, shrimps, etc. Non-seafood items. View of the Percé Rock.

Café-Bistro de la Vieille Usine

Far from the madding crowds of central Percé is found this old fish factory that now wears many hats: art gallery, concert hall, community gathering place, and pleasant terraced bistro serving up some of the finest food the area has to offer. La Vieille Usine is all about Gaspesian cuisine made with Gaspesian ingredients: the menu makes great use of produce and meat from area farms as well as other local artisanal goods (including microbrews on tap from L'Anse-à-Beaufils' own Pit Caribou) to whip up mouth-watering local specialties such as salt cod patties and lobster club sandwiches. Appetizers and other light fare look down-to-earth at first glance but are deceptively sophisticated — there's a cheeseburger on the menu, all right, but it's made with ground lamb from a farm on Chaleur Bay and topped with warm chèvre. The main courses, for their part, begin with creative concoctions incorporating local seafood, but don't end there — there's also a full range of gourmet pizzas, pasta dishes, and salads. The pleasant, airy ambience makes the ever-present crowds bearable, and you can frequently catch live music or other performances.

Open May-Sep·$20-40