A Dining Room With A View

When we travel as a family we try, for the most part, to bring and purchase a few staples to allow us to enjoy breakfast in our room and pack picnic lunches.  While our kids are pretty good in restaurants, the time it takes to eat a meal in a restaurant plus the expense equals less time and money to enjoy parks, playgrounds, and other fun stuff.

Buffets are an easy way to feed any family but I truthfully would not have considered one for lunch until we went to L’Astral (map) – at the top of the Loew’s Hotel in Quebec City.

Truthfully I wasn’t certain that the restaurant would be at all family friendly, let alone stroller friendly.  As our little guy was not yet 11 weeks, unless he was safely ensconced in his car seat or stroller, it was tough to get through a meal – well unless wrestling a wiggly infant on your shoulder while trying to navigate a fork to your mouth is your idea of an enjoyable meal!

Turns out I was wrong on all accounts – not only was L’Astral quite stroller friendly (a generous nook beside our table parked our ride and sleeping baby quite nicely) but staff went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and happy.  The food was delicious – a nice combination of hot and cold selections with some traditional Quebécois favourites.

The service was great, the quality of the food was excellent, and the price wasn’t bad either.  Children 6 and under eat for free, and those 14 and under eat for half-price.  Enjoy your lunch while enjoying the unparalleled views of the rooftops of beautiful Quebéc City.

Normally I wouldn’t splurge on such a big lunch, but our plans allowed for a lazy morning, and our big meal held us over without snacks until dinner time – almost unheard of when traveling with a preschooler!

L’Astral’s lunch buffet runs Monday – Saturday from 12pm – 3pm. Reservations are recommended.

L’Astral Restaurant
1225 Place Montcalm
Quebec City, QC G1R4W6
(418) 647-2222

Photo courtesy L’Astral