6 great Charlevoix COFFEE stops
An exciting outing for discerning caffeine addicts? Plan your trip using this guide, based on our very own list of the best coffee shops, from one end of the region to the other.
6 great Charlevoix COFFEE stops
To paraphrase Quebec singer Robert Charlebois: « Si j’avais de la caféine je monterais toutes ces belles collines! » [“If I had some caffeine, I’d climb all those beautiful ravines!”]…
If caffeine is the fuel you need to travel the roads of Charlevoix (besides gasoline), if you prefer the drip-drip-drip of a coffee machine to an alarm clock, and if the smell of roasted coffee is like a warm hug, it’s a good bet you’ll enjoy reading our very own best-of-Charlevoix (from one end to the other) coffee-shop list… A habit-forming trip for savvy coffee addicts!
1. Café Charlevoix
The magic happens in the roasting And the spell is cast at Café Charlevoix, on the rue Sainte-Anne on the way to the Quai de Baie-Saint-Paul pier. Amid the snarl of the shiny espresso machine's motor, the hiss of escaping steam, and the clink of spoons, you can also hear beans being scooped and carefully packaged, sporting names that proudly reference area place names or landmarks: L’estuaire [The Estuary], Le Massif [the Mountain], la Nuit Boréale [Boreal Nights], La Grande Marée [High Tide], le Sismique [Tremor], les Hautes-Gorges [the High Canyons], Météorites [Meteorites], and le Bas-de-la-baie [Bottom of the Bay] are some of the concoctions served on-site in this charming little orange-hued city café and sold by Charlevoix companies that stock this top-quality local product. Above all, Nicholas and Guylaine are committed to selling the freshness of their weekly craft production in this micro-roastery, which you’ll definitely want to circle in red on your Charlevoix itinerary.
Café Charlevoix
2. Mousse Café
Grabbing a coffee is easy, you say? Not always, for parents of little ones… And even harder still if you prefer your coffee hot! And yet, also in Baie-Saint-Paul, you’ll find a must-visit stop for the whole family. A REAL coffee break, just how you like it, especially if you’ve been on the road awhile, with a bunch who have had enough of being cooped up in the minivan. Don’t worry! You’ve come to the right place; drive into Baie-Saint-Paul and turn onto the peaceful Allée des soeurs, park the car and let your gang out for a stretch on the vast green spaces of the Maison-Mère, the former Petites Franciscaines de Marie convent, before stepping across the threshold of the massive front door and heading to Mousse Café. A name with a double meaning: here, you’ll find lattes with perfectly delightful foam mousses, and your p’tits mousses [little ones] are welcome here, too! Here, the healthy in-house menu includes deluxe grilled cheese sandwiches and salads, fruit juices, muffins, and pastries, not to mention our FAMOUS cupcakes! All the coffee here is very well balanced, satisfying, and tasty, whether you want hot or iced versions. And you can drink it in peace, because any practical concerns around dealing with the kids won’t even come up, here: juice is served in cups, properly-equipped washrooms that include changing tables are available, as are toys, mats for the little ones to crawl around on, arcade games for the older ones, and board games. Even a cute little family-focussed store! For those who aren’t parents but who still want to stop by, the only condition: better not be allergic to the sound of happy, laughing children! The local regulars of this vibrant and modern-looking (thanks to Pierre Thibeault Architecte) coffee shop also include telecommuting workers, artists, nuns, knitters and walkers… In short, the only recipe this solidarity cooperative needs to bring people together is a cupcake and a coffee!
3. Boulangerie À Chacun son Pain bakery
Joining forces with experts, developing a recipe whose combination of bean blend and roasting levels creates a flavour that becomes the personal signature of your establishment, that’s the path Boulangerie À Chacun Son Pain bakery chose to take in their quest to offer unique products, made with care and character in outlets in Baie-Saint-Paul, Beaupré, and the Galeries de la Capitale mall in Quebec City. A unique, custom-made recipe, training by the professional baristi at Kittel: À Chacun Son Pain’s coffees are bold, unconventional, and must-try for true coffee lovers! You’ll also surely want to stock up on breads made with local, certified organic and "Terroir Charlevoix" grains, but that’s another story! (lien vers autre article)
4. La Fabrique de l’Isle
Whether you’re a coffee-lover or not, the trip to Isle-aux-Coudres is well worth the detour… A pleasant ferry-ride of a detour during which you can breathe deeply of the salty sea air! If l’Isle-aux-Coudres is a cultural treasure of island distinctiveness, creativity and folklore, and the number of stops on the “island tour” seem never-ending, the Fabrique de l’Isle is one of the essential ones. A former parish council, this café/shop managed by two artist-craftspeople is splendidly located in an old presbytery, with the perfect rural, nautical look in refreshing shades of white and blue. It has wide porches, and a variety of rooms set up as areas for relaxed dining. The Fabrique de l’Isle offers well-made, full-flavoured coffees, in attractive cups besides. Because good taste rules here, with your hosts Carol-Anne Pedneault (Carococo Illustrations) and Pascale Perron (Charlotte Atelier Boutique), it’s also a great spot to stop and buy quality vacation souvenirs. Bottom line: treating yourself to that crossing is also treating yourself to a coffee break that feels like a holiday at the seashore!
5. Boulangerie Pains d’exclamation! bakery
In eastern Charlevoix, there’s a place where every internet best-of list, every tourist guide, and every local recommendation converge! Here, conversations float out of the open windows and let in the river breeze at low tide; here, downtown La Malbaie comes to life with the comings-and-goings of daily errands, lunch on a patio, kids running around with pastries in their hands, and bowls of café au lait on the large convent tables in the welcoming dining room! Here, coffee is an elixir that makes smiles wider. Here, coffee is the exclamation point on your stay in Charlevoix!
6. Café chez nous
On the rue Richelieu, a patio jauntily encroaches on the sidewalk, bay windows provide generous views of eclectic surroundings and a wooden door leads to an indoor retro-bistro space. It’s as colourful as the regulars who come here every day, religiously, to have a meal and chat back and forth in the regional chouenne dialect in this neat little hideaway perfumed with the aroma of strong, hot coffee. Desserts, green salads, fruit salads, and a variety of dishes accompany steaming coffee, from morning to night. Sneak into this place on your walk along the Pointe-au-Pic to La Malbaie section of the river.
