Francophone food and drink

Northeastern Ontario

Whiskeyjack Beer Company

Whiskyjack is a microbrewery and prewpub serving delicious apps, salads, snacks, burgers—and beer, of course.

The menu features regional specialties such as burgers and spaghetti sauce made with bison raised just a few miles from Haileybury, as well as local cheeses. Whiskeyjack also hosts shows and local musicians.

Open year-round, two Francophones run Whiskeyjack from Northern Ontario.

Location: 485 Ferguson Avenue, Haileybury

Fromagerie Kapuskoise

La Fromagerie Kapuskoise is more than a family business—it’s a matter of local pride. 

Open year-round, each fine cheese is named after a local watercourse and is made with local cow, sheep and goat milks. Shelves are stocked with cheese curds, halloumi and a variety of other local products such as honey, dry-cured sausages, chocolates and jam. 

Cheesemaker François Nadeau often gets behind the counter to greet customers.

Location: 376 Government Road East, Kapuskasing

Leisure Farms

One of the area’s best-kept secrets, this family-owned and -operated farm in the small Francophone community of Sturgeon Falls is the place to go for fresh air, fun and farm produce.

Purchase or pick fresh strawberries, raspberries, corn and pumpkins and enjoy a picnic, a wagon ride and roast marshmallows on the bonfire. The farm also offers daily fresh-baked pastries, including homemade fruit pies, breads and award-winning jams. This farm operates seasonally.

Location: 744 Quesnel Road, West Nipissing

Distillerie Rheault

Connoisseurs of hand-crafted spirits won’t want to miss the delicious options available from this Francophone family-run business, which specializes in unique products and small-batch distilling. 

Choose from a wide range of top-quality vodkas, whiskeys and liqueurs, all crafted using only the finest ingredients. The Loon Vodka is distilled four times to create a crystalline, velvety vodka that’s methanol-free and unlike any other produced in Canada. Whiskey lovers can mix and match small, two-litre barrels to suit their individual taste. If liqueurs are more your thing, try the “sinfully delicious” raspberry and cherry options. Open year-round. 

Location: 6 Hwy 583 Nord RR #2, Hearst

Ottawa Region

C’est Bon Cooking – ByWard Market Food Tour

Taste your way through one of Ottawa’s most popular attractions, the ByWard Market, on a gourmet food tour. Meet the merchants, discover outstanding Francophone, ethnic and fine food shops and sample award-winning dishes.

Explore the city’s historic neighbourhood on the 2.5-hour tour with six to seven tastings, including the world-famous BeaverTail pastry. Tours are offered year-round.

Location: 200 Dalhousie Street, Ottawa

1 Elgin Restaurant

This casual, airy eatery is located within the National Arts Centre, Ottawa’s performing arts organization. 

With a focus on local seasonal ingredients, the diverse menu of contemporary cuisine is inspired by French cooking and Métis and French-Canadian traditions.

Try the delicious Li zhaardayn starter (Michif for “The Garden”), which includes carrot and lentil hummus, pickled beets, puffed wild rice, Aunt Ruth’s celery seed vinaigrette, dandelion and mustard greens and purslane.

Open year-round, you can savour your meal outside comfortably in colder weather in the indoor-outdoor annex.

Location: 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa

Le St. Laurent

Open year-round, this modern restaurant, set in the penthouse of the Brigil building with gorgeous panoramic city views, specializes in quality French cuisine.

Local ingredients sourced from the area’s farms and producers combine with global flavours to make for delicious seasonal menus and unique dishes. Try the duck and foie gras rillette, with peach mostarda, candied pecans and toasted country bread, followed by the Quebec rabbit wrapped in prosciutto and dressed with lemon aioli.

Vegetarians can indulge in a beet salad with seared halloumi and black walnut vinegar, followed by ricotta gnuddi—chanterelle mushrooms with corn, rosemary, lemon and a parmesan emulsion.

Location: 460 St. Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa

Gitanes

Locally sourced ingredients are a focus at this traditional French restaurant, which offers a special after-hours oyster and whisky menu until 2:00 a.m. 

The dinner menu varies according to season. Indulge in a cold seafood platter and traditional starters like oeufs mayonnaise, seared beef tartare and braised beets. For dessert, try the apple crème caramel, foie sundae and chocolate truffles. Open year-round.

Location: 361 Elgin Street, Ottawa

Ferme Proulx Farm

Owned and operated by the Proulx family since 1920, this farm in Cumberland specializes in dairy products, maple syrup and grows a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

From March through December, family-fun events and festivals include a maple fest, Easter activities, pumpkin fest and a winter wonderland.

Location: 1865 O'Toole Road, Ottawa

Southeastern Ontario

Huff Estates Winery and Inn

In addition to a vineyard, Huff Estates is also a contemporary Canadian art gallery, a sculpture garden featuring Marius Barbeau, a restaurant in the summer and a luxurious inn in beautiful Prince Edward County, overlooking extensive vineyards.

Location: 2274 County Road 1, Bloomfield

Les Fruits du Poirier

Les Fruits du Poirier is a great place to enjoy local flavour. The Poirier family grows almost every kind of Canadian fruit you can think of and then some—haskap berries, raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, jostaberries, saskatoon berries, grapes, apples, pears, plums… and even kiwis!

You can pick them yourself from mid-June to October (something’s always in season), or buy fruit jams, jellies, pies, juices, compotes and fruit leathers at the orchard booth or at a market. While fruit picking is seasonal, the store is open year-round.

Location: 2535 Concession 3, St-Eugène

Drouin Farm

Purchase delicious maple sugar at this charming and rustic 19th-century farm, run by the Francophone Pierre family for several generations.

The farm has a fully operational sugar shack during maple syrup season (mid-March to mid-April). Enjoy self-serve maple-inspired pancakes and maple taffy treats at the sugar shack buffet and take part in fun farm-related activities like a horse-drawn buggy ride, apple picking and pumpkin festival in the fall, and tobogganing in winter. Pay a visit to the animals and let kids work off their energy in the bouncy castle.

Location: 1230 Route 400, Casselman

St. Martha’s Brasserie d’Orleans

This casual eatery in the Orléans neighbourhood of Ottawa serves traditional French cuisine centred on “rustic refinement.”

Combining elegance and quality ingredients with the spirit and comfort of home-cooked meals, St. Martha’s offers a range of delicious salads, mains, pizzas and desserts. Try the rich onion galette, with an assortment of sauteed onions wrapped in a brie pastry with Dijon mustard, or the saumon tartare—diced Pacific salmon tossed in a light and fresh marinade and served with crostini and cucumber. For dessert, the traditional Québécois pouding chomeur with maple whisky-infused syrup, mixed berries and whipping cream is not to be missed.

Location: 3095 St Joseph Boulevard #305, Orléans

St-Albert Cheese Factory

Established in 1894 and famous for its “St-Albert” cheddar,  this is one of Ontario’s oldest cheese makers.

St-Albert Cheese Factory is located in the heart of a charming Franco-Ontarian village and produces fresh cheese curds and other delicious cheese products. Savour tasty cheeses while learning the fascinating history of the area and its community, shaped by this factory and its cheese production.

Choose from several varieties of cheese or pick up some fresh curds from the cheese shop, open seven days a week. If you’re visiting during the third week of August, enjoy food and festivities at the famous Festival de la curd (Curd Festival).

Location: 150 St. Paul Street C, St-Albert

Southwestern Ontario

Forrat’s Chocolates

Chocolate lovers won’t want to miss the chance to satisfy a childhood fantasy—touring a chocolate factory and sampling the wares.

Francophone company Forrat’s Chocolates specializes in pralines, truffles, caramels and many other delicious treats, each of them carefully crafted by chocolate artisans.

Take a tour of the chocolate factory at Forrat’s Chocolate Studio, and purchase treats to take home. You can also buy goodies at Forrat’s Chocolate Lounge and indulge in specialty crepes and chocolate fondues. Open year-round at two locations.

Locations: 

• Forrat’s Chocolate Lounge, 60 North Centre Road, London
• Forrat’s Chocolate Studio, 2190 Dundas Street, London

Haliburton Highlands to the Ottawa Valley

Hugli’s Blueberry Ranch

Hugli’s is a true country experience with seasonal activities to enjoy. There’s a corn maze to explore, pick-your-own berries, pumpkins and Christmas trees, not to mention the pies, cookies and jams available at the store.

Plus, Hugli’s makes over 20 flavours of fudge. This sweet, creamy and chocolatey treat is a favourite in Ontario’s traditional kitchens and roadside souvenir shops! Or enjoy a sweet treat at the ice cream counter. Open from May to the end of December.

Location: 2139 Greenwood Road, Pembroke

Algonquin Park, Muskoka and Parry Sound

Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery

In Bala, the cranberry capital of Ontario, cranberries are grown in a shallow body of water and carefully processed into wine.

Visit the farm and winery to taste the wine paired with local cheeses. help with the harvest in the fall, hike or snowshoe the trails in winter, and skate on one of the frozen ponds. During spring, maple sap is harvested for maple syrup.

Location: 1074 Cranberry Road, Bala

Grey, Bruce and Simcoe

Chez Michel

This French bistro is named after the founder and former owner, Michel Masselin.

Enjoy French-inspired favourites such as onion soup, steak fries, rack of lamb, crème brûlée and so much more.

Location: 150 Mill Street, Creemore

Ontario’s Francophone communities offer a rich tapestry of flavours that tell stories of heritage, innovation and connection to the land. Discover the unique identity of Ontario’s Francophone food and drink.