On Sunday morning of our trip to Montréal, my friend and I slept late, and then decided that since we had missed breakfast, brunch was first on our agenda for the morning. Just down the street from our hotel in Vieux-Montréal, we found Crêperie Chez Suzette, an inviting little French café offering a large variety of crêpes, quiches, salads, sandwiches and fondues. The Crêperie is tucked inside a narrow, three-story building on Rue St-Paul Est, and when we first walked in, the small dining room appeared very crowded. We were soon greeted by a friendly, and enthusiastic, "Bonjour! Hello!" by one of the hosts, and seated at the last vacant table in the dining room. However, it turns out we did not receive the last available table; guests arriving after us were also quickly seated in an upstairs dining area, accessed by a small staircase in the back of the ground floor dining room. The café appeared to be quite a popular choice for Sunday brunch for both Montréalers and tourists; at one point, my friend and I were one of only two English-speaking tables in the main dining room. I took this as a good sign as we were seated. Not only was the place busy, but it was busy with locals, even though it’s located in the center of one of the city’s tourist districts.

Service at first was a little slow, but we found this to be the norm in every restaurant we dined at in Montréal. It seems that in Québec, dining out is a relaxed experience to be fully enjoyed, not rushed as we so often do in America. This was fine, and it was not long before our friendly waiter returned to take our drink orders. Several minutes later, my piping hot café au lait arrived, and the waiter took our food order. At this point we’d been seated nearly 15 minutes, but despite being very hungry, the sight and sounds of being surrounded by Québécois enjoying the company of friends over a delicious plate of crêpes or a quiche was great entertainment, and made the wait pass more quickly.

For our brunch, I selected La Québécoise, a plate of savory crêpes filled with ham and Swiss cheese, and topped with Québec maple syrup. My friend chose the Quiche Lorraine, a classic French quiche made with eggs, ham, bacon, and Swiss, Brie, and mozzarella cheeses. The food arrived from the kitchen very hot and fresh, and it tasted as good as it looked. My plate of three large, slightly sweet, crêpes was absolutely delicious, and so filling I was barely able to finish it. My friend’s quiche looked quite good as well, and was served with a small salad.

While Crêperie Chez Suzette is not a very formal place, it’s an excellent choice for a casual meal in Vieux-Montréal, and prices are quite reasonable. Menus and more information are available on the restaurant’s website.