Au 1884

Located along the boardwalk in old town Quebec City, Au 1884 is a quaint and lovely place to stop for a sandwich, pastry, drink, or dessert. In addition to soft serves and sundaes, they have a small selection of gelatos available. When we visited, there was pistachio, dark chocolate, chocolate hazelnut, lemon and salted caramel. There are many dessert shops in the lower town, and I entered many of them, but ultimately walked back to this one because it was the only shop with pistachio gelato. It’s definitely cheaper to order the large cup, as the petite comes with only one flavour for CAD4, whereas the medium comes with two flavours for CAD5, and the large comes with three flavours for CAD6.50. All prices are tax-inclusive.

Service is almost non-existent, you’re instructed to head to the cashier counter to place your order. The staff just pretends you’re invisible until you’re right in front of them. Anyhow, we were promptly given a messily scooped cup of gelato with our three flavours of choice - pistachio, chocolate hazelnut and salted caramel. The texture of the gelato was lusciously smooth and creamy, and the pistachio flavour was positively delicious. So much nuttiness, and not too sweet. While the chocolate hazelnut was not bad too, it did become a little too sweet after a few bites. What none of us enjoyed was the salted caramel which had chunks of solid caramel in it as it was just a load of sugar, and no hint of salt at all. Perhaps more suitable for a true caramel lover with a sweet tooth, but not for us.

If you’re looking for a place to stop or grab something to munch or drink while walking the boardwalk in beautiful Quebec City, I definitely recommend Au 1884 as you get a gorgeous river view whether you’re seated in the cafe, at the river front, or in the pavilion above the cafe.