Gatineau and Old Hull food guide: crossing the river from Ottawa to eat in Quebec

Gatineau is a city in Quebec, directly across the Ottawa River from the Ontario capital. The two cities form one metropolitan area, and many people live in one and work in the other. For a visitor in Ottawa, a half-day trip across a bridge puts you in a different province, with different language, different rules and a different way of eating out.

What is Old Hull?

Old Hull, or Vieux-Hull, is the downtown district of Gatineau nearest Ottawa, and its restaurants, bars and cafés have long drawn Ontario diners. It is easy to reach on foot or by bus over the Alexandra or Portage Bridge. The main streets for restaurants are around Rue Laval, Rue Aubry and Promenade du Portage. The area has bistros, brasseries, bakeries, cafés and bars. Local guides describe the stretch as a bistro district, and a few of the region's most talked-about restaurants have been here.

What changes when you cross the river?

Quebec has its own rules, so a few things differ:

• Language. French is the main language. Many staff speak English, and menus in tourist areas often have both, but a greeting in French is appreciated.
• Sales tax. Quebec charges GST of 5 percent plus QST of 9.975 percent. Ontario uses a single 13 percent HST.
• Tipping. The custom is similar, 15 to 20 percent, but Quebec's rules now say that suggested tip percentages on a card terminal must be calculated on the price before tax.
• Drinking age. The legal drinking age in Quebec is 18, lower than Ontario's 19.
• Bring your own wine. Some Quebec restaurants invite you to bring your own wine. The sign says apportez votre vin, so ask when you book.

What French-Canadian food should you try?

Gatineau is a good place to try dishes you would find across Quebec:

Dish	What it is
Poutine	Fries and cheese curds topped with hot gravy
Tourtière	A spiced meat pie, traditionally eaten around Christmas
Pâté chinois	A layered dish of ground meat, corn and mashed potatoes
Crêpes	Thin pancakes, sweet or savoury, often at brunch
Maple products	Syrup, taffy, butter and desserts

Brunch is a big deal in Quebec, and many places serve eggs, cretons, baked beans and fruit.

How do you order in French?

You do not need fluent French, but a few phrases are useful. Bonjour is the usual greeting, and bonjour-hi is a common bilingual greeting in the region. A table is une table, and the bill is l'addition. Say s'il vous plaît and merci, and ask Est-ce que vous parlez anglais? if you need English. Most servers in Old Hull deal with bilingual customers every day.

What other parts of Gatineau are worth visiting?

Aylmer, at the west end, is a former town with its own main street, cafés and restaurants. Wakefield, a village about half an hour north in the Gatineau Hills, is a day-trip destination with an old covered bridge, a mill and a bakery, popular with cyclists and skiers. The region around the Gatineau Hills is also good for maple sugar shacks in spring.

How do you get there?

From Ottawa, walk or cycle across the Alexandra Bridge, or take a bus. The STO runs buses in Gatineau, and OC Transpo and STO coordinate on some routes. By car, bridges can be busy at rush hour. Check schedules.

How do you pay?

Cards and contactless are widely accepted. You may pay in Canadian dollars, as in Ottawa. Quebec does not allow a credit card surcharge, so you should not be charged one. Check your bill in the usual way.

What about a night out?

Old Hull is also a nightlife district, and bar hours differ from Ontario's, so it has long drawn a crowd after Ottawa bars close. If you plan a late evening, check how you will get home, since buses thin out and bridge crossings take time. Taxis and ride-hailing across the river are available, though fares can rise late at night.

A half-day plan

1. Walk across the bridge from Ottawa in the late morning.
2. Brunch or lunch in Old Hull.
3. Browse a bakery and a shop or two on Rue Laval.
4. Take a bus or walk back to Ottawa before the evening traffic.

For longer stays, go to Wakefield for a day.

How do you keep both sides of the river in one list?

A day that crosses the bridge needs one list, not two. In the Mosey app a list does not care which province a place is in, so an Old Hull café and an Ottawa lunch can sit side by side, each with a note on what to order and the French name of the dish so you can search for it again. Rate the poutine or the tourtière by name, and tag the friend you ate with under "Who were you with?" so they can add their own rating of the same plate.

The Dishes page shows the dishes people are loving near you, which is a handy prompt when the menu is all in French and you want to know what to try first.

More guides to read next:

• Hamilton food guide: James Street North, Locke Street, the farmers market and Ottawa Street
• London, Ontario food guide: Covent Garden Market, Richmond Row, Wortley Village and Old East Village
• Muskoka food guide: farmers markets, butter tarts, maple and cottage-country timing

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.

After your half-day across the Ottawa River, open the Mosey app and rate the dish you want to eat again.