Saturday

4. ­­­Poutine Party, 2 a.m.

A late-night debate with a Quebecer about the best poutine is akin to arguing about cheese steaks with a Philly native, so bite your tongue and try the faithful rendition prepared at Chez Gaston. This St.-Roch hole in the wall is no-frills, but the piping-hot poutine is spot on: crisp fries with crunch and curds with squeak, all doused in gravy (5.65 dollars). For more comfort with your comfort food, try the city’s first location of the small Canadian franchise Poutineville, which opened in an airy, brick-walled space last summer. Here all ingredients are customizable, but the house specialty (10 dollars) substitutes crushed potato chunks for fries and adds a pile of braised beef to Canada’s so-called “national dish.”

5. ­­­Outside Wall Art, 11 a.m.

The wonderfully preserved Basse-Ville (Lower Town), between the fortifications and the waterfront, dates back over 400 years and is not where you’d expect to find daring artwork. But for the last two years, the Exmuro Arts Publics organization has enlivened this historic area during warmer months with outdoor art installations. This temporary “Quartier Création” has previously featured neon-hued, tactile works and playful sculptures like three giant pigeons inspecting a huge Campbell’s Soup can by Cooke-Sasseville, the moniker of two stars of the local art scene. If your visit doesn’t coincide with another series of installations, instead stroll these quaint streets until you encounter the area’s two massive trompe l’oeil murals — Fresque des Québécois and Fresque du Petit-Champlain — whose depictions of prominent Quebecers and life in the Cap-Blanc harbor district double as local history lessons.

6. ­St.-Jean Snack, 1 p.m.

On bustling Rue St.-Jean, a delicious, light lunch can be cobbled together along the street’s less-trafficked western end. Begin at Le Paingrüel, a tiny artisanal boulangerie where the fresh-baked goods — buttery croissants (1.85 dollars), spiral orange-flavored pastries (2.60) — are among the tastiest in the city. Then head northeast two blocks to Cantook Micro-Torréfaction, a micro-roastery and third-wave coffee shop. The gorgeously designed interior has a vaguely Pacific-Northwestern atmosphere (dark wood ceiling, decorative antlers) in which to savor a single-origin espresso.

7. ­­Limoilou Loot, 3 p.m.

The northern working-class neighborhood of Limoilou, with its tree-lined blocks of three-story, multiunit houses fronted by curving staircases, is nowhere near the typical tourist trail. But it’s worth the trek across the St.-Charles River to explore 3e Avenue, one of Limoilou’s main arteries. Start at Article 721, a funky boutique stocked with an eclectic mix of jewelry, clothing and design objects, many from Québécois artisans and designers, like adorable onesies with kangaroolike pouches from Electrik Kidz and T-shirts emblazoned with colorful pockets from Poches & Fils. Continue to the kitchenware shop La Folle Fourchette, if only to admire the handmade ash-wood pepper mills from Pierre Chayer Artisan. Then dip in to Le Lièvre & La Tortue, a serene teahouse that opened in September, to join hip patrons alternating MacBook clicks and sips.

8. ­­New Old World, 8 p.m.

Quebec’s Old World culinary ties are being spun today into creative new directions. For a dinner that riffs on the tastes of southern Italy, head to the two-year-old Nina Pizza Napolitaine, a stylishly minimalist pizzeria that pulls chewy, perfectly blistered pies from its black-and-white wood-fired oven. Don’t miss the salsiccia e pistacchio pizza (17.50 dollars), featuring a creamy pistachio base topped with fine rabbit sausage, hazelnuts, Parmesan and mozzarella. Or savor the flavors of France at nearby Le Renard et La Chouette, a cheery, unfussy buvette that opened in 2014. Expect groups of friends laughing over glasses of Beaujolais and Gallic-inflected small plates like torchon de foie gras adorned with diced ginger and sea buckthorn berries (16 dollars).

9. ­Rue of Strange Brew, 11 p.m.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better street for surveying the province’s craft ciders and beers than Rue St.-Jean. For apple-based tipples, visit Le Projet Spécialité Microbrasseries, a bustling bar with an elegant interior. Try the Citron Sunrise from Les Vergers de la Colline — an appealingly tart, lemony cider — or the winelike rosé “ice cider” from La Face Cachée de la Pomme. There are also about 20 area craft beers on tap, but serious beer connoisseurs should instead ascend the foreboding stairs toward the metal-heavy soundtrack reverberating from Bateau de Nuit. This dimly lit bar, which occasionally hosts improv comedy nights, has 10 rotating taps from Quebec’s best microbreweries, like Les Trois Mousquetaires and Le Castor. For more soothing tunes, follow the street into historic Vieux-Québec, where an alleyway leads to Bar Les Yeux Bleus, a cavelike bar with (gentler) live music.

