It was on our way to Charlevoix, at the beginning of autumn, that we made the impromptu discovery of Café Apollo, a new address to discover in the heart of “old” Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, a stone’s throw from the magnificent Sanctuary which attracts visitors and pilgrims from all over the world in normal times.
It is no coincidence that Gabrielle Pilotto and her husband, Matt Charland, decided to open a café there: the first grew up in the village and the second, passionate about real estate and a director by trade, found this building. for sale, with commercial space on the ground floor, and saw great potential there, despite the fact that the building needed a lot of love.
“At the beginning, we didn’t necessarily want to open a café, but we liked the idea of a third wave café here, with a slightly more sophisticated style, in short, to open a business in our building in our image”, Gabrielle explains.
The opening of Café Apollo last summer brings dynamism to this small commercial artery where we find mainly souvenir shops and religious objects, open only during the summer period. This addition seems to bode well for the revitalization underway in this small municipality, with the repair of the wharf and a new promenade area to enjoy the riverside.
The place is charming, with its large glass garage doors that open in good weather and invite the sun inside. You can enjoy coffee from local roasters (Zab, Escape), salads, wraps, energy balls and other sweets. Significantly, a cellar section allows you to stock up on natural juice bowls and micro beers.
“We love good food, good wine; it is done without pretension ”, explains the one who says that the response from customers has completely“ exceeded [ses] expectations ”. “We seem born under a lucky star, the word passed quickly”, she adds, evoking the possibility of holding après-ski evenings in winter and sometimes small aperitif events in the place, normally only. open during the day, like this November 13, where dishes of antipasto, natural wine and Quebec beers will be on hand (by reservation only).
10 013, avenue Royale, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Visit the Café Apollo page