Au Comptoir MarCel emphasizes a market-driven approach that prioritizes the natural integrity of coastal ingredients and Mediterranean flavor profiles. The menu showcases locally sourced produce alongside expertly prepared seafood selections designed to highlight seasonal variety. Patrons engage with a culinary presentation that balances traditional techniques with contemporary preparation methods, ensuring that each dish remains focused on primary flavors. The environment utilizes a deliberate layout that facilitates clear visibility of the kitchen output, maintaining a strong connection between the raw components and the finished plate. By concentrating on ocean-based proteins and fresh vegetables, the kitchen delivers consistent results that reflect a commitment to quality ingredient procurement. This establishment maintains a rigorous standard for ingredient sourcing, ensuring that the final selection represents the best of available regional and Mediterranean-inspired resources.
Au Comptoir MarCel is frequently celebrated as a premier culinary destination in Magog, offering sophisticated and inventive Portuguese-inspired cuisine that consistently delights visitors. Many guests praise the high quality of the food, particularly the seafood dishes, tasting menus, and expertly curated wine pairings suggested by a professional and knowledgeable staff. While the atmosphere is generally described as cozy, charming, and perfect for special occasions, some diners have noted that the seating can feel cramped and the noise levels occasionally rise depending on the crowd. Although the vast majority of experiences are marked by exceptional, personalized service and memorable flavors, a few reviews point to occasional inconsistencies in meal pacing, portion sizing, or the preparation of certain dishes like steak and overcooked seafood. Despite these minor discrepancies, the overall sentiment remains overwhelmingly positive, with many patrons viewing the restaurant as a refined, must-visit gem that provides an elevated dining experience worth returning to repeatedly.
Très bon repas; surprise du chef en pré entrée excellent cube de pomme de terre frit!! Pâtes crevettes & steak aussi. Verrière correcte. Je recommande mais cher.
My husband & I had a wonderful dinner, & were pleased to be able to sample a range of the chef's options through the Tasting Menu. We also enjoyed the creative cocktails & quality wines. The staff were delightful & made us most welcome.
Oct 10, 2025
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Excellente surprise gustative !! Bavette plus classique quoique délicieuse mais mis en bouche recherché & créatif avec espuma de pousse de mais aux lardons fumés... sautée de champigons cuit wvec wmour pour accompagné la' crinière de lion' & moules frites..... un chef & une hôtesse Stéphanie en or... XX
Loved this restaurant. It was our first time here & so greatful we came here. First of all, thank the chef for an excellent menu of delicious food. We had blood pouding & the oyster as entry & fish & beef skirt for supper. DELIOUS...We are so coming back. We will try the whole menu..it was that good.
Hier, mon copain & moi avons eu la chance de souper au Comptoir Marcel & c'était une expérience absolument incroyable! Le service était irréprochable & ça a vraiment fait la différence. Tous les serveurs & serveuses sont sommeliers, ce qui a ajouté une touche unique à notre repas. Nous avons opté pour le menu dégustation de six services, choisis par le chef, & chaque plat était un véritable délice. L'accord mets-vins était exceptionnel, chaque vin étant parfaitement assorti aux plats. C'est un endroit où chaque détail est pensé pour offrir une expérience gastronomique inoubliable. Je recommande vivement cet endroit pour ceux qui cherchent une expérience culinaire haut de gamme avec une équipe passionnée & un service impeccable. Un vrai coup de coeur!
Cute little restaurant by the water in Magog with great food & lovely staff. The plates are presented beautifully & the portions are a good quantity, not too large & not too small. The ingredients used can be unusual paired together but taste delicious. View of the open kitchen & a nice large bathroom with a large counter for diaper changing. We were glad we chose this restaurant. It was worth it. We took the table d'hote menu & the chef's choice dessert platter. They offered an amuse bouche of homemade focaccia & a potato mousse with confit onions. I had the calamari with toasted almonds, & tomato chutney. My friend had a butternut squash soup with a runny egg, cream, sunflower seeds & tiny croutons. For the main dish I had herb & sunflower seed crusted trout which had a nice crispy skin. My friend had the mushroom risotto which had different mushrooms with each bite. The dessert platter was delightful. The chef, Marco, brought it out to us himself. It had churros with dolce de leche sauce, chocolate molten lava cake, some type of Chantilly cream puff pastry, a Portuguese egg tart & homemade meringues with raspberries, blackberries & candied walnuts. We finished off with herbal tea with verbena & lemongrass which unfortunately is no longer being produced. Service was at a nice relaxing pace, giving us time to digest in between & not feel rushed or left waiting. Fun fact: the name of the restaurant is the combination of Marco & Celine!
Very cute restaurant with some really good dishes & some small misses which prevented it from being a full on 5 star experience (I would consider this a 4.5 rating): Friendly service & the meal started off on an amazing note. We were served a delicious amuse bouche which consisted of a truffle crema with some pureed potatoes as well as complimentary focaccia bread which in itself was very good as well. For our starter we had the calamari which was seasoned perfectly & just a touch overcooked. Loved the smoke almonds which elevated & complimented the dish nicely & the tomato chutney was a great pairing. For the mains, highly recommend the steak. It was perfectly cooked to a medium rare & the sides almost stole the show - the polenta was truly divine & could be a starter on their own while the carrots & bok choy also added to the dish. The compound butter was another element that took the dish further & was consumed wholly. This dish was perfectly executed & alone garners the restaurant a 5 star rating. Compliments to the chef! The seafood tomato rice, while not bad by any means, was lacking a bit in execution relative to the first main (& we are huge seafood people). There was a bit of "grain" or "sediment" (I imagine from the mussels) that made its way into the rice so akin to having a bit of sand in the rice...feels like something got missed in the prep stage perhaps. With that being said, the seafood itself was quite good & prepared well (clams, mussels, catfish, calamari & catfish). The lobster bisque flavor profile took a back seat & was missing. We finished off with their dessert in the form of molten chocolate cake which was accompanied with what I believe to be homemade ice cream. We found the cake to be overly sweet & lacking that rich chocolate flavour compared to better variations we've had but our kiddo loved it & demolished the whole thing. In the end, despite some small quibbles, it's such a charming restaurant with a lot of soul & well deserving of its ratings especially when you consider the accessible price point for the quality of food they are serving. We look forward to coming back & exploring the rest of the menu.
Magnifique découverte débordante de saveurs toutes plus succulentes les unes que les autres. Calmars, moules, vitello tonnello, flétan, riz, pâtes & paris Brest, juste divinement délicieux! Mention pour le service plus que parfait & pour le talent du chef & de sa brigade! 👌🏼 Nous le recommandons avec bonheur & y retournerons assurément. Merci pour le souper mémorable!
Undoubtedly one of the best meals of a lifetime. If you live in NYC & travel around the world eating, you will easily find yourself making a special trip to this restaurant; there is nothing else like it. Everything about this the experience, the considerate chef (who came out of the kitchen to personally serve my three year old), the staff & location make it a spectacular experience. The food will likely blow your mind.
