Erablière La Goudrelle presents a large, family-friendly sugar shack experience with a mix of buffet and traditional table service, where many guests praise friendly staff, welcoming ambiance, and the unlimited maple taffy and desserts, while other visitors report uneven food quality including dishes that are cold, overly salty, or taste industrial, with undercooked beans, tough sausages, bland sides, and inconsistent portions; delays and crowding at peak times are also noted, though the site's attractions for kids, animals, and a dance hall are enjoyed by families, and the overall impression remains that it is a staple outing for some but not universally satisfying due to the variability.
The experience at la Goudrelle has really declined over the years, they now have an option for a buffet, i don't know if they just take the left overs from the main service & reheat them but the bacon was tough, the beans were undercooked, the sausage was in water, basically nothing was great.
The overall experience left something to be desired, no arcades, no activities just an empty dance hall with a kiddy park, so great if you have small children, & they don't even have a fireplace anymore, they stuck a TV inside show you a fire :(
Best sugar shack. Going on 50 years, it's open, & I've been going there my whole life. Amazing staff. Best maple taffy. Dance floor is nice good play area for the kids. Animals super friendly 10/10 recommend
Apr 12, 2025
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I've been here a handful of times over the past 15 years or so - my most recent experience was on Sunday March 9th 2025. We came as a group of 7, we noticed their social media page advertised a special for March break, kids eat free - so took advantage of this offer. Normally children 3+ have to pay around $17 which can be quite expensive if you have a toddler who doesn't eat much. We opted for the'traditional' service, which comes up to around $37 per adult (before tax/tip). The traditional service means they serve you at your table like a regular restaurant, the food is still unlimited - you just have to ask for more. Otherwise there is a slightly cheaper option which is the self-serve buffet. I did not see this with my own eyes as the buffet option is served in another room, however it is supposed to be the same concept & selections. I was just worried the food might not be as fresh.
Menu options & all rates are clearly listed on their site. I really enjoyed the pea soup, ham/egg & breakfast sausage & breakfast style potatoes. desserts are good & very fresh, different style of donuts, pies & poudding chomeur. More disappointing items were the bread - this is a prepackaged roll, not made on site. It was quite hard & dry. The pork & beans were also hard/undercooked. There is a small'salad bar' where you can pick some marinated beets/pickles & small selection of potato salad however these options were just OK.
We noticed our server did not immediately bring us any milk or coffee however this is supposed to be included so make sure you ask for it.
They seem to want to clear tables as fast as possible so we felt a bit rushed eating our meals. Compared to previous years before covid, I found the food quality went down a bit & sadly this hurts before the price has gone up so much.
In terms of activities, this is a large location - there is a dance hall with country music/line dance, a small interior play area for kids, with slides & & such, an outdoor mini farm with goats/sheep/lama & a tractor ride. You can also take a hike in the mountain, there are some walking trails.
I think the interior needs to undergo a small renovation, I found the entrance area extremely dark - they could at least add lighting or change bulbs. The bathrooms are also extremely small & many of the doors do not lock well or are flimsy.
I like the size of this cabane a sucre as many other places require reservations nowadays however this place is so big you can show up almost any time & find a seat. In terms of pricing & availability, it's still a decent choice but I would be curious to try other similar sugar shacks since there are so many I am not sure this can be the best one.
Service was kind & welcoming, however food was average. Beans & sausages were too sweet, pickles had been sitting there too long. Salad bar looked depressing, but ham was awesome! Unlimited buffet style for $31, you can get your moneys worth if you eat a lot or if you love tire d'érable, which is included in the ticket. Overall, cute atmosphere & great for big families with many kids, but not an exceptional eating experience.
The food was really tasty & there were lots for the kids to play with outside( park & zip lining)petting zoo(small) & the tractor ride with commentary & you could walk up the mountain path. Very nice!
I haven't been there in about 15 years & it seems that they've made it even better. There is a playground, animals, sleigh ride, a person drawing caricatures, music playing with kids dancing & as always the food & service were terrific. The only thing missing was water glasses on the table & maybe some extra napkins. Great place for families!
Mar 19, 2023
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Staff was amazing! Hardworking, friendly, on top of things. Still really fun for the kids. The major issue is the cost has risen considerably, but the quality of food has dropped drastically. The only thing that maintained it's previous quality were the desserts, which were absolutely delicious as usual. I can understand an increase in price due to the pandemic, that's totally reasonable. However, I would expect that the quality of food remain the same.
