Where to eat on the P'tit Train du Nord, Val-David

You've been pedalling since Saint-Jérôme. The legs are warm, the back is a little sore, and somewhere around kilometre forty the real question shows up: where are we eating tonight?

Here's our suggestion. If you're in Val-David, you're already in front of us. Don't get back on the bike yet. Lock it up, come in, sit down.

Park the bike. Sit down. Order a pint.

We're a British-style pub on the corner of the village, in the old Le Baril Roulant building. Same address, new family, new kitchen, new energy. The terrasse looks across the road at the Rivière du Nord. When the weather is good, you eat with the sound of the water right there. When the air cools off, we light the fireplace. In winter, we move inside and light one in the dining room.

What's on the table

Mike, our chef and my brother, keeps the menu short because he actually makes it. Light-battered fish & chips. Steak with chimichurri. Crispy wings. A scotch egg if you're hungry right now, maple sticky toffee if you were smart enough to save room.

At the bar, Tim handles the pints, cocktails, and bottles worth opening. The wines are private imports we like drinking. Six beers on tap, including our MacTaverne Lager, because a pub without a good pint is already in trouble.

Stay the night, ride home tomorrow

If you've ridden far enough that getting back on the road sounds like a bad idea, the auberge has seven rooms upstairs: queen rooms, a family room, one with two singles. Dinner downstairs, bed upstairs, breakfast in the morning, then back on Le P'tit Train du Nord when your legs come back.

It's a good plan. A lot of people discover it once, then do it again on purpose.

The basics

Address: 1430 rue de l'Académie, Val-David. Pub hours: Monday to Friday from 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 AM. Reserve a table on OpenTable or call us. Book a room direct if you want the full plan.

We'll keep the kitchen open, a candle on the table, and a place for your bike.