Au Vieux Moulin à Scie

At 340, rue Saint-Maurice Est, right in the heart of the village of Saint-Michel-des-Saints and on the bank of the Matawin River, Au Vieux Moulin à Scie is an institution of the Haute-Matawinie. And the name isn't just for show: the building is a genuine sawmill dating from 1937, converted into a restaurant in 1975.

That's exactly what gives the place its charm. The room has kept its old-time character, with a rich collection of antiques recalling the flourishing days of logging in the region. You are literally eating inside the village's history, and the warm atmosphere takes hold the moment you walk through the doors.

The menu is deliberately varied, enough to suit a relaxed family meal as readily as a more polished evening. The house is particularly known for its table d'hôte menus, its steaks and its seafood, but you'll also find simpler dishes — burgers, poutine, moules-frites, souvlaki — and even a fine breakfast offering.

The service is attentive and the welcome frankly warm: it comes up in practically every review, and it's deserved. With a rating of 4.6 across more than 340 reviews, the place has everyone in the area agreeing.

Good to know: the restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. It opens at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. Thursday through Sunday — so you can have breakfast or lunch there too. Nine motel rooms adjoin the restaurant, reachable from inside as well as outside, for anyone who'd rather not get back on the road after dinner. A terrace rounds things out in the warmer months.

An essential stop for anyone heading up into the Haute-Matawinie — and the kind of village address you're glad to find at the end of the road.