Québec has reached an important milestone with the release of its first-ever Michelin Guide, which honors nine outstanding restaurants with new Michelin Stars. This selection showcases the province’s vibrant culinary landscape, deeply connected to local ingredients and driven by creativity and skill.
Tanière³ stands out with a two-star rating, led by avant-garde Chef François-Emmanuel Nicol. The restaurant operates like a “gastronomic research laboratory,” sourcing ingredients exclusively from small-scale producers in Québec’s boreal zone. Its menu highlights mushrooms, herbs, plants, and roots, combined with sophisticated cooking techniques to create innovative dishes such as matured tuna with pickled matsutake and Québec Wagyu tataki with wild rose and morels. The experience is completed by a woodland-inspired dessert and notable contributions from the pastry chef, mixologist, and sommelier.
In Montréal, Jérôme Ferrer’s Europea earned a Michelin Star for its modern cuisine that fuses traditional French methods with premium Québec ingredients, including lobster from the Magdalen Islands, king crab, Appalachian red deer, scallops, and caviar. The restaurant’s striking architecture features large windows offering views of the kitchen brigade. The menu nods to local traditions with crispy pork rinds at the start and a maple pre-dessert reminiscent of North America’s sugar shacks, all served with polished silver service.
Sabayon, Légende, Laurie Raphaël, and Mastard were also awarded their first Michelin Stars. Chef Patrice Demers at Sabayon creates accessible dishes that highlight local fruits and vegetables, with wood fire-grilled mushrooms topped by a bay leaf and juniper-infused sabayon among the signature offerings. Légende, led by Elliot Beaudoin, embraces a strictly locavore philosophy, using only local ingredients and avoiding exotic ones. Dishes like butter-fried halibut coated in vegetable charcoal and smoked venison heart on a delicate tartlet illustrate this approach.
Mastard offers a modern and original carte blanche menu focusing on local ingredients, with Chef-owner Simon Mathys presenting dishes such as scallops with salsify purée and crab emulsion, praised for their quality and creativity.
Other newcomers include ARVI in Limoilou, which serves a single set menu featuring fresh local produce in a contemporary urban environment, and Kebec Club Privé, a table d’hôte run by a young couple, that highlights simplicity and precision with strictly Québécois cuisine. Laurie Raphaël, located in Old Québec, showcases seasonal ingredients with creative twists on French classics in an elegant, modern setting.
The Michelin Guide also awarded Green Stars to three Québec restaurants in recognition of their commitment to eco-responsible cuisine, underscoring the province’s focus on sustainability alongside culinary excellence.
This first edition of the Michelin Guide places Québec firmly on the international fine dining map. It reflects the province’s distinctive culinary identity, shaped by local ingredients, innovative chefs, and growing sustainability efforts, offering significant potential for the hospitality and tourism industries.
