These 9 restaurants gained Michelin stars in the first-ever Quebec guide

National Post

15-05-2025

Quebec City's Tanière³ soared directly to two-star status in the inaugural Michelin Guide Québec. The province joins Toronto & Region and Vancouver as Michelin's third Canadian destination. Nine restaurants won over the anonymous inspectors with dishes fusing creative techniques with local products, from bison hanger steak in a broth of forest spices to fire-grilled mushrooms and a bay-and-juniper-infused sabayon.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Tanière³ is the only two-star restaurant in the guide. Eight one-star restaurants round out the selection: four in Quebec City (ARVI, Kebec Club Privé, Laurie Raphaël, Légende), three in Montreal (Jérôme Ferrer – Europea, Mastard, Sabayon) and one in Rimouski (Narval).
Article content
Article content
François-Emmanuel Nicol, the Gaspésie -born chef and co-owner of Tanière³, is renowned for his avant-garde way with boreal ingredients. He was also a ' driving force ' in pushing for the guide to recognize Quebec's gastronomic scene as a whole — not just Montreal's.
Article content
After Michelin arrived in Toronto and Vancouver in fall 2022, Nicol suspected Montreal would be next. 'I wrote a letter, many chefs signed it, and we gave it to the mayor (Bruno Marchand),' Nicol told Global News Morning in April. 'It took about a year or two, and now we have the whole province.'
Article content
Nicol trained at some of the world's best restaurants, such as Mirazur in Menton, France, Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain, and Quay in Sydney, Australia. After returning to Quebec City, he worked at the one-star Légende from 2016-2018 as sous chef and then chef de cuisine and joined Tanière³ in 2019, where he continued his boreal focus.
Article content
Article content
In addition to the nine starred restaurants, the Quebec guide awarded green stars to three establishments for their eco-friendly practices: Alentours in Quebec City, Auberge Saint-Mathieu in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc and Espace Old Mill in Stanbridge East.
Article content
Chef-owner Tim Moroney takes a zero-waste approach to locally sourced ingredients at Alentours. According to the guide, 'Eco-responsibility is at the heart of this establishment, 100 per cent powered by renewable energy (hydroelectricity, wind and solar energy), including the kitchens.'
Article content
At Auberge Saint-Mathieu, where local artisans created the dining room furniture and tableware, chef Samy Benabed works closely with two Mauricie vegetable farms, from selecting the seeds to crop planning. Other ingredients are foraged, and preserves and cured meats take centre stage during the winter.