Montreal nabs 3 one-stars as Michelin Guide debuts in Quebec

Montreal Gazette

15-05-2025

Inspectors for the inaugural Michelin Guide Quebec were clearly taken by the province's cuisine scene, doling out props to 102 restaurants. But breaking down the numbers on a city-to-city basis, it's obvious that Michelin's inspectors — all anonymous — were clearly more bedazzled by the food offerings emanating from our provincial capital than those from Montreal.
While more attention was given to Montreal and Quebec City, the guide's mandate was the entire province.
In the categories that matter most to restauranteurs and foodies — the two-star and one-star Michelin categories — the provincial capital dominated. Quebec City's legendary Tanière 3 snagged the only two-star awarded in the province, and of the eight one-stars given, four came from the aforementioned burgh.
Michelin also awards the highly coveted but extremely rare three-star citation, but none yet have come to this country. According to Michelin, those awarded two stars dispense 'excellent cuisine worth a detour,' while one-star recipients denote 'high quality cooking — worth a stop.'
In the minds of many gourmets, Michelin is considered to be the benchmark for what constitutes fine dining around much of the world.
So in what will come as quite the shock to Montrealers — myself included — who hold our haute cuisine in such high esteem, the city only earned three one-stars in the Michelin guide: Jérôme Ferrer – Europea, Mastard and Saboyan. The eighth Michelin one-star went to Rimouski's Narval.
Such local favourites like Mon Lapin — which copped the top spot on Canada's top 100 list in 2023 and 2024 and came second this year — as well as Beba, Le Violon, Montréal Plaza, Joe Beef, Au Pied du Cochon, Damas, Monarque and many more had to settle for just Michelin's Recommended list. Also among the 76 Recommends in this grouping were eateries as diverse as the high-end Toqué! and the lower-end Schwartz's.
For the record, Mastard finished 40th and Saboyan, 48th and Jérôme Ferrer – Europea didn't make it at all on the recently released 11th annual Canada's 100 Best Restaurants 2025.
Between the starred restos and the Recommended ones on the Michelin scale are the Bib Gourmands, which recognize spots 'for great food at great value.' On its list of 17 Bibs are seven from Montreal: Annette bar à vin, Cadet, Casavant, Le Petit Alep, L'Express, Parapluie and Rôtisserie La Lune. The latter eatery is the newly minted BBQ creation of Mon Lapin's Vanya Filipovic and Marc-Olivier Frappier.
Michelin judges doled out eight Bibs to Quebec City.
'Our anonymous Inspectors were thoroughly impressed with their dining experiences across the entire province of Quebec,' said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, in a press release. 'The selection boasts a wide array of distinctions and cuisine types — from Stars to Bib Gourmands to Recommended restaurants — all highlighting unique regional ingredients and extraordinary techniques.'
The Michelin selections were officially announced Thursday at a small reception at Casavant, a Bib Gourmand recipient. In addition to Poullennec, also attending were Geneviève Cantin, CEO of Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec, Manuela Goya, vice-president of Tourisme Montréal and Sebastien Benedict, vice-president of the Alliance.
Their presence was no accident as these provincial tourism associations among others were involved in ponying up an 'estimated $1 million' — according to one inside source choosing to remain anonymous — to bring the Michelin judging team around the province.
'But that's a small price to pay for what it will likely bring to the province and its restaurants by tourists and locals alike,' the source said.
On the surface, it appears the province did quite well with its 102 Michelin mentions. But it seems clear here that Montreal restaurants have no bragging rights over their counterparts in Toronto and Vancouver, bearing in mind that the Quebec guide covers the province while the latter cities are largely city-based.
In the debut Michelin Guide Toronto released in 2022, the city netted one two-star and 12 one-star notices plus 17 Bibs and 45 Recommends for a total of 74 citations. As of 2024, Toronto has 15 one-star and still only one two-star mentions for a total of 100 when Bibs and Recommends are added in.
In the initial Michelin Guide Vancouver also released in 2022, the city fared better than ours with eight spots receiving one star (and none receiving two) plus 12 Bibs and 40 Recommends for a total of 60. Last year's guide included 10 one-star citations and a total of 76 when its 16 Bibs and 50 Recommends were factored in.
Though not part of the 102 honourees, the Michelin Guide Quebec has saluted three Green-Starred restaurants for their sustainability and culinary prowess: Quebec City's Alentours, St-Mathieu-du-Parc's Auberge Saint-Mathieu and Stanbridge East's Espace Old Mill.
In addition, the guide announced four special prizes: the Michelin Sommelier Award to Mon Lapin/Rôtisserie La Lune's Vanya Filipovic; Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award to fellow Montrealer, Foxy's Véronique Dalle; Michelin Outstanding Service Award to Tanière 3's Roxan Bourdelais; and Michelin Young Chef Award to Kebec Club Privé's Cassandre Osterroth and Pierre-Olivier Pelletier.
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Where did the stars go?
These are the Michelin Guide Quebec's assessments of the one Quebec City restaurant awarded two stars and three Montreal spots given one star:
TWO STARS
Tanière 3: 'This 'den' (tanière) has, beneath its ancestral vaults, a series of four rooms, one of which affords views of the brigade at work, plus a counter surrounding the open kitchen. In what might be described as his gastronomic research laboratory, avant-garde chef François-Emmanuel Nicol explores all the nuances to be derived from the immense terroir of Quebec's boreal zone. Sophisticated cooking methods, succulent sauces and a rigorous balance of flavours make this cuisine a resounding triumph.'
ONE STAR
Jérôme Ferrer – Europea: 'Housed in an ultra-modern architectural setting, this restaurant offers diners a wonderful view of the team at work in the glass-paned kitchen. The chef has stylishly carved out his niche in the Belle Province. Fusing French culinary traditions with the riches of Quebec's terroir, his menu celebrates local ingredients.'
Mastard: 'Quite a way off the beaten track, Mastard is led by chef-owner Simon Mathys. The contemporary space, designed for around 50 diners, is organized around a bar-counter. The chef devises a resolutely original carte blanche menu centred on local ingredients. Every dish is made with quality produce and executed in a modern and trendy style that won't fail to make an impression.'
Saboyan: 'The chef has taken an atypical route to this kitchen, having trained in pâtisserie before turning his hand to cooking. Patrice Demers creates vivid, accessible and unpretentious dishes that allow the Quebec terroir to shine … Add to that the smooth and elegant service orchestrated by Marie-Josée Beaudoin but bear in mind that getting a table here is no mean feat!'
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