Following its 2022 Canadian debut in Toronto and Vancouver, the Michelin Guide expanded to Québec this year. Introduced in 1900 by brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin, the French founders of the famed tire company, the esteemed restaurant guide’s arrival in the French-speaking province is a homecoming of sorts.
After French explorer Jacques Cartier mapped Québec in 1534, Samuel de Champlain, “The Father of New France,” founded Québec City in 1608 as the first permanent French settlement in North America. French settlers established Montréal in 1642 as Ville-Marie, a missionary colony. Safe to say, “La Belle Province” is French at heart, including its signifying terroir-driven gastronomy.
Call it the meeting of the masters as Michelin brought 125 years of review experience to centuries of homegrown epicurean practice in Québec. The guide’s anonymous inspectors recognized 102 provincial restaurants in all.
As you prepare for your next meeting in the province, here are some memorable Michelin kitchens for intimate and larger groups from Montréal’s 54 selections and Québec City’s 28 honorees, plus tour ideas.
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Michelin Highly Recommends Montréal
Expectations were high in Montréal, a proud city of globe-spanning gastronomy, top caliber chefs and group-ready eateries. Surprisingly, only three restaurants received single stars.
Chic 50-seat Mastard pairs creative Québecois plates with natural and organic wines. Air Canada’s bellwether En Route magazine named intimate 14-seat Sabayon as Canada’s best new restaurant in 2024. Completing the trio is Europea from Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux Jérôme Ferrer, who has wowed diners since 2002 with his endlessly creative Québec menu. Newly expanded concepts include the “great gastronomic table” and gourmet “Chef’s Sharing Table,” plus private dining and catering.
“After 35 years of cooking, I understood that real luxury is to touch people, to bring smiles,” Ferrer said.
After introducing its one-star rating in 1926, Michelin added two and three stars in 1931, quantifying the awards in 1936 as “high-quality cooking, worth a stop,” “excellent cooking, worth a detour” and “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” Added in 1955, the Bib Gourmand rating denotes “good quality, good value” and offers more accessibility and affordability for budget-conscious groups.
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Seven Bib (after Bibendum, the company’s Michelin Man mascot) honorees include Restaurant L’Express. Renowned for authentic French classics and an 11,000-plus bottle wine cellar, this beloved Parisian-style bistro in Plateau Mont-Royal reopens in late July following a renovation.
Rôtisserie La Lune in Little Italy scored a Bib for slow spit-roasted chicken and other comfort food. Steps away at sibling Mon Lapin, co-owner Vanya Filipovic received the special Michelin Sommelier Award.
Affectionally “my rabbit” in French, Mon Lapin also made the guide’s “Recommended” list, which to paraphrase Michelin Guide International Director Michael Ellis, signifies “above average food from a chef using quality ingredients that are well cooked but not quite at the star or Bib level.” Or, “simply a good meal.”
Michelin made 44 Recommended selections in all, including star-worthy institutions such as Mon Lapin’s parent, Joe Beef. Credited with igniting Montréal’s dining scene in 2005, this Little Burgundy hotspot, with private dining, was Anthony Bourdain’s favorite Montréal restaurant. Go for steak, oysters and the signature lobster spaghetti with cream, bacon and brandy. Nearby siblings include vegetable-forward wine bar Vin Papillon, also Michelin-recommended, and Liverpool House.
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Other event-capable big names on the Recommended list include the restaurant collective of Club Chasse et Pêche in Old Montréal; Plateau hotspot Le Filet; and Italian-driven Le Serpent, the industrial chic restaurant of the event-ready Darling Foundry visual arts venue in Griffintown.
Opened in 1928, legendary house of smoked meats Schwarz’s Deli, offering event catering, also made the list.
Founded in 1993 by two irrepressible champions of Quebec gastronomy, Normand Laprise and Christine Lamarche, Toqué! and La Chronique were Recommended. Offering private dining for 24 and customized event menus, this latter is a luminary modern French restaurant that celebrates 30 years in 2025 as one of Montréal’s most respected culinary addresses.
Specializing in small groups, “non-touristy” tour operator Spade & Palacio offers true insider culinary excursions and other programs, with private, corporate and custom programs available.
Celestial Dining in Québec City
The champagne corks were popping in Québec’s historic capital as six restaurants won a total of seven Michelin stars. To celebrate, Destination Québec cité (formerly Québec City Tourism) brilliantly named seven symbolic stars in the constellation Ursa Major after each star awarded. Count the Michelin honorees, which included eight Bib Gourmand and 15 Recommended restaurants, among the galaxy of Québec City restaurants hosting intimate dinners, large-scale culinary experiences and other programs for all tastes and preferences.
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“This prestigious accolade not only affirms our status as a leading destination for food enthusiasts but also elevates our appeal to meeting planners and event organizers, providing compelling reasons for clients to choose our city for their events,” said Julie Harvey, the bureau’s director of international marketing.
In Québec, “boreal cuisine” celebrates locally sourced, seasonal ingredients unique to the region. Boldly “pushing the boundaries” of this culinary tradition since 1977, Tanière³ was the sole two-star recipient in the province, and only the second in Canada after Toronto’s Sushi Masaki Saito.
Accessed by a coded keypad, this “gastronomic research laboratory” inhabits the vaulted stone cellars of two houses from 1686 in fairytale Old Québec. Chef François-Emmanuel Nicol focuses exclusively on Québec culinary heritage using seasonal Indigenous—and often obscure ingredients. Guests have two distinct multi-course blind tasting experiences in the main dining room or kitchen-facing Chef’s Counter. Michelin also praised the cocktail and wine pairings. Groups up to 10 can reserve the chef’s table, or buy out the restaurant on days it isn’t open.
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Michelin also recognized the other members of the three-restaurant Groupe la Tanière. Légende earned one star for comparable boreal excellence from Tanière³ alum Elliot Beaudoin, while Bistro l’Orygine, featuring creative plant-forward cuisine from chef Sabrina Lemay, was one of 15 Recommended restaurants.
Single stars also went to intimate Kebec Club Privé, where Michelin also recognized Cassandre Osterroth and Pierre-Olivier Pelletier with the Young Chef Award for their innovative Québec dishes. Hosting small groups and buyouts, seafood-driven Laurie Raphaël is another local institution committed to Québecois producers and regional terroir. At ARVI, the open kitchen and dining room “become one” as chef Julien Masia’s crew members come out to present guests with each dish from the multi-course terroir-based menu.
Group-capable Alentours scored Québec’s sole Michelin Green Star for chef Tim Moroney’s total commitment approach to sustainable practices. Eight Big Gourmand recipients included Mediterranean-driven Buvette Scott; Honō Izakaya, serving small bites and Japanese-Québecois cocktails; and laid-back Italian restaurant Battuto.
Recommended restaurants with private dining include farmhouse-inspired Chez Muffy, housed in an 1822 Old Port warehouse at Relais & Châteaux member hotel Auberge Saint-Antoine. Hosting 120-capacity events, Chez Rioux & Pettigrew is another Old Port fixture, named for Québec City’s former leading grocery wholesaler.
Culinary-themed activities for groups include chef-led classes at Ateliers & Saveurs and guided restaurant tours and teambuilding challenges with Cicérone Tours.
While Canada still awaits Michelin’s highest honor, the covered three-star rating, Québec’s addition to the guide is a big step forward.
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“Québec is now the first Michelin destination in the world to project its stars into the sky, a powerful tribute to the chefs, artisans and culinary community who elevate our terroir with creativity and excellence,” stated Destination Québec cité.
“This is more than a celebration. It is a turning point for our culinary and tourism identity.”
