List of Michelin-starred restaurants in Quebec

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As of the 2025 Michelin Guide , there are 9 restaurants in the Canadian province of Quebec with a Michelin star rating. The Michelin Guides have been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. They were designed as a guide to tell drivers about eateries they recommended to visit and to subtly sponsor their tires, by encouraging drivers to use their cars more and therefore need to replace the tires as they wore out. Over time, the stars that were given out started to become more valuable. [1]

Contents

Multiple anonymous Michelin inspectors visit the restaurants several times. They rate the restaurants on five criteria: "quality of products", "mastery of flavor and cooking techniques", "the personality of the chef represented in the dining experience", "value for money", and "consistency between inspectors' visits". [1] [2] Inspectors have at least ten years of expertise and create a list of popular restaurants supported by media reports, reviews, and diner popularity. If they reach a consensus, Michelin awards restaurants from one to three stars based on its evaluation methodology: One star means "high-quality cooking, worth a stop", two stars signify "excellent cooking, worth a detour", and three stars denote "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". [3] The stars are not permanent and restaurants are constantly being re-evaluated. If the criteria are not met, the restaurant will lose its stars. [1]

Michelin announced in August 2024 that it would issue a guide for Quebec, and that anonymous inspectors would begin to assess restaurants in the province. The inaugural guide was published on May 15, 2025, [4] funded in partnership in a three-year contract with multiple government and tourism agencies in the province, including Destination Québec Cité, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and the Quebec Tourism Industry Alliance. [5]

List

Key
Etoile Michelin-1.svg One Michelin star
Etoile Michelin-2.svg Two Michelin stars
Etoile Michelin-3.svg Three Michelin stars
MichelinGreenStar.svg One Michelin green star
—
The restaurant did not receive a star that year
ClosedA defunct restaurant
Clefs Michelin.svg One Michelin key
Michelin-starred restaurants
NameCuisineLocation2025
ARVI Modern Quebec City – Limoilou Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Europea Modern Montreal – Ville-Marie Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Kebec Club Privé Creative Quebec City – Saint-Roch Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Laurie Raphaël Modern Quebec City – La Cité Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Légende Quebecois Quebec City – La Cité Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Mastard Modern Montreal – Rosemont Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Narval Modern Rimouski Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Sabayon Contemporary Montreal – Le Sud-Ouest Etoile Michelin-1.svg
Tanière³ Quebecois Quebec City – La Cité Etoile Michelin-2.svg
Reference [6] [7]

Criticism

The selection of restaurants in the guide elicited some criticism, in particular with regard to the limited stars awarded in Montreal. [8] [9] [10] Five Quebec City restaurants received stars in comparison to three in Montreal, despite the latter having triple the population and often being considered a premier dining destination internationally. [8] [11] Quebec City restaurants also received more 'Bib Gourmand' designations than Montreal, which are awarded to restaurants offering "exceptionally good food at moderate prices". [8] [12]

Former Montreal Gazette restaurant critic Lesley Chesterman stated she felt "unpleasantly surprised" by the list, and that there was "shock" in the local food and drink community that Quebec City earned more stars than Montreal. [9] Cult MTL magazine food editor Clay Sandhu argued that the selections show that "Michelin doesn't understand Montreal". [8] The relatively low number of stars awarded in Montreal also garnered international attention, with Todd Plummer of the New York Post noting zero “Michelin Green Stars” in Montreal, awarded to restaurants with sustainable practices, despite the number of restaurants in the city known for its urban agriculture and low-impact sourcing. [13]

Toqué! chef-owner Normand Laprise, whose restaurant received a 'Recommended' designation in the Guide, stated he was puzzled by the description of his restaurant provided by Michelin, claiming it did not accurately reflect the food served. [9]

Questions were raised by those in the restaurant and tourism sectors of the Outaouais region, which includes Gatineau and the northern suburbs of Ottawa, regarding the absence of local restaurants in the guide. Despite being Quebec's third-largest metropolitan area and within the guide's catchment zone, the Outaouais received no recognition, including no establishments listed as "recommended" or awarded a Bib Gourmand. In a statement, Michelin confirmed that its inspectors had visited the region but did not find any restaurants that met the criteria for inclusion in the guide. [14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Buchwald, Elisabeth (10 February 2024). "Michelin Guide history: How did a tire company become an elite restaurant rating guide?". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "How Restaurants Get Michelin Stars: A Brief History of the Michelin Guide". Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. 9 February 2024. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Dixon, Rachel (24 June 2008). "Q&A: Michelin stars". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ↑ "Michelin to unveil its stars for the best food in Quebec in May". The Canadian Press. CBC News. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  5. ↑ Antoni Nerestant and Isaac Olson (29 August 2024). "1, 2 or 3? Michelin star restaurant rating system is coming to Quebec". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "The prestigious Michelin Guide is now scouring Quebec for culinary stars". The Canadian Press. The Globe and Mail. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Brehaut, Laura (15 May 2025). "These 9 restaurants gained Michelin stars in the first-ever Quebec guide". National Post. Postmedia. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Sandhu, Clay (16 May 2025). "Michelin doesn't understand Montreal". Cult MTL. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 Dunlevy, T'Cha (16 May 2025). "Quebec restaurateurs say Michelin Guide ratings 'a recognition of who we are'". Montreal Gazette. Postmedia. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  10. ↑ "Michelin Guide comes to Montreal: 'We feel snubbed'". Montreal Gazette. Postmedia. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  11. ↑ Osborne, Laura (29 May 2024). "Revealed: Montreal ranked one of the world's 20 best cities for food in 2024". Time Out Magazine. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  12. ↑ Ledwith, Mario (3 February 2025). "Michelin Guide competes with influencers to be top tastemaker". The Times. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  13. ↑ Plummer, Todd (25 June 2025). "French toast: A taste of Montreal's best restaurants Michelin forgot". New York Post. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  14. ↑ Gagné, Ann-Sophie (16 May 2025). "L'Outaouais oubliée par le Guide Michelin ?". Radio Canada. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
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