Restaurant in Quebec City, Canada
Quebec City's top credential. Book for special occasions.
ARVI is Quebec City's most credentialed modern cuisine address right now, holding a 2025 Michelin star and a 4.8 Google rating from 316 reviews. Chef Mardiros Barsoum runs a $$$$ kitchen in Limoilou built for special occasions and destination diners. Book three to four weeks out minimum; this is not a walk-in situation.
A 4.8 out of 5 from 316 Google reviews is the first number that matters here. The second is the Michelin star ARVI earned in 2025, making it one of a small number of Quebec City restaurants operating at that recognition level. Together, those two data points set clear expectations: this is a destination-tier modern cuisine restaurant, and the $$$$ price range reflects that. The question is whether it earns that positioning for your specific occasion.
Book ARVI if you are planning a special occasion dinner in Quebec City and want the most credentialed modern cuisine experience currently available in the city. Chef Mardiros Barsoum's kitchen has earned its Michelin star, and the Google rating suggests the dining room consistently delivers on that promise. For a business meal where you need a serious room that signals effort, or for a celebration dinner where the experience has to hold up to scrutiny, ARVI is the right call at the $$$$ tier in Quebec City right now.
ARVI sits at 519 3e Avenue in Quebec City's Limoilou neighbourhood, away from the Old Town tourist circuit. That address matters. The energy here is not the ambient hum of a tourist-facing dining room; it reads as a room that locals and destination diners have sought out with purpose. At the $$$$ price point and Michelin recognition level, expect a measured, composed atmosphere rather than a high-noise social scene. This is a room suited to conversation, to a slow dinner, and to occasions where the meal itself is the event. If you want energy and buzz, this is not that room. If you want a dinner where you can actually hear the person across the table, that is a point in ARVI's favour compared to louder rooms at the same price tier.
The editorial angle worth exploring here: if ARVI offers a lunch service, it almost certainly represents the better value entry point into the kitchen. Michelin-starred modern cuisine restaurants at the $$$$ tier routinely offer abbreviated lunch menus at a meaningfully lower price, often delivering the same kitchen's technical range for 30 to 50 percent less outlay. Confirmed hours and specific lunch menu availability are not in the current database record, so verify directly before planning around a midday reservation. That said, if a lunch option exists, it is worth prioritising over dinner for a first visit, particularly if budget sensitivity is a factor. Dinner will command the full price and the full format, which makes it the right choice for a celebration or milestone occasion when the extended experience is exactly what you are paying for.
For a first anniversary dinner, a significant birthday, or any occasion where the ritual of a long, deliberate meal matters, the dinner format at ARVI makes sense. For a business lunch where you want the credibility of a Michelin address without committing to a full evening, pursue the lunch option if it is available.
Chef Barsoum runs a modern cuisine program, a format that at the $$$$ tier typically means a tasting menu structure with a number of courses designed to showcase technique and seasonal sourcing. Quebec City's culinary context is relevant here: the province's kitchen culture draws heavily on regional ingredients, and modern cuisine at this level in Quebec tends to reflect that through the menu. Without confirmed signature dishes in the database, specific course recommendations are not possible, but the Michelin recognition in 2025 and the consistent Google rating both point to a kitchen performing at a high technical level across the menu. Expect precision, expect a pace set by the kitchen rather than the diner, and expect the meal to run longer than a standard two-course dinner.
For comparison, Alo in Toronto and Kissa Tanto in Vancouver both operate in a similar credentialed modern cuisine register. Within Quebec, Narval in Rimouski and Jérôme Ferrer — Europea in Montreal offer useful reference points for what serious modern cuisine looks like across the province. Internationally, restaurants like Frantzén in Stockholm and Maison Lameloise in Chagny occupy the same Michelin-anchored modern cuisine territory, giving a sense of the global standard ARVI is now measured against.
Treat this as a hard booking. Michelin-starred restaurants in mid-sized cities often have disproportionately tight reservation windows relative to major metros because the number of seats is small and demand from destination diners compounds local regulars. ARVI's booking method is not confirmed in the database, so check the restaurant directly for reservation availability. Plan for at least three to four weeks of lead time at minimum; for weekend dinners and peak summer or winter festival periods in Quebec City, extend that window further. Walk-in availability at this level is unlikely to be reliable.
The address in Limoilou means you are outside the Old Port's walkable core. If you are staying in Old Quebec, factor in transit or a short taxi ride. Our full Quebec City hotels guide can help with accommodation proximity if you are planning a full trip around a dinner here.
If you are visiting Quebec City and want one serious dinner, ARVI earns its position as the most credentialed modern cuisine option in the city right now. The Michelin star is 2025-current, the Google rating is high and based on a meaningful sample, and the kitchen operates at a price tier that signals commitment from both sides of the table. For special occasions, milestone dinners, or a single-night visit where the meal has to be right, book here.
If budget is a constraint, Chez Boulay - Bistro Boréal and Ambre Buvette offer strong alternatives at lower price points. For a broader view of where ARVI sits within the full dining picture, see our full Quebec City restaurants guide. For bars to pair with your evening, our Quebec City bars guide covers the options. And if you want to explore beyond the plate, our Quebec City experiences guide and wineries guide round out the trip planning picture. Nearby restaurants worth knowing include Alentours, Champlain, and La Planque, each serving different moods and price points in the city. For Canadian modern cuisine operating at a comparable level of ambition, Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Lincoln and The Pine in Creemore are worth tracking.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARVI | Modern Cuisine | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star (2025) | Hard | — |
| Tanière³ | Creative | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Chez Boulay - Bistro Boréal | Modern Cuisine | $$ | Unknown | — | |
| Auberge Saint-Antoine | Canadian Cuisine | Michelin 2 Key | Unknown | — | |
| Le Clan | Regional Cuisine | $$$ | Unknown | — | |
| Torii Izakaya | Japanese | $$ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Quebec City for this tier.
Contact ARVI directly before booking, not on the night. At the $$$$ tasting menu tier, kitchens like this expect dietary questions in advance and typically accommodate restrictions when given enough notice. Showing up with unannounced requirements at a Michelin-starred restaurant puts the kitchen in an impossible position and limits what they can do for you.
At ARVI's price point and Michelin-star level, you are almost certainly eating a tasting menu, which means ordering is not really the decision. The decision is whether to go at all and whether to add optional supplements. Trust Chef Mardiros Barsoum's progression rather than trying to engineer your own path through the menu.
Yes, for the right occasion. ARVI's 2025 Michelin star validates the kitchen's ambition and execution at the $$$$ price range. Quebec City is a mid-sized city, which means you are getting major-city credentialing without the competition for tables or the inflated prices of Montreal or Toronto. If tasting menus are your format, this is currently the strongest case for one in Quebec City.
Treat the reservation as non-negotiable planning, not an afterthought. ARVI sits in Limoilou, away from Old Town, so factor in transit if you're staying in the tourist core. The 2025 Michelin star means demand has increased sharply, and this is not a walk-in venue. Book as far in advance as your plans allow and confirm any dietary needs at that point.
At $$$$ with a Michelin star earned in 2025, ARVI is the most credentialed modern cuisine option currently operating in Quebec City, and it prices below comparable starred restaurants in larger Canadian cities. If you are weighing it against Tanière³, the choice comes down to format preference — both operate at the top of the Quebec City market, but ARVI's Michelin recognition gives it a clearer external benchmark for the price.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
