Restaurant in Quebec, Canada
Serious wine list, mid-range French kitchen.
Les Botanistes is a French restaurant in Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge, Quebec, with a 210-selection wine list spanning 1,700 bottles and a France-strong program that won Star Wine List recognition for 2026. At a $$ price point for both food and wine, it delivers sommelier depth that outpaces its tier. Book here when wine matters as much as the kitchen.
If you're weighing Les Botanistes against Tanière³ in Quebec City for a French-focused dinner with serious wine, Les Botanistes wins on wine depth and value. Tanière³ pushes harder on avant-garde technique; Les Botanistes plays a more considered, classically grounded game with a wine list that outpunches its price tier. For the food-and-wine explorer who wants France on the glass and Quebec on the plate, this is the stronger call in the Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge pocket of the city.
The ambient register at Les Botanistes is measured rather than loud. This is not a room that performs energy at you. The atmosphere is conversational and intentional — suited to the kind of dinner where you're paying attention to what's in the glass and what's on the plate, not competing with a DJ set or a packed bar crowd. For a solo diner or a pair working through a wine-forward meal, that tone matters. It also makes the room a good fit if you're coming specifically for the sommelier interaction: when Wine Director Félix Maréchal or sommelier Émile Tremblay or Guillaume Laroche is walking a pairing through the table, you can actually hear what they're saying.
That sommelier access is the strongest argument for coming here. A 210-selection list drawn from a 1,700-bottle inventory with a France strength and a mid-tier price point ($$) is not something you find at every French restaurant in Quebec. The Star Wine List recognition for 2026 confirms the list is credible by external measure, not just self-reported. At a $$ cuisine price point — roughly $40–$65 for a two-course meal before drinks , you are getting wine-program infrastructure that would normally sit a tier above this in cities like Toronto or Montreal.
A 1,700-bottle inventory with 210 selections and France as its anchor is a serious commitment for a restaurant at this price tier. The $$ wine pricing designation means the list carries range: you can find bottles under $50, but there are also options well above that if the occasion calls for it. For a wine-forward explorer, that spread is useful , it means you're not forced into either house-pour territory or $100+ bottles with nothing in between. If your priority is working through a thoughtful by-the-glass program in conversation with a knowledgeable sommelier, this is one of the better rooms in Quebec to do that. Compare it to what Jérôme Ferrer - Europea in Montreal offers at a higher price point, or to Narval in Rimouski for a different regional French sensibility , Les Botanistes sits between them in tone, leaning formal but not stiff.
Chef Émeline Péro leads the kitchen, which runs French cuisine at lunch and dinner. The ownership group includes Arnaud Marchand, Sophie Marchand, Émeline Péro, Laurent Gauthier (who also serves as General Manager), and Jean-Luc Boulay , a structure that suggests invested, hands-on stewardship rather than an absentee-operator model. That kind of co-ownership between kitchen and front-of-house leadership tends to produce tighter service calibration. For the diner who notices when the sommelier and the kitchen are speaking the same language, that alignment is worth factoring in. Restaurants with this ownership profile , where the chef holds equity , typically run more consistent pacing and fewer coverage gaps than venues where kitchen and floor are managed separately.
Les Botanistes is the right call for the diner who wants a French kitchen at a mid-range price point backed by a wine list that punches above its tier. It is well-suited to solo dining or pairs in a room where the atmosphere rewards conversation. It is less suited to large groups looking for a high-energy celebratory room, or diners who want a tasting-menu-only format with a theatrical service arc. If you want the latter, Alo in Toronto or AnnaLena in Vancouver are the benchmarks to consider for that experience. For Quebec specifically, Les Botanistes offers something those cities' visitors often underestimate: a wine program with genuine France depth at pricing that doesn't require you to budget separately for the list.
Booking is rated Easy. You do not need to plan weeks in advance the way you would for a counter-only tasting menu. That said, if you're targeting a specific sommelier interaction or a quieter weeknight table, reserving a few days ahead is sensible. The address is 2010 Av. Jules-Verne, Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge , outside the core Old Quebec tourist corridor, which keeps the room calmer and the clientele more local than the central-city alternatives.
For more options in the region, see our full Quebec restaurants guide, our full Quebec bars guide, our full Quebec wineries guide, and our full Quebec hotels guide. If you're building a broader itinerary, our full Quebec experiences guide covers what's worth adding.
Cuisine: French. Meals: Lunch and Dinner. Cuisine price: $$ ($40–$65 for two courses). Wine list: 210 selections, 1,700-bottle inventory, France strength, $$ pricing. Award: Star Wine List (2026). Booking difficulty: Easy. Address: 2010 Av. Jules-Verne, Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge, QC G2G 2R2.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Les Botanistes | — | |
| Alo | $$$$ | — |
| Sushi Masaki Saito | $$$$ | — |
| Aburi Hana | $$$$ | — |
| AnnaLena | $$$$ | — |
| Don Alfonso 1890 | $$$$ | — |
How Les Botanistes stacks up against the competition.
The room runs at a measured, conversational register rather than a formal one. French cuisine at the $$ price tier in Quebec typically calls for neat, put-together clothing rather than a jacket requirement. Overdressing is unlikely to be a problem, but you do not need black tie.
Nothing in the available data confirms a private dining room or a specific group-size ceiling. For parties larger than six, check the venue's official channels before booking — at a wine-focused French address with a 1,700-bottle cellar, advance notice also lets the sommelier team prepare recommendations across the list.
Yes, particularly if wine is your reason for going. A 210-selection list with France as its anchor gives a solo diner plenty to work through with sommelier Émile Tremblay or Guillaume Laroche, and the quieter ambient register suits a solo meal better than a loud room would.
Tanière³ is the direct comparison for French-focused dinners in Quebec City — it carries more prestige signalling but comes in at a higher price point. Les Botanistes wins on wine depth per dollar at the $$ tier. If you want the full tasting-menu format, Tanière³ is the call; if you want a serious bottle list without the premium cover charge, Les Botanistes is the better fit.
Yes, specifically for the kind of occasion where wine is part of the celebration. The Star Wine List 2026 recognition and a 1,700-bottle inventory mean the sommelier team can find something genuinely interesting at any budget within the $$ wine tier. French cuisine at lunch and dinner gives you flexibility on timing as well.
Booking data is not published, but a Star Wine List-recognised address in Quebec with a kitchen led by an owner-chef tends to fill at weekends. Two to three weeks ahead is a safe working assumption for Friday or Saturday dinner; lunch on a weekday is likely more available.
The wine list is the lead reason to come. At $$ food pricing ($40–$65 for two courses) with $$ wine pricing and 210 selections from a 1,700-bottle cellar anchored in France, the list punches well above the typical spend level. Tell the sommelier your budget and grape preferences up front — that is what Félix Maréchal's team is there for.
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