ARVI is shaking conventions to return to the essence of human experience in restoration. It expresses a free kitchen, strong in character, carried by the same team, from the stove to the customers. The seasonal products are declined in two menus whose dishes are made before your eyes, in a spirit of proximity and friendliness as pleasant as unusual.
ARVI offers an exceptional and highly immersive dining experience in Quebec City, characterized by its unique open kitchen concept where the culinary team also manages all aspects of service. Guests consistently praise the creative, meticulously crafted tasting menus that highlight high-quality local ingredients, with the signature foie gras and thoughtful wine pairings frequently cited as standouts. The atmosphere is warm, intimate, and welcoming, with staff noted for being professional, passionate, and engaging. While most visitors consider it a world-class destination that feels like a special, memorable occasion, the restaurant is widely recommended as a must-visit for those seeking a sophisticated yet relaxed gastronomic journey.
Unique & wonderful experience. Passionate engaging & friendly chefs. They explain in detail how they put together each dish. Highly recommend the carefully curated wine pairing.
A slice of heaven! Everything was perfect from start to finish! It's nice to see the chefs/ waitstaff take so much pride in their creations, truly outstanding.
We really enjoyed the tasting menu with "wine" pairing at ARVI. I put "wine" in quotes because not all the pairings were traditional wine, but they were all good & interesting. The servers, who also rotate as chefs & front of house, were uniformly friendly & informative. The food was also quite good, especially the crab course & the squash course. I applaud ARVI's effort to run a more egalitarian restaurant where the kitchen is on display so the behavior can be observed by the customer. This is how restaurants will become more humane workplaces instead of being dominated by an abusive chef or owner.
May 11, 2023
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This is the kind of concept I wish had been around when I was a young chef starting out in the industry. The passion on display here is unmatched as each team member was a part of our experience. Rather than being treated like outsiders, we were welcomed into the space like old friends. Extra effort & care was made to celebrate our special occasion. Hospitality & warmth like this is hard to find anywhere, & is perhaps unique to this wonderful city which blends old world charm with Quebecois friendliness & modernity. Watching the team interact, it's clear that food & hospitality are a way of life for them, & we are lucky to have such dedicated professionals breathing new life into a stale industry. There is hope for the future of restaurants if they can live up to the ARVI model.
As for the food, we appreciated the blend of classic techniques, local ingredients, innovative ideas, & simple unpretentious presentations. Several dishes were Michelin star quality, & with this kind of reputation, I wouldn't be surprised if reviewers arrived any day now. Come with an open mind, leave with a full belly, & heart.
Everything about this experience was wonderful. The food was a delight, the servers/chefs were so friendly & seemed to really care about their work. Absolutely a fine dining experience but without pretension.
Our dinner at ARVI, on a snowy Friday night in Quebec, was truly world-class. Our table was situated between the two front work stations, where we could watch our dishes being prepared with meticulous precision infused with passion. Starting with the beyond fresh oysters, accompanied by two inventive cocktails reflecting ARVI's commitment to local sustainable ingredients, we spent nearly three hours enjoying dishes that were as incredible to taste as they were to look at. This is a restaurant that reflects the sort of commitment to quality that you see in the finest temples of gastronomy, but you get to enjoy it in an intimate setting, where every chef is also your server & host. We cannot recommend ARVI enough to anybody reading this review. We know that we will be back the next time we are anywhere close to Quebec.
Meilleur resto à tous points de vue! Haute gastronomie, vins choisis avec soin, ambiance chaleureuse & proximité avec les chefs qui rendent l'expérience mémorable. Que du bonheur!
I had a wonderful evening at Arvi. The staff/chefs were very knowledgeable, warm & enthusiastic about the food they prepared. I even got a chance to
see the beeswax covered truffles for myself!
The meal, & its accompanying wines, was a gastronomic pleasure that I haven't experienced in a long time. The courses were for the most part well-balanced, & there were several flavour combinations that worked beautifully despite what may have sounded like odd pairings. The star of the meal was the braised pork. Marinated in wine must, which was also used to make an extraordinary sauce, I was blown away by the textures (a surprise crunch from the skin hidden beneath slivers of kohlrabi), the smells & the flavours.
The least successful dish, in my opinion, was the dessert, which was a carrot & honey cake. It sounds like it would be quite a moist & decadent cake, but it fell flat for me. The best part of that dish was the cream on the side, made from creme chantilly & chaga mushrooms. The slight bitterness from the cream was crying out for balance in a rich & sweet cake, which was not present. The cake lacked any real depth of flavour & was quite bland. This dessert is a new addition to the menu, however, so I hope that with some tweaks it might match the pleasure the pork induced.
Overall, the meal & the evening were beautiful. Arvi makes it a point to source as many ingredients as possible from its surroundings. Several of the wine accompaniments came from Quebec, which was a pleasant surprise as I had never tasted wine from this region before. Who knew Quebec could make such gorgeous wine? My favourite was the Pinard & Filles Frangine 2021, a white wine that was served with the dessert. It was very reminiscent of the gorgeously fruity but dry Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand.
I recommend this dining experience & hope to return one day. Thank you!
MICHELIN
