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 a unique and memorable fine dining experience in Quebec City, characterized by its innovative open kitchen concept where the culinary team manages both the cooking and the service. Guests frequently praise the warm, welcoming atmosphere and the professional, attentive staff who contribute to a relaxed, authentic environment. The tasting menus highlight creative, well-crafted dishes that showcase local ingredients, with the signature foie gras and thoughtful wine pairings frequently earning high acclaim. While some diners have noted individual preferences regarding wine styles or the unconventional service flow, the vast majority of visitors describe their time at the restaurant as an exceptional, high-quality journey that stands out as a must-visit destination for food lovers.
Excellent service, I appreciated how all the servers were able to accommodate us by presenting each dish & wine pairing in English - the team was kind & passionate about what they do! The experience of watching them create dishes in front of you is great as well with casual music & a trendy/upbeat atmosphere - fine dining without the pretentious or stuffy environment - well done! Food was great! A few dishes we loved, a couple were not quite to our taste - but were well executed & may be to others taste. As a place with a rotating/seasonal menu, I would certainly not hesitate to come back & try more dishes!
We had a very good experience here. The food was quite good, the service was friendly, & the space was relatively attractive. I recommend this place, with caveats. Perhaps I set my expectations too high. For the price point, everything should be flawless. My comments are not complaints, just observations to guide other diners so they know better what to expect. One thing that is more than a nitpick is that the left wall (brick) in the restaurant is lit with modern tubular lights that I found very harsh. I was facing that wall, & really regretting it. They should be turned lower significantly, or better yet, replaced with bulbs that have a much lower value on the warmth scale. (These were about 6,000K, whereas a 3,000K would be much less harsh on the eyes.) It contributes to a modern aesthetic that is too cold. The music playlist was varied, & occasionally a bit too hip-hop for my taste. This is an individual taste & not a general complaint. Most of the dishes were excellent. I would recommend the add-on of the foie dish if it is available. It was really memorable & decadent. The portion sizes are spot-on, & generally well-balanced. On the night we were there, one dish, the tuna, lacked seasoning & was visually unappealing. But the fish was perfectly cooked. It just lacked visual appeal & taste. I found the informal service manner of sitting with the patrons on the banquette, or squatting while conversing with the diners to be a bit odd. I suppose it is meant to express a casual friendly hospitality, but it didn't work for me. But "a chacun-a-son-gout" as they say. Enjoy!
Dec 2, 2023
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ARVI highlights local products, making it ideal for tourists. Dishes were a good mix of novel combinations & more conventional dishes, the strange & the familiar, all with great technical execution. There was no separation between FOH & BOH; service was friendly & attentive even though everyone had to juggle cooking & serving. Every table had a view of the kitchen in the center of the restaurant. Pacing of the meal was slow & relaxed, around 2.5 hours for the five courses. In NYC we get politely shoved out the door after 90 minutes for a 5-course meal, so this surprised me. Overall, an excellent value for the price. Highly recommended.
Absolutely wonderful restaurant. Food quality compares to 2* Michelin in Europe.
ARVI features a 5-course tasting menu. The dry-aged duck breast with smoked carrot & ginger-carrot chutney was probably the best duck preparation I’ve ever had. Tender, perfectly cooked meat supremely complemented by the sides. The riff on a Pavlova for dessert was again, among the best desserts I’ve ever had - think a super-moist, blueberry filled jelly donut encased in a maple cookie, encased in a meringue & topped with whipped cream. Just to die for!
The preparations of the various dishes are creative, thoughtful & well executed. Smoke, umami & savory flavors juxtapose with both soft & crunchy textures in the various dishes. & five courses is perfect.
You can go for a vegetarian track if you don’t want proteins & there are options to add oyster, mushroom or foie gras courses as you wish.
The wine pairing is similarly thoughtful & well composed with several Quebec wines featured.
Service is outstanding. It’s an interesting concept as everyone does everything - I saw one gal shucking oysters & 5 minutes later she was mixing a cocktail.
Casual vibe with exposed brick & the staff wearing ARVI t-shirts.
Price points are exceptionally reasonable so, given the food quality, the QPR (Quality-Price Ratio) is off the charts (in the diner’s favor).
Honestly, one of the top restaurants in North America!
A wonderful evening. Many thanks to Julian & his team. If you are tempted, or even if not tempted, I would strongly recommend you add the Foie Gras to your choice of dishes. A heavenly treat!
Wonderful restaurant. Great service & creative dishes. Interesting concept that the restaurant has in which every worker in the restaurant performs each role (washing dishes, serving, preparing food). Nice ambience.
ARVI was a great experience for us! The space was comfortable, tastefully modern & low key, not too loud or crowded. We opted for the table next to one of the preparation counters. The staff was friendly, always smiling & informative. E.g., we had no idea that organic honey production requires that all the crops withing a 15 km radius be organic until we went to ARVI... One of us went for the meat fixed menu an the other the vegetarian option so we could share & experience more different dishes. We also picked the wine pairing & bread extras... (The next day found out we should have gone for the foie gras extra. We'll try that next time!) Each of the dishes was special & unique, & the wine selection included all kind of unusual & great selections including an unusual & delicious saké & a honey wine (with overtones of the buckwheat crop near the hives). The dessert was also special: I think it included a black garlic-based cream! Definitely go & enjoy.
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.
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.
MICHELIN
