In the heart of Old Quebec City, there’s an unmarked wooden door recessed in the stone walls of a 17th-century building. It leads to the vaulted cellars of Tanière3, a haven of gastronomy reimagining the art of fine dining, and can only be opened by restaurant patrons with a secret code. That code – which is sent out to guests just before they arrive – is only the beginning of the experience.
How Tanière3 became a leader in Quebec fine dining
Founded in 1977 as La Tanière and then closed in 2015 after ownership changes, the restaurant has always been a bastion of contemporary Quebec cuisine. In 2019, the restaurant reopened in a different location as Tanière3. There was a fresh vision from new co-owners chef François-Emmanuel Nicol and dining-room manager Roxan Bourdelais.
One dish features seaweed-fed lamb from Les Bergeries du Margot in the Gaspé Peninsula paired with black apple. There are Quebec scallops, served with wild lake sturgeon caviar from Lac St-Pierre. Every dish on the menu is a showcase of the vastness of Quebec’s terroir.
Tanière3 garnered international acclaim this fall by securing the fifth spot on the inaugural North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. It also won the organization’s Art of Hospitality Award for North America, recognizing exceptional service. That is, perhaps, an even more telling mark of what makes Tanière3 special.
Quebec’s history told through culinary storytelling and terroir
The restaurant’s captivating hours-long dining journey unfolds over a multi-sensory 12- to 18-course tasting menu. Patrons progress through a series of intimate spaces – all without windows – in the site’s 17th-century vaults. “The menu is built like a journey,” says Bourdelais. “Guests move through the restaurant, through time, through stories.”
Every moment spent at Tanière3 is about creating connection. In the first room, the Starting Vault, kitchen staff present bouchées and welcome drinks. In another space, the Chef’s Counter, Nicol, the chef de cuisine or the sous-chef presents every plate. “When chefs come out to present dishes, guests get different personalities, different stories,” explains Bourdelais. “It keeps the experience alive.”
This focus on culinary storytelling emphasizes the importance of Quebec’s cultural history. “Each dish is a way to deliver our ideas and philosophy,” says Bourdelais. But it’s also key to what makes Tanière3 a bastion of hospitality. “It’s about the small gestures,” Bourdelais adds. “It’s about taking the time and being present.”
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