RENOIR Restaurant at Sofitel Montréal Le Carré Doré: A new experience

At the end of April 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the unveiling dinner for the RENOIR restaurant at the Sofitel Montréal Le Carré Doré. After more than a year of renovations, the space in which the restaurant is located has undergone major transformations, but chef Olivier Perret’s refined cuisine, which harmoniously blends French gastronomy with Québec products, remains unchanged. . . or almost.

Discovering RENOIR Restaurant

Firstly, as you enter the hotel, through Sofitel’s newly renovated lobby, you find yourself in the restaurant reception area, located to the northwest. Stepping inside the dining area, you find the NINI Cocktail Lounge (which you can read about in our article soon) and the RENOIR, which we cover here.

A new look for RENOIR Restaurant

On arrival, you can access the NINI to the south or the RENOIR to the north. The spaces are quite distinct, but still communicate. The space occupied by the bar on the southwest wall, which was part of RENOIR 1.0, has been moved to the centre of NINI. Cocktail connoisseurs will therefore be able to continue to enjoy themselves.

The old logo, featuring the signature of painter Auguste Renoir, has been replaced by a more geometric signature in capital letters, with white and blue colours, symbolizing France and Québec.

The RENOIR restaurant decor: a complete transformation

Whereas the restaurant was previously perceived as enclosed and dark in this area under the “mezzanine,” this has been greatly enhanced by the addition of mirrors to the ceiling, which has the effect of enlarging the space and completely dispelling the impression of compartmentalization.

The furniture has also been completely replaced. Some of the furniture, such as the tables, arrived recently due to a delay in shipping, which meant that the opening of the restaurant had to be postponed for a few weeks, but everything has now been sorted out. The hotel’s General Manager, Mr. Marc Pichot, whose evening I had the pleasure of sharing and whom I interviewed here on the occasion of the hotel’s 20th anniversary, confided to me that this also explains the delay in renovating the hotel’s rooms (the establishment is, in fact, in the midst of a transformation to bring forward the Sofitel brand’s new hotel signature, and is the first hotel in North America to adopt it).

To bring more light into the restaurant, the 2pir Design team has created a solarium, where you can enjoy your meal while sitting in the generous U-shaped banquettes, embellished by cleverly arranged trees and plants. For a more lively atmosphere, the new “open kitchen” area features the chef’s table, where all guests, alone or in small groups, are invited to share their meal while watching the brigade prepare the dishes.

Colours that invite you to unwind

There’s no denying that when you’re looking for a quality dining experience, a relaxing ambience is essential. This is precisely what the aforementioned award-winning firm, 2pir Design, has achieved by creating spaces where opulence meets intimacy. A warm colour palette, including champagne, bronze, turquoise and burnt orange, contributes to a rich, immersive atmosphere. Noble materials, such as comfortable wooden chairs, hand-painted wallpaper and marble tables, add an extra touch of elegance.

Chef Olivier Perret: At Restaurant RENOIR to stay

The RENOIR restaurant, though profoundly transformed, continues to be brilliantly conducted by Executive Chef Olivier Perret, Maître Cuisinier de France, “Maple Ambassador” and Air France Signature Chef in Canada since 2023. The cuisine of this RENOIR Restaurant 2.0 still reflects Chef Perret’s love of his native France and Québec, his adopted province, and has done so for the past eleven years.

Chef Perret’s signature dishes include the RENOIR’s delicious foie gras au torchon, accompanied by homemade brioche, blueberries and honeyberry, a classic dish served as an appetizer during our visit.

The menu also features salmon and caviar gravlax (above), as well as new creations such as homemade cavatellis with smoked artichokes, truffle and porcini risotto (below), a delicacy I was lucky enough to sample, and veal shoulder au gratin with morels and local cheeses. In a few weeks’ time, we’ll be interviewing Chef Perret to discuss his cuisine in greater detail.

The wines that accompany Restaurant RENOIR’s cuisine are carefully chosen, and the service is exceptional, with staff who have been with us for many years and have stayed on despite the renovations.

What keeps customers coming back to RENOIR Restaurant – some would even say the restaurant is better known than the hotel – is the chef’s infectious passion. This is certainly one of the reasons why people will return to RENOIR despite this year’s closure for renovations. Let’s not forget the return of Sunday brunch, a refined RENOIR Restaurant classic, nor its famous terrace, which will open very soon, now in partnership with POMMERY champagne.

Also, try the delicious confections of promising young pastry chef Paul Peyrat. You’re bound to find a treat that will tempt you. It’s a date you can’t miss.

Additional information:

Address: 1155 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, QC H3A 2N3
Phone number: 514-788-3038

RENOIR Restaurant opening hours (these may change with the seasons):

• Monday to Friday:
  • Breakfast: 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
  • Lunch: 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • Dinner: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Saturday:
  • Breakfast: 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
  • Lunch: 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • Dinner: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Sunday:
  • Breakfast: 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
  • Brunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • Dinner: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Reserve your next dining experience now