The Boating Party Lunch at Maison Fournaise: we tried the special menu tied to the Renoir exhibition

Imagine dining inside a painting? That’s the idea behind Maison Fournaise in Chatou (78), echoing the event exhibition "Renoir and Love: The Happy Modernity (1865–1885)" at the Musée d’Orsay. On the very balcony where Renoir set up his easel in 1880 to capture his guests in full light, the restaurant is presenting until July 19, 2026 the Menu des Canotiers, reinterpreted by Christian Le Squer, the three-Michelin-starred chef.

Renoir and Love: A Landmark Retrospective at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris – Reviews and Photos
When love becomes light, Renoir turns it into art. With the exhibition "Renoir et l'amour" (March 17 - July 19, 2026), the Musée d'Orsay brings together his major masterpieces for a retrospective as modern as it is tender, in collaboration with the National Gallery in London and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. [Read more]

For starters, the menu offers a choice between a delicate whitebait fry or the Canotiers’ platter (celery remoulade, smoked herring, beets and radish, and shredded Paris ham). For the mains, you can pick between pike-perch quenelles gratin with crayfish sauce or poularde with pot-au-feu vegetables in a lightly creamy sauce. The dessert wraps things up with a wine-poached pear and vanilla ice cream, or a faisselle of fromage blanc with cherries, amaretto and toasted almonds. Expect 39 € for this special menu.

The Maison Fournaise, on the Île des Impressionnistes, was founded in 1857 by Alphonse Fournaise. It quickly became the go-to spot for artists, the bourgeoisie, and boating enthusiasts. Alphonsine Fournaise looked after the painters and guests, while the Seine and the surrounding kitchen gardens dictated the menu.

Monet, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley, Berthe Morisot and Caillebotte were all drawn to these places, and Renoir painted more than a dozen canvases here, including the famous Déjeuner des Canotiers. After a long closure at the dawn of the 20th century, the house was restored and classée Monument Historique, to offer today a bright and authentic setting.

• To be read
• This week's top picks in Paris and Île-de-France, May 11–17, 2026

Before or after your visit to Orsay, hop on the RER A to Chatou-Croissy and extend the experience at the Musée Fournaise, housed just beside the house. Stroll along the banks where Renoir captured the Seine’s golden reflections, and end with a visit to the Musée de la Grenouillère in Croissy-sur-Seine.

And what if you stepped into an Impressionist painting for the duration of a meal?

Our take:

At Maison Fournaise, the "Canotiers’ Lunch" menu rides the Renoir universe and the Orsay Museum exhibition, promising a lunch by the water in the very setting that inspired Le Déjeuner des canotiers. And here, the experience is as much about the atmosphere as it is about the plate.

The options stick to traditional French fare, hearty but not particularly surprising. The small perch fritters arrive in generous portions, though our batch was a touch overcooked, leaving the fish a touch dry and bland with a hint of salt missing. More interesting is the Canotiers platter: celery remoulade, smoked herring, beets, radish, and shredded ham, a nibble-count ensemble you can pick at to suit your mood. The herring is flavorful and well-seasoned, with pronounced smoky and salty notes—perhaps a bit strong for some palates—and it, with the ham, crafts an original earth-and-sea pairing that stands out against more classic starters.

The pike-perch quenelles baked in crayfish sauce lean toward a very generous approach, with two sizable quenelles and a fish-forward sauce. The pullet with pot-au-feu vegetables offers a more balanced plate, supported by tender vegetables with a touch of caramelization and perfectly cooked meat.

Desserts follow the same simple, generous vein. The wine-poached pear with vanilla ice cream strikes a balance of freshness, sweetness, and texture, while the farmer’s curd with cherries, amaretto, and toasted almonds stays straightforward but hefty.

The true spirit, though, is found mostly outside. To fully savor the experience, it’s best to book a table on the open balcony overlooking the Seine, beneath the famous red-and-white striped awning where Renoir set up his easel. There, the "Canotiers’ Lunch" truly makes sense, especially in good weather. With a reasonable price for the setting, a metro on foot about ten minutes away, ample free parking under the Chatou bridge, and a pleasant riverside stroll to cap off the meal, the venue is ideally suited for a relaxed Sunday outing rather than a destination for a grand gastronomic experience.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.