Riviera – the Carlton's marble brasserie on the Croisette

Riviera is the flagship brasserie of the Carlton Cannes, the twin-domed palace that has presided over the Boulevard de la Croisette since it opened on 30 January 1911 to designs by architect Charles Dalmas for the hotelier Henri Ruhl. Envisioned by Henri Ruhl, a genius hotelier, the Carlton was designed according to plans of the architect Charles Dalmas, and it opened its doors on 30 January 1911. It is Selected in the MICHELIN Guide, recognised for Mediterranean cooking built on produce bought back from the morning market and fish landed at the quay that same day. Inside, white marble and Art Deco lines run the length of the room, with a chef's table set directly against the open kitchen; outside, every seat on the terrace faces nothing but the sea. As of September 2026, the kitchen answers to a new head chef, Valerio Borriero, running Riviera day to day under the direction of Carlton executive chef Axel Morand, himself newly arrived to lead all of the hotel's kitchens. The result is a grand brasserie still built on the classics, from a three-tiered seafood tower to a plate of sole meunière.

01The room and the setting

Nearly a century on from its 1911 opening, the Carlton went through a six-year renovation that architect Richard Lavelle led while keeping the building's silhouette intact. Architect Richard Lavelle retained the Carlton's famed two-domed exterior and the iconic Riviera Restaurant, working alongside interior designer Tristan Auer on a project that reopened the hotel's doors on 13 March 2023. After extensive renovations, overseen by interior designer Tristan Auer and architect Richard Lavelle, a symbol of Belle Époque glamour reopened on 13th March 2023 as Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel.

Riviera itself wears that work in light marble, Art Deco lines and deep armchairs, built around an open kitchen with a chef's table facing it, and a terrace that looks directly onto the Croisette and the water beyond. Light marble, Art Deco lines, deep armchairs, an open kitchen and a terrace offering a charming tête-à-tête with the waves compose the setting of this chic, maritime brasserie, playfully balancing iodine and southern refinement.

02The chef

Axel Morand arrived at the Carlton to take charge of all of its kitchens, having previously cooked at Le 1920 in Megève, at La Dame de Pic in London and for the Airelles group in Val d'Isère and Saint-Tropez. A captain freshly landed at the head of the whole kitchen operation, Axel Morand, a talented Narbonne native, formerly of Le 1920 in Megève, La Dame de Pic in London and the Airelles hotels in Val d'Isère and Saint-Tropez, has just handed the keys of the stoves to another prime recruit, Valerio Borriero.

Insider tip

Open daily from breakfast to dinner; book ahead for the Friday evening Aperitivo & Grill.

That recruit, an Italian-Belgian chef from Charleroi, trained in Québec under Martin Picard before taking over Riviera's day-to-day cooking. This thirty-something Italian-Belgian, a native of Charleroi, worked his way through Québec at Martin Picard's kitchen. Pastry across the Carlton's restaurants, Riviera included, is signed by Anthony Coquereau. Anthony Coquereau, Pastry Chef.

03The cooking

The kitchen runs on seasonality and proximity, built around produce bought back from the market that same morning and a catch landed fresh at the quay. Its register stretches from a yellowtail crudo and a Riviera salad to king crab, sole meunière, sweetbreads, baba au rhum and profiteroles. The impressive palace attracts tourists with its palatial brasserie, which has the elegance of simplicity thanks to the products it highlights: yellowtail crudo, Riviera salad, king crab, sole meunière, sweetbreads, baba au rhum, profiterole. Alongside it sits a reworked pissaladière and dishes that travel further round the Mediterranean. From revamped local classics like the pissaladière to jet-setting to the Med with croquetas ibericas, carpaccio, or the legendary octopus, their flavors pop with Mediterranean freshness, Provençal vibes, international fusion, and hints of Asian and Middle Eastern zest.

The showpiece is a three-tiered seafood tower carrying Gillardeau oysters, shrimp, king crab, blue lobster and crab meat, served with bread and seaweed butter. The monumental seafood platter reveals on three levels Gillardeau oysters, shrimp, king crab, blue lobster and crab meat in a cup, the whole served with bread and seaweed butter, a condensed version of the best shellfish our shores have to offer.

04What to order

Start with the seafood tower if the table is sharing, or with the yellowtail crudo and Riviera salad for something lighter. Sole meunière remains the dish regulars ask for by name, and the kitchen still finishes with the brasserie staples: baba au rhum or a profiterole.

05When to go and booking

Riviera opens for breakfast daily from 7.30am to 10.30am, with lunch, snacking and dinner running from midday until 10pm, as published on the restaurant's own site in October 2026. Every Friday evening from 7pm, the Riviera Aperitivo & Grill turns the terrace into a sharing table — aperitivo plates, a grilled main for two carved tableside, and a dessert from the chef, priced at 95€ per person. Weekday lunch follows a different rhythm, with a menu that changes every week: two courses for 49€, or three for 60€, Monday to Friday, outside public holidays and congress periods.

06The neighbourhood

Riviera sits at street level on the Boulevard de la Croisette, the stretch of pavement that turned international once the railway reached Cannes in the 1860s. Arrival of the railway around 1865 announced an important expansion for the town: the clientele became international. It was at the Carlton, during the 1955 Film Festival, that Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier III of Monaco in an arranged photo call that led to their marriage the following year. While staying at the Carlton during the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, Grace Kelly had an arranged meeting and photo shoot with His Serene Highness Prince Rainier III of Monaco which eventually resulted in their marriage in 1956. Step off Riviera's terrace and the same pavement runs past the couture houses that now line the Croisette. The Carlton's facade is the crowned jewel of La Croisette, the famed stretch of road that hugs the Mediterranean coastline and features haute couture shops including Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.