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Ruby Foo's was an absolute legend of a Chinese restaurant

From its 1945 opening to a 1984 closure and its present-day hotel, the Décarie Boulevard institution was where Montreal went to see and be seen.

J.P. Karwacki

J.P. Karwacki

November 21, 2025- Read time: 6 min
Ruby Foo's was an absolute legend of a Chinese restaurantPhotograph: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. e005477035.

In 1945, a neon-lit palace opened on Décarie Boulevard and became the place where Montreal went to see and be seen.

Today a hotel, Ruby Foo's was once a 6,000-square-foot spectacle where politicians rubbed shoulders with Broadway stars, where Maurice Richard slipped in through the back door, and where Pierre Elliott Trudeau ate duck à l'orange almost every Sunday.

Ruby Foo’s in 1950. | Photograph: Paul Carpentier / BAnQ Vieux-Montréal. E6, S7, SS1, P78636.
Southeast view along Décarie Boulevard, between Ferrier and Paré Streets. The Ruby Foo's sign, still there today, can be seen in the background. This section of Décarie Boulevard was widened during the construction of the highway. June 7, 1961. | Photograph: Archives de la Ville de Montréal / VM105-Y-3_561-001
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