The Au Pied de Cochon restaurant is where it all began. Passed from one generation to the next, family knowledge contributes to the restaurant's reputation. Constantly evolving, the Pied de Cochon celebrates its 20th anniversary in November 2021. This à la carte restaurant is located in the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal. Authentic to its Quebec and Canadian roots, the dishes are hearty and comforting. Adopting the style from French brasseries, the chef and his team draw inspiration from local and seasonal products to create a timeless menu. With private import wines, beers brewed in Montreal, and signature cocktails, Au Pied de Cochon restaurant is a friendly place where local products are showcased. There is one of the first open kitchens in Montreal where you can see the cooks in action.
Reviews portray Au Pied de Cochon as a landmark of indulgent Quebecois cuisine where the Duck in a Can and foie gras poutine are signature showpieces that set the tone for a decadent, meat forward menu. The atmosphere is described as warm, rustic, and lively, often loud with an open kitchen that feels like a performance, making it easy to get swept up in the energy. Dishes are frequently praised for bold flavors, rich textures, and generous portions, with many diners raving about foie gras nigiri, pates, tripe, and a seafood tower as standouts, though some note occasional temperature issues or oversaturation of foie gras on the menu. Service is commonly highlighted for attentiveness, knowledge, and friendliness, yet a few reviews mention slow pacing, crowded spaces, or uneven experiences during peak hours. Value is a recurring topic: the meals are described as memorable and worth the splurge by many, while others call the prices high for the heft and richness of the dishes. Overall, Au Pied de Cochon comes across as a must try Montreal institution for foie gras lovers and fans of bold, traditional yet inventive Quebecois cuisine, best enjoyed with reservations and an appetite for excess and discovery.
From start to finish, the hospitality we received was overwhelming in the best possible way. We were sat at the bar, which as a chef, was exactly the experience I wanted. Our waiter, whose name eludes me, was knowledgeable in both food & drink & made the best recommendations. The cook on the other side of the bar counter overheard it was my daughter's birthday & surprised us with a mini poutine & a dessert. What a fantastic first night in Montreal!
Overall we enjoyed the food, the service & the atmosphere. But there are definitely some areas that can be improved. Food: Foie gras poutine gravy was luke warm & not hot so the cheese curds were not melted, not even the least bit. After about 7 minutes or so, the last bites of the poutine were cold, not warm. They do give a lot of foie gras so value wise overall not bad. Duck in a can tasted good overall but the duck contained some tendon. Extremely hard to cut. I spent 3-4 minutes trying to slice the duck in order for it to be shared between two. It was a workout for my wrist. Eventually i got the piece that had the tendon & it was not chewable. Had to spit out the unchewable piece which was not what i was expecting from a $60 dish. That aside, the rest of the dish tasted great, & wasn't as heavy as others have commented which is a good thung. Service: good service overall but i wish more attention would have been made with our party's seafood allergy Despite putting the allergy on the reservation & advising the waitress ahead of ordering, it was only discovered after the plate was brought to our table & after we asked, was it confirmed that the appetizer special contained seafood. Ambiance: lively & laid back made for a great atmosphere. But i was taken aback when one of the workers would use a swifter right above all the guests & their food to remove what im guessing as dust/webs/mosquitoes from the ceiling. & then that same person came back a second time 30 mins later; what is accumulating up there every 30 mins? Bathroom location was odd. There are only two single stalls. Both require walking through where the bar staff is actively working to get to. There is zero signage. If the bathroom is occupied, & you could only tell by standing next to the bar staff & try to open the door, then you would have to wait in an area where you are in the way of the bar staff, the servers & the bussers. You would also be standing right next to where people are eating which is weird. We ended up just leaving instead of waiting. Especially since we heard another woman tell the server that one of the toilets wouldnt flush, bringing down the functional stalls from 2 to 1.
Aug 4, 2024
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This was hands down the worst food we had in Montreal. In terms of food: the foie was average at best, the poutine had been sitting out (the gravy was congealed), & no dishes were well balanced. Service: Mains didn't arrive til 90min+ into the seating; our server didn't stop by for 30min & made up an excuse for the delays instead of simply apologizing. Atmosphere: We were seated right next to the register which made the entire experience chaos, & overheard the kitchen staff comment (in french) "oh this version of the dish is messed up, but this one is fine." There's so much amazing food & drink in Montreal that spending 2.5h here felt like an utter waste of time. It's sad to see a restaurant so flagrantly ride on its past success.
The food takes some time to arrive, but the wait is definitely worth it! The duck foie gras poutine was clearly perfected & had gravy which was not too sweet or salty. The fries were crispy, but not burnt & the foie gras was perfect when eaten together. The canned duck was also a really good & well thought of dish. It comes in a can, like the name suggests, & with bread too. When eaten together, the canned duck tastes amazing, while not being too salty. If you're thinking about ordering a lot of food, you should order about 1 dish for every 2 people, as the dishes we ordered were very, very filling (thanks to the waiter for telling us!) The service was very amazing, as well. They were always friendly, & ready to help, but never felt annoying & in your face. Finally, the space felt very cozy, small, & well laid out. This restaurant is recommended by me!
Traveling from Alberta, we were recommended to try Au Pied de Cochons by three Montrealers to get a Quebecois experience. We splurged for an anniversary meal & ate duck tamaki, foie gras poutine, aged pork chop, & a special, the shrimp roll. It was too much food for only two of us. In retrospect, we could've split a main course. Everything we ate was rich, flavorful, & delicious. We left with full bellies & a fun experience watching the kitchen do its thing. The service was top notch. Definitely recommend but come hungry!
The experience from start to finish was beyond expectations. The poutine with foie gras had to be one of the best things I have ever eaten. Kudos to my waiter, Alex for his friendly & attentive service.
Jul 8, 2024
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Wow, I can't say enough good things about this place as I was sceptical prior to going as I'm not really a fan of Duck & Frois Grois but my friends are so I went along anyways & I'm so glad I did. First off this place is extremely popular so a reservation is almost mandatory as it's always pretty busy from what I saw. The restaurant has a nice indoor & outdoor seating area with nice decor & lively atmosphere. The staff here are top notch from the kitchen to the servers they know what they're doing here. The food & drinks were phenomenal to say the least & even with me thinking I was not a fan of Duck & Frois Grois this place changed my mind. Regardless of that they had many other non Duck options on the menu even though I guess Duck is what they specialize in but all the other dishes were fantastic too. I can't remember the names of most dishes but the scallops, Frois Grois Poutine, Clay Pot Stew & this Frois Grois with Maple Syrup dish were some of the favourites. All I will say is that this is definitely a Culinary Experience you need to try at least once in your life so you can decide for yourself as I have definitely become a fan myself & will be returning here eventually when I visit Montreal in the future. Kudos to the entire team there as they are doing a fantastic job & keep up the great work. Oh & by the way the Desserts were exceptional too so make sure you save some room for that 😉
With one exception, the food was fantastic. The foie gras poutine was off the charts delicious--totally worth the Bon Appetit assessment as one of the best poutines in Montreal. The halibut was perfectly done, the endive blue cheese salad was fresh & delightfully balanced, & the foie gras profiteroles would satisfy anyone enjoying this delicacy. The pork chop with morels & chanterelles, however, was tough & fatty. The dulce de leche lava cake was scrumptious; the pistachio profiteroles less so. The atmosphere was very lively & fun, & the staff clearly enjoyed great camaraderie with each other. The music got louder as the evening went on & it became too loud for us. The person who greeted us when we arrived was extremely warm & friendly. Our waiter, too, was very pleasant & helpful, including with recommendations about how much food to order & the wine. If we were only basing this service review on these two, we'd give 5 stars. But we did have a significant complaint that wasn't the waiter's fault--the service was incredibly slow. It took a long time to get our first course & then took VERY long in between courses--in one instance 45 minutes. We were seated at about 6:15 pm & did not finish until 10 pm. That was at least an hour longer than it should have been. Aside from the slow service, I'd definitely recommend Au Pied de Cochon for a delicious meal.
D'abord, personnel attentif & sympathique pour le service & après tout se qui a été commandé & exécuté était divin! À notre menu, confit de canard, poutine au foie gras (sauce incroyable) & repas principaux (quenelle (photo), ragoût de porc & pâtes fraîches homard) furent savourés par leur convive respectif.
The wait staff were excellent but the food was nothing special. So disappointing after looking forward to this meal for over a year & visiting from Australia to dine. The best item was by far the foie gras poutine, however it initially came out with no foie gras on it! We had to say something for them to notice. The fish mains had no salt on it & tasted terrible. The duck in a can was okay, but sloppy & overrated. The mussel dish was so oily & could have used some bread to accompany it - however the wait staff did not mention this at the time of ordering. The wait times for food was quite long. The restaurant itself is very loud & crammed. I sadly would not recommend this place, which I am disappointed to say as we were really looking forward to it.
Jun 12, 2024
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Second time here. The cool thing about this restaurent is a menu so unique, everything is special in its own right & there isn't any wrong choice here.my son & I ordered the duck fat poutine & the Duck in a can. Service, staff, food were top notch. Truly, you won't be disappointed in going there. I'd like thanks the staff of June 8 to have provided my son & I, a wonderful evening.
Rien de plus à dire ,tout était juste wowwww Poutine foie gras en entrée ainsi que la plogue de champlain & repas porc vieilli hummm Dessert pouding chômeur, ça vaut la peine de prendre l'extra de foie gras & cheddar sur le dessert, un sucré salé !
This is my 4th time being at PDC. The place is lively & noisy but not unnecessarily, there are lots of people having a good time, but it is noisy. We ordered scallops appetizer ( which was very fresh, & citrusy), foie gras poutine (my kids loved this), & Plonge de Champlain (excellent crispy pancake, with amazing sweet syrup). All were excellent, & the service was very informative & took our kids wishes to heart. We also ordered the duck in a can which tasted good, but the duck breast had a large sinewy piece running through it which made the breast very hard to cut. On my previous visits I have been wowed by the food (beef stew served in a pumpkin, or chicken balls that were the most chickeny thing I have ever had) , & service but this time I wasn't. Hard to tell if it was familiarity with the product or if things have slipped. Still an excellent time.
May 21, 2024
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Wonderful food & amazing warm & welcoming staff. Fun atmosphere. The foie gras poutine, Plogue a Champlain, porkchop, Salade Bleue all delicious. Must visit when in Montreal for the excellent drinks, fabulous food & convivial atmosphere. Sit T the bar for an amazing evening out!!
We were 6 people; 4 of which were from out of town. The server was engaging & attentive. Everyone's meals were delicious. We started with the oysters, scallops, & foie gras poutine. Then our mains were Duck in a Can, the lamb dish (one of the specials), pork chop, Quenelle (surprisingly amazing), & lamb shank. Then we had Pudding Chomeur, passion fruit pavlova, & a coffee/maple flan-type dessert. Everything was fantastic from beginning to end. Also notable was their homemade Baileys/Irish cream that was delicious.
The food was amazing! We ordered the Duck foie gras poutine, the pork chop, Duck in a Can & Pudding Chomeur for dessert. We couldn't be more impressed with the flavour & the quality of our meal. Our server was fantastic & was very thorough in taking us through the menu. We were sat at a deuce table in front of the service area which was very busy & chaotic. We felt several times that the servers or staff would fall into us but instead ended up bumping into each other to navigate the narrow aisle. There really wasn't enough room for the table & the staff in that area. But we were very glad to have had the experience at this wonderful restaurant & wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
The hostess & staff were very friendly. They made our visit so very enjoyable as we got into the foie gras themed plates that I call "La bouffe du diable" aka the devil's food. This a term that the chef appreciated as we devoured his amazing & wonderful creations. We started with the oblivious draw: foie gras poutine, the first sinful act. Then, the plogue a champlain, which combined decadent foie gras with a grilled ham (wasn't sure if it was but doesn't matter as its mixture brought on the a mouthgasm). The main courses were a lovely blood sausage & foie gras pie & aged pork chop with cabbage & an incredible mushroom sauce. I needed a glass of red wine to complement all that heart attack-inducing goodness & was blessed with a generous grail of a velvety Pinot noir. Praise the Dark Lord! When I thanked the chef & mentioned that I had hoped my dining companion would order the pork chop so I could order the foie gras mapo tofu, he said he would bless us with a sample. "Holy F*ck!!" was what came to mind when I had that first bite. My dining companion uttered "OMFG!!" I am & remain in awe of this amazing if not best dinner I've ever had. I thank the chef & his staff for creating an astonishing ambiance for us to submit to La Bouffe du Diable! Praise be to his mastery of Foie Gras!!!
Wicked place food was amazing definitely go very hungry ! We tried their cider it was perfectly crisp & refreshing - had the poutine very rich Every bite was a moment of happiness
