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 Montreal experience that combines indulgent Quebecois cuisine with a festive open kitchen atmosphere. The menu centers on rich, hearty dishes like the famous Duck in a Can, foie gras poutine, and other duck and pork specialties, with many diners calling the food decadent, flavorful, and unforgettable, though sometimes heavy. Service is repeatedly praised as attentive, knowledgeable, and warm, with several reviewers highlighting memorable staff, while a few notes mention slow pacing or occasional missteps during busy periods. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially for bar seating or peak times, and the restaurant is often described as lively, bustling, and loud but welcoming, sometimes feeling like a culinary show. Overall, Au Pied de Cochon is celebrated as a must-visit Montreal institution, worth the splurge for bold flavors and a unique immersive dining spectacle; some readers suggest it may not suit those seeking lighter fare or quiet dining.
First time visit for us was not a disappointment. Every dish was lights out delicious. Sitting at the bar was a stellar experience getting to watch the chefs excelling at their craft. Service was also top notch as staff was accommodating & personable. Compliments to the entire staff at Au Pied de Cochon! We ordered scallops rotolo, duck in a can, pork chop & lava cake. All fantastic dishes.
Very slow service. We waited more than one hour for our dishes. People that arrives after you might be served first. No explanation. The food is tasteful.
Sep 5, 2024
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One of the best restaurants in Montreal - almost an institution. Incredible pork dishes, innovative, delicious. Fun, casual & I intimidating environment with great staff.
Not nearly as fatty as people think. We had some very inventive & refined dishes, served with excellent pairings of wine & beer. The staff is very helpful & friendly.
This place! It was everything I hoped it was going to be. The food was KILLER, so much foie gras was consumed! The scallop dish was bursting with fresh flavours! The terrine was perfectly seasoned, & the maple butter was otherworldly with it! I'm a sucker for sweetbreads, & these did not disappoint. Not tough, just the right amount of fatty goodness! The pork chop was delicious, there was a very minor issue with the cook on it, which was promptly addressed & fixed! The service was absolutely impeccable!! I think the unexpected star of the show for.me was the guinea fowl ballontine! I found myself.picking up the leg & chewing all the meat off lol The duck tartare was another surprise hit! A first for me, the quail egg was a perfect sauce for this sushi inspired dish. The beignets were delicious little warm puffs of happiness, & the foie gras/white cheddar sticky pudding was unlike anything I've ever had. Sweet maple, sharp cheddar, & savory foie gras all melded together to make an outstanding & unforgettable dish. I would come back solely for this dish, but I can guarantee it wouldn't be the only one I'd order! Thank you for an evening that will not soon be forgotten!
Sep 2, 2024
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My boyfriend took me here for my birthday dinner & just wow. We've been to our fair share of Montreal fine dining, & this was my favorite experience I've had yet. Both the food & atmosphere were incredible, I can't recommend this restaurant enough if you really want to impress your date, or just have a delicious meal full of complexity. It's hard to get a table, but 100% worth it. I can't wait to be back. Now for the details... Our waiter was fantastic in recommending which dishes to get. For appetizer, we tried their special of the night, which was uni, as well as duck tartare. The presentation/mode of delivery of both was phenomenal! The duck tartare was served in a nori wrap cone & had a quail egg yolk we got to pour in ourselves! The uni came in its shell & had a delicious, creamy sauce that was full of complexity. Then we split a creamy corn chanterelle (another special) & the pork shank, per our servers recommendation. I've never had pork this tender falling off the bone before! I was very impressed. As for the corn, it was one of the best dishes I've ordered at any Montreal restaurant, period. Which makes sense because we're deep into corn & chanterelle season, & you could tell they were both super fresh. I was a little worried that sharing only one main wouldn't be enough, but the portions are very sizable, especially with appetizers. For dessert, we tried the pouding chômeur with foie gras & cheddar. The savory salty strong flavor of foie gras complemented the sweet caramel so well in a way I was not expecting.
Everything was wonderful. The whiskey sour was the best I've ever had. We ordered 4 apps, 2 entrees & a dessert. There was a nice balance between lighter refreshing items & the most decadent rich traditional French dishes. The guinea-fowl was a stand out. The sauce was incredible! In addition to the food & drinks being amazing the service was also fantastic! A must try if you are in the area!
Wonderful experience. Great food & phenomenal staff. A fun time to experience traditional Quebec cuisine. Recommended highly by a chef at Aura in Camp Hill Pennsylvania. Thank you for the recommendation.
Aug 31, 2024
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Plus que parfait ! Depuis le professionnalisme & l'amabilité du manager (français) en passant par le soin des serveurs pour répondre à nos moindres demandes. Concernant la cuisine ,un pur délice ! & je suis difficile. Je recommande de de prendre des plats différents & de partager afin de goûter une multiplicité de saveurs. Une réussite totale !
I was lucky to get a table here during my stay in Montreal, & I was alone, so I had all the time in the world to savour the food, wine & atmosphere. & what an atmosphere that was - seated a the bar right in front of the open kitchen, pure organised chaos (think The Bear...) Super attentive servers, friendly & chatty, neither my water or wine glass were ever empty. I took the sweetbreads, shepherds pie & pouding chômeur, along with wine chosen by the waiter, the dessert in particular was astonishingly good Next time I'll try the poutine as is looked really good
Good food in a nice restaurant is expected. Perhaps we even take it for granted. Infrequently you are absorbed by the whole experience, from the welcome greeting, the atmosphere, all the way to the conversations - before your tastebuds are awaken! The team of professionals from the front of house to the kitchen staff is just exceptional. Then came the food: the poutine with lobster gravy & the shrimps - we jumped on to that offering as their special, before we even looked at the menu. We had the foie gras nigiri - don't judge me - I am well aware of the animal welfare arguments & I would normally abstain from it. However the concept of peanut butter & foie gras with nigiri rice was so out there, I just fell victim to the intrigue. It did exactly that. I was knocked out of the park, the city, the planet! Who would have thought?!! I live in the UK & we refer to the "humble" shepherds pie - but let's just say there is nothing humble about this shepherds pie! The beef cheeks, pork neck & the ground pork (or minced if you are a Brit), in a rich sauce, covered by a cheesy infused mash potato topping - served with a homemade ketchup that cuts through the gravy - I can only say - OMG! The best thing is the portions are not nouveau! That's just not my thing. The experience was enhanced because of the team - Alex, Annabelle & Omar! It isn't cheap, but it's an experience that will last a lifetime. Bon appétit!
Soirée inoubliable mais pas dans le bon sens... Arrivés au restaurant nous sommes restés debout pendant 15 bonnes minutes malgré notre réservation & la demande du restaurant d'arriver un peu à l'avance... une fois installés nous nous sommes retrouvés entourés de gens qui hurlaient (du jamais entendu.). Les plats commandés étaient bons à l'exception de la poutine à la bisque de homard avec son jus de viande... étrange mélange terre & mer... Notre regard s'est posé sur la serveuse qui a minutieusement déverser une boîte de conserve de canard dans une assiette dont le prix exorbitant ne nous laissé pas présager a une telle scène. Bref un énorme attrape touriste à fuir. Nous ne comprenons toujours pas tout l'engouement & la pub faite autour de ce restaurant.
We were in Montreal on a family vacation & knew we wanted to eat at PDC having been to the PDC Sugar Shack years ago & loved it. We didn't plan a head & could only get a reservation for 10pm which none of us were happy about but we made it & planned to stop by the restaurant a couple of days before the reservation to see if we could get something earlier. The hostess was very kind, & did her best to find an alternative. There was nothing available so she gave us some advice on how to make it happen on the night of our reservation. We ended up having a really lovely dinner at a reasonable time on the patio in perfect weather. The servers were all kind & everything was delicious... not light but incredibly tasty. My favorite dish may have been the halibut, uncharacteristically light for PDC but filled with flavor. The dessert was good but very sweet & could have used a scoop of ice cream
Price was extremely high for the quality, not good value at all. Scallops didn't taste fresh, was not indicated on the menu they would be raw. Sheppards pie was 80% mash potato, pork was extremely dry Guinea fowl ballotine was quite undercooked, raw in the middle. Fois gras was great
