Sometimes you just have a French craving. For me in late May, it was French onion soup. Unfortunately my Paris lunch cantine (regular neighborhood restaurant), the Café Varenne in the Rue du Bac, had just taken it off their menu until the cold weather came around again. I suppose it was too hot and too filling for the summer. Still, Paris weather in May was a bit cool so I was determined to find some good French soupe à l’oignon.
Then I remembered the classic Paris brasserie where French onion soup is always on the menu – the legendary Au Pied de Cochon.
Located in the Les Halles area of the city, Au Pied de Cochon opened in 1947 and has been a Paris institution ever since. As you might guess from its name, the restaurant’s specialty is everything about the pig. For example, one of their star dishes is “Le fameux Pied de cochon grillé, sauce Béarnaise, pommes frites” (the famous grilled pig’s trotter with Bearnaise sauce served with French fries). While I am always tempted to try chef specialties in France, I’ll stick to steak with my sauce Béarnaise, thank you very much, which the restaurant offers along with plenty of other good non-pig brasserie dishes. (Click here to check out the Pied de Cochon menu in French; for the menu in English, click here.)
But I was on a mission to enjoy Au Pied de Cochon’s traditional French onion soup and it did not disappoint. It came piping hot with the right combination of onion and beef broth flavors. And the golden crust of toasted emmenthal cheese (the key to great French onion soup) was perfect topper. At 8,50 euros, it made for a great – and filling – meal and a bargain for lunch in Paris!
Truth be told, I had not been to Au Pied de Cochon in years thinking it a bit too touristy for my taste. What a pleasant surprise to find it overflowing with French patrons. And the warm, personable service was the biggest treat of all.
You can’t however talk about Au Pied de Cochon without mentioning the decor. The bright, authentically French atmosphere is a big plus. The white cloth napkins are lovely. But it’s the pig paraphernalia everywhere that catches your eye. From the cochons on the zinc bar to the pig’s trotter door handles, the pig is the guest of honor. It could easily seem corny or tacky but it all works – and wonderfully so.
To wrap up this nice lunch, I ordered un express (expresso coffee) which is de rigueur for the French after their meals. Often in France it comes with a small square of chocolate. At Au Pied de Cochon, it is served with a darling pair of meringue cookies – in the shape of the pig, bien sûr!
NB: Au Pied de Cochon is open “jour et nuit” (day and night) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. In essence, it never closes. So if you end up with a French onion soup craving in Paris on any day at any hour, think about heading to this classic Paris venue!
Au Pied de Cochon
6 Rue Coquillière
75001 Paris, France