Au Pied de Cochon: essential Montreal restaurant

Au Pied de Cochon remains one of Montreal’s best restaurants and a true city landmark.

The restaurant’s story is a big part of its charm. Owner Martin Picard trained in fine-dining establishments, but in 2001, when he opened on Duluth Street, he set out to create something different—what was then described as “a new kind of brasserie serving the very best products, simply.” Au Pied de Cochon was the first restaurant to go against the grain of the dominant culinary trends of the time, which emphasized finesse, health, and lightness. The place reflects its founder perfectly: intense, generous, extreme, and deeply convivial. Since then, the chef has gained international recognition—deservedly so.

Today, the kitchen is led by his nephew, Michael Picard Labelle. As Au Pied de Cochon has always been a family affair, the transition happened naturally. Michael brings a creative, thoughtful touch to the menu, while the spirit of Au Pied de Cochon—and Martin’s influence—remains ever present. Nearly a quarter of a century later, this iconic Duluth Street restaurant stays true to its roots while continuing to evolve.

In the dining room, Charlotte—Martin’s daughter—runs the show brilliantly alongside Émile. In the kitchen, Robert and Maya support Michael as sous-chefs.

The space itself is extremely convivial, with a no-frills décor and one of Montreal’s earliest fully open kitchens—a bold statement at the time, meant to distance the restaurant from the codes of haute cuisine and highlight authenticity and a down-to-earth approach. The atmosphere is always warm, festive, and unapologetically excessive. You eat well, drink plenty, and laugh loudly.

In their first book, Martin and his collaborators wrote: “The restaurant industry remains one of the last bastions of work carried out by human operators. Au Pied de Cochon places great value on the human element.” PDC is a demanding school, but one bound tightly together. The team is strong, and its value immeasurable. Many well-known figures in the restaurant world have passed through Au Pied de Cochon, including Hugue Dufour, Gaëlle Cerf, Philippe Poitras, Marc Beaudin, and others. A few details that say a lot: Hugue went on to shine in New York with M. Wells; Gaëlle Cerf helped usher in Montreal’s food-truck scene; Philippe made waves with the opening of Hambar; and Marc has been closely tied to the success of the restaurant, the Cabane, and La Cabane d’à Côté since the very beginning.

In its early days, Au Pied de Cochon was famously generous—its cuisine simple, exquisite, and extremely rich, sometimes downright heavy. Portions often defied logic, leading to legendary evenings. One thinks in particular of Anthony Bourdain, who famously ate an astonishing amount of food during his visit. That menu—most notably Martin Picard’s foie gras poutine—became famous far beyond Quebec. People from around the world came to Montreal specifically to taste those fries, that cheese, that brown gravy crowned with foie gras.

While foie gras still holds pride of place, time has brought a touch more freshness and delicacy to the menu. It remains just as memorable as ever—you simply leave feeling a little less full, which isn’t a bad thing. This ability to adapt and reinvent without forgetting where it came from is one of the restaurant’s great strengths. And for those craving something more indulgent still, there’s always La Cabane au Pied de Cochon.

If you’re a true food lover with a strong stomach, Au Pied de Cochon is the perfect place to take out-of-town guests. The menu features a selection of starters, meats, and fish, always with a strong connection to the origin of the ingredients on your plate. Naturally, there’s plenty of pork—from snout to tail—and foie gras everywhere, in all its glory (even on the pouding chômeur). Classic dishes are reimagined: onion soup, duck confit, lamb shanks, meatball stew. The menu changes with the seasons, offering food that respects ingredients and showcases the very best of Quebec terroir—authentic dishes with bold, honest flavors.

At Au Pied de Cochon, gastronomy is lived without compromise. It’s a place of exuberance, generosity, and soul—a true Quebec classic.