Au Pied de Cochon

Au Pied de Cochon is chef Martin Picard's restaurant at 536 Avenue Duluth Est in the Plateau-Mont-Royal district of Montréal, Québec, Canada, and is listed in the Michelin Guide Québec. It is one of the most recognisable restaurants of the city's modern Québécois cooking movement, built around rich, generous, meat-heavy dishes that draw on the province's hunting, farming and sugar-shack traditions. Foie gras appears throughout the menu, and the dish most associated with the restaurant is the foie gras poutine, which pairs the classic fries and cheese curds of Québec with seared foie gras. Another emblematic plate is duck in a can (canard en conserve), a presentation that has become part of the restaurant's reputation. Portions are large and designed for indulgence rather than restraint, so many visitors share starters and order a limited number of mains. The dining room on avenue Duluth is lively and noisy, with a convivial, informal tone; the atmosphere is closer to a busy tavern than a formal restaurant, although prices sit in the upper range at roughly CAD 70-130 per person before drinks. The wine list leans toward bold bottles that stand up to the cooking, and the bar also pours cocktails and Québec products. Reservations are strongly recommended and the restaurant is booked through its own website, which links to its current online booking platform; tables for weekend evenings and for visiting groups can fill weeks ahead, so visitors planning a specific date should reserve as early as the booking window allows. Avenue Duluth is a pedestrian-friendly street of restaurants and bring-your-own-wine spots east of boulevard Saint-Laurent, making the area convenient for a walk before or after dinner. For travellers interested in the roots of contemporary Montréal gastronomy, this is a defining address, and it suits those who want a memorable, unapologetically indulgent meal rather than a light supper.