Au Pied de Cochon

"Verdict: It doesn’t qualify as the best brasserie in town, but it’s one of the most fun and iconic. Aside from the comforting classics, the main draw is the extended hours– seafood and steak simply taste better in the wee hours of the morning. What makes this post-war brasserie beloved by locals is that it’s one of the last remaining spots in town that stay open 24/7, or nearly as the staff gets to snooze from 5am to 8am. Have an itch for best-in-class onion soup at 1am? A seafood platter at 4am? Or maybe pig’s trotter—among the house’s porky specialties—served with crisp fries mid-morning? Come here. This bustling institution first opened in 1947 in Les Halles, and has been a reliable presence ever since. Parisians, tourists galore, and night owls come for the legend as much as for the varied menu, delivered to the table with a pig snout so you know what you’re in for." - lindsey tramuta

"What makes this post-war brasserie beloved by locals is that it’s one of the last remaining spots in town that stay open 24/7, or nearly as the staff gets to snooze from 5am to 8am. Have an itch for best-in-class onion soup at 1am? A seafood platter at 4am? Or maybe pig’s trotter—among the house’s porky specialties—served with crisp fries mid-morning? Come here. This bustling institution first opened in 1947 in Les Halles, and has been a reliable presence ever since. Parisians, tourists galore, and night owls come for the legend as much as for the varied menu, delivered to the table with a pig snout so you know what you’re in for." - Lindsey Tramuta

"Channel your inner Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern by ordering the Tentation de Saint-Antoine (the Temptation of Saint Anthony), served at this famous brasserie in Les Halles that’s been open nonstop — 24/7 — since it opened in 1947. Saint Anthony is the patron saint of charcutiers, and this plate includes a muzzle, ears, breaded pig’s foot, and a tail with lashings of bearnaise sauce. This lively place satisfies less assertively carnivore appetites, too, with trays of oysters and other shellfish, and dishes like its famous onion soup and beautifully made sole meuniere. Located in the First Arrondissement." - Alexander Lobrano

"At the time, it was a novel idea: a restaurant that was open 24 hours per day. In 1947, Au Pied de Cochon decided to open its doors non-stop in part to accommodate workers, vendors and shoppers at the now-defunct Les Halles market, just across the street. Also in an attempt to appeal to this clientele, and perhaps because the restaurant was opened by a former butcher, it emphasized cheaper dishes, in particular those with an emphasis on off-cuts such as marrow bones, kidneys, pig’s head or the eponymous pork trotters. Many decades later, those offal dishes are still on the menu, but perhaps the restaurant’s most emblematic dish is soupe à l’oignon au gratin. Although onion soup probably has its roots in the city of Lyon, today it’s largely associated with Paris, and especially with the restaurants that used to accommodate the workers at Les Halles, of which Au Pied de Cochon is one of the only remaining. As served at the restaurant, the soup could also be called soupe au fromage for the generous amount of cheese that is melted on top of it. It’s listed in the entrées section of the menu, but it easily functions as a rich, fragrant, hot lunch, especially on a cold winter day—or if you happen to be clocking out after a long day of butchery. Despite the proletarian-leaning backstory, the dining room at Au Pied de Cochon feels downright decadent with its formally-dressed waiters, chandeliers, hand-painted murals, wood fixtures and plush velvet, a charming contrast with its menu. Know Before You Go These days, Au Pied de Cochon closes between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., and 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m." - atcbrayne, Austin Bush