A Frenchly Honest review, as told by MaisOui Le Frenchy -- a critic who, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who has read this far, prefers to remain unknown. There are restaurants one visits for the chef. There are restaurants one visits for the wine list. And then there are places one visits because the walls have been classified by the French state as more important than anything currently being served beneath them. Le Cochon à l'Oreille is the third kind. The hand-painted ceramic tiles -- a Monument Historique since 1984, depicting Les Halles in its thunderous, market-heaving prime -- are among the most quietly extraordinary interiors in Paris. They were fired by the same Belle Époque manufactories that lined the walls of the Paris Métro. They were reason enough to walk through the door. The food was good. Genuinely so. But atmosphere is not decoration -- it is seasoning. When the room promises one century and delivers another, even a well-executed plate arrives already compromised. The kitchen did its part. The rest of the house did not. The music was modern. I will repeat that, because it merits repetition: in a room whose tiles were fired in the Belle Époque, the soundtrack was indistinguishable from a mid-range hotel lobby in the 14th arrondissement. A gramophone. A chansonnier. Even a tasteful playlist of period recordings -- any of these would have cost nothing and transformed everything. When we visited, the room held only a couple finishing their meal as we arrived, and ourselves. By the time their plates were cleared, we were alone inside. And yet, the owner was eating behind the bar. I do not begrudge anyone a meal. But in a monument this loaded with history, even a quiet afternoon is a performance. The stage was set. The cast, it seemed, had not been informed. And the staff -- pleasant, I must say -- wore nothing to suggest they understood where they were working. A white apron. A waistcoat. Some small gesture toward the era these tiles fought to preserve. Chef Apostolski trained under Robuchon. He knows what mise en scène means. One wonders why it stops at the kitchen pass. One visits their website hoping, perhaps, for context -- some acknowledgment of what makes this address singular. There is none. The site is images and a menu. The Monument Historique classification, the ghost of Zola's ventre de Paris -- not a word. A restaurant that cannot be troubled to tell its own story online is unlikely to tell it in the room either. Le Cochon à l'Oreille is a privilege disguised as a bistro. The tiles deserve a director. What they have, at present, is a tenant. Come for the tiles, stay for a perfectly acceptable lunch, and try not to mourn the version of this place that should exist but doesn't. read more

See all

Cute little place Montemarte. Staff was friendly, and the food was pretty tasty. Can't remember what red wine we got, but the Prosecco was pretty tasty. Only downside was that the menu was a little limited. read more

See all

Seriously delicious food on NYE: a 6-course tasting menu including a glass of champagne and a glass of red wine. This is a tiny, tiny spot with tables squeezed in - so expect very cosy and easy to hear others' conversations! The staff is friendly and helpful, and patient with foreigners attempting high-school French. Would definitely recommend and visit again. read more

Le Cochon à l'Oreille - 6 course New Year's Eve menu including 2 drinks each, for €130 per person - French Near Me - Paris, 75

My friend and I had a lunch here in fall 2019. We picked this spot randomly while walk around the street but ended up enjoying the foods here. They provide a bread basket for free. We ordered Duck confit, snails and Foie gras。。All tasted good！ The lady at this restaurant was super nice and friendly she kept sending foods to us. Because we don't speak French we only can express our thankful in English. They have the English menu which was really helpful. She has a super nice and friendly grandma vibes. Another restaurant across the street is a popular spot but not worth the hype to wait for more than 2 hours. I highly recommend to save you time and eat here...! read more

See all

This restaurant has some beautiful old tile murals which are worth seeing, and might be worth a quick glass of wine downstairs to appreciate them. But the food and service? Lackluster (we were ignored for ten minutes in deference to a large party next to us) and missing in love (just going through the motions). While I think the (sisters? friends?) who run it do like what they are doing, it's more of a routine than love, and the saddest confit de canard of my life is what I was served last Saturday evening. Dry, flavorless, and not at all a worthy companion to what was in all likelihood a house made terrine (and a decent panna cotta for dessert). read more

Lovely little place, intimate ambience. Wait staff is attentive and courteous. Appetizers were the highlight. I recommend both the ratatouille or the tuna tartar. Menu is small, but none of the dishes miss. Recommend the outdoor seating. read more

Wow, I'm so glad we skipped the line from the other popular restaurant across the street to this cozy place run by a very friendly, warm, and talkative woman. She honesty made the experience so much better, I felt so welcomed! I had the escargot and was just in love with the buttery sauce. The escargot came hot and had a side of bread to soak in the bits of pesto-y flavor. I also just went for the splurge and had the duck breast (medium, as she recommended) with a side of potatoes gratin. The fig sauce worked so so well with the duck. It wasn't like a strong jam flavor but a very creamy, quiet fig flavor to top a well cooked duck. The potatoes gratin were obviously very good. I would recommend this place to my friends! read more

Le Cochon à l'Oreille - 6 escargot - French Near Me - Paris, 75

See all

We tried the fish, the osso buco and a steak. The fish was bland and had many bones in it even if the waitress told us all the bones are removed. The steak was good and the fries were delicious. The osso buco was tender and came with pasta. As a dessert we took a chausson aux pommes and the crème brûlée. The chausson is was good and flaky, but the crème brûlée wasn't impressive. The sugar on top didn't melt enough and it felt like eating sprinkles instead of a nice hard crust. The staff was friendly and nice. The place is small but there's a second floor. It seemed clean although the basement and the washrooms were very old and spooky. read more

See all

Tiny, wonderful bistro with a room upstairs for large groups. Charming old school ambiance with tile murals. Onion soup was the best I've had ever, and fois gras entree was delicious. Plats were delicious even though it's a limited menu - brought us back twice now! Reasonably priced and good value. You will certainly enjoy it read more

Omg!! I just had my first and quite possibly last Anduillette sausage here! Lol. The place is amazing. The food is incredible. The service is great. Mostly? The owner came to us, spoke English, explained the entire menu, and or us know we shouldn't try the andouilette and fortunately didn't mention the foot of beef or big or whatever it was. Because I was in France to try everything French and I was not going to be stopped ordering new stuff. My girlfriend had the fish and vegetables and loved it. Mostly the owner understands different peoples tastes and recommended to us what she knew we would love. Go here and support a woman owned business on top of being incredible food. read more

This was once considered The Most Beautiful Bar (Bistro) in Paris. It was, but it has recently been renovated, taking away the gorgeous old Zinc Bar and cute little wooden booths. It still retains most of its famous old tile murals of the old Les Halles Market. Worth checking out. read more

Le Cochon à l'Oreille - Cookbook Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke at Cochon L'Orielle - Original Decor 1999 - French Near Me - Paris, 75

We stopped by this place by chance on the recommendation of a waiter from le comptoir de la gastronomie (the place we wanted to go to but the line was too long). I'm still not sure if he recommended it because it was good or just close by... The place is small but quaint and the wait staff is very friendly. Be ready because they speak slightly more limited English, but they are very friendly and helpful. The food was not as good as I've had in surrounding Parisian restaurants. The fois gras was fatty and the duck confit was very dry. The herring appetizer with potatoes was very good (if you like herring). The creme brulee was also good but not great. Also, we assumed they'd bring us our check when we were finished eating but apparently you have to go downstairs to pay when you're through. Otherwise you'll end up sitting there waiting on them forever. read more

We stopped by this restaurant today because the restaurant across the street was too busy. It was a happy accident. The servers and staff basically only speak French but that's ok they were attentive and pleasant and wow what a great place. The food was prepared perfectly and served buy really nice people. We will be back tomorrow for dinner or lunch. read more

Le Cochon à l'Oreille - French Near Me - Paris, 75

Like many, my table of six was waiting to go to the the super popular Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie across the street without a reservation. There were 13 people ahead of us in line so we looked across the street and found this cute little place. The service was warm and friendly and the food was great too! Most of the menu is meat based. Our table ordered the escargot, rack of lamb, rib steak and rump steak. The escargot was average but all the meat was cooked to perfection. The creme brûlée and creme caramel were delicious as well. It was also quite fun to see how the line across the street was progressing (it would have taken us 75 minutes to get a table). read more

Le Cochon à l'Oreille - English menu - French Near Me - Paris, 75

A charming, wonderful little family restaurant with local charm (tile murals on the walls from the 1800's). We don't speak French, so we just pointed to things on the menu sign having no idea what we were ordering. It didn't matter, it was all good. My husband had a soup with egg in it that was delicious. I used some bread to sop it up, to my husband's dismay. We both had the fish main course and, again, it was so good! My creme brûlée was excellent. The service was friendly and it was fun to watch the bartender/owner (?) taking pictures for customers and singing French songs with another customer. We will be back tomorrow. read more

See all

Came here a year ago when I could not get in the the place across the street and was so happy with the meal that the experience stuck in my mind. Good classic Parisien bistro fare, just the basics done well. Confit, rump-steak, potatoes dauphinois, tarte au pommes...you cannot miss. Two people one appetizer, two plats, two deserts and a bottle of Rhône €78,00 . read more

See all

Decent food, but more expensive and less delicious than everywhere else I've eaten in Paris. Not much atmosphere. I wouldn't return.

Food is very well prepared, excellent flavor with huge portion. The host of the restaurant is an extra nice and upbeat lady. She doesn't speak much English but tried to explain everything. We had a great time here. The street has nice view too. read more

See all

I'd pick a different place to eat. We ordered the Cheeseburger -which was good and the Pork Chop - which was so so so dry and flavorless. Might have been the least flavored dish I've ever had. Literally one bite in I asked the server for another cheeseburger for my partner. The pork chops sat on the table until the end of the meal. When the bill came I all three main dishes were on the bill. I kindly asked for the pork chop to be removed as it was not eaten, less the two bites hers and mine when she said you need to try this to make sure it's not me. The waitress said remove, why? I stated we did not eat it, we did not like it. She replied with No! I will not remove I like it! So yea the food was ok and the service sucked. I understand Paris service is not that amazing to begin with but she was plain horrible just like the pork chop. Go elsewhere!! read more

The staff was incredible friendly. The gentleman behind the bar spoke English very well and was able to walk us through their dishes and recommend a great wine with our meal. First time trying escargot and it was amazing. The main dishes were also amazing I can't remember their names but I can post the pictures. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting who'd like a great meal in a place that has a homely friendly kind of ambiance. They were always looking to make sure we were great and were nothing but smiles until we walked out of the door. Next time we go to Paris we'll definitely make another visit and try another one of their dishes. read more

See all

Really awesome little restaurant with a good bistro atmosphere. Food was great and service was good.

Don't goto the place opposite to this place. So overrated with the yelp reviews! I highly recommend this place if you really want to experience the family style french foods. Even though we had little trouble communicating, a waitress was very friendly and recommends great foods! Personally i loved their pork chop! read more

It's a tiny place with really beautiful tiles on the wall and great food. The atmosphere is great. Check out the beautiful pictures http://www.hotels-paris-rive-gauche.com/blog/2008/10/30/cochon-oreille-restaurant-halles/ read more

We had a really good experience eating here. The server has been so very attentive, keeping the water and baguettes in plentiful supply which more than made up for the minor communication gap (not much English spoken). The food was served much quicker than expected with how fresh and delicious it is. Would heartily recommend to others. For an appetizer I had a candied gizzard salad and my friend had escargot, for entrees I had Lasagna that came with a salad (yes a second one) and my friend had a pork loin and potatoes, all together it was around 35 euros. Also the exterior had a really cool vibe. read more

I was excited to try this restaurant but after my visit, I do not recommend. I came in smiling and saying Bonjour but the staff ignored me for a good 10 minutes before giving any sort of attention. The room was not busy and no one else was in line. The owner/server had actually gave a table to the Parisian woman who came in after me. When she finally acknowledged me, I asked if I could sit outside where there were 4 empty tables and she told me to go upstairs where it wasn't as nice. I sat down and no one came to my table for a long while. I had felt disrespected from the start and wish I had followed my gut and left at that moment. It would had saved me an unpleasant experience. The escargot were chewy and unflavourful. I've travelled all over the world and I have to say it was the worst experience I've had at a restaurant. read more

Most fun dinner we have had. Owners - brother and sister- and brothers wife- very very funny. Figuring out which beer to order was a riot but the waitress made it hysterical. She gave us tests of #1 and 2- my dad helping behind the bar! The brother asking my dad for his blessing to ask my sisters hand in marriage- one problem- his wife right outside serving customers. Ok to the food: exceptional. My sisters ordered endives jardon which is quiche like fish w ham, endives and creamy eggs w sweet salad on side. Delicious dressing!! I ordered goat cheese salad. Absolutely the best! Great dressing-tomatoes, green beans and baked goat cheese. Really good. Dad ordered pork chops and scalloped potatoes. He said pork cooked very well and potatoes were wonderful. Small little place inside. Wait staff THE BEST!!!! P.S. the restaurant has original tile art work inside from 1880- it has been passed down from grandparents and great grandparents. Beautiful inside! read more

See all

Bien qu'il soit le milieu d'un lieu très encombré, il sert la meilleure nourriture un bistro peut servir. La nourriture est fraîche et savoureuse. Chaque fois que je dois attendre dans Les Halles je y aller pour prendre un octet. read more

This little restaurant is the best of everything Paris has to offer. The food was amazing and the service was very friendly and attentive. It is a small place with beautiful tile work. The menu has a few different languages included which made it easy to order. The food is simple, good and very French. We had the escargot, eggs, pork chop, duck confit and lamb ribs. It was exquisite. Everything was cooked beautifully and was absolutely outstanding. Desserts were incredible and the wine reasonably priced. Very much enjoyed our experience and recommend. read more

Went there during our recent trip to Paris. We sat down, waited and waited for someone to give us the menu and no one came. An older lady was on her cell phone the whole time and totally ignored us. There were few men outside smoking and drinking wine, not sure if they were customers or workers. We went there because of good yelp reviews but ended up leaving because no one attended to us. We were the only ones inside the restaurant. Finally we got up and left. So disappointing! read more

Well this small nicely decorated restaurant was a nice surprise. The service was good and friendly. Not haute cuisine but timid and well cooked dishes. Small but good list of selected wines offered also by the glass. read more

Nice little bistro with a traditional twist and a young manager. The setting is very pretty, the food is classic and tasty.