Cochon Butcher

Waiter was not knowledgable about menu. Ordered zucchini salad which was good but it was not zucchini -- it was yellow squash. Boudin balls were o... more

We finally got to eat at Cochon on our most recent visit to New Orleans, and on Valentine's Day no less! We came with a big party, but our reservation was on-time, and the service was great. We brought a cake with us (birthday), and our servers took it back to cut it and served it out - a great touch! Closing out at the end was a cinch. The food was great. We were all passing food back and forth to taste this and try that. I didn't have anything that wasn't delicious (although my shellfish allergy does shrink the menu for me a little). I wouldn't recommend for vegetarians, but it is called ""Cochon"" after all. Pros: food, service, decor more

Small portions and the taste wasn't anything special. It was way overpriced and the waiter was inattentive. Would not recommend. Pros: Decor Cons: Pig service more

When I really like a restaurant I ask the waitress if the chef has written a cookbook...I bought two. My family started the evening sharing the small plates of fried alligator with chili garlic aioli, grilled shrimp with chow-chow and fried pig ears with cane syrup mustard and two salads. We argued over our favorite because everything was so different and delicious (we don't feature alligator or pigsears where we come from). The entrees were show-stoppers. The louisiana couchon with turnips, cabbage & craklins was delicious, but fell to third place after tasting the catfish courtbouillon, and the rabbit & dumplings. Just when we thought that we couldn't squeeze in another bite, out comes a piece of German chocolate cake, and you can't put your fork down. This will be on my short list of must return to restaurants.\r \r more

Awful experience when I went here on a Friday afternoon between lunch and dinner. You can say that off-hours a restaurant isn't going to wow you, but that's no excuse. A real chef never would have let something be so awful just because it was between lunch and dinner. The place was nearly dead. Our waitress was inattentive, although she had no other tables to mind. It took her fifteen minutes just to bring us drinks, another 15 minutes to take our food order, another 15 minutes to realize we needed more drinks, and another 15 minutes to bring them. We almost walked out before the food came. The crawfish pie had about 4 crawfish in it. The gumbo was unlike any I've ever come across, very thick, bland, with little meat in it. The artichoke stuffed crab was full of shell bits and very dry. I've gotten better cajun food at Semolina's. All the food was incredibly over-salted. The portions are tiny, we left hungry and disappointed. The waitress was handsy, she kept touching everyone in my party when she spoke to them and practically getting on top of them when she picked things up from the table. She kept giving us dirty plates and dishes, not dried food on a plate, wet food she just spilled on it, and she didn't even bother to replace it. The service was so bad we saw a group of five people walk in, and when the hostess who was on the phone ignored the party for five or ten minutes, they just walked out. This place has gotten so much buzz that I guess they see no need to make good food or upscale service. Go to a mom-and-pop place on Magazine Street instead, they'll never disappoint you. Cons: bad service, awful food, high price more

Well prices and great food but you must love pork. Seasonal menu and local ingredients, the food is thoughtful and rich. The sides were all very tasty. The grits, the macaroni and the greens were my favorite. The rabbit livers were fried perfectly. I was surprised to find no pig on the desert menu. Nonetheless it was a very pleasant meal. more

Arrived a little early, no reservation, ate at the bar. Brandi and Matt were very knowledgeable and friendly. Started with the boucherie plate - couldn't do the hogshead cheese but my husband loved it. I had the ham hock with sweet potatoes, pickled greens & black eyed pea ham broth - practically licked the plate clean! Wish they had more wines by the glass, but the sparkling white that I had was delicious with the food. This is a ""stacked"" restaurant (as my husband calls it, due to the food coming stacked on top of each other), so don't let the relaxed atmosphere fool you! Best $100 we've spent in a long time. more

What a dissapointment! We arrived in New Orleans this morning and spent most of the day looking forward to our evening at Cochon upon the recommendation of a friend. Even though the restaurant was only 1/3 filed at 8:00, the hostess was offended by our late reservation and commented that she ""might"" be able to accomodate us. No other patrons arrived after us. There was a pall in the room that was palpable. From the aloof hostess, to the arrogant and incompetent waiter, and the bored and uninterested manager, everyone with the exception of the ""water girl"" seemed depressed. The waiter delivered the signature dishes without fanfare, barely explained the dishes on the menu, and then delivered curdled cream to the table with the coffee. Without apology he removed the offensive mess and returned with two more cups and watery milk. The meal was not without merit; the mullet and crab cakes were cripsy and light and the louisana cochon was flavorful and perfect. The cornbread and okra fritter was a flour based pancake without thee flavor or texture of cornbread and delivered cold. The result was a rubbery pancake paired with a bland catsup topping. The waiter's last words were ""you're not interested in the dessert menu are you?"" At that point we weren't. He certainly seemed interested in settling our bill and inquired twice about the status of it during coffee. I was thinking of trying Herbsainte, but am now wary of substandard service paired with the menu and think I'll pass. The restaurant would be well served to spend time training their employees to create an atmosphere more in line with the New Orleans tradition of customer service. Pass on this place...\r more

this new restaurant in the warehouse district is quite lovely and homey at the same time. the place is small so i highly recommend making reservations, especially if you go during jazzfest or when there is a big event in the city.\r \r as the name suggests, cochon is an homage to the swine.\r \r we started off with cocktails. the sazerac here was quite good, and not very licorice tasting.\r \r for appetizers, we tried the spicy grilled pork ribs with watermelon pickle. it did have a kick and although the meat did not fall off the bone, it had good flavors.\r \r we also tried the pork cheeks with cornbread bean cake & mustard cream. the cheeks were very tender and yummy. i also liked the pork rinds with it.\r \r i had the pork chop special, which was ok and not exceptional.\r \r i tried the louisiana cochon with turnips, cabbage & cracklins -- which was basically pulled pork with pork rinds and some veggies. i did like the taste, the tender meat and enjoyed the rinds.\r \r they did have a selection of moonshine, which i now wished i tried. cochon is definitely a good place to go to dine. more

Perhaps we caught them on a bad night, but the service here was unfriendly and impersonal - not at all what we are used to in New Orleans. This included the hostess, bartender, waitress and servers with the exception of one server. We felt very rushed and couldn't even get a second round of bread - when we asked the server told us they needed to bake some more and it would be 5-10 minutes - it never showed up. We felt like they couldn't wait for us to leave to they could close up. Hey - if you don't want to serve late don't make 9:00 pm reservations!\r \r Cochon does not even come close to our other dining experiences in New Orleans at places like Stella, The Rib Room, NOLA or Emerils. If all you care about is food you probably won't mind, but I like to enjoy the whole experience which includes the service from the moment I walk in the door. We got better service at the Camellia Grill - a burger joint where our bill was $10 unlike Cochon where it was over $200. more

I love Cochon. It's one of my all time favorite restaurants. Everything I've had here has been excellent. Order the boucherie plate for the table and sample all the hard work the chefs have put into creating house made charcuterie products. The oyster roast is divine, as are the boudin, fried alligator, and eggplant shrimp dressing. The desserts here are great too, back in August I ordered a frozen chocolate mud pie that was so delicious, my boyfriend and I could think of nothing else for days. The food here can be quite filling, so bring lots of friends and share! more

This is good Cajun food. In other words, this is food that owes more to rural Louisiana than to the more elegant Creole cooking at many classy New Orleans restaurants. In fact, many southerners with rural roots will feel quite at home here. For appetizers we enjoyed hogs' head cheese and fried alligator. For entrees, rabbit & dumplings, pulled pork (cochon) & turnip roots, ham hock & lima beans, and baked redfish. All were good -- the pork especially had a nice smoky flavor -- but nothing that could really be called outstanding. Still, it was very good, and we would probably go back, except the prices for such simple food were quite high. more

I am from the cajun swamps of LA and found that there were some fab and genuinely inventive twists but the prices are quite high. We started with Oyster Pan Roast [5 oysters broiled w/chili oil - searing to the stomach and can't hold a mussel to Casamento's chargrilled bivalves] - they were pricey and a HUGE dissapointment. Creativity during oyster season should have surpassed this starter. Also had boudin, which is fried which had only a smattering of grease when by fork cut through these 3 globes of etheral deliciousness. These were PERFECT encapsulated rice and seasoned pork meat [even a piece of liver was a wonderful surprise!]. By far - worth the $8 for 3 huge above golfball size fried delights, accompanied by pickled peppers and FAB mustard that they make and you should definitely buy to take home. It is the BEST mustard I EVER tasted.\r Don't eat the rabbit entree - just don't. Go toward the ham hock with lima bean hoppin? john & mustard onion jus, yummy.\r We were weighed down so we still optioned for dessert to take home with us. A slab of red velvet cake with organge marmalade, thick cream cheese frosting and a dusting of cocoa. Take it -if you can't take it home for later with a glass of cold milk - you won't be dissapointed. Another dessert was a lemon tart. It reminded me of the delicate cajun tarts that my great aunts used to make, eggy but with a hint of lemon [that was the inventive twist]. Don't expect tang - expect delicate smoothness. Both desserts were ample in size and at good price points.\r \r I will go again and try the cochon and boucherie plate - just not check my sodium levels afterward. There was a Satsuma Mojito that I must try brfore the season is over.\r \r Definitely give it a try, just be prepared to open your wallet wide. Pros: Twists on rural cajun country food, artistan foods Cons: pricey on some items in regard to portion, food leans to be spicy for sensitive stomachs more

creativity may overshadow the food. \r it's a very interesting place, great service but the food is a bit over the top.\r creativity with the use of unusual herbs & spices seem to be their forte. a bit on the rich side.\r we will go back but it won't be on the top of our list.\r it is a nice change from the New Orleans norm. we were looking for something different and we found it.\r crab & bean salad was our favorite. Pros: unusual dishes Cons: unusual dishes more

Tried Cochon for the first time and I loved it. I am from N.O., and definitely recommend this place. Great service. Great atmosphere. Great food. I will be back. Loved the cucumber salad! Pros: Ambience, Food, Service Cons: Parking more

I'll second coog78's thoughts - great food, service and atmosphere. Everything on the menu is unique and for us folks from ""up north"" was a great sampling of southern cooking with a modern twist. The house specialty pulled pork (cochon) was excellent, as was the rabbit stew, and fish ""fisherman's style"". I loved the buttermilk lemon pie and chocolate coconut roulade, but skip the caramel pudding. If you had your heart set on nearby Emeril's but can't get in, this is a fine (and much more relaxed) alternative. Will definitely return. Pros: Menu variety, service, ambience more

Cochon was impressive all the way around. The food is tasty, spiced right, and filling. The gumbo is thick and rich with flavors plentiful. The fish of the day (redfish for us) is highly recommended. I loved my dessert and the cinnamon ice cream alongside was wonderful. I don't recommend the buttermilk lemon pie however. The horseradish potato salad will leave you wanting the recipe. I will return next time I am in New Orleans. The prices are very reasonable; the decor is modern and classy, and the service is friendly and makes you feel at home. Cochon, way to go!!! Pros: food, atmosphere, service, location more