Au Rocher de Cancale — Restaurant in Paris

I am going to write in English as I am so angry! I brought my Dad for dinner- I have lived in the Sentier area for the past year and I wanted to show him some of the great restaurants around here. My boyfriend and I have eaten here regularly and I am really just embarrassed about our meal tonight. Our starters took 45mins-1 hr (the table beside us sat down, ordered, had their starters and were on to their mains before I spoke to the manager). The manager told us it was normal for a roasted camembert to take that long (!!) but the waitress said the kitchen had forgotten. When I told the waiter we were hungry, unimpressed and annoyed that the manager had lied (in French) and wouldn't pay for our starters, the manager returned and told us that he didn't care that we were local, we lived here or spoke French, he would have other customers and it didn't matter, we had to pay. I have no problems saying that this was a rude, disgusting attitude and I will be following it up. Possibly the worst meal I have had in France in the 14 months I have lived here (and the entrecôte was chewy and full of gristle, and my boyfriend had hairs in his...

On a stroll down Rue Montorguiel, it was so happening that we decided to have lunch and people-watch for a while. We happened to be in front of Au Rocher de Cancale, and the menu items looked good for our dietary needs. Instead of going on Google Maps (!!) or Yelp to check its reviews, we didn't want to overthink everything, and got a table.

We ordered the vegan and Nicoise salads, as well as the pommes frites (gotta have some fun, too!). I had low hopes for the vegan salad, since in the US, any non-meat dish is just that- things that aren't meat, and usually a pile of garnishes and things that one wouldn't enjoy eating. The salads arrived, we were blown away! As the photos show, the ingredients were everything you'd want to eat as a vegan, and the Nicoise was so good that my wife now makes it at home.

And the fries were amazing, too! We wanted to go back just for those!

Overall a great experience, sitting at a table facing the street, with friendly wait staff who patiently listened to our 2nd grade attempts to speak French, and who spoke English to save us...

OCTOBER 2024: Stopped by for a delicious bite for lunch. Had an amazing chicken dish with mushroom in brown gravy that was so good, that when we returned home stateside, I tried recreating it and came pretty close. So we still enjoy that wonderful dish. Sat outside, friendly staff. Great place to people watch! À bientôt!

SEPT 2023: Located in the 2nd Arrondissement on Rue de Montorgeuil, This was a lovely find among the many cafes lining the street for blocks. The crevites roses and cocktails were refreshing during those sweltering early days in September. My husband had the Entrecote and frites, and enjoyed it. I warned him the beef may be a little tougher than what we're used to, but he said it was just fine. I enjoyed the Salad Nicoise, one of the best and freshest I had on this trip. Staff was friendly and attentive. We have a lovely...