Au Rocher de Cancale

History

Founded in 1804 by Alexis Balaine, this Parisian restaurant was known for serving oysters after evening shows. Its regulars included dandies, Lorettes, aristocrats, and members of the Jockey Club. At its original address, 59 Rue Montorgueil, the menu featured an enormous selection: ten mutton starters, seventeen veal, eleven beef, and twenty-two poultry, plus twenty-seven entremets and thirty desserts. In 1809, the tasting jury of La Reynière began meeting there.

Chef Langlais invented the Norman sole in its kitchen in 1837. After Balaine, Pierre Frédéric Borrel took over but went bankrupt, closing the place in 1846. It later reopened under the same name on Rue de Richelieu, then Mr. Pécune moved it back to Rue Montorgueil, this time at number 78. The building still bears the name Rocher de Cancale and features frescoes by Paul Gavarni.

It became an official Historical Monument on March 3, 1977. A restaurant with the same name also existed in Brussels in 1874.

Did You Know?

• In Balzac's La Comédie humaine, characters such as Henri de Marsay and Lucien de Rubempré were regular patrons.
• The restaurant is cited in Le Cabinet des Antiques, La Muse du département, Illusions perdues, and Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes.