Nostalgic Bistro in the Montmartre Neighborhood in Paris

La Cabanon de La Butte (18th arrondissement)

If you’re going to be spending any time up near Sacré Coeur, I highly recommend trying to get a reservation at La Cabanon de la Butte. Literal translation: the cottage on the hill. Who doesn’t want to eat in a little cottage on a hill looking out over the rooftops of Paris?

The first time I walked into this lovely establishment, I wasn’t able to stay because there weren’t any available tables. I was with a friend and we were super disappointed, although not completely surprised that we couldn’t get in. But the owner was very kind. He encouraged us to make a reservation. My friend was heading back to Seattle the following day so I made a reservation for myself to go back for lunch a few days later. Upon returning, when I walked in and gave him my name he remembered me, and was genuinely happy to see me again!

This place is quaint and cute and it’s very Parisian. When you walk inside everything feels rustic. On the left is a bar with all the right kind of clutter. The kind of stuff that’s so interesting that you want to just sit and examine it for hours. Many bottles of wine, from the icons to the lesser knowns. Like Reuilly and Beaujolais, Vacqueyras and Bourgogne. There’s exposed stone poking out from behind the walls and the floor is made of some very cool old weathered wood. My mind was flooded with nostalgia as I imagined the various possible vignettes of a time gone by. As if La Cabanon de la Butte has been here since back in the day, you know, when all the artists and writers were tootling around this hill. I couldn’t help but think about who may have stood on the very spot where I was standing. Picasso? Van Gogh? I mean after all, Picasso’s lair was only a short walk from here.

I didn’t get one of the tables in front of the windows, although I could still see quite a bit from where I was sitting. Two American women were sitting near me at the table in front of the window, and of course we started chatting. We had a lovely time together enjoying our lunch and sharing our thoughts about the wine and the dishes that we ordered.

The menu here consists of what I call basic French fare; escargot, house made foie gras, duck breast, steak & fries, roasted sea bass, Beef Tartare, and Beef Bourguignon. There are also several desserts on the menu, such as Vodka lemon sorbet, house made chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, and hot apple tart and caramel ice cream with salted butter. They also have a lovely cheese plate. And, as I mentioned before, the wine selection is very eclectic – the kind of wines that Sommeliers get really excited about.

I ordered the foie gras, the roasted sea bass, and the chocolate cake. The foie gras was some of the best I’ve ever had. Wines that have a little bit of residual sugar go best with foie gras, but I opted for a Sancerre to go with my fish. Everything was absolutely delicious. I was made to feel so welcomed by the staff, I was sad to leave. If you feel a bit of melancholy when leaving a place, then I think that that’s a really good place.

Even though I have a list of over 30 restaurants that I need to get to by the end of the year, I know I will come back here to eat again while I’m in Paris.

La Cabanon de la Butte
6 Rue Lamarck,
75018 Paris, France

Hours:
Sunday 12-4, 6:30-10PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wed – Sat 12-3 & 6:30-10PM

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