Cochon Butcher- A Sandwich Worth Standing in Line For

by Courtney C Horne @FireezDragon

On a recent visit to New Orleans, I had planned to eat lunch at Cochon Butcher. Initially I walked past to look for another option because the line was out of the building into the road. I was persuaded by my dining companion that we should go back and wait in the line. I am incredibly glad we did.

I got the Pork Belly Sandwich with cucumber and mint and he opted for their Muffaletta. Both the sandwiches came with pickles and we also both got glass bottle root beer. (unfortunately it was not Abita root beer which I was hoping for)

While he waited in line to order, I managed to snag us a seat at the counter in the tiny restaurant/store. The food was pretty fast considering that the place was literally over-flowing with people. Any frustration waiting was completely erased the moment I bit into that pork belly sandwich. It was divine. The pork melted in my mouth and was just unctuous enough to be luxurious without feeling oily. The cucumbers added a nice crispness and the mint added a needed fresh herb-y note. (If I were to try to recreate it, I might replace the mint with cilantro- my personal favorite herb.)

His muffaletta was also great. The meat quality, cheese quality, bread, olive mix- they were all top notch. It was also quite large for the price point. In fact, considering their ingredient quality and price points their portions in general seemed quite generous.

Plus the pickles were amazing. I am a bit of a pickle fiend- there are no less than 5 jars of different pickles in my fridge right now. These were a phenomenal bread and butter pickle. In fact, they were so good as to send me on a frantic and unsuccessful hunt to find a jarred pickle that could hold a candle to them.

All in all, Cochon Butcher is one of the best places I have eaten. I will absolutely go back there when I am in New Orleans again and a small part of me is tempted to drive the hour to New Orleans (and deal with horrible traffic and parking) solely to eat there again.