The dining theatrics and dark history of Montreal's infamous restaurant Au Lutin qui Bouffe

Fine French cuisine, tableside photo sessions with piglets, and a botched robbery that marked the beginning of an end.

J.P. Karwacki

J.P. Karwacki

March 28, 2025- Read time: 8 min
The dining theatrics and dark history of Montreal's infamous restaurant Au Lutin qui BouffePhotograph: Collection du Centre d’histoire de Montréal. Don de Leon S. Warmski.

Montreal's never been short on weird and/or wonderful dining destinations and experiences, but few in the city’s history have leaned into spectacle quite like Au Lutin qui Bouffe.

Past its old-world façade, one would find a landmark of indulgence and eccentricity, a place where diners could savour a plate of tournedos Rossini while a tiny piglet was bottle-fed at the next table.

Photograph: McCord Stewart Museum / Jean-Paul Cuerrier (1918-1997)

But the whimsy of Au Lutin qui Bouffe's fine French cuisine and now-infamous piglet photography sessions would over time develop into a darker story of crime, ambition, and a tragic end—but together, these stories would cement the restaurant’s place in the city’s lore.

Photograph: © Collection Pointe-à-Callière, collection Christian Paquin, 2013.030.011.333
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