A few months ago, in the middle of the night, a unique scene unfolded Au Pied de Cochon, a Paris institution. This large brasserie in the central neighborhood of Les Halles was still filled with sounds, fiery and intoxicated discussions, laughter and clinking glasses, when a stentorian voice suddenly rang out: "Your attention, please!"

Standing up in the middle of the room was a patron. Over 200 mouths immediately went quiet. "It's past midnight and this restaurant is doing a fantastic job!" he exclaimed. "Bravo to the kitchens, the dining room, the dishwashers!" His congratulations were followed by a round of applause. No doubt because these late-night gourmets also felt that they were experiencing a privileged moment, perhaps also because they knew that their feasts are on borrowed time.

Au Pied de Cochon is one of the last remaining beacons for night owls, jet-lagged tourists, party-goers, hungry sleepwalkers and more or less legitimate couples. Open until 5 am seven days a week, this spot seems to belong to a bygone era. Opened in 1946 and bought in 2016 by the powerful Groupe Bertrand, the owner of several brasseries (Lipp, Bofinger...), it has remained in its original state: vintage benches, faded frescoes and ancient chandeliers. Even the waiters working from dusk onward, with their well-honed cordiality and efficiency, are old hands. "Young people don't want to work nights anymore," said one of them. "They find it too tedious. But we love this special atmosphere. It feels as if anything can happen!"

Under the moonlight, the queue sometimes stretches far outside the restaurant. Admittedly, the bill is a little steep outside the lunch menu – it'll cost around €50 for a starter, main course and glass of wine – and the food isn't always the most refined, with its crude dressings and over-caloric specialties like marrow bones weighted down with garlic cream and a fricassee of snails.

But this is one of the last places where, far into the night, you can also enjoy dishes that are sometimes perfectly executed and, above all, actually cuisinés, like shirred egg with morel mushrooms and grilled pig's trotter with Béarnaise sauce. The gourmet desserts, like the profiteroles drowned in a cascade of melted chocolate, are bound to fill you up and leave a smile on your face.

It's not the only restaurant open after midnight. A few stalwarts, such as Le Mabillon on Boulevard Saint-Germain or Falstaff on Place de la Bastille, are holding out almost around the clock. But most are now cutting back on their opening hours, like Le Select on Boulevard du Montparnasse, Brasserie Lipp on Boulevard Saint-Germain or Le Tambour, close to the Grands Boulevards. Of course, there's still a chance of getting in late, but only on certain days, at the end of the week. And, if the customers don't show up, the kitchens close early.

You have 66.26% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.