Mascotte Montmartre – Brasserie, seafood specialties

La Mascotte Montmartre is a very special place, both a bar and a brasserie. It is the last authentic bistro on Rue des Abbesses, right in the heart of Montmartre, on the southern slope. Founded in 1889. It all began in 1889, the same year as the Eiffel Tower and the Moulin Rouge. That year, in the heart of Rue des Abbesses, Le Pompea opened its doors as a modest two-story hotel, with a large counter on the first floor. It was a classic Parisian pub in the truest sense, where everyone could gather. In the 1930s, the owner, a certain Père Teissier, added three more floors to the building to create a second hotel, the Antinea, intended to house his sons. At the time, it was known as a "préfecture hotel," in other words a "furnished rental," which, incidentally, housed Edith Piaf’s love affair with her pianist in 1953. In the 1950s, a billiards room for the Montmartre clientele. The establishment was run by Laurent and Mézia. At the time, the back room housed four billiards tables, and the place was frequented by a Montmartre clientele of craftsmen, shopkeepers, and artists, all drawn by the quality of the wines served at reasonable prices, but also by the small stand of periwinkles run by the Marchal couple, founders of L’Escargot de la Butte, the gastropod farm located on Rue Joseph de Maistre. Today, it’s a coworking space, a place to work, share and collaborate (Minca Coworking). The arrival of the Aveyronnais The first Aveyronnais family, the Comtes, took over the business before Irène and Maurice Campion bought it in 1965. At the time, the bar was already on the left, and apart from winkles and takeaway seafood dishes that made the establishment famous, only sandwiches were served. But Irène was an excellent cook and dreamed of offering her customers real hot meals. Her husband didn’t believe in it, but she took the plunge and started cooking in a tiny room at the back of the counter, first omelettes, then a few traditional dishes. The whole neighbourhood rushed to taste the boss’s famous chips and her cherry clafoutis! The true launch of La Mascotte Montmartre in 1975 With the success of Irène’s cooking, the Campions decided in 1975 to transform the place, moving the bar to the right and turning the dining room into a space by removing two pool tables. This was the golden age of La Mascotte, which became the beating heart of Rue des Abbesses, a meeting place for local regulars and Parisian food lovers seeking simple, delicious and convivial dishes. The bar, which once stretched nearly the length of the room toward the back, played a major role in this, and many a Montmartrois still remembers the endless evenings spent at the counter… It was in the family apartment, just above the bar and amid all this lively crowd, that Thierry, Maurice and Irène’s son, grew up. When Maurice passed away prematurely in 1988, Thierry was too young to take over the business, and his mother, too distraught, couldn’t carry on alone. The establishment was then placed under management. The return of the Campion family to La Mascotte Montmartre Four years later, Thierry and his wife Ghislaine decided to take back La Mascotte. The young man’s path (he was just 29 at the time) was far from ordinary: after earning an agricultural diploma, he graduated from a business school and worked as a sales representative for Pernod-Ricard, then Perrier. His family history and professional background made him a natural fit for this adventure, even if he admits he sometimes wishes he had attended a hotel school. Yet La Mascotte runs in his veins, and he is living proof that hard work, passion, and determination make all the difference! La Mascotte Montmartre today The pool tables have gradually disappeared, and La Mascotte has evolved from a neighborhood bistro into a renowned restaurant, without ever losing its deep Montmartre soul. Faithful to his Aveyron origins, Thierry has kept a taste for good things and tradition. He works directly with producers and winemakers and prides himself on having won the Coupe du Meilleur Pot awarded by the Académie Rabelais in 1999. In the relaxed atmosphere of the slopes of Butte Montmartre, the mood is far from gloomy, and true Parisians never fail to visit La Mascotte for a drink at the large zinc bar bordering the entrance. Which Montmartrois hasn’t sipped a glass of white wine on a Sunday noon, accompanied by some seafood at the bar? La Mascotte, the iconic retro-style bar-brasserie of Montmartre, is also a place to enjoy a pleasant meal in the large dining room, once decorated by his parents in Art Deco style, with mirrors and marquetry. Thierry Campion remains loyal to his favorite winemakers from Beaujolais and the Southwest. Specialties of La Mascotte Montmartre Other specialties at La Mascotte include seafood (the counter is closed only in July and August due to the heat) and the unmissable farmhouse pork products from Cantal. Very French, halfway between rustic and home-style, the menu suggestions are numerous, appetizing, and sometimes original. And here, quality is never compromised, with fish arriving fresh from Brittany. On a également apprécié la simplicité originale du tartare d’andouille Père Duval, assaisonné de graines de moutarde, ainsi qu’un jarret de bœuf cuit en pot-au-feu, poêlé « à l’envers » avec des oignons grelots et des carottes. Pour ouvrir l’appétit : Plateaux de fruits de mer, Sole meunière, Homard vivant à la plancha, Tartare de bœuf, Moules à la normande, Fish & Chips façon Mascotte, glaces et sorbets de la Maison Berthillon. Environ 70 € hors boissons à la carte. Menu à 49 €. Menu déjeuner à 32 €, boissons comprises, du lundi au vendredi. Menu enfant à 22 €. L’Écaille ou l’extension de La Mascotte After acquiring the adjacent premises in 2011, we created L’Écaille. Following major renovation work in 2012, the space was expanded and modernized to offer seafood and other regional products, freeing up the terrace. The counter was restored to its original position, to the left upon entering, and the decor was designed in an Art Nouveau style, blending period woodwork and traditional tiles. An upstairs room was also fitted out, regularly serving as a meeting place for many local associations.