Outremont’s Newest Restaurant Wants to Serve You Buckets of Fried Chicken

Outremont has a comforting and crispy new dining option with fried chicken counter Roch Le Coq now open on Van Horne.

Operating out of the space that used to be Mediterranean restaurant Le Méchoui (near Outremont metro station), Roch Le Coq’s menu is tightly focused on fried bird — it’s available by the piece or in buckets, with the option for dark or white meat on offer. Wings and popcorn chicken are on the menu too, as are fried chicken-centric dishes like chicken with a light, fluffy waffle, or sandwiches with a juicy hunk of boneless fried chicken (available in a small slider-sized option, named “Rochy” or the large-and-in-charge “Mega Roch”).

A few sides round out the menu — fries, coleslaw, potato and green salads, gravy, and a house-made pogo. There’s also a poutine, made with that gravy and with the option of popcorn chicken on top.

Roch Le Coq/Supplied

Co-owner Oussama Ben Tanfous tells Eater that he’s aiming for classic, American-style fried chicken with a few international twists.

“There’s a few touches from all around the world, which is really important to me because Montreal is a cosmopolitan city,” he says.

Those include a house barbecue sauce made with hoisin sauce, and a vegetarian halloumi burger.

Ben Tanfous brings experience from Outremont staple Les Enfants Terribles, and is joined by a wide-ranging cohort of co-owners — Guillaume Daly (chef from downtown supper club Soubois), Philippe Gagne (a former Bombardier engineer), Alexandre Mercho (a teacher), and Sader Triki. Roch Le Coq’s head chef, Cosmas Arroyave, also brings notable experience, having worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Osaka and Denmark.

While Roch Le Coq is a counter-service operation, it has a bright 33-seat space with custom-made furniture from Montreal design agency Allstudio (in warmer months, it’ll also have a 20-seat terrasse). While it’s very much a take-out-friendly restaurant, dining in is very much an option — in the near future, the restaurant will have its alcohol permit, allowing those eating sur place to sip natural wines (from local wine curator Déserteur) and beers with their chicken.

Roch Le Coq’s Outremont location also makes it well set-up for delivery, with close proximity to Côte-des-Neiges, TMR, the Plateau, Parc-Ex, and Rosemont — Ben Tanfous says that the restaurant should be available via the Golo app in the coming weeks.

STATUS — Roch Le Coq is open at 1541 Van Horne from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.

• Roch le Coq [Official]