Don’t walk into Cocorico! expecting to see an Eiffel Tower. Elodie Habert opened Cocorico!, a French cafe and bakery, in Midtown last month. It’s a long-awaited brick-and-mortar expansion of Habert’s food that people have been eating and loving at farmers markets since 2018.
Habert is originally from Toulouse, which is in the Occitanie region of France — not Paris. One of Habert’s goals with Cocorico! is to create an authentic French cafe that emulates cafes and bakeries you would experience in many places in France, like where she grew up. That means you would not necessarily have a view of the Eiffel Tower.
There’s no shortage of French touches, however, from the red, white and blue colors to the tile work, the decor, and the big windows looking out on arguably one of Nashville’s best-known pieces of public art, Musica. Inside, there are a few small tables and counters for eating and talking to friends. Just as there’s no Eiffel Tower, there’s no WiFi either. It’s not that Habert doesn’t want you to stay for a while and hang out; she absolutely does. But she wants you to experience cafe culture: talk to people at the next table; read a book; flip through a magazine or do anything but be on your laptop.
“We’re not a coffee shop, and I’m glad people were willing to understand that,” Habert says. “We don't want you to work; we want you to just enjoy your meal.”
You will definitely do that, thanks to Habert’s cooking and baking. The bakery and cafe menu is stocked with French favorites, including quiche, brie sandwiches, seasonal soups, pastries and cakes, and the G.O.A.T., an aptly named sandwich with goat cheese and vegetables. There’s a full coffee menu, made with local coffee, and a rich, gooey, gluten-free chocolate cake.
Habert immigrated to the U.S. with her husband when he had a job opportunity in town. They intended to stay for two years but fell in love with Nashville and the food community. So she does her best to give back, using local ingredients when possible (such as her take on herbs de Provence with local herbs). Cocorico! continues to cook out of Citizen Kitchens, the incubator for small food businesses, and brings the fresh-baked goods to the cafe twice a day, as well as filling catering orders. Because Habert has worked with many other food businesses at farmers markets and Citizen Kitchens, she has a lot of supporters. Many of their foods (not necessarily French), including gumbo and Jim’s Spaghetti Sauce, can be found in the takeaway coolers.
“Cocorico” is the sound a rooster makes in French (the French version of "cock-a-doodle-doo"), and just like rooster, it’s best to wake early to get the baguettes and croissants before they sell out. The bakery is located at 1600 Division St. on the Music Row Roundabout, walkable from West End, Music Row and more and near several bus lines. Free, validated 90-minute parking is available in the Roundabout Plaza garage. Cocorico! is open Tuesday-Saturday for breakfast and lunch.
