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The expression “Cocorico!” doesn’t exactly translate from French into English, unless you’re a rooster — the national animal of France — in which case, it translates to “Cock-a-doodle-do!” Whatever your mother tongue, it’s worth crowing about the French delicacies inside Elodie Habert’s Cocorico! Bakery & Café. 

It’s been just over a year since Toulouse, France, native Habert opened a brick-and-mortar eatery at 1600 Division Street. In fact, she celebrated throughout February with birthday festivities including a crêpe party, a baguette giveaway and a whimsical replica of Paris’s Pont des Arts, a.k.a. “Love Lock” bridge. 

But every day is a celebration of French culture and cuisine in this jewel box of a Parisian café, with a menu of authentic croissants, quiches, and baguettes, along with drinks from local Good Citizen Coffee and High Garden Teas. 

After starting Cocorico! as a pop-up business at local farmers markets, Habert planted her bleu-blanc-et-rouge flag in 2024 at the Musica roundabout, where her café culture spills out onto the sidewalks in nice weather. Step inside the cheerful space, with a constellation of pendant basket lamps above a countertop tiled with the greeting “Bonjour!”, to overhear French conversations and find gleaming cases filled with baguette sandwiches with ham, brie and butter; roast chicken and tapenade; and goat cheese, red onion and cucumber and arugula. There’s also traditional croque monsieur and French onion soup—or, as the French call it, onion soup.

On the sweet side, there are pains au chocolat, almond croissants, madeleines, cookies and cakes. There’s also a gem-toned array of macarons from fellow French native Vincent Guiheneuf, who fills the shelves with his locally made Bijoux Macarons in flavors such as lavender, rose lychee and Earl Grey tea.

Cocorico! is open daily except Tuesdays, with free parking available in the adjacent garage. On Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, Cocorico! attends Richland Park Farmers Market.   

On March 20, Cocorico! collaborates with Miel restaurant for a Southwest France-inspired spring dinner featuring moûles, veal, rabbit and duck in three forms. Reservations available at: https://www.exploretock.com/miel/