Live Like a Local: Best Steak Frites in Paris

One of the most frequently asked food questions I am asked is where to have the best steak frites in Paris. The most classic of all French dishes, steak frites can sometimes disappoint with tough meat and soggy potatoes. We have gathered a list of the top restaurants with such spectacular steak frites, you will be tempted to take the next available flight to Paris.

Le Relais de Entrecote

The winning formula menu at Le Relais de Entrecote is simple enough: a fresh green salad with classic vinaigrette dressing, sliced steak with a Bearnaise-like sauce and fries, all for one price, 26.50€. The only questions they ask you when you order is: how do you like your steak cooked and what kind of wine would you like?

The most difficult decision is dessert, with over 12 selections including profiteroles, a cheese plate, Baba au Rhum, apple tart, sorbets and ice cream.

Le Relais de Entrecote was opened in 1959, becoming an instant hit. It has three locations in Paris, one in Geneva and another in New York City.

Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, Le Relais de Entrecote doesn’t take reservations, so we recommend arriving right at 12PM for lunch or 7PM for dinner.

Beware of copy-cat L’Entrecote restaurants; make sure you dine at Le Relais de Entrecote at the following addresses:

  • 15 Rue Marbeuf– 75008
  • 20, Rue Saint-Benoit – 75006
  • 101 Bld du Montparnasse – 75006

Café de la Musee

One of the most popular bistros in the Marais district, Café de la Musee has long been pleasing locals with authentic no-nonsense French dishes.

The entrecote steak is done to perfection with a thick juicy cut of meat seared on the outside, served with Bearnaise sauce with shallots or Dijon mustard. Pair your steak frites with a robust Bordeaux or Cote de Rhone and finish with a house made crème caramel or seasonal fruit tart. C’est magnifique! 

49 Rue de Turenne, 75003

http://lecafedesmusees.fr/en

Chez Josephine

Wagyu is a breed of Japanese cow that yields a high percentage of unsaturated fat with increased marbling. Kobe is the most well known and prestigious of the Wagyu cuts, selling for over $400 a pound.

Chez Josephine, a bakery and bistro in the upscale 16th arrondissement, serves a special five- course Wagyu beef tasting menu. The menu starts off with a platter of two appetizer meats, a thinly sliced dried version of Wagyu beef aged six months with Jamaican pimento and a sliced rum steak with a variety of pimentos, dried and aged for one month along with fresh rosemary.  

The piece-de-resistance is the platter of rare cooked filet de Boeuf (the equivalent of filet mignon). Side dishes include frites, divine potatoes au gratin and a mix of green vegetables served in copper pots.

A selection of cheeses from famed fromager Jean-Yves Bordier rounds off the meal delightfully followed by a most decadent foot long chocolate éclair.

Reservations must be made in advance and the minimum service is for two people, maximum six people.

La Table Archibald Chez Josephine

Monday to Friday 12:30-2:30PM, reservations a must.

69 Ave. Marceau, 75116

You can book a reservation on line at https://www.archibaldchezjosephine.com/ or call + 33 6 87 50 04 63

Paul Bert

Consistently rated one of the best bistros in Paris, Paul Bert elevates its steak frites with a sumptuous cream sauce. Mixed with cognac, high-quality French butter and Sarawak peppercorns from Borneo, the sauce brings the steak frites to a whole other stratosphere. 

Another specialty of Paul Bert is the dessert Paris Brest, choux pastry filled with a praline-flavored cream.

18 Rue Paul Bert, 75011

Tel. +33 1 43 72 24 01X16