Steak frites is the dish Paris built into its bistro grammar: contre-filet or onglet pulled saignant, hand-cut fries fried twice, butter sauce or just sea salt on the side.
The Parisian bistro form of steak frites took shape in the second half of the 19th century, when Belgian-style frites travelled to Paris bistros and the slim contre-filet cut became the city's default beef. By the 1930s, the dish was the standard set lunch across working-class quarters of the 11e and 12e. Yves Camdeborde's 1990s bistronomie movement, then Bertrand Grébaut and the neo-bistros after, kept steak frites on the carte but moved the meat sourcing onto farmer-named cuts. Le Relais de l'Entrecôte, founded 1959, codified the no-choice salad-then-steak-then-frites format with secret-recipe butter sauce that the chain now runs across four addresses.
5 editor picks for Steak frites in Paris, ranked by editorial score. All Paris signature dishes · Steak frites across every city.
Bistrot Paul Bert ★ 4.4
11e · 18 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris
Bistrot Paul Bert is Paris's textbook bistro: zinc bar, chalkboard menu, steak frites cooked rare with hand-cut fries, île flottante for two on a single platter.
Le Bon Georges ★ 4.4
9e · 45 Rue Saint-Georges, 75009 Paris
Le Bon Georges in Paris's 9e cooks farmer-named meat and a tarte tatin worth ordering before the main: the kitchen prep includes a 12-hour rest on the apples.
Robert et Louise ★ 4.3
3e · 64 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris
Robert et Louise in Paris's 3e has grilled côtes de bœuf over an open log fire in the dining room since 1958. Booking required for the fireside tables.
Le Relais de l'Entrecôte ★ 4.0
6e · 20 Rue Saint-Benoît, 75006 Paris
Le Relais de l'Entrecôte in Paris's 6e runs one menu: salade aux noix, contre-filet steak, fries, secret-recipe butter sauce. No menus, no choice, no booking.
Bouillon Chartier ★ 4.0
9e · 7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris
Bouillon Chartier has run a workers' canteen of a brasserie in Paris's 9e since 1896. The menu still puts œuf mayonnaise on for less than €3.