Le Relais de l’Entrecôte in Paris: Order Is Simple — and the Food Is Still Fun 🥩🍟

🎯 FunTrip Index™: 7.7 / 10
🧠 Iconic, efficient, and oddly comforting. Not a culinary pilgrimage — but a Parisian ritual worth experiencing at least once (or twenty times).

Subtitle:
Don’t expect Michelin stars — but expect consistency, calories, and a very French kind of charm.

A personal confession (and a maternal one 😄)

I’ve been to Le Relais de l’Entrecôte more times than I care to admit. Not because I’m obsessed (though I do enjoy it), but because my mother is. And when your mother loves a place, resistance is futile.

So yes — I’ve queued, I’ve waited, I’ve eaten the same thing over and over… and somehow, it still works.

📍 The Location I Keep Ending Up At

Saint-Benoît (Left Bank classic)
📍 20, rue Saint-Benoît – 75006 Paris
📞 +33 1 45 49 16 00

🕒 Hours

• Mon–Fri: 12:00–2:30 pm | 6:30–11:00 pm

• Sat–Sun: 12:00–3:00 pm | 6:30–11:00 pm

⚠️ American alert: It closes in the afternoon. Late lunch = no steak. No mercy.

That said, once you’ve been to one Relais, you’ve basically been to them all — at least in France. Same formula, same vibe, same sauce. They’ve even expanded internationally (Zurich, Geneva, Beirut, Dubai, Riyadh…). A list of locations worldwide is available here. Paris, however, still feels like home base.

🧾 Reservations? Non. Never. ❌

Relais takes no reservations. Ever.

That means:

• ⏳ Lines of 30–45 minutes are normal

• 🕰️ Arrive early or accept your fate

• 🧍 Standing outside is part of the experience (bonding through hunger)

🍽️ The Menu (Yes, Singular)

This is where Relais shines — or annoys, depending on your personality.

You don’t order. You comply.

What You Get (The “Formula”)

🥗 Step 1: Green salad with walnuts
Fresh, crisp, lightly dressed. Not exciting — but reliable. It does its job and steps aside gracefully.

🥩🍟 Step 2: Steak-frites with “the sauce”
Tender beef sirloin, sliced and topped with the famous secret sauce (buttery, herby, slightly addictive).
Served with excellent pommes allumettes (thin, crispy fries).

🍽️ Bonus round:
When you finish, they bring you a second serving. Same deal. Same sauce. Same fries. No questions asked.

This is French efficiency at its most delicious.

🍷 Wine, Dessert & Reality Checks

• 🍷 Wine: Limited selection, perfectly drinkable, not memorable

• 🍰 Desserts: Optional — and uneven

My take:

• ❌ Profiteroles: fine, but fine isn’t enough in Paris

• ✅ Summer Vacherin: a standout (meringue, vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, coulis, whipped cream)

• ❄️ Winter twin: praline ice cream + hot chocolate sauce

• 👍 Crème brûlée: always popular, always safe

☕ Coffee is reliable. Prices are fair but not cheap.

💸 Expect: €60–€80 for two with wine + dessert
💱 Which somehow becomes $100+ USD faster than expected

🏙️ Why Saint-Benoît Works

While Champs-Élysées and Montparnasse get the buzz, Saint-Benoît wins on location:

• Right in Saint-Germain-des-Prés

• Close to shops, cafés, galleries, museums

• Easy to fold into a cultural afternoon or evening stroll

⚡ Quick Take / TL;DR

• 🥩 One dish, done well

• 🍟 Unlimited fries (almost)

• 🕰️ No reservations, long lines

• 🎯 Consistent, comforting, very French

• ❌ Not fine dining

• ✅ A ritual worth trying

Paris rocks: Rue des Rosiers, L’As du Fallafel, Florence Kahn & Yann Couvreur

❓ FAQ

Is it overrated?
A little — but still enjoyable.

Is it touristy?
Yes. And locals still go.

Would I queue again?
If I’m with my mother? Absolutely.

Best dessert?
Vacherin. Always.

👤 About the Author

Frédéric Marsanne is the founder of FUNanc1al — part market analyst, part storyteller, part accidental comedian. A longtime investor and venture-builder across tech, biotech, and fintech, he now blends insights with humor to help readers laugh, learn, and enjoy life a little more. When not decoding insider buys, he’s building Cl1Q, writing fiction, painting, or revisiting restaurants his mother loves.

⚠️ Disclaimer (FUNanc1al-style)

This is not a sponsored review.
No steaks were comped.
Opinions may be influenced by maternal insistence.

Eat at your own risk — but do enjoy. 🍷😄

This is not fine dining. This is fun dining. And we’re not food critics. We’re just adventure pilgrims wandering from shack to country, fork in hand and joy in heart. 🥄❤️

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