NYCGuide
Where To Get Steak Frites For Less Than $40
photo credit: David A. Lee
A plate of steak frites has never been cheap, but it’s getting increasingly hard to find one that isn’t priced like cows are going extinct. That’s why specialists like Skirt Steak and Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte currently inspire hour-plus waits, although you should know that those aren’t your only affordable-ish options. (In fact, Skirt Steak now costs $48, up from $28 two years ago.) They may not be big on TikTok, or among the city's top steakhouses, but there are lots of good neighborhood spots where you can get beef and potatoes for less than $40.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Bryan Kim
Let’s do some math real quick. The steak frites at Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte costs $34.95, and the one Maison Pickle clocks in at $33. Which is cheaper? Yes, you get unlimited fries at L’Entrecôte, but it’s not like the portion at this spacious, bi-level UWS restaurant is skimpy. It’s also worth noting that Maison Pickle uses ribeye, which comes topped with compound butter and achieves a crispy, charred crust. In terms of value, this is the better option. There are also plenty of other menu items—like fried chicken and shrimp scampi—in case the person you’re dining with doesn’t want beef.
L’Express is similar to Balthazar or The Odeon, except it’s easy to get into. It doesn’t get as much hype as either of those restaurants, but if you stop by on a Tuesday night, the place will be packed with people lounging on aging, upholstered banquettes drinking wine and picking at fries. The steak frites here costs $38, but unlike similarly priced competitors, it comes with a thick New York strip. Your meat will arrive with emphatic grill marks, and you can get some au poivre sauce for $2 extra.
photo credit: Bryan Kim
Big Tiny’s steak frites is as good as it gets for $28. The Carroll Gardens makes their dish with hanger steak, and you get a nice-sized portion in a pool of peppery cognac shallot sauce, with a side of thick, fluffy fries. Due to the relatively affordable prices and stereotypical bistro setting, this is one of the best options for a date in the neighborhood, especially if you’re looking to eat red meat. Although the tuna tartare isn’t bad either.
photo credit: Tournesol
Around for over two decades now, Tournesol is an unpretentious Long Island City classic. It’s a popular spot, usually full of families and first dates, and you’ll typically see at least one order of steak frites per table. The hanger steak ($32) arrives with a heavy char, to the extent that it’s almost burnt, sort of like eating a beef-flavored campfire. You’ll get some buttery sauce made with whole peppercorns on the side, and you should mostly just use that for dipping your fires. The meat has enough flavor already.
We find ourselves recommending Cafe Paulette often. The bistro across from Fort Greene Park is a quiet enough place to bring your grandma, a cute enough place for a martini and fries at the bar, and, perhaps most notably, serves excellent $40 steak frites. It’s heavy on the au poivre, and the frites are piled on top, so some of them take a sauce bath, while others stay perfectly crispy. Come with a friend, get a glass of wine and some radishes with salty butter, and split the steak. The portion is big enough to share.
The Midtown outpost of Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecote—a chain with locations in London, Paris, and Mexico City—regularly has a line down the block. Is it worth the wait? Not really. But if you swing by at lunch or early in the night and there isn’t much of a line, you can have a perfectly fine time eating the single menu item: ribeye steak with chicken liver sauce and a side of fries. At $35, it’s not a bad deal, and the novelty is fun, but considering the steak is nothing special, we can’t in good conscience tell you to wait more than 15 minutes for it.
