Manhattan’s Famous $34 Steak Frites Restaurant Is Back

Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte, the steak frites restaurant with a cult following overseas, will reopen in Manhattan after two years. The French restaurant, which first opened here in 2009, closed during the pandemic. Its owners have breadcrumbed fans with possible reopening dates almost every month since.

This week it’s finally happening. The new location at 155 E. 54th Street, between Third and Lexington avenues, opens on Wednesday, November 8, according to an announcement on Instagram. Employees outside of Le Relais de Venise on Wednesday said the restaurant will actually open two days earlier, on Monday.

Like before, the steakhouse will serve just three savory items — steak, salad, and unlimited fries — that are sold together for $33.95 before tax and tip. Its steak sauce, made from butter and chicken liver, is the source of the restaurant’s popularity.

Paul Gineste de Saurs opened the original location of Le Relais de Venise in Paris in 1959. His daughter took over the business and expanded overseas under licensing deals. Darin Nathan brought the restaurant to New York as a franchise.

The steakhouse received positive reviews when it first opened in New York. The New York Times called it “terrific” in an early one-star review. New York Magazine said its secret sauce possessed the “addictive powers of crack cocaine.”

Starting on Wednesday, the restaurant will be open Monday to Sunday, for lunch from 12 to 2:30 p.m., and for dinner from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.