Le Relais de l'Entrecote in Paris vs Lipp

The difference between Le Relais de l'Entrecôte and Lipp is that Lipp, apart from its original historic decor, is a hangout for intellectuals, writers, musicians, and political figures where if you aren't someone famous, you get the bare-minimum service.
At Lipp, you can still see the sign that was put up 100 years ago: "Gentlemen customers are requested not to let their dogs eat from the establishment's tableware or climb onto the seats". A bit later, serving Coca-Cola there was banned.

Meanwhile, Le Relais de l'Entrecôte is a business with multiple restaurant locations built on an ultra-optimized business model, excellent marketing, and thrives thanks to tourists, often foreigners, who line up to eat there. Everyone is welcome to go eat its so-called famous green sauce.

So, these are two restaurants that aren't really comparable without a bit of context. That being said, it’s low-key fascinating to live out this dual reality : one for the elite and one for the absolute peasants. :-)

Who would have thought that a place, which translates to Rib steak Inn, would specialize in steak.

No self respecting waiter in France would ask for a tip. They pay their waiters a living wage there.

Good points. I guess the bottom line is I had a far better meal and experience at the feeding trough for the peasants than I did at the table for the elite. It’s a classic case of “the emperor has no clothes.” Living wage or not, I tip when someone enhances my experience, and I don’t when they fall short of expectations.

Paris is a wonderful city, with plenty of cultural and gastronomical opportunities for everyone. I don’t expect every one of them to be a home run. Le
relais de l’Entrecote just stood out.

In the interest of balance, I’ll just comment that we had an excellent dinner at Brasserie Lipp in 2024, but perhaps our expectations were different. I also just loved being in the beautiful interior. I can’t comment on the other restaurant mentioned as I don’t eat red meat so have not been.

Alan, I didn’t make it my last trip but I’ve been to Le Relais several times over the years and I really enjoyed it too. The food was tasty and the vibe was fun. And yes there are tourists but always some French tables around me as well. Thanks for the reminder. It’s on my list to stop by during my next trip in ‘27.

JoLui : Isn’t Lipp a choucroute and shellfish platter place? Just like most of the other traditional restaurants, it was scooped up by a restaurant group years ago.

As for Le Relais, I have French friends who want to go there when they are craving steak. But it isn’t the relaxed atmosphere of a drawn-out meal full of conversation and a lot of red wine. The tables are turned over a bit too fast for most French people.

Haha, exactly, Elizabeth... The company that owns Brasserie Lipp even holds shares in fast-food chains. Money has no smell, as the saying goes in French (and perhaps in English, too).

Since you're in France, you can watch this video and check out some stories about this restaurant (and a few others) on the "Public Sénat" channel.

https://www.publicsenat.fr/emission/documentaire/regimes-presidentiels-e0

A few years ago, I was wandering around Toulouse looking for a place to have lunch. In front of me was a line of people waiting to get into what I found out was a restaurant. I listened and most of the people on line were speaking French. So, I figured, if the French are eating here, and they are willing to wait on a line, it must be good.

I got in line. While waiting I looked it up online. Entrecote. It only served one thing. Steak. It came with a salad, fries and a sauce. . Sounded good. And the restaurant chain was well known.

After about a half hour, I was seated. I was asked how I wanted my steak cooked and that was it.

In a short while, my steak and frites were brought to me.

It was okay. The portions were good and I could have as many frites as I wanted.

Would I run to another one? Probably not. But I would join someone else if they really wanted to go.

"L'Entrecôte" in Toulouse is a unique case, it has been around for over 70 years, long before the internet, social media, or even personal computers.

It has served more than 10 million "entrecôtes" since opening!

I think their business model is based upon Marie Antoinette’s famous saying that she did not actually say “Let them eat steak”.