The Best Steak Frites In Los Angeles

You know you’re eating a great steak frites when, by the third bite, all the elements (meat, fries, butter, sauce, juices) meld together at the end of your fork. At Bar Etoile, it happens in two. The crisp straight-cut fries, perfectly rosy beef, and herb-rich butter seep into one another as you carve toward the center, making each bite more decadent (and messier) than the last. The price might seem a bit steep, but it’s enough to feed two.

Even if Bar Sinizki’s steak frites didn’t come with a dollop of tarragon butter, it’d still be one of the best in town. The fact that it does, however, pushes this photogenic plate of steak and potatoes into elite status. The meat has a distinct peppery charred crust, and the crisp medium-cut fries are what we wish all fast food fries tasted like. Tying it all together is that butter, which slowly dribbles over everything like hot fudge on a sundae.

People love Camphor’s steak frites so much that this Art District brasserie went from serving them once a month to dedicating every Thursday to shiny silver platters of ruby-red beef. And we get it—if Camphor’s ribeyes were any juicier, they’d moo at us. Medium-rare leans rare here, but the steak drippings are essential for thinning out the emulsified bright green bérnaise. We also love the generous portion of crispy fries, which you’ll need to mop clean all the sauce on the platter until you can see your reflection.

In the steak frites world, steak and fries typically sit side-by-side. Not at Olive & Rose. This bistro attached to a boutique mid-century motel in Long Beach keeps them separated like cranky siblings on a road trip. One slice of the aged ribeye cap, though, and you’ll understand why beef like this incredible deserves its own plate. Seared with NASA-like precision, the tenderest part of the ribeye is served in a puddle of subtle au poivre sauce that tastes more like extra beefy jus. The fries—pinky-thick, twice-fried beauties served with freshly made mayo—are no slouches either. Treat them like dessert.

This isn’t Original Farmers Market slander, but the best thing about Monsieur Marcel is how it instantly whisks you away from Third and Fairfax’s packed tourist attraction. At this bistro-grocer hybrid, a waiter with a real French accent will sell you on a 2019 white burgundy with your weekday lunch, just because it pairs that well with their maximalist steak frites. Every element of Monsieur Marcel’s version is grand: a mountain of thin-cut fries, a face-sized steak that glows red in the center, and a full boat of lip-tingling green peppercorn sauce.

Petit Trois isn’t afraid of laying on the sauce (its famous burger is drowned in bordelaise, for one), but the only dressing this Hollywood bistro’s steak frites needs is un petit pool of butter. Well, vinegary, herb-specked “béarnaise butter” that tastes better as the drippy six-ounce wagyu steak unleashes its juices. The two mix together to make a pseudo dip for the fries—which are fried in clarified butter, naturally—and the herbs and pickled shallots on the steak pop with chimichurri-esque flavor.

The post-dinner-rush Happy Hour at Here’s Looking At You starts when most others end (8:30 p.m. until close, Tuesday to Saturday), but since it’s the only time this Koreatown spot serves a burger and steak frites, we’re happy to eat a little later. The drippy dry-aged cheeseburger gets most of the hype, but it’s the steak that’s the steal. The thick eight-ounce baseball cut is an homage to the dearly departed Pacific Dining Car, and the rest is pure HLAY quirkiness: fermented radish butter, salt and pepper aioli, and a heap of waffle and/or curly fries that taste straight from the drive-thru.

Marvin serves its frites with a side of ketchup, which isn’t very French, but no one is going to this low-lit Beverly Grove spot for textbook brasserie food anyway. Marvin is a beloved neighborhood hang where people pack in to drink wine under twinkling Christmas lights and enjoy straightforward food, namely the generously portioned steak frites. This hefty 12-ounce New York strip is charred edge-to-edge, then topped with a puck of parsley butter that arrives half-melted. Marvin’s take veers more all-American steakhouse, so like a dinner at Lawry’s, come hungry.

Loupiotte Kitchen in Los Feliz does an excellent French breakfast that feels like a friend lovingly whipped it up for you in their apartment. The omelets and soft scrambles are simple and full of butter, and that same homey (butter-heavy) approach is applied to their steak frites. This cute cafe nails the cooking time on the flat iron, so much that the provided steak knife feels like a suggestion. The gravy-like au poivre has a pleasant smooch of peppercorns and is just runny enough to zamboni it up with the soft, thick-cut fries. We love that they throw in a little bistro salad, too—do as the French do and save it for a final palate cleanser.

Perle’s well-seasoned steak comes with sauces like bone marrow bordelaise for an extra charge, but it doesn’t really need them—it’s surprisingly perfect naked. The 10-ounce strip steak is cooked spot-on and has just enough chew and sear to satisfy, and the crispy fries are so thin they’re close to Potato Stix. And sure, the baby salad on the side might just be a few pieces of frilly lettuce, but we always appreciate something fresh and green on the plate. Bonus for parents for sophisticated children: they also have a mini steak frites on the kids’ menu for $20.