The most sensational steak frites to try in Brisbane

Petite, Fortitude Valley: The Votan brothers’ East Street Empire expanded beyond Happy Boy and Snack Man’s Chinese eats when the team opened Petite – a wine bar and bistro concept riffing on French bistro cuisine and culture. The free-wheeling menu includes two steak frite variations for your mange-ing pleasure – a grilled wagyu bavette and grass-fed eye fillet. Both options come with your choice of pepper cognac sauce, cafe de Paris butter, salsa verde and mustards. Pair your plate with a glass of the venue’s keenly curated list of French wines – for steak, the expert team recommends a silky syrah from Domaine Andezon in Rhône. Santé!

August, West End: Inspired by the brasseries of Paris, charming West End eatery August has launched a regular steak frites night that’s sure to appeal to carnivores across the city. Every second Wednesday, the restaurant is plating up unlimited serves of steak frites (that’s a baguette and butter to start, rump cap steak, French fries, house salad and your choice of bearnaise or peppercorn sauce, and a shared dessert) for $90 per person.

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DUCKFAT, Newstead: Located in a grungy, pink-hued modern-industrial space in Newstead, DUCKFAT attempts to subvert the silver-service connotations associated with French food, redefining the cuisine into something approachable, affordable and, crucially, delicious. Overseeing DUCKFAT’s menu is head chef Samuel Perrin, an accomplished chef who trained under legendary three-Michelin star chef Alain Ducasse. His mantra when morphing French flavours into a casual and modern offering was to strip things back, keep it simple and make it sharable. This mantra extends to the restaurant’s wagyu rump, which boasts a 500-gram and 1-kilogram share-style option, both served with pomme frites, cafe de Paris butter and shallot jus. During the week, DUCKFAT also serves a steak frites lunch special for only $32. 

The French Exit, Brisbane City: Anyday’s European-inspired inner-city restaurant The French Exit ticks all the boxes when it comes to French-style bistronomy. Duck a l’orange? Check. Escargot? Check. Steak frites? That’s one big ol’ check. There are two options here that we’d love to direct your attention towards. First is a succulent sirloin served with fries and peppercorn sauce. The other? A hanger steak with jus gras and bearnaise sauce, served with the all-important pommes frites.

Cru Bar & Cellar, Fortitude Valley: Long-running James Street institution Cru Bar & Cellar was refurbished in 2024 with a luxurious new look alongside a retooled menu and a bolstered cellar list weighing in at more than 2000 bottles. Despite the new plush green-velvet booths and lovingly restored 18th century Baccarat chandelier, the heart of Cru Bar & Cellar remains its service-centric spirit. Cru Bar & Cellar’s culinary offering, fondly regarded by many for its championing of Queensland farmers and produce suppliers, continues to showcase the state’s bounty through a European-inspired wine bar format. Its steak frites include 300-g Black Angus rump, chips and red wine jus.