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The Bœuf Sur le Toit restaurant near the Champs Elysées

For a long time, I thought the Bœuf Sur le Toit had something to do with beef and was on the top of a building – but I was (mostly) wrong. The name comes from a surrealist Brazilian ballet (would you believe) and it was a Parisian cabaret wildly successful in the 1920s, thanks to patronage from Jean Cocteau, Josephine Baker, Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso and many more.

Now a restaurant, and recently redecorated with respect for the original art deco interior, it boasts high ceilings, mirrors galore and a clientele of drab businessmen and discerning tourists. However, it does belong to a chain now, so is the food industrial or still as impressive as the space itself? We went down to see…

Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris
Photos: JasonW

From the street, you wouldn’t really know that Le Bœuf Sur le Toit has one of the most surprising interiors in Paris. All one can see is a couple of neon signs with the name of the restaurant, the seafood preparation room and a rather dull hallway of beige beige beige.
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisOnce inside though, you walk through a succession of  rooms of different dimensions and ambiances until finally arriving in one that has a very high ceiling and looks huge. The size is actually magnified by the clever use of mirrors, but an impressive space it is indeed. Apparently, the interior design was refreshed in April 2013, retaining the art deco original.
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris - Paris
Of course, such an exceptional venue not far from the Champs Elysées comes at a price – the food is not the cheapest in town by any stretch, and although we appreciated the sincere and smiley waiting staff, the fact that they are obliged to present the chain’s loyalty card  takes a little edge off the class.

We ordered some Clos Mireille whit wine to accompany our meal, our food order was taken smartly and we listened to the live jazz pianist while waiting for the first course to arrive.
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - Paris - ParisBœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisThe burrata with black truffle oil was served with a neat pile of (delicious) rocket, as well as a small pot of creamed artichoke that we found both tasteless and superfluous.
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisOur other starter was a lobster salad  with crunchy vegetables, citrus sauce and toasts with lumpfish eggs. Obviously very fresh and perfectly seasoned.
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisFor our first main course, we chose the scallops à la plancha with a Carnaroli risotto and black truffle oil (again). Although the scallops were well-cooked, the risotto itself was bland with no decent texture, almost like mashed potatoes. Rather a shame.
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisThe monkfish medallions were served with a “bourride” of vegetables lightly infused with saffron. We found them to be fairly-heavily infused, which was quite to our liking, and the fish was perfectly cooked, firm but not tough. Not a particularly complicated dish, but competently executed.
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisAs for dessert, we stay firmly with the classics. For example, the profiteroles were rich and delicious…
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisAnd the rum baba was of a perfect consistence to receive all the rum we wanted to add (they kindly left us with a whole bottle).
Bœuf sur le toit restaurant - ParisDon’t expect radical nouveau cuisine from Le Bœuf sur le Toit, or any surprises at all in fact (beyond the stunning venue). Most of the dishes on offer are brasserie classics, served with a decent amount of skill (although we found some elements to be a little lacklustre).

Prices are slightly over the odds, even for a restaurant with this kind of history, but for a special evening out you’ll undoubtedly be left with good memories of the service and décor. Try them out for an anniversary, for example!

Le Bœuf Sur le Toit (here) is open every day of the week form midday-3pm and 7-11pm (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, except during July and August)

Online booking : here

Official site: www.boeufsurletoit.com

Wikipedia page: here

To check out all our photos of the Bœuf Sur le Toit restaurant, click the play button below, then click the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode.

Restaurant Le Bœuf sur le toit – Paris