Café de Paris - Chez Boubier

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Café de Paris in Geneva is exceptional. If there were a 10-star rating, this place would deserve it. The steak and fries were absolutely amazing—so good I’ll be craving this meal for years. The simple salad was just as memorable, and the service was excellent throughout. While Geneva was lovely, this restaurant alone makes the trip worth repeating. It’s not all-you-can-eat as we initially thought, but every bite was worth the price. We spent about $200 for two, including a liter of red wine, and I’d do it again without hesitation.

Amazing food, great service. I don't understand all the fools saying they "only serve one dish" - yes that's what's so great about it! The beef was sensational. Advice: Don't go if you don't want steak? 🥩 Its not that difficult to understand that.

Amazing experience at Café de Paris – Chez Boubier. The food was absolutely delicious, the service was attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Everything was perfectly executed — a must-visit place. Highly recommended!

Totally fabulous. Stumbled in by chance on a busy Sunday. Had the best, most authentic, Parisien lunch I think I’ve ever had. And I’ve lived in France for 20 years. And yes I know I was in Switzerland! Cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.

Café de Paris – Chez Boubier in Geneva offers an unforgettable dining experience with its iconic Entrecôte Café de Paris. The perfectly cooked steak, paired with the rich, aromatic butter sauce, is the star of the show. The classic Parisian ambiance adds to the charm, and the attentive service ensures a memorable meal. While it’s a bit on the pricier side, the quality and tradition make it well worth the visit. A must-try for steak lovers!

Great experience, the service was lovely and the sirloin steak divine, one of the best I've ever had, juicy and tasty, melting off your tongue ( we had it medium rare).

The sauce is one of greatest secrets there is in gastronomy. It has been more than 20 years that I first tasted this incredible and very tasteful dish. Today you can find a lot of restaurants which offer this plate but all of them taste very different. The similarity is that you eat fries as much as you can. If you love meat, you need to come here.

Booked a table through Google map. Arrived on time and we were offered a table of our choice. We selected outdoor table. We were told about their set menu but no detail about lack of desert as part of the set menu. For us, that would have been a game changer. The salad portion was OK. No nuts. It was well seseaned. Our stake arrived cold, though it was cold weather. We used the supplied flame to warm it up. They steak was perfectly cooked as per order. We asked for a rare & medium cooking, both were well prepared and presented.

The specialty of the house is a steak with their proprietary sauce served with pomme allumete (matchstick fries). The steak comes on a special dish that's mounted over a flame. This one (downtown Geneva) is just outside the railway station between Starbucks and Five Guys. Service was skillfully provided by Sejta. French, English and Russian. Ambiance is that of a sidewalk café. The sale and steak were delicious.

Look, I'm not someone who still dishes out a lot of 5 star ratings but seriously folks, this place is stunning. Order the steak...get the fries...submerge all of it in the butter and wait for the endorphins to bring you to an ecstatic state. The cut of meat, the perfect cook (from saignant (rare) to à point (medium rare) to bien cuit (well done)), and again...the sauce (butter) are all top notch. You can call ahead and let them know about large parties which they can handle with ease. This is the exact place you want to hold a large party at too as this is the perfect group meal. Don't be a putz. Eat here. You're welcome.

Would give no stars if I could. After a long day of travel went into this restaurant close to our hotel. IT IS NOTHING BUT A TOURIST TRAP. Such a rude server, we walked out after ordering a bottle of wine and one of water.

The restaurant was very very hot inside, the menu only had one option for a full meal, and the steak was mediocre at best. There are so many better restaurants nearby to eat at.

Service was good. Food was fairly mediocre, I thought. This place is ok in a pinch, but I wouldn't come here again on purpose. There are other much better steak frites places in Geneva...

One stop wonder. If you love steak frites, go by you will not be disappointed. We loved it, awesome :)

Easily one of my favorite restaurants in Geneva. A great simplistic concept of just steak in their signature sauce, with a salad and fries. The steak is always amazing and the salad though very simple has an unbelievable dressing. The place is a little pricy but worth every penny. The atmosphere isn't great but the service is very friendly. Tl;dr Great food but quite expensive. Worth what you're paying for. You'll enjoy every bite!

We just arrived from Russia with a hungry belly. Cafe de Paris did NOT disappoint. Clean restaurant with very attentive service. SO glad to have found this gem.

Absolutely dreadful dining experience. Non existent service. Head waiter ignored our request for some butter and we ordered our steak to be cooked medium and it was underdone/raw. Steak portion was quite small and overpriced. We will not be returning.

Always a favorite when in Geneva, the Cafe de Paris offers a consistent and reliable presentation of its signature dish Steak Frites. Served with the special sauce that has made Cafe de Paris the "Original" and real deal among many worldwide imitations (some of them quite good too) this centrally located restaurant offers a set menu and does it to perfection. Yes, they bring you a green salad with a lovely vinaigrette sauce while you are waiting for the beef being simmered in a sauce platter at your table. Then you partake in the feast of thinly cut steak slices marinated in herb butter with beaucoup yummy frites, the real French fries. For accompanying wine, we chose a Swiss selection, a carafe of Gamay. Regional wines are not are too expensive and they complement the meal nicely. Price per person for the Steak/frites is about $43 per person which is not excessive for Switzerland. Service here is good and spot on but admittedly sometimes can be a bit rushed especially during busy times. During our recent visit in October most patrons were sitting inside the elegant restaurant but in Summer or for lunch the outdoor dining is very popular and can be quite crowded. Cafe de Paris has been serving a loyal clientele since 1930! In fact a family member was a regular during his student days here in the late 30's. I see why we maintain the family tradition.

This is supposed to be a famous place in Geneva where it's a set menu with a salad and a steak (or steak wannabe) and unlimied amount of french friea. Not worth a visit other than the sauce they serve the meat in. I wouldn't recommend it to a meat lover. It's probably what I describe as a tourist trap. Service is fast but so so on friendliness basis. They behave like a factory.

So my boyfriend and I were looking for a casual light meal. We got anything but once we walked in Cafe de Paris. We didn't look at the menu ahead of time, but rather saw a very crowded restaurant that looked worth trying. Once we sat down the host asked us if we wanted anything to drink and then asked if we were familiar with their concept. When we replied no, she kindly explained how the dinner service worked. Once we understood and agreed, she asked how we would like our steak cooked. We told her medium. Since we didn't know what we wanted to drink, she handed us the wine list, which included the price of the meal. At 41CHF per person, my boyfriend and I were both sticker shocked. It wasn't about whether or not we could afford it, but we weren't looking to spend money on a huge meal (as you probably know, Geneva is quite pricey), and she never told us anything/handed the menu to us upfront. For a second, we felt trapped, and this is why they lost a star. Anyways, we clearly decided to stay (when in Geneva...). I must admit it was worth every cent. I am still full! Our first course was a green salad. Nothing special. The vinaigrette was really good, but a little too much. The next course was the meat! Our steak came out on a silver platter with this awesome garlic butter. They put the platter on a burner so that the butter can slowly melt and blend in perfectly with the steak. The temp of the steak was just as we asked (huge plus). Of course, the meal was accompanied with frites. Again, nothing special, but when you drizzled a little garlic butter on them...another story. We did have a glass of Swiss red wine. It was a dole. First experience with this blend of grapes, but it paired well with the steak. We decided to skip dessert. We were just too full ;) The overall experience was a 4. Again, they lost a star for not informing us of what we were getting, price-wise. It really was uncomfortable. But now you know! So I recommend trying if you are in Geneva!

Decent for Geneva. Steak cut tender though very thin and my rare was really medium rare. Fries tasty as was sauce. Service a bit surly.

This is the original Cafe de Paris sauce! The meat itself is not to be compared with a thick-cut dry-aged beef, but it's a thinner brasserie steak-frites kind of steak. It's been in business for over 80 years and I know people who've been going for the past 40+ years and apparently it's still exactly how it used to be!

This place came highly recommended from the concierge at the hotel. It has no menu, so if you are up for an Entrecote a Paris with french fries and a small salad you are in the right place if not you are hosed. The salad is fresh and nice quality but the dressing is a bit tart. The entrecote (sirloin) is OK but not exceptional - especially if you are from Texas...its a bit...small. We ended up having 4 to be split by the 3 of us. The french fries are excellent and they are better than Mickey D's simply because they are fresh cut and not processed. However, what really clinches the deal is the herbed butter in which they cook the steak - we probably ate more butter in one sitting than all year long. What we did not eat with the steak we soaked up with bread and fries - I could feel my cholesterol shooting up in my veins. For dessert there are profiteroles and Toblerone chocolate mousse and a few other items - they were all OK but not exceptional. Overall a good place to eat after a long day of flying and when your brain is incapable of making decisions. Like everything else in Geneva pricey - about $280 for the 3 of us with 1 glass of wine, beer and mineral water - but 4 entrecote instead of the usual 3. We are Texans and like big quantities of meat...what can I say.

Steaks here shouldn't be judged by their cut/aging. The way the steak is cooked pretty much makes those things irrelevant at a place like this, which for me, was a cultural surprise. Order the steak frites and they'll come out with a steel stand/basket with burner beneath. The steak comes out on a metal plate that then rests atop the burner. I was concerned that the burner would then overcook my steak, but that's not its true purpose. The true purpose of the burner is to melt the HALF POUND of herb butter that cradles the steaks such that you can baste the steak as the butter melts from the heat. It's a decadent experience for sure and one that shouldn't be missed. The fries and salad are nothing to write home about, but the steak was a fun experience. The restaurant is crowded and the atmosphere convivial. Top notch service too; my dining partner spilled a glass of water and rather than let me put a napkin over it, they opted to change the entire table setting both quickly and courteously.

This place is located right outside of the train station, and is definitely what I would think of as a tourist trap. The food quality definitely doesn't match the price you pay for the food here. Very expensive, but lacking in the taste category. The meat has no flavor, the special butter sauce, is nothing more than butter sauce with some minimum flavoring. Also, the frites (french fries) that you are served with the meal, are about as good as McDonald fries. Save your money, and find a restaurant that serves flavorful and quality entrecote. There are many other places out there to choose from.

I was brought here years ago by a work colleague, but only after being introduced to Le Relais de L'Entrecote. Luckily, it was a warm, summer's evening, so I have fond memories. There is only one dish available here - steak! And it's served slightly differently from Le Relais de L'Entrecote; the full steak is brought out on a silver platter and kept warm with candles. It might be psychological, but the steak seems to cook more over the course of the meal, so you start with a medium rare and end up with well done. For the price of the meal, you get a salad, steak and chips. Drinks and desserts are charged on top. It's most definitely not a cheap meal! But the steak is cooked nicely, and as a colleague commented recently "These are the best fries I've ever had!", which was no mean feat, believe me. I enjoyed my recent visit, more so than my previous visit - the food was a lot more memorable this time around.

Very close to main train station. Nice place, bit expensive though. You must book, very slim chance to get a table without a reservation.

First, let me tell you, I had no idea the reputation or the history of this place when I went there. I went with business colleagues and the only background I had was that entrecote is a suisse specialty. Also, I rarely eat red meat, and butter, well, I couldn't remember the last time I had butter before this meal. BUT I LOVED IT. If there is a time and place to abandon your regular healthy eating habits - it's here. Home of the famed Cafe de Paris entrecote and butter sauce heaven. It's a secret recipe, and you won't be able to find anything like it anywhere else. Sit down, order a bottle of wine, and let your waiter know how you would like your meat prepared - no need for a menu (other than the wine menu, of course)! You'll get plenty of mixed greens (love the mustard based house salad dressing everywhere in the French part of Switzerland) and fries to accompany your entrecote. Note for Americans - the meat is still moo-ing, so your safest bet is to order "Bien cuit" (although I like the moo-ing, so I went with "A Point", which may translate to medium but really comes out closer to what Texans would call rare to medium rare).

Place was recommended by a local as a very popular place to experience the traditional steak and frites. They only serve a small salad -dressing was tasty, fries and steak that cooks at your table over a special butter mixture as it melts. We ordered our steaks medium rare as had read in other reviews that the steak will cook at the table. The meat came out of the kitchen raw. Wasn't a problem as we were able to cook to desired temperature. Can't believe a French restaurant could serve fries no better than McDonalds but this was the case. Steak in terms of quality and flavor was not memorable at all. Service was okay. Given the price for the meal 42chf, I'd choose to go elsewhere. House wine at 10.50 for small carafe is a bargain by Geneva standards.

Café de Paris is an experience that every steak lover should try when visiting Geneva. A 10 minute train journey from the airport, the restaurant is situated just across the bridge from the station. The interior is classic 1940's, honkey tonk Parisian chic, the kind of place you'd expect to find Hercule Poirot reading a paper and smoking a cigar after a hard day's sleuthing. The main menu is set: Fresh salad, steak and fries. Nothing else. It's expensive too, at over €30 per person, but in my view these are quite possibly THE BEST entrecote steaks I've ever tasted. They are thin, tender and cook at your table on a trivet to your own preference. Perhaps what makes them so special is the rich herb butter sauce in which they are smothered in (the ingredients remain a mystery to other restaurants who've unsuccessfully tried to imitate it). The fries are homemade and taste fabulous coated in the sauce. This place may only do one thing, but boy does it do it well! The portions were, in my opinion, perfectly adequate. To be quite honest, if you could stomach to eat more steak after this I would say there is something wrong with you :P There are desserts on hand, if you think your cholesterol can take further damage. We had gelatto, which was typically superb being on the Continent and a great cup of coffee to finish. I can't comment much on the service. Since the place was not busy when we arrived, the waiter just seemed to hang around in an alcove and only came over when the one French-speaking member of our party called to him. I've no idea what it might be like to visit at a busier time, but I can't fault the experience I had. I came for great steak and I got it, with a rich slice of history too. J'adore!

I love food while traveling whether hole in the wall or Michellin star restaurants. It's so bad, it's the first time I can't wait to warn people away... While still paying the $94 bill on their wifi. No idea why anyone would give it anything more than 2 stars. There is only 1 set menu with green salad, steak, and fries at $42 per person. The steak was like chewing on nylon rope. The salads was like eating vinegar pickled cabbage. Only the fries were decent enough but no better than McDonalds. I personally am not a big fan of McDonalds or fast food but the food taste noticeably better at McDonald and 1/10th the price. I'll take it any day. Oh and the waitress was the unhappiest I've seen in my 4 days in geneva eating out 2 times a day.

This place is a Geneva institution - it's website's Historie section goes Dans les annees 1930 But we're interested in the here and now. So what exactly is it? A cafe? Only in the sense that the United Nations building is an office block. On the other hand, it is as one-track as the UN is diverse. The thing is, it does one thing only - steaks in a unique sauce. Stick with me, it is a place worth the hype. It's easy to find, next to the railway station Gare Cornavin, as you walk towards the lake. It's not so easy to get a table at peak time. The best way is to walk in confidently, past the pavement tables, and ask the senior chap (black waistcoat) directly for a seat. You may have to wait a few minutes, but they are quite friendly. The waiters are generally preoccupied (the place is busy, remember) and not much use for anything apart from getting food and drink. Most will oblige with English, too. Just remember to start out 'Bon soir, madam/m'sieu' before you do your impression of Ali G. The place is crowded, a bit of an elbow-to-elbow dining experience, but there is genuinely enough place to properly eat a steak. And what steaks they are. The official description is entrecote, which I understand to mean rib-eye. Now, I normally prefer fillet steaks, but the Cafe de Paris do something special with their bits of beef. But then, they also do a special sauce, which is rumoured to have liver and cheese and mushrooms - you can certainly taste all these. The secret ingredients are the subject of speculation, just search wikipaedia to see what I mean. The steaks come on a bed of the sauce, on a platter that is placed on a burner that lets the steak bubble away in the sauce as you tuck in. They promise three helpings of les pommes frittes, done in the thin fries style that I like. Of course, you start with a green salad and a crusty roll. Tip - go for the French wine. Apologies to any Swiss wine die-hards reading this, but one has to draw the line somewhere. Any other steak I've ever had, anywhere else in the world - I prefer it medium to well done. A hint of pink in the middle is all I'll usually tolerate, but at the Cafe de Paris asking for 'well done' brings you a cut more pink than anything else. And simultaneously marks you out as a gauche tourist; as if you were pretending otherwise. One of my companions on a recent visit, a Fifer, asked for hers blue, and raw it was. I bravely went for medium and was amazed by how much I enjoyed what most places outside Argentina would term decidedly rare. I've also ordered well done, and without murmur have been served a lovely pink/medium steak. Would I go there again? Hell, yeah. At forty Swiss francs (about £20) it's a cracking deal. And I'm not even a proper carnivore in my friends' eyes.

I don't know how this restaurant has survived since 1930. If this restaurant was in San Francisco it won't be around for long. 42.5 euro per person for a piece of by far the worst steak I ever had in my life and bottomless fries plus a plate of greens. I can cook better steak from Safeway with a lighter. I was so disappointed and upset while I was chilling that piece of cardboard down to my throat. They even charge us 2 euro per person for tap water. No one charges tap water even in Geneva. If anyone plan on going Geneva, dine somewhere else. There are better places around.

Forget the fondue, this should be the new national dish. We had a local resident as our guide who somehow managed to take us along on a very quiet day, there were only a few other diners in the restaurant at the time which left us free to be the loud irritating tourists. But surprisingly there was not one scoff or a single waiter looking down their nose at us. Maybe it was because we were raving about their Swiss wine? But back to the food, they really know how to cook a steak. London's premiere steak houses don't even come close to the flavour sensation that was served to us at Cafe de Paris. The sauce is so moreish we were trying to soak up every last drip with our skinny french fries. With a traditional interior and even more traditionally clad staff this place seems to be in a bit of a time warp. But if it ain't broke as they say! These guys know what they are doing and do it very very well. I am now drooling in anticipation of my next jaunt to Geneva!

Well it was pretty tasty but goodness $43 euro per person was extremely steep for fries and 180g of beef. Lots of butter lots and lots of butter and hardly any bread. Need to switch from the fries to bread. Don't know why it comes with three servings of fries! Service was pretty good. No other real choices except the meat and butter. Small near tasteless salad. The only reason I gave a three star was bc we had decent service. Oh well.

Yuuum! Steak was undercooked when it came out but cooked perfectly on the plate for a few minutes. The butter sauce improves with time as well. Service was not good. Salads on the table before the water and multiple requests for the wine list led to wine opened after the steaks had arrived. Ah well. Food was really good. Went for the second round of fries but cannot imagine having the included 3rd. No dessert for us. Just coffee and a long walk to digest. Love a place that chooses one thing and just does it well.

This restaurant offers only one course: steak served with fries and salad. The salad is good, a little sour with olive oil and vinegar. The fries are just fries, with no salt and other flavors. The steak is served on a silver plate with garlic butter heating by a small flame under the plate. The steak is too salty for me actually. The price is 42 CHF per person, a little bit expensive.

They have only one thing on the menu: a thin cut filet with a salad and fries. The steak is served with a delicious, buttery-garlic sauce. Everything was cooked to perfection but it's pricey - $41 Swiss francs for a 180g steak. I asked for ketchup to accompany my fries, and the waiter gave me a smirk. Yeah, I'm American and like ketchup with my fries. Deal with it. All in all, a good experience in Geneva but expensive.

So a number of folks had indicated how good this restaurant was, so a number of us went there one night to try it. Basically this is a single item menu place, and the item is a some akin to a strip of steak, cooked on top of a butter type sauce. It is brought to your table still cooking, and placed on top of a warming flame. Presentation is pretty interesting... but its the taste that counts. The flavor was pretty good, unique for sure. However the steak was relatively thin, and yet still significantly uncooked per your request (I asked for medium to medium well, it was nearly rare on the inside). Apparently a chef thing although I find it arrogant to ask how you like it prepared and then ignore you because the chef thinks it not possible to enjoy it cooked like that. Overall though, and after all the above... it was only an average steak. Considering that price, 42 SF I think, it was the most expensive "so, so" meal I had in this recent trip. Comparatively here in the States, the same money could have gotten you the best cut of Filet you could likely ever taste..... In short, go for the experience but not necessarily the food.

A 42CHF fixed menu coming with a very oily small house salad and a cold non tasty pre-cut steak. The only thing which is not unpleasant to eat is the fries...which is similar to a fast food quality. The worst meal / steak I had for many many years.

There's only one menu:salad,chips and steak. I went with my girlfriend and it was crowded and we had to share a table, very noisy ambient. Food was fine but not to get really full. Everything come fast,so fast that we had dinner in just 30min. Wine was overpriced. Dessert was ok.

For me this restaurant was a huge disappointment and there is a sense that the waiters want to get people in and out of the place as quickly as possible. The menu is simply Steak for all-and one version-so if your guest usually takes an hpour to select their meal then its a good call. But don't bring any vegetarians! the wine list is good though and the french fries tasty. But i wasn't keen on the sauce. Best time to try is in the Summer as they open up the street terrace and there is a better continental vibe.

Only one entree offered but well worth the visit and the price. Steak with secret butter suave was amazing, fries were amazingly fresh and crisp. Salad was perfect - not too heavy with just a simple oil and vinegar dressing.

You know what you get: Entrecôte. You can chose how it should be cooked. Served in butter with ginger taste it is very tasty. As it is served on a rechaud you chose the final cooking. French fries are okay but not more than average. Together with the green salad and a glass of wine this is a perfect dive-in in a time some fifty years ago.

This was without doubt the best steak I've ever tasted. The premise is this. You rock up and ask for a table. Once seated they ask you how you would like your steak cooked. At this point you get handed a salad to eat as the steak is done. As soon as you've finished your salad they bring out the steaks on a tray heated by tea lights. The steak is smothered in the most wonderful garlic and herb sauce which is pretty mild due to the european pallet. You are then allowed to have three portions of pomme frittes to accompany your steak. All this with a couple of glasses of good merlot and an excellent coffee to finish made it well worth every penny. This isn't a restaurant it's a taste experience. GO THERE!

The best steak I've ever eaten was at this restaurant. While the menu only contains one entree item - steak - it is fabulous. If you are a vegetarian, this is not the place for you. If you enjoy steak, this is not to be missed. During my week in Geneva with my husband, we ate here twice. We would have done so more, but it is a bit pricey. I don't know what ingredients they use in the butter that comes with the steak, but the combination is addictive. It's probably a good thing its expensive because I would have gained at least 10 pounds otherwise. An added bonus if you sit outside is being able to 'people watch', especially the wealthy visitors from outside continental Europe (they're hilarious).

I believe this place has a long history. It was recommended to us by someone that used to come regularly to Geneva in the late 90's! So we decided to try it out. We arrived 15min before closing but we weren't turned off and within a few minutes we had a meal in front of us (having only one dish also helps!). The beef was a bit undercooked, but that's a cultural thing. In France, and French influenced places, meat is always undercooked for my Portuguese standards. Here, however, the meat cooks over the flame on the table, which makes it unique! The sauce is delicious, specially over the fries, but let it cook for a little bit over the flame. This is a meal that you shouldn't rush into! Finally, we decided not to try any dessert, because the waiter honestly informed us that we would have to rush to finish it. But we will be back to buy some of the sauce to cook at home! It is a bit pricy though...

They only have one thing on the menu, beef entrecôte with fries. The meal was great and the service was good. The only drawback is that it was expensive. But then again everything in Geneva is.

Introduced while in town on business. An interesting experience for an American Steak eater. It's the French Experience to be sure- don't expect more. A poor cut of sirloin in a pound of herb butter in a chaffing plate. The steak is not too bad by European standards. The service was surly and poor, but that is just because we were Americans- seeing the service of others indicated that. There really isn't a language barrier since there is no menu. Try it out if you have some time in town. There are better places if your time is limited.

So lala, the meat looked pregrilled, but tasted ok

Amazing food great service and wonderful ambiance. Don't go if you don't like steaks or think 42.50CHF is too much to pay, even though it's worth every penny.

The food was good. The service was not worth the price. Not so friendly and it took ages to order, get food and pay - even the restaurant was half empty.