Le Severo
Emily Monaco of The Infatuation ate dry-aged steak at Le Severo in 2024 and wrote that
you'll hear your knife blade catching on the crisp surface.1
Why go
William Bernet trained as a butcher at Les Boucheries Nivernaises and ran Le Severo on rue des Plantes from 1987 (Le Severo) (Gilles Pudlowski). When Le Fooding ate there in 2017, his carcasses of Blonde d'Aquitaine, Limousine, Normande, Simmental and Black Angus were deboned in the basement and dry-aged in a cold room for 60 days. Johnny Beguin, Bernet's eternal accomplice,
cooked the meat (Le Fooding). Gilles Pudlowski wrote in March 2022 that nobody was more learned than William on the ageing of meat
(il n'y a pas plus savant que William pour disserter de la maturation d'une viande
) (Gilles Pudlowski).
The French company register shows a new company running Le Severo from 1 January 2026, under a manager who is not Bernet (Recherche d'entreprises). Call before you go and ask who is cooking.
Before the change, the steak was the reason to go. Monaco found the dry-aged filet and rib in April 2024 lusciously marbled, seared to perfection
and happy naked (no need for butter or bearnaise).
She ate them in a charming, 30-seat shoebox
at the sleepy back end of the 14th.
(The Infatuation)
Arnaud Morisse, who reviews Paris restaurants on his blog Restos sur le Grill, paid 74.80 euros for lunch alone in August 2019 and called it the (always high) price of good meat in Paris
(le prix (toujours élevé) pour une bonne viande à Paris
) (Restos sur le Grill). That year a Simmental faux-filet cost 45 euros and a côte de boeuf for two 150.
Order this / avoid
These were Bernet's dishes, eaten between 2017 and 2024.
- Order: filet au poivre (beef fillet with pepper sauce). Gilles Pudlowski, March 2022, on the Jersey-beef fillet:
a little masterpiece of taste, balance and tenderness
(un petit chef d'oeuvre de goût, d'équilibre, de tendreté
).2 - Order: tartare with fries. Pudlowski, March 2022:
at the top of its kind in Paris
(au « top » du genre à Paris
).2 - Order: boudin noir (blood pudding). Emily Monaco, April 2024:
the blood pudding's crisp crust and creamy interior make it the sleeper hit of the starters.
1 - Order: croustillant de tête de veau (crisp calf's head). Pudlowski, March 2022:
the formidable crisp calf's head with mustard and its rocket salad
(le formidable croustillant de tête de veau moutardé avec sa salade de roquette
).2 - Order: beef tataki. Le Fooding, 2017:
explosively flavorful beef tataki backed up by anchovies from Santoña and golden fries.
4 - Drink: red Burgundy. Pudlowski drank David Duband's hautes-côtes-de-beaune in December 2022 and praised
its perfect fruit
(son fruité parfait
).3
What locals & experts say
- Théo Pourriat of the Septime team, FED Guides, 2015, in Bernet's time:
For some reason, I like to come here to celebrate.
7 - Gilles Pudlowski, December 2022:
This is a house you can trust
(Voilà une maison sûre
).3
Good to know
- Days: in 2023 and 2024 it opened Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner and shut at weekends. Monaco called the weekend closing
pretty much the biggest flex in the Paris restaurant world.
61 - Booking: the room had ten tables in 2023, so book ahead.6
- No fish: the menu carried none in 2019.5
Verdict
could-visit — From 1987 this was the butcher William Bernet's steak house, known for beef aged in its own basement. The company register lists a new operator from January 2026, so call and ask who is cooking before you cross the city for it.