Restaurant in Paris, France
Serious steak, no-frills room, weekdays only.
Le Severo is one of Paris's most consistently recognised casual bistros, ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list three years running. Chef William Bernet runs a beef-focused room in the 14th arrondissement that suits weekday lunches and no-fuss special occasions — but it is closed weekends and the menu skews heavily toward meat-eaters.
Le Severo is the right call if you want serious steak cookery in a no-frills bistro setting without paying Parisian grand-restaurant prices. Chef William Bernet runs one of the most consistently recognised casual meat-focused rooms in Europe, ranked #290 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list in 2025 (up from #283 in 2024 and Highly Recommended in 2023) — a track record that makes it a reliable bet for a weekday lunch or weeknight dinner in the 14th arrondissement. If you are after a white-tablecloth celebration or a tasting menu format, this is not the room. But for a focused, no-ceremony occasion where the quality of the beef and the wine list does the talking, Le Severo earns its reputation.
Le Severo occupies a narrow dining room on Rue des Plantes in the southern reaches of Paris's 14th arrondissement, a quietly residential address that puts it well off the tourist circuit. The draw is the beef: Bernet built his reputation on sourcing and handling dry-aged meat with the kind of rigour most Parisian bistros do not bother with. The kitchen's output is deliberately restrained — this is a room where the quality of the raw material carries the plate, not elaborate saucing or presentation.
The setting reads as a special occasion for those who prize substance over ceremony. If you are planning a date night or a focused business lunch where the food needs to be genuinely good without the theatre of a three-star room, Le Severo fits that brief well. The wine list has a strong reputation among regulars, and the dining room keeps things intimate enough that conversation is possible throughout service , a practical advantage over louder bistro contemporaries in the city.
One thing to factor in: Le Severo is closed Saturday and Sunday, and service runs in two tight windows each weekday (lunch 12–2pm, dinner 7:30–10pm). The editorial angle here is important for planning , this is strictly a Monday-to-Friday proposition. There is no weekend brunch service, no late-night seating, and no flexibility outside those hours. If your Paris trip is weekend-heavy, you will need to plan around it or look elsewhere. For travellers with weekday availability, the lunch slot in particular offers a way to experience one of Paris's more credentialled casual rooms at what is typically a lower price point than dinner, consistent with how most French bistros price their midi menus.
The Google rating of 3.9 across 370 reviews is lower than the OAD ranking might suggest, which is worth noting. This kind of gap between critic recognition and general audience scoring usually reflects a room with a strong point of view that does not try to please everyone , the portions, the lack of concessions for non-meat-eaters, and the unvarnished bistro atmosphere will not suit all diners. Go knowing what you are signing up for.
For context on where Le Severo sits in the broader French dining picture: it is a very different proposition from the country's destination restaurants. Venues like Mirazur in Menton, Bras in Laguiole, or Troisgros in Ouches operate in a different register entirely , multi-course, destination-level experiences requiring significant advance planning. Le Severo is the opposite: a precision-focused neighbourhood bistro where the point is one very good thing done without distraction. Within Paris itself, it competes with the top tier of the city's serious bistro scene rather than with its grand restaurants. See our full Paris restaurants guide for a broader view of where it sits.
Le Severo is at 8 Rue des Plantes, 75014 Paris. Service runs Monday through Friday only: lunch 12–2pm, dinner 7:30–10pm. The venue is closed Saturday and Sunday with no exceptions based on available data. Booking is direct relative to Paris's more competitive reservation tables , OAD-ranked rooms at this tier are typically bookable with a week or two of lead time, though for a specific lunch slot on a popular day, earlier is safer. No dress code data is available, but the bistro format suggests smart-casual is appropriate. For broader Paris planning, see our guides to Paris hotels, Paris bars, Paris wineries, and Paris experiences.
Quick reference: 8 Rue des Plantes, 75014 Paris | Mon–Fri lunch & dinner only | Closed Sat–Sun | Easy to book.
See the comparison section below for how Le Severo stacks up against Paris's leading restaurant options across different diner profiles.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Severo | Easy | — | |
| Plénitude | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Kei | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Le Severo measures up.
Le Severo is a meat-focused bistro run by Chef William Bernet on Rue des Plantes in Paris's 14th arrondissement — a residential address, not a tourist strip. It is open Monday through Friday only, with a tight lunch window (12–2pm) and dinner until 10pm. Ranked #290 on the 2025 OAD Casual Europe list, it draws a loyal crowd of regulars, so arrive with a reservation and no agenda beyond eating well.
It depends on what you mean by special. Le Severo is not a grand-restaurant occasion venue — no white tablecloths, no ceremony. If the occasion is about quality cooking in an honest bistro setting rather than spectacle, it works well. For milestone dinners where room and service formality matter as much as the plate, Plénitude or Le Cinq would be a better fit.
For steak-focused bistro cooking at a similar register, look at other neighbourhood bistros in the 14th and surrounding arrondissements. If you want to move up in formality and price, Kei offers a different proposition with French-Japanese technique and consistent OAD recognition. Le Severo's specific draw — serious meat cookery, low-key room, non-tourist postcode — is hard to replicate exactly in Paris.
Yes. A narrow bistro format with counter or small-table seating typically suits solo diners well, and the focused, steak-driven menu makes ordering uncomplicated. The Monday-to-Friday schedule means weekday lunch is a practical solo option. Book ahead regardless — the room is small and fills consistently given Le Severo's OAD recognition.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the available venue data. Given the narrow bistro format, counter or bar seating may exist, but booking a table in advance is the reliable approach — walk-in options at a venue with OAD ranking and limited hours are not guaranteed.
Lunch is the more practical session: the window is tight (12–2pm), which keeps service focused, and bistro lunch pricing in Paris typically represents better value than the same kitchen at dinner. Dinner runs until 10pm and is the better fit if you want a slower pace. Both services run Monday through Friday only — plan around that before anything else.
Book at least one to two weeks out, more if you have a fixed date. Le Severo operates five days a week with two short services per day, which makes total seat capacity low. Its consistent OAD ranking — Highly Recommended in 2023, #283 in 2024, #290 in 2025 — means it draws a steady informed audience. Last-minute availability exists but should not be relied upon.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
