The Entrecôte Pilgrimage

Rib steak grilled over old vine cuttings and finished with a glossy red-wine-and-shallot sauce. In Bordeaux, the steak and the wine are the same conversation.

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Why this dish?

Entrecôte à la bordelaise is a rib steak (entrecôte) seared - traditionally over sarments, the dried cuttings of the vines - and served with sauce bordelaise: a reduction of Bordeaux red wine, shallots, beef stock and butter, classically finished with marrow. Rich, winey, deeply savoury, it's the dish that ties the city's food to its most famous export.

You're flying into the heart of the world's most storied wine region, and the local steak is literally cooked and sauced with the local wine. Order a glass of Médoc or Saint-Émilion alongside and you've got a closed loop of regional perfection. It's not a fussy dish - it's a great steak made greater by where you're sitting.

Our Picks

La Tupina

Address: 6 Rue Porte de la Monnaie, Bordeaux
What to order: Entrecôte or a cut grilled over the embers, with frites cooked in duck fat and a glass of Bordeaux.
Book ahead: Yes - book ahead, it's a destination.
Pro tip: Sit near the open hearth if you can; the wood fire is the whole point.

Brasserie Bordelaise

50 Rue Saint-Rémi, Bordeaux

A buzzy central spot with a wall of regional wines - the relaxed, by-the-glass version of the Bordeaux meal.

What to order: Entrecôte à la bordelaise and a glass chosen from the by-the-glass list.

Good to know

This is wine country - lean into it; the by-the-glass lists are superb and not as scary as the cellars suggest. Lunch menus are far better value than dinner. Bordeaux's centre is grand and walkable, a UNESCO-listed sweep of 18th-century stone along the river.

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