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It apparently doesn’t matter that there’s only one thing on the menu at steak frites joint 24 York – every booth, bar stool and two-top seems to be taken at the new CBD hotspot.
The premise is ruthlessly simple: steaks and fries. Salad optional. Cheesecake inevitable.
It’s the latest project by Hunter St Hospitality, the brains behind famed city meat-grillers Rockpool, as well as Spice Temple and Saké within a catalogue of other city venues.
Their new vision is inspired by legendary Parisian venue Le Relais de l’Entrecôte, which has been loyal to the same minimalist concept for 65 years. It’s all about fast service, polished sequencing and great steak.
The vibe
The room is big and bright. Corinthian columns rise into an exposed, industrial ceiling. It’s not as polished as fellow French-themed neighbours The Charles or Le Foote. There’s more of a canteen feel: diners dropping in for a thirty-minute feed rather than a two-hour session.
A horseshoe island bar anchors the centre of the space, which in total seats up to 200. Rows of tables run out from it in neat lines, with staff in straight lanes to get steak to plates.
At lunchtimes and weeknights, it’s loaded with white shirts and loosened ties – its location round the back of the QVB, making it a prime spot for Sydney’s off-duty corporates.
But 24 York possesses a rare quality that makes it both a place to spruce up for a special occasion and duck in for a spur-of-the-moment feast.
The food
There is only one main dish: a 220-gram scotch fillet from Gippsland producer O’Connor. Unless you defy the chef’s preference – which is pointedly recommended by the waitstaff – the steak is cooked medium.
The kitchen here is searing up steaks on an almost constant basis for nine hours a day, seven days a week, so you better believe it’s top notch. The medium here leans red, the meat irresistibly juicy and dripping. The slightly charred exterior cuts through to a soft, buttery centre. Likely a little rare for those who like their steak well done, or even cooked to a classic medium. But you can also, of course, order it cooked whichever way you want.
There are four optional sauces: peppercorn, chimichurri, veal jus, or a kombu-infused “umami butter”. Each one shifts the dish slightly. The chimichurri is bright and herb-forward, cutting straight through the richness. The umami butter melts across the slices, rounding everything without making the plate heavier.
The fries are prepared in beef tallow, giving them a savoury depth. They arrive in a thick stack, ready to be dragged through sauce. The simple cos salad comes with a light mustard vinaigrette. It’s there to reset your palate between bites – the brief break that lets you keep going.
Cheesecake is small and basic. It arrives topped with a couple of raspberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a neat and unfussy finish rather than a grand flourish.
The drinks
The drinks list is deliberately short. Six Aussie wines by glass or bottle. Seven beers including a house-brewed lager.
Cocktails are classic: Aperol Spritz, Margarita, Negroni, Old Fashioned, Espresso Martini and a vodka or gin Martini.
It’s not a bar program built for lingering, but it doesn’t need to be. Everything here is engineered to keep the night moving.
Time Out tip
Go during happy hour (4-6pm) for $12 Martinis and Negronis and $7 wines and schooners. It’s the sweet spot before the after-office rush hits full tilt.
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