Review: The Beast

Name: The Beast
Location: Paris, France
Price: $$$
Hours: Closed Monday and Sunday; Tuesday- Saturday 12:00PM - 2:30PM, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

In May I had the opportunity to go to Paris, France for work. While I was there I took advantage of the opportunity to see if there were any BBQ joints there. I found two and was able to go to one and try it. It was worth the walk.




The Beast is located on rue Meslay. You need to keep an eye out for it because it is easy to miss. It's a small long restaurant. A bar in the middle and the ordering counter in the back next to their large imported cooker. The owner, from what I understand, is a Texan  is a French man who Lived in the US for four years and fell in love with Texas BBQ. He trained at Louie Mueller BBQ in Taylor, TX under Wayne Mueller. He shipped the cooker over from Texas to bring BBQ to Paris. (Thomas, the owner, sent me the update. Thanks for the correction -Steve) They smoke using French white oak which gives the meat a nice subtle smoked flavor.

The counter and the smoker.

They didn't have pork ribs the night I was there so I went with a beef rib, pulled pork and mac & cheese. The pulled pork was good. It wasn't the best I've had but it was good. It was tender and flavorful.

Dinner is served.

The mac & cheese was disappointing but good. They took elbow macaroni and poured a cheese sauce over it. With all the wonderful cheeses they have in France I would have thought they would have elevated it to a baked mac & cheese with some wonderful sharp melty cheeses.

The beef rib, that was awesome. It was the best beef rib I have ever had. It was perfect tenderness with the beefy flavor you would expect. It made the whole meal worth it.

A view of the rest of the restaurant. 

If you're a BBQ lover or an American abroad looking for a taste of home I recommend going to the Beast. If you live in Paris or are visiting and want a good idea of American BBQ I would recommend going to The Beast.

Wall art

From what I understand the restaurant was opened by a Texas transplant who enjoyed BBQ and wanted to share it with Parisians. He imported the cooker and started serving this American cuisine in a city known for its food. Paris has foods from around the world and the Beast fits right in, giving visitors a taste of real American BBQ.

I'm heading back to Paris in January and hope to try the other BBQ joint I found there. We'll have to see how they compare. On the Gibbs Ribs scale* I give the Beast a full rack. The food is good and the ambiance relaxing. If you're an American travelling abroad and want a taste of home give them a try.

*When I do reviews, books or otherwise, I rate the items with ribs (they are my favorite BBQ dish). A full rack is great and a single rib is poor. I will tend to stick to a full rack, half rack or one rib.