Sirrah isn’t following trends; they’re setting them.
French dining has been associated with bougie, traditional decor, lengthy menus, and formal service. But at Sirrah, this modern French steakhouse in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, Founder Ryan Harris and Phil Zelonky, Director of Operations and partner of September Hospitality Group, are proving that honoring French culinary tradition doesn’t have to mean following the same playbook.
“We don’t just follow trends—we set them,” Zelonky says.
That philosophy is evident before guests even take their first bite. Walking inside, customers can feel transported to France without even leaving the city.
“I’ve always loved walking into someone’s home where you don’t know why you like it, but it just feels right,” Harris says. “It’s all curated, but it almost looks like a mess-that’s what maximalism is when it’s done really well, almost like in an ugly-beautiful cool way.”
The design reflects the restaurant’s larger mission: taking familiar French influences and presenting them in a way that’s more approachable and familiar to customers, both those familiar with French dining and those who are not.
Instead of overwhelming guests with pages of steakhouse options, Sirrah centers its experience around a five-course prix fixe menu.
“The whole concept of our dining experience is through a prix fixe menu,” Harris says. “We do all the heavy lifting for you; you don’t have to look through a menu with nine million options like a lot of steakhouses. All you have to do is choose your main course.”
The simplified format was inspired by the partners’ observations of professionals dining throughout nearby Hudson Yards who wanted an elevated meal without decision stress.
During my visit, the experience began with a warm French onion consommé, followed by a warm French baguette served with whipped butter and ragu, then a crisp salade verte.
For the entrée, I selected the medium-rare hanger steak, cooked to perfection and tender, accompanied by Sirrah’s signature bottomless pommes frites. Guests can customize the experience by choosing from six signature sauces and adding on additions like shaved truffle to elevate the experience and create a whimsical one.
Generous sides—including creamy macaroni and cheese and sweet glazed carrots rounded out the meal before dessert arrived with fresh berries and cream. The night concluded with Sirrah’s signature black-and-white ice cream cake, a playful dessert featuring a crunch topping reminiscent of elevated Coco Puffs.
The meal was paired with a choice of cocktails and wine; I chose the passion fruit cocktail and white wine, highlighting the restaurant’s balance between classic French influences and modern hospitality.
For Zelonky, Sirrah succeeds because it focuses less on elaborate techniques and more on exceptional ingredients.
“The menu is so simple that we really focus on ingredients, the quality of food and the way we prepare it,” Zelonky says. “We’re hyper-focused and detail-oriented on quality, so traditional French food lovers will appreciate how far we go to ensure that quality.”
Rather than recreating classic French cuisine, Harris and Zelonky intentionally reinterpreted it.
“We took traditional French sauces and dishes and put a twist on them to make them a little more approachable and a little healthier,” Harris says. “French sauces can sometimes be extremely heavy with cream and butter, so we toned back while keeping those traditional flavors.”
The inspiration came directly from Harris’ dining experience throughout Paris.
“I love Paris,” Harris says. “There’s something whimsical and fun about it-the art, the culture. We wanted food that feels vibrant with fresh vegetables and herbs while still respecting traditional French techniques.”
Zelonky points to the restaurant’s ability to start the restaurant trends now-famous tableside presentation of over-the-top frites and its happier meal–burger-and-fries combination as examples.
“A lot of restaurants started copying us with the bottomless fries and the burger edition we had, and we’re flattered,” he said. “But our job isn’t to play along with trends—it’s to set them.”
For Harris, the most rewarding part of opening Sirrah has little to do with the viral menu items.
“The most rewarding thing isn’t the first or second day you open,” he said. “It’s coming in a month later, sitting down in the restaurant and seeing it full–seeing what you built-that’s a really rewarding feeling.”
Operating a restaurant in New York City has also required constant adaptability.
“The biggest challenge is that everything changes all the time,” Phil said, pointing out the meat prices, tariffs, shipping delays and city regulations. “You have to be able to roll with the punches. Trends change, prices change, laws change; if you keep doing the same thing all the time, you won’t survive.”
The restaurant’s connection to the Meatpacking District runs deeper than its address. Both Harris and Zelonky have longstanding ties to the neighborhood and wanted to create a concept that reflected its evolution–from its industrial roots to one of Manhattan’s dining and culture destinations.
Whether guests come from the streamlined prix-fixe experience or simply stop in for one of the restaurant’s signature burgers, the mission stays the same: create an experience that feels memorable, approachable, and unlike any other French steakhouse in the city.
As Zelonky puts it, “Creating a memorable experience for someone—where they go home and tell their family and friends about it–that’s amazing; you start with an idea, and it becomes a memory for someone.”
Sirrah is located on 1 Little West 12th St. Sirrah | Modern French Steakhouse in the Meatpacking District, NYC
