Chicago is home to many restaurants where you can get a gorgeous cut of steak. But when you’re looking to get your fix, why not go for the best that the city has to offer?
Here, 11 chophouses that stand out in the Windy City:
Aside from a huge list of steak cuts on the menu, RPM Steak also offers a juicy dry-aged steak burger. Photo by John Stoffer.
RPM Steak
River North
What Our Inspectors Say: “Polished black, white, and wood décor speaks to the finer things in life, with a menu of succulent steaks, raw bar offerings, and sides to back it up. There's always a full house; for the best people-watching, score one of the semicircular booths.”
What to Order: Here, go big or go home and start with an appetizer of thick-cut bacon with Bourbon and vanilla bean glaze. Under the steaks and chops portion of the menu you’ll find a selection of Prime dry-aged cuts of beef, as well as Wagyu and Kobe meats (think Miyazaki and Hokkaido snow beef). Signatures include RPM steak frites with black truffle Béarnaise and a 60-day aged Long-Bone rib eye.
Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf
River North
What Our Inspectors Say: “With a sultry jazz soundtrack and speakeasy ambience, this swanky destination is unfailingly packed every evening with a boisterous crowd. The feel inside may be dark and loud, but that only adds to the bonhomie of the chic and cavernous den, outfitted with exposed brick walls, mismatched dangling light fixtures, and tobacco-brown Chesterfield-style sofas. Steakhouse and raw bar standards dominate the menu. Most steaks are wet-aged and though some may prefer more funk, the cuts are expertly broiled.”
What to Order: Butcher’s cuts feature roasted bone marrow with caramelized red onion jam, and a 10-ounce rib eye steak frites. Other USDA Prime slabs include three sizes of filet mignon, the classic 16-ounce Chicago cut rib eye and a 42-day dry-aged bone-in New York strip. Enhance your dinner with maître d’ butter, peppercorn crust, Gorgonzola or (more) roasted bone marrow.
Benny’s Chop House
River North
What Our Inspectors Say: “A far cry from the clubby, masculine steakhouses of yesteryear and just a stone's throw from the Magnificent Mile, this expansive but welcoming space goes for understated glamour, with tasteful inlaid wood and burgundy columns offset by natural stone walls, white birch branches and a marble bar.”
What to Order: Start with a steakhouse classic, like an iceberg wedge (with Black River bleu cheese) or lobster bisque. Steak cuts are broken down into traditional, dry-aged, natural and specialty selections, including bone-in and Tomahawk rib eyes, New York strip and Japanese Miyazaki skirt steak.
Chicago Cut
River North
What Our Inspectors Say: “This finely tailored locale bustles day and night, thanks to wraparound windows along the riverfront, sumptuous red leather furnishings, warm wood trim and a crackerjack service team cementing its steakhouse vibe.”
What to Order: Instead of traditional escargot, order “lobsterscargot”—pieces of Maine lobster tail doused in garlic butter and served under a blanket of Havarti and served with crostini. An entire page of the menu is dedicated to chop house favorites, complete with a detailed map of a cow and a list of meat temperatures. If you’re feeling fancy (and if it’s available), opt for the Chicago cut bone-in filet.
Gibson's Italia
West LoopWhat It Is: The Italian spin-off of the original donning the same name.
What Our Inspectors Say: “By day, the room is flooded with sunlight and stunning panoramic views of the Chicago River. Come dinnertime, the lights dim and the twinkling cityscape offers romantic magic, while a rooftop bar with fireplace opens up in the summer. And all of that’s before you even taste the delicious food.”
What to Order: A large selection of crudo and shellfish is on offer to start the meal; antipasti include dishes made of one-year-aged risotto, as well as 24-month-aged prosciutto di San Daniele with grilled bread and compressed cantaloupe and Piemontese beef carpaccio with shaved Grana Padano and red vein sorrel.
The porterhouse at Swift & Sons. Photo by Eric Kleinberg.
Swift & Sons
West Loop
What Our Inspectors Say: “A renovated meat and produce warehouse built in the 1920s, the space unwinds from a raw bar aptly named Cold Storage into a plush hangout. Here, wood-trimmed archways and concrete columns modulate the scale of the rooms. The kitchen’s contemporary take on steak serves up USDA Prime beef seared at high heat and presented with a trio of sauces.”
What to Order: All the classic prime steaks are up for grabs; the “large format” 48-ounce porterhouse will set you back $135. Steak sauces and condiments include oxtail marmalade, anchovy-garlic butter, seared foie gras and butter-poached crab.
Maple & Ash
Gold Coast
What Our inspectors Say: “Did someone say scene? Oh darling, that’s half the fun at Chicago’s buzziest steakhouse, Maple & Ash. Deep-set leather couches, clubby music and even a photo booth lend the multi-level marvel an irresistible party vibe. This restaurant is set to the soft glow emanating from the semi-open kitchen, where a wood-fired hearth lights up dry-aged steakhouse classics, cut to generous proportions."
What to Order: Here, decadence is the name of the game—start off with Sauternes-soaked foie gras served with seasonal compote, hazelnuts and brioche and follow it up with a 28-day dry-aged bone-in New York strip or Australian rack of lamb. Also available: caviar service, a fire-roasted seafood tower and “arm candy” for your steaks, like Bordelaise, sauce Diane and Penta Crème bleu cheese.
Mastro’s
River North
What Our inspectors Say: “Black SUVs unload VIPs in front of the revolving door, which in turn leads to a gleaming wall of bottles at the gilded bar. Live lounge music may take the level of conversation up a notch, but sip on a shaken martini to blank out the surrounding din.”
What to Order: Though the menu is plentiful, you came here for the star event. Look for bone-in filets, a “chef’s cut” New York strip, double-cut porterhouse and veal chop on the menu. Sides include lobster mashed potatoes, colossal onion rings, Alaskan King crab black truffle gnocchi and creamed corn.
Michael Jordan’s
Loop
What Our inspectors Say: “Leave your dated 1993 Bulls jersey in the closet for a meal at this swanky steakhouse, tucked just off the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel. Leather and velvet accents telegraph an upscale vibe, and references to His Airness are subtle—from oversized sepia photographs of basketball netting to a 23-layer chocolate cake for dessert.”
What to Order: Start with smoked New York strip carpaccio served with micro basil, Pecorino and balsamic before hitting up one of the many steak entrées, like a bone-in filet with bone marrow butter, or MJ's 45-day dry-aged Delmonico with ginger-balsamic jus.
Prime & Provisions
Loop
What Our inspectors Say: “Though it would also feel at home in Las Vegas, this glitzy oversized steakhouse fits right in with its swanky Chicago riverfront neighbors. The polished, masculine interior makes its priorities clear from the get-go, showcasing a two-story wine tower and a peek into the dry-aging room under bold, barrel-vaulted ceilings and chandeliers.”
What to Order: Thick-cut bacon is available for grabs here, and it’s doused in black pepper, local Michigan maple syrup and dark chocolate. Here, the dry-aged center-cut porterhouse for two runs $59 per guest; the steak menu also features a dry-aged bone-in Kansas City strip, hand-cut filet mignon and a slow-roasted bone-in prime rib served with roasting jus and house horseradish. Steak “escorts”—aka, sides—include purple cauliflower au gratin, roasted Brussels sprouts with elephant garlic and crispy bacon and a “substantial” baked potato with aged cheddar and bacon.
Steak 48
River NorthWhat It Is: This go big or go home swanky restaurant is outfitted with an in-house butcher shop that is always kept at 40 degrees.
What Our Inspectors Say: "Don’t be fooled by the buzzing crowd and thumping music as Steak 48—albeit trendy—really knows how to pack them in by doling out sizzling, next-level cuts with impressive consistency."
What to Order: Note the massive display of seafood on ice while perusing over the menu studded with appetizers including shishito peppers with smoked sea salt and shaved Parmesan, fried deviled eggs with sriracha aioli and the chef's "pb&j" comprised of pâté, fig jam and Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Steaks include a domestic Wagyu filet, bone-in Kansas City strip and steak Farina, Steak 48's 12-ounce bone-in filet topped with an egg.
Hero image of tomahawk steak from RPM Steak by John Stoffer.
