The Palm Swissôtel, 323 E. Wacker Dr. 312-616-1000 Website By the time this iconic throwback (founded in 1926 in New York City) opened in Chicago in 1980, its wet-aged prime steaks were legendary. And with good reason. Rich marbling, the hallmark of a great rib eye, juices up the Palm’s 24-ounce bone-in. The distinctive … Read more
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 25 E. Ohio St. 312-329-9463 Website Sidestep the mob in front of Pizzeria Uno and slip into what may be the quietest steak house in River North. Chances are, you will have your pick of tables—a rather inauspicious start, but hang in there. De-stress in a leather-tufted booth … Read more
Ruth’s Chris Steak House 431 N. Dearborn St. 312-321-2725 Website This chain’s New Orleans–influenced kitchen never met a dish it couldn’t jazz up. Diced red and green peppers spark its supercrabby Sizzlin Blue Crab Cakes; a kicky rémoulade sauce makes you want to dive in for the exceptionally succulent shrimp—or at least surreptitiously dip … Read more
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse 1028 N. Rush St. 312-266-8999 Website Gibsons is not a steak house. It’s a force of nature, a cash cow, pure manna to conventioneers and tan people and athletes and aldermen. Unfortunately, being all things to so many people for 24 years means that certain elements have slipped. There’s nothing … Read more
Mastro’s Steakhouse 520 N. Dearborn St. 312-521-5100 Website Looking at the Hummers idling outside this Scottsdale, Arizona–based meat market, you may forget that you are, in fact, in the humble Midwest. Even more so when you feast your eyes on the glitzy clientele and hear the sounds of Bruno Mars blasting from the jam-packed … Read more
Erie Cafe 536 W. Erie St. 312-266-2300 Website You don’t see many places these days with mahogany leather chairs and a framed painting of a clipper ship, unless they’re being ironic. But there’s nothing ironic about this old-school spot. A spirit of excess colors everything, from the ridiculous heaps of blue cheese melting onto … Read more
Chicago Cut Steakhouse 300 N. LaSalle St. 312-329-1800 Website What a lively bar to hang out at while waiting for a table! What a wonderfully executed old fashioned made with Templeton Rye! What a view of the river and skyline from the dining room! What fresh shellfish in the crab cocktail and in the … Read more
Sullivan’s Steakhouse 415 N. Dearborn St. 312-527-3510 Website It’s undoubtedly a sleeper, right? A chain steak house in River North flanked by big-deal competitors—Ruth’s Chris, Harry Caray’s, Keefer’s—that serves up a familiar roster of meat, seafood, and martinis. Surprise! Sully’s delivers some of the juiciest steaks around. First things first, though. Why not pause … Read more
Fulton’s on the River 315 N. LaSalle St. 312-822-0100 Website (Editor's note: Since this story was first published, this restaurant has closed.) Unless they’re planning a reception or some similar event, Chicagoans rarely think about Fulton’s. Maybe it’s because the place resembles a conference room more than a steak house. But like the view … Read more
Wildfire 159 W. Erie St. 312-787-9000 Website Lettuce Entertain You’s first steak venture is far more modest than the typical Chicago steak house (and the company’s forthcoming sure-to-be-glam RPM Steak). The chain’s River North flagship manages to be utterly approachable yet not lowbrow. This is a place where 20-something couples can afford the perfectly … Read more
