The ground floor of the James smells so strongly of steak—glorious prime dry-aged steak—that you half expect to see the bellboy schlepping porterhouses and T-bones instead of Samsonites. What you sniff more than beef is the aroma of confidence. David Burke’s (which abuts the hotel’s lobby lounge) doesn’t emanate the studied indifference that competitors like … Read more
Where is it written that steak houses must cater mainly to business people? That old tradition often delivers an impersonal experience, favoring efficiency over warmth. Bavette’s, Brendan Sodikoff’s headfirst dive into red meat, turns that convention on its ear in a dark, speakeasy-like space where the Jazz Age details are far too flickery and romantic … Read more
Morton’s the Steakhouse 1050 N. State St. 312-266-4820 Website When Landry’s, the Houston- based colossus that owns Rainforest Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., purchased the entire Morton’s empire in 2012, alarm bells went off. Hands were wrung. Arnie Morton would roll over in his meat-lined coffin if the subterranean flagship of his beloved … Read more
The Capital Grille 633 N. St. Clair St. 312-337-9400 Website Also part of a huge restaurant group (Darden, which own Red Lobser, Olive Garden, and others), CG manages to feel incredibly personal as well as appropriately masculine—gleaming wood, plush leather booths—without coming off as the least bit cookie-cutter. More like subtle and stylish, as … Read more
Gene & Georgetti 500 N. Franklin St. 312-527-3718 Website To doubters, this place is a dinosaur that has been living off its rep for years. To believers, some of whom have been customers since FDR’s third term, it’s the steak house against which all others in Chicago must be judged. The truth lies somewhere … Read more
Chicago Chop House 60 W. Ontario St. 312-787-7100 Website Odds are good you’ve never heard of Japanese Mishima beef. Odds are better that once you’ve tasted the American version at this white-tablecloth tri-level meatery, your taste buds will demand an encore. Think of Mishima as Kobe’s more exotic cousin: The meat is richer and … Read more
Michael Jordan’s Steak House InterContinental, 505 N. Michigan Ave. 312-321-8823 Website Two years ago, His Airness presented a steak house to the city that still worships him. Similar to Jordan’s beef outposts in New York and Connecticut, the multilevel Mag Mile version is awash in luxe details— from velvet booths to a glass catwalk … Read more
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
