This is a serious steak town, and these Chicago steakhouses are best for their red meat, wedge salads and strong martinis
Chicago may have outgrown its reputation as a meat-and-potatoes town, but there’s no denying it: This is a city that loves its steak. Whether you’re looking for an old-school favorite that’s been around forever (Gene & Georgetti) or the newer kid on the block with a cheeky name (Maple & Ash), there’s plenty of different ways to enjoy classic cuts of steak—from filet mignon to rib eye to porterhouse. The best Chicago steakhouses are located all over the city and offer more than just meat; they’ve got generous sides, pristine seafood, knowledgeable sommeliers and splurge-worthy desserts. Though you’ll find a beloved steakhouse in just about every Chicago neighborhood, these are our all-time favorites.
RPM Steak
The glitziest of the Rancic restaurants, RPM steak is an expense account buster, with thick slabs of steak, a $130 seafood platter, millionaire potatoes with black truffles and 14K chocolate cake with gold leaf. When you want to go big, this is where to go.
Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
You should feel like a king when you’re paying through the nose for a steakhouse experience, and you will here. Start with the sweet, cool stone crabs, oysters Rockerfeller and a delicious chopped salad that could easily feed two. Go straight to the top with the bone-in New York strip, perfect when ordered charred medium-rare, or the Alaskan king crab legs served chilled. Key lime pie is puckeringly sweet for those who like a hit-you-over-the-head finish, and Joe’s fried chicken is the best secret in town.