Ralph Lauren's wood-panelled flagship on the Magnificent Mile, open since 1999 — book it on OpenTable for a low-stakes first date.
The Reservation Problem at RL Restaurant
A burger is the smartest order at a Ralph Lauren restaurant, and that is not the insult it sounds like. The Ralph Burger has carried its own reputation for two decades, and it is the dish that tells you what RL Restaurant, ranked #92 in Chicago, is actually good at: classic American cooking executed without ambition to be anything cleverer.
RL opened in 1999 as Ralph Lauren's first restaurant, built into the brand's flagship store at 115 E Chicago Avenue on the Magnificent Mile. Executive chef Ryan Pitts has run the kitchen for the better part of a decade. The room is the point: wood panelling, brass, leather banquettes, and a wine list deep on Bordeaux. None of which makes it hard to book. The difficulty here is not scarcity. It is timing.
How to Book RL Restaurant
RL takes reservations through OpenTable and by phone at (312) 475-1100. There is no thirty-day drop and no algorithmic scramble. Pick a date, pick a time, book it. For most weeknights you can do this a few days out and still land a good table across the restaurant's multiple dining rooms.
The exceptions are predictable. December, when Michigan Avenue fills with shoppers, is the tight month. Saturday dinners during that stretch, plus graduation and Mother's Day weekends, are the ones that vanish a week or two ahead. If OpenTable shows nothing, call the restaurant directly: the dining rooms hold tables the platform does not always surface, and a phone request for a party of six or more is the route to the larger rooms.
What You Eat
Order the Ralph Burger. After that the menu rewards restraint over adventure: steak frites, a properly built Caesar, prime steaks, and fish in classic preparations. The kitchen runs $80 to $130 per person for food before wine, which is the bracket where a second visit is genuinely plausible. This is American-continental cooking with the volume turned down, and it is better for it.
The Smart Play
Book a weeknight and you will have no trouble at all. Book the bar if you are two people and flexible. Save the phone call for December and for groups. RL is the rare luxury-adjacent room where the table is easy and the only real decision is whether the occasion fits. For a first date or a parents-in-town dinner it fits perfectly; for a destination meal it does not pretend to compete with the city's serious kitchens.
If RL is booked, the obvious Chicago alternatives in the same polished register are Gibsons Steakhouse in the Gold Coast and Bavette's in River North — both harder tables, both worth the Chicago reservation fight.
Not for anyone chasing a tasting menu or a name-chef destination. RL is a brand dining room with deliberately classic cooking, not a kitchen competing for Chicago's hardest table.
View RL Restaurant on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: RL Restaurant, ranked #92 in Chicago.
- The wider city: Chicago dining guide and the hardest restaurant reservations in Chicago.
- Strategy: how to get impossible restaurant reservations.
- Platforms: OpenTable vs Resy for restaurant booking.
- By tier: how far ahead to book each Michelin tier.
- When it is sold out: inside the grey market for restaurant reservations.
- Nearby tables: Gibsons Steakhouse and Bavette's.
- More how-to-book guides: how to book Bavel in Los Angeles and how to book L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book RL Restaurant?
Not hard by Chicago standards. RL Restaurant takes reservations on OpenTable and by phone with no release window, so most weeknights are gettable a few days out. The tight stretch is December, when Magnificent Mile shopping traffic peaks, plus Saturday prime times during graduation and Mother's Day weekends. If the platform is empty, call (312) 475-1100 directly.
How far in advance should I book RL Restaurant?
For a weeknight, two or three days is usually enough, and the multiple dining rooms mean walk-up bar seats are realistic for two people. For a Saturday in December or a large group, book one to two weeks ahead and phone the restaurant rather than relying on OpenTable, which does not always surface the larger rooms or last-minute holds the floor keeps back.
What is the dress code at RL Restaurant?
Smart casual to dressy. RL sits inside the Ralph Lauren flagship and the room sets the tone, so collared shirts, blazers and tailored dresses look right at home, but there is no jacket requirement. Avoid athleisure and beachwear. Lunch runs a touch more relaxed than dinner. When in doubt, dress as if you were shopping the store upstairs.
How much does RL Restaurant cost?
Plan on $80 to $130 per person for food before drinks. The Ralph Burger and salads sit at the lower end, prime steaks and seafood at the top, and the Bordeaux-heavy wine list pushes the total higher fast. It is an a la carte room, not a fixed tasting menu, so a lighter two-course dinner is entirely possible if you skip the steak.
What should I order at RL Restaurant?
Start with the Ralph Burger — it is the signature and it earns it. From there, the steak frites, the Caesar and a simply grilled fish are the strongest plays; this is a kitchen that does classics well and gimmicks not at all. The wine list leans Bordeaux, so a claret with the burger or a steak is the house move.