The Melman family's polished River North steakhouse, dry-aged cuts and a deep cellar — book OpenTable a week out to close a deal.
The Reservation Problem at RPM Steak
RPM Steak takes its bookings on OpenTable, and the only thing between you and a Saturday table is how early you set the alarm. The room is large and the format is built for groups, so weeknights and early seatings are gentle. The pressure points are Friday and Saturday prime time, when the River North deal crowd fills the floor.
RPM Steak sits at 66 W Kinzie Street in River North, the Melman family's polished answer to RPM Italian next door. The group — R.J., Jerrod and Molly Melman, the same RPM Restaurants team behind that Italian room they opened with Bill and Giuliana Rancic — opened the steakhouse in 2014. It runs an American steakhouse format at hotel-restaurant polish, and it lands at number thirty-eight in our Chicago dining guide.
How to Book RPM Steak
Book on OpenTable; the window rolls a few weeks ahead. You can also reserve at rpmrestaurants.com or by phone at (312) 284-4990. Dinner runs daily. For a deal dinner or a celebration table, lock a 7:00 to 8:00pm slot a week out and ask for the main dining room rather than the bar. Larger parties go through private dining, which the room handles well.
If you need a Friday or Saturday at peak and OpenTable shows nothing, set an OpenTable notify on the date and check back the afternoon before — River North tables release as plans shift. An early or late seating on the same night is usually open when prime time is gone.
The Smart Play
Treat RPM Steak as a weeknight win. A Tuesday or Wednesday at 7:00pm is bookable days out, the kitchen runs the same program, and the room is calmer for a conversation that has to land. If the night you want is locked, the group's RPM Italian next door and Bavette's a few blocks away are the nearest River North fallbacks for the same deal-dinner register.
What to Order
The cut to judge the kitchen on is the dry-aged ribeye or porterhouse, properly rested and sliced at the table. Order the tomahawk for a celebration table and a seafood tower to start. The wine list rewards a confident Bordeaux or Napa order, which is the point of the cellar. Plan on $100 to $160 per person before wine pushes it north.
Not for a hushed tasting-menu evening or a vegetarian centrepiece. RPM Steak is a big, bright, see-and-be-seen steakhouse built around prime beef and a Saturday-night roar.
View RPM Steak on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: RPM Steak in Chicago.
- The wider city: Chicago dining guide and the hardest restaurant reservations in Chicago.
- Strategy: how to get impossible restaurant reservations.
- Platforms: OpenTable, Resy and Tock compared.
- By tier: how far ahead to book each Michelin tier.
- Occasions: best for closing a deal and best for impressing clients.
- Nearby tables: RPM Italian next door.
- Power steak: Bavette's in River North.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book RPM Steak?
Not very, if you avoid prime weekend slots. RPM Steak books on OpenTable on a window that rolls a few weeks out, and the large dining room keeps weeknights and early seatings open. The squeeze is Friday and Saturday from 7:00 to 8:00pm, when River North fills up. Book a week ahead for those, or shift to a weeknight.
Can I walk in to RPM Steak?
The bar will often seat walk-ins, especially early in the week, even when the dining room is booked. For a confirmed table, reserve on OpenTable; for a spontaneous steak and a glass of Napa, the bar is a reliable option most nights. On a Friday or Saturday at peak, expect a wait without a reservation.
How much does dinner at RPM Steak cost?
Plan on roughly $100 to $160 per person before wine, ordering a dry-aged cut with a couple of sides. A tomahawk or a seafood tower for the table pushes it higher, and the cellar can move the bill quickly if you order seriously. For a River North power steakhouse, it sits squarely at the expected range.
What should I order at RPM Steak?
The dry-aged ribeye or porterhouse is the test of the kitchen, served rested and sliced at the table. Add a seafood tower to start and a tomahawk if it is a celebration. The wine list is built for a confident Bordeaux or Napa order, so lean into the cellar rather than playing it safe by the glass.
Is RPM Steak good for a business dinner?
Yes — it is one of River North's go-to deal-dinner rooms. The dining room is well spaced and acoustically calibrated for conversation, the wine program signals seriousness, and the steakhouse format reads as confident without tipping into pantomime. Private dining handles larger parties, and a weeknight booking keeps the room calm enough to actually talk business.