RL Restaurant Menu — What to Order
Published
Verdict: The Ralph Burger and steak frites carry RL Restaurant's American-continental menu; book it for an unhurried Magnificent Mile first date.
Not for: Not for a serious food pilgrimage. RL is a brand experience first, so come for the wood-panelled room and the burger, not plate-level fireworks.
The RL Restaurant menu is polished American-continental cooking with restraint: the Ralph Burger that built its own reputation, steak frites, a proper Caesar, careful seafood and a wine list unsurprisingly deep on Bordeaux. Expect $80 to $130 a head, and reserve the wood-panelled dining room next to the Ralph Lauren flagship.
What RL Restaurant Actually Is
RL Restaurant sits inside the Ralph Lauren store at 115 E Chicago Avenue, on the Magnificent Mile, and it is the brand's flagship dining room rather than a shop cafe. Wood panelling, brass, leather banquettes and a club atmosphere are the point. Chicago magazine placed it on its 50 Best Restaurants list, and our full RL Restaurant review scores it as a first-date and close-a-deal room in Chicago's dining scene. For the reservation mechanics, our RL Restaurant booking guide has the detail.
What to Order at RL Restaurant
The Ralph Burger is the order that has built its own following — a double-cheese burger the kitchen treats seriously, and the single dish most regulars name first. From there the menu's tells are clear:
Steak frites and prime steaks anchor the mains, with a classic Caesar salad prepared properly and seafood in unfussy preparations for the lighter table. The wine list runs deep on Bordeaux, which is where the room wants you to spend. Dishes sit in the $$$$ band, roughly $80 to $130 per person before wine, so a burger-and-a-glass lunch is a very different bill from a steak-and-Bordeaux dinner.
When to Go and How to Book
RL serves lunch and dinner daily, Monday to Friday from late morning through 11:00pm, with multiple dining rooms that make it strong for groups. Reserve through OpenTable or call the restaurant a few days ahead; weekend Michigan Avenue traffic makes an early booking sensible. The first-date play is a mid-week table when the room is calm.
The Smart Play
Order the Ralph Burger to share, add a steak frites and a Caesar, and let one bottle of Bordeaux do the work. Budget $80 to $130 a head with wine. It reads as a close-a-deal and first-date room above all. If RL is booked, Bavette's Bar & Boeuf and Gibsons Steakhouse hold the Chicago power-steak end, and The Allis at Soho House covers the all-day cafe format. For the wider field, see our best steakhouses worldwide.
View RL Restaurant on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: RL Restaurant Chicago review.
- How to get the table: RL Restaurant reservation guide.
- The wider city: Chicago dining guide.
- The power-steak alternative: Gibsons Steakhouse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best thing to order at RL Restaurant?
The Ralph Burger is the order regulars name first — a double-cheese burger the kitchen takes seriously. Pair it with steak frites and a classic Caesar, and lean on the Bordeaux-heavy wine list. Prime steaks and simple seafood round out an American-continental menu built for an easy, unhurried meal on the Magnificent Mile.
How much does dinner at RL Restaurant cost?
Expect roughly $80 to $130 per person before wine. It sits in the $$$$ band, though the range is wide: a Ralph Burger and a glass at lunch is a modest bill, while a steak-and-Bordeaux dinner climbs quickly. Reserve through our RL Restaurant booking guide for the current mechanics.
Where is RL Restaurant in Chicago?
RL Restaurant is at 115 E Chicago Avenue, inside the Ralph Lauren flagship on the Magnificent Mile in the Gold Coast. It is the brand's own wood-panelled dining room, not a store cafe, a short walk from the Michigan Avenue shopping stretch and the rest of Chicago's dining scene.
What is RL Restaurant known for?
RL is known for the Ralph Lauren aesthetic made edible: a club-like, leather-and-brass room and a restrained American-continental menu led by the Ralph Burger. It landed on Chicago magazine's 50 Best list and reads best as a first-date or deal-closing table rather than a chef-driven tasting destination.