Best Steakhouse in Chicago, 2026

Maple & Ash at #1 is chef Danny Grant's open-fire Gold Coast steakhouse — everything from the porterhouse to the branzino to the lobster is finished over live oak inside the open kitchen. The dining room itself is a glass-and-velvet Instagram engine: chandelier in the centre, raw bar on the left, the fire on the right. Cuts run $68 (six-ounce filet) to $189 (32-oz tomahawk); the "I Don't Give a F*@k" chef's tasting at $135 is the most popular order in the building. Book three to four weeks ahead for prime time.

Bavette's at #2 is Brendan Sodikoff's River North chophouse — a low-lumen goth-fantasia of tufted booths, brass lamps, and dry-aged beef. The 28-day dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($98) is the signature; the steak frites at $52 is the best-value way into the room. The hardest reservation in Chicago for an 8pm Saturday — book exactly thirty days ahead at midnight, or take a 5pm or 10pm slot. Cash bar walk-ins remain the back-door strategy.

Gibsons at #3 has been the Gold Coast's power-table institution since 1989 — chef Hugo Ralli's Rush Street room with the green awning, the cigar smell drifting in from the patio, and a USDA Prime certification that predates most of its competitors. The W.R. Bone-In New York Strip ($72) and the Chicago Cut bone-in ribeye ($78) are the right orders; the strip steak sandwich at the bar ($28) is the lunch play. Reliable for business dinners on three-day notice.

RPM Steak at #4 is the Lettuce Entertain You / Bill & Giuliana Rancic project — a high-design River North room with a circular bar, A5 Wagyu by the ounce ($28/oz), and a wine list that runs 800 deep. The 45-day dry-aged Mishima Reserve ribeye ($110) and the "Steak for Two" 40-oz porterhouse ($175) are the signature orders; the Caviar Service ($85+) sets the tone. Book three weeks ahead; the bar reliably seats walk-ins until 9pm on weeknights.

Chicago Cut at #5 is the riverfront chophouse opened in 2010 by partners David Flom and Matt Moore — the LaSalle Street power lunch's preferred dinner room. The wet-aged 28-day USDA Prime program is the house standard; the bone-in 24-oz cowboy ribeye ($89) and the iPad-driven wine list (run by a sommelier-led program with the city's deepest by-the-glass list) close the deal. River patio in summer. Book two weeks ahead.

Benny's at #6 is the River North chophouse opened by the Stefani family in 2009 — a deliberately old-school room (wood, leather, live piano five nights a week) running USDA Prime dry-aged for 30+ days. The 16-oz New York strip ($68) is the right order; the pre-theatre prix fixe ($79 for four courses) is the best-value way into a steakhouse-tier dinner before Lookingglass or the Cadillac Palace. The most under-priced serious steakhouse in River North. Book one week ahead.

Smith & Wollensky at #7 is the Manhattan import's Chicago flagship — three floors of green-awning chophouse cantilevered over the Chicago River with the Marina City corncobs as a backdrop. The 22-oz USDA Prime bone-in ribeye ($89) and the cracked-pepper dry-aged sirloin ($72) are the right orders; the riverfront patio in summer is one of the city's best dining views. The right reservation for an 8-to-12-top business dinner where you need the room more than the program. Book one to two weeks ahead.

The Capital Grille at #8 is the Loop's quiet workhorse — dark wood, oil paintings, a 350-bottle list, and a 14-day dry-aged in-house program that is technically more serious than its competitors at the same price. The Kona-crusted dry-aged sirloin ($69) is the signature order; the porcini-rubbed Delmonico ($79) is the under-ordered one. The right reservation for an 11am-to-2pm steak lunch with three out-of-town clients you don't want to over-impress. Book three days ahead.