RFK Cuisine · Steakhouse · Chicago
Best Steakhouses in Chicago 2026
Steakhouse · Chicago · 7 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
No American city argues about its steakhouses the way Chicago does, and with good reason: this is the meatpacking town that fed the country, and the chop house here is less a restaurant type than a civic ritual. The fight at the top is real — Bavette's, a dim River North room with French nerve, now ranks among the best steak restaurants in North America and is one of the hardest weeknight tables in the city, while Gibsons has held the Gold Coast since 1989 on charm and a perfect W.R. ribeye. Between them sit a two-Michelin-star chef working a wood hearth, a Boka Group modernist, a riverfront cathedral of dry-age, and the 1941 original that started it all. These are the seven Chicago steakhouses worth booking now, ranked on the cooking, the room and what the bill buys, with what to order at each.
1.Bavette's Bar & Boeuf
Chicago's most coveted chop house and a top steak room in North America; chase a Bavette's booking for the dry-aged ribeye and the scene.
Bavette's, at 218 W Kinzie Street in River North, is Brendan Sodikoff's dim, brass-and-leather take on the steakhouse — a 1920s supper-club fantasy that swaps the format's stiffness for French ease and has become one of the hardest weeknight reservations in Chicago. It ranks among the best steak restaurants in North America for a reason: the dry-aged bone-in ribeye is impeccable, the seafood tower is serious, and the dark-chocolate cake is a city legend in its own right. The room is loud, low-lit and built for a long, indulgent night. For the steakhouse dinner everyone in Chicago is trying to book, this is it. Set a reminder for the Resy window and take a weeknight if the weekend is gone.
Reserve on Resy the moment the window opens; the dry-aged ribeye, the tower, and the chocolate cake.
2.Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
The iconic Chicago steak institution; book Gibsons on Rush Street for the W.R. ribeye, a giant slab of cake, and old-school service.
Gibsons, at 1028 N Rush Street in the Gold Coast, is the steakhouse outsiders picture when they picture Chicago — a buzzing, unpretentious room that has anchored Rush Street since 1989 and certifies its own Gibsons beef rather than leaning on USDA grades alone. The W.R. ribeye is the order, the sides are enormous, and the cuts of cake are sized like a dare. Service is the warm, career-waiter kind that remembers regulars by name and treats first-timers like them anyway. It is a touch dated, in the best way, and proud of it. For the classic, unhurried Chicago steak night, book it. Reserve on OpenTable a week ahead, or work the lively front bar.
Reserve on OpenTable; the W.R. ribeye, creamed spinach, and a slab of cake to share.
3.Maple & Ash
A two-star chef's wood-hearth spectacle; book Maple & Ash for fire-roasted prime, caviar and the famous off-menu tasting on a big night.
Maple & Ash, at 8 W Maple Street in the Gold Coast, brought a fine-dining pedigree to the steakhouse: chef Danny Grant, who earned two Michelin stars earlier in his career, runs a 12-foot wood-burning hearth that roasts the prime cuts, the seafood and the vegetables alike. The room is plush and party-minded, the seafood towers theatrical, and the famously named off-menu chef's tasting is the move for a table willing to hand over the wheel and the budget. It is the most extravagant steakhouse on this list and the one built for a celebration that wants spectacle with its sear. For a blowout dinner, book it. Reserve on Resy well ahead for a weekend.
Reserve on Resy; the wood-fired scallops, a tomahawk for the table, and the off-menu tasting if you're all in.
4.Swift & Sons
Fulton Market's polished modern chop house; book Swift & Sons for in-house dry-age, a serious raw bar, and the city's smoothest steak service.
Swift & Sons, at 1000 W Fulton Market, is the Boka Restaurant Group's contemporary steakhouse, named for the meatpacking baron whose trade built the neighborhood. It is the most polished room of the group here — soaring ceilings, an in-house dry-aging program, an excellent raw bar, and service tuned to the same standard Boka brings to its Michelin-starred kitchens. The prime cuts are precise rather than showy, the wine list deep, and the room handles a business dinner as smoothly as a date. For a modern steakhouse experience without the old-school theatrics, this is the pick. Reserve on Resy a week ahead, more for a Fulton Market weekend.
Reserve on Resy; a dry-aged strip, the oysters, and a side of the lobster mac.
5.Chicago Cut Steakhouse
The riverfront power room of choice for the finance crowd; book Chicago Cut for in-house dry-aged prime and a patio over the river.
Chicago Cut, at 300 N LaSalle Drive on the river in River North, is the city's glossy modern power steakhouse — two floors of dark wood and glass with a patio right on the water, drawing the finance and real-estate crowd for lunch and dinner alike. The kitchen dry-ages its prime beef in-house and presents the cuts tableside, and the wine list, served from an iPad, runs long enough to make a meal of the choosing. It is corporate in the best sense: reliable, handsome, and built for a deal. For a business dinner with a skyline-and-river view, it is the booking. Reserve on OpenTable a few days ahead and request the river side.
Reserve on OpenTable; the dry-aged bone-in ribeye, the hash browns, and a big Napa cabernet.
6.Gene & Georgetti
Chicago's oldest steakhouse and an Italian-American original; book Gene & Georgetti for the garbage salad, the bone-in steak, and zero pretension.
Gene & Georgetti, at 500 N Franklin Street in River North, has been Chicago's steakhouse since 1941 — the city's oldest, a creaky, wood-paneled Italian-American holdout in the shadow of the Brown Line that has outlasted every trend around it. The steaks are simply broiled and generously sized, but the soul of the place is in the extras: the famous "garbage salad," the chicken vesuvio, the family-run warmth that no newer room can manufacture. It is not fancy and never pretended to be. For a diner who wants the genuine old Chicago steakhouse rather than a stylish revival, this is the one. Reserve by phone or OpenTable and ask for a table upstairs.
Reserve on OpenTable; the bone-in sirloin, the garbage salad, and a side of chicken vesuvio.
7.Benny's Chop House
The smooth, locally owned River North chop house; book Benny's for dry-aged prime, a strong wine list, and weekend jazz without the wait.
Benny's Chop House, at 444 N Wabash Avenue in River North, is the independent, locally owned room in a category crowded with groups and chains — a smooth, white-tablecloth chop house that flies a little under the radar and is the better for it. The kitchen dry-ages its own prime beef, the wine list is genuinely deep, and the weekend brings live jazz in the lounge. Because it lacks the booking frenzy of Bavette's or Maple & Ash, it is often the smartest play when you want a serious steak on short notice. For a refined, unhurried steak dinner you can actually get into, book it. Reserve on OpenTable a few days ahead.
Reserve on OpenTable; the dry-aged bone-in ribeye, the wedge, and a nightcap to the jazz.
How Chicago eats steak
Chicago's steakhouses fall into three loose camps. The modern stars — Bavette's, Maple & Ash, Swift & Sons — reinvent the format with French flair, wood fire and fine-dining service, and they hold the hardest tables in town. The classic institutions — Gibsons, Gene & Georgetti — trade on decades of consistency, certified beef and career waiters who treat the room like a club. And the power rooms — Chicago Cut, Benny's Chop House — exist for the business dinner, all dry-age, deep cellars and river or skyline views. Almost all of them age their prime beef in-house, which is the line that separates a Chicago chop house from a national chain.
Geography keeps it tight. River North is the dense heart of it, holding Bavette's, Chicago Cut, Gene & Georgetti and Benny's within a short walk; the Gold Coast has Gibsons and Maple & Ash on either side of Rush; and Fulton Market — the old meatpacking district itself — is Swift & Sons' turf. Book the modern stars as far ahead as their windows allow, use the bars at the classics as your fallback, and order to share: the steaks here are sized for a table. For everything beyond steak, the Chicago dining guide maps the city by neighborhood and occasion.
Where not to look for it
Skip these for a serious Chicago steak
The convention-hotel chains. The national steakhouse chains clustered around the Loop and the convention corridor are competent and forgettable, built for expense accounts rather than for the city's own standard. For the same money, any room on this list ages better beef and cooks it with more conviction. Book a Chicago original instead.
The tasting-menu rooms, if you want a steak. Chicago's Michelin stars belong to kitchens like Smyth and Alinea, which are extraordinary but are not steakhouses — you cannot walk in and order a dry-aged ribeye. If beef is the point of the night, stay on this list rather than booking a multi-hour tasting that may never put a steak in front of you.
Frequently asked
What is the best steakhouse in Chicago?
Bavette's Bar & Boeuf in River North is the city's most coveted steakhouse, a dim, French-flair room that ranks among the best steak restaurants in North America and is one of Chicago's hardest weeknight reservations. For the classic Chicago institution, Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in the Gold Coast is the iconic choice, open since 1989. Choose Bavette's for the scene and the dry-aged ribeye, Gibsons for the old-school Chicago steak night.
What is the most expensive steakhouse in Chicago?
Maple & Ash and Swift & Sons sit at the top end, where wood-fired prime cuts, caviar and a seafood tower push a dinner well past $175 a head. Maple & Ash's famous off-menu tasting can run higher still. Bavette's and Chicago Cut are not far behind once the wine is added. Gene & Georgetti and Benny's Chop House are the relative value of the group. Drinks, sides and towers are extra everywhere.
Which Chicago steakhouse is hardest to book?
Bavette's is the toughest table, releasing reservations on Resy that vanish within minutes for prime weekend times — set a reminder for the booking window. Maple & Ash is nearly as hard on a Friday or Saturday. Gibsons, Swift & Sons and Chicago Cut fill their best slots a week ahead but keep walk-in bar seating that is often the smart play. Book the originals early and use the bar as your fallback.
Does Chicago have a Michelin-starred steakhouse?
Not as a dedicated steakhouse — Chicago's Michelin stars go to tasting-menu rooms like Smyth and Alinea rather than to chop houses. But Maple & Ash is led by chef Danny Grant, who earned two Michelin stars earlier in his career, so the cooking pedigree is there. The rest of this list earns its place on sourcing, dry-aging and consistency rather than stars. Treat the steakhouse and the tasting-menu worlds as separate.
What should I order at a Chicago steakhouse?
Lead with the dry-aged bone-in ribeye, which most of these kitchens age in-house. At Bavette's, add the seafood tower and the famous chocolate cake; at Maple & Ash, the wood-fired scallops and a tomahawk for the table; at Gibsons, the W.R. ribeye and a slab of their cake. Order a wedge or the chopped salad, a side of creamed spinach or hashbrowns, and a Chicago-sized martini. Steaks here are built to share.
More steakhouses, by city
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Browse the full Chicago dining guide, compare the global picks in the best steakhouses worldwide, read the verdict on Bavette's Bar & Boeuf in River North, plan a night to impress clients on the river, mark a birthday or anniversary in the Gold Coast, or open the full RFK cuisine index.
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