Think of Chicago, and you probably think of great steaks. It’s an almost automatic food association, based on Chicago’s status as a major midwest manufacturing center in which beef became a showcase product.
But the downtown section of Windy City isn’t the only place to find a great steakhouse. There are plenty of possibilities when it comes to the best steaks in Chicago suburbs, and many feature both the ultimate version of a time-honored tradition as well as unique spins on this timeless cut of beef.
What follows is a rundown on the best of the best—where they’re located, what they offer, and why you should choose them. Regardless of your taste in steaks and steakhouses, you’ll definitely find something to love, not to mention the possibility of new steak variations to tickle your taste buds.
10. Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse
Normally steakhouses that carry the name of sports celebs are a dime a dozen, but Chicago has a couple of special ones, and the late Harry Caray was definitely, um, special. He helped turn Wrigley Field into an open-air bar when the Cubs were awful and he was the main attraction, but there’s nothing awful about the steaks at the restaurant that bears his name.
The locations are in Rosemont and Lombard, and while the steaks are the prime attraction, don’t forget about the wondrous 16-oz prime rib, the veal chop Sicilian style. The Kansas City Strip is the steak star, and the reviews are full of comments about the great service.
9. Ditka’s
This is the other celebrity steak house we chose to feature, and for good reason. Mike Ditka was the essence of toughness as a tight end for the old Monsters of the Midway and the coach of “Da Bears,” but there’s nothing tough about the steaks in either Oakbrook Terrace or Oak Brook.
The Angus beef bone-in rib eye is aged for 52 days, and Ditka’s reputation for great pork chops is well-earned—which is on the menu as Da Pork Chop, of course—complete with cherry jus and mashed potatoes.
8. Steak +Vine
If you’re in LaGrange you doubtless know about this steak house, and if you don’t it’s more than worth the ride. The 12-ounce Painted Hills New York Strip is the star of the menu, and once again chops once again make a wonderful cameo in the form of the 16-ounce Berkshire pork chop. Make sure you get it with the cognac peppercorn sauce.
7. Final Cut Steakhouse
In Joliet to do a little gambling? This steakhouse is located in the Hollywood Casino, and there isn’t a single dish on the menu that constitutes anything even remotely resembling a gamble. Final Cut is a winner of the OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice Award, and you can’t go wrong with choices like 24-ounce prime porterhouse, New York strip, and many other popular beef favorites.
6. John and Tony’s
Located in Carol Stream, this is another classic Italian steakhouse that does itself proud, and the claim to fame here is that everything is made from scratch. The steak cuts may be familiar, but there are other great contrast choices like shrimp and broccoli served with angel hair pasta and pork chops that are seared in garlic butter with a memorable side dish of bourbon applesauce. They have transitioned to mostly breakfast but you can still find some of the best cuts on their menu.
5. Morton’s
Morton’s is a legendary name in the world of steakhouses for good reason, you can find them in Naperville, Rosemont, Northbrook, and Schaumburg. Morton’s cut is one of the best places in the western suburbs. The specials include the Signature Cut New York Strip and the Chicago-Style Prime Bone-in Ribeye, so you can choose your steak geographically if you’d like.
4. Fogo De Chao
We return to Rosemont for a steakhouse twist that’s a little different. Okay, maybe a lot different. The specialty is grilled meat that’s perfectly prepared, and Fogo’s goes beyond beef by offering a choice of lamb and several other meats. The Brazilian side dishes make for a great contrast, including fiejoada and cheese bread. The piece de resistance is the superb salad bar, and the icing on the cake is a great collection of steak-friendly wines.
There’s another Fogo in Oakbrook and Naperville, which is served by gauchos who roam the room offering skewers of grilled beef, lamb, pork, and chicken, along with Argentinian sausages if you’re in the mood for something more exotic. This one has its own wine cellar, with meat-friendly wines available by the glass or the bottle.
3. St Charle’s Place
This quiet area west of Chicago may not seem like a match for a thriving and unusual steak house, but St. Charles Place stands out in a variety of unusual ways, including Angus rib-eye for two, which is elected and hand-butchered in house, then marinated and fire-broiled with mushrooms.
As if that wasn’t enough, the dining room at St Charles Place in and of itself, featuring a collection of eccentric fine art with a tree holding down the fort in the center of the room.
2. Eddie Merlot’s
Located in Burr Ridge, Lincolnshire, and Warrenville, Eddie’s has been listed in Open Table’s top 100 steak houses in the country, and one of the fabulous choices is Prime Bourbon Ribeye, which features brown sugar along with everyone’s favorite spirit—unless you’re a merlot fan, in which case you’re definitely in the right place.
1. Gibson’s
Located in Oakbrook, the Gibson name is legendary in the world of steakhouses, and those in Oakbrook and Rosemont are also well known for their superb service. Gibson’s has a reputation for sourcing the best steaks on the market, and they’re prepared by chefs who have cooked thousands of steaks, so you’re in great hands here.
Conclusion
Now that you have a comprehensive list of great steak houses, remember that you can pair them up with plenty of other pleasures. The Hollywood Casino in Joliet is one obvious possibility, but there are plenty of others, so check out our blog to find some great possibilities.
[I chose excellence as well as geography in putting these together, and the only one I repeated from the other blog is Gibson’s because it was an obvious choice. I hit the main keyword upfront, other than that the directions were solid so I just followed them. Please let me know if you need anything else.]
