Best Chicago Steakhouses for Holiday Cheer Between Thanksgiving and NYE
You may have had your Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, Hanukah latkes and Kwanzaa jerk chicken, all good chow…but where’s the beef? If during the holiday season you develop a hankering for steak, here are some Chicago restaurants where you can keep the holiday cheer going between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve – with a big, juicy steak.
Chicago Chophouse. For over three decades in a century-old Victorian townhouse, Chicago Chophouse has developed a traditional vibe that seems so right for the holiday season. The room is wood-lined, hung with photos of old Chicago, and the seating (especially the banquettes!) are super comfortable and cozy. The menu is pleasantly predictable – crab cakes, wedge salad, USDA prime steaks – just the way you want it during this tradition-heavy time of year. In the evening, there’s a piano player, who does take requests and will help make the spirit of the season come alive.
Chicago Cut Steakhouse. Overlooking the Chicago River and an up-close chunk of the skyline, supported by service that can match the best the city has to offer, Chicago Cut Steakhouse is where you want to go for some of the finest beef served by true professionals. Don’t let the post-modern iPad-based wine list fool you: this is a modernistic restaurant space that upholds the finest, time-honored traditions of the classic Chicago steakhouse. Whether you’re city dwellers or out-of-towners spending an evening during the brief “intermission” between major holidays, Chicago Cut Steakhouse is a slice of the Chicago holiday spirit you won’t forget.
STK. Do you want to go clubbing or out for dinner? At STK, you can do both, because after dark, the swirling designs and cavernous spaces of this swank restaurant achieve a nightclub vibe as DJs spin tunes to eat by. Of course, if you’d prefer to just eat your steak and seafood in peace, you can do that, too, with spectacular menu options like a dry-aged Delmonico or a grilled lobster Rockefeller. Is that a regiment of super models eating dinner at the table next to yours? Yes. It might be. Happy holidays.
About Last Knife. A newcomer to the Chicago food scene, About Last Knife (a name that plays on the Chicago-based David Mamet dramedy, About Last Night) is perhaps the most fun steakhouse you will ever visit. And there’s a lot here that isn’t meat-based, including a massive selection of salads, as well as items labeled “No Meat (Mostly),” which includes Pickled Fried Giardiniera and Charred Beef Tartare. Fun, right? Of course, there’s a good selection of steaks – rib eyes, T-bones and tenderloins – as well as Beef Wellington by the slice. Also, fun.
Swift & Sons. The renowned Boka Group’s take on a classic Chicago steakhouse, Swift & Sons is down the street from Google HQ on Fulton Market, one of the most explosive and dynamic dining locations in the city of Chicago. The steak here is meant to be shared, pre-cut so that it can be passed around the table, which feels like the right way to enjoy a holiday (or between-the-holidays) meal. Fish offerings are fantastic. This is a beautifully designed space, both traditional and modernistic, and the food has been top-rated by the Chicago Tribune’s Phil Vettel.
Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar. Formerly Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf, Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar is French-inspired but not stuffy, a casual introduction to some of the tastiest morsels (beef and otherwise). You’ll find the classics (filets, NY strips and rib eyes) as well as some delicious surprises (roasted marrow bone, short rib Stroganoff, and prime rib French dip). As at other Hogsalt restaurants, the cocktail list is stellar. Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar is a sure-fire place to go for relief and relaxation between holiday family dinners…and if you’re getting a little tired of meat, there are many outstanding seafood options.