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Steakhouses in Chicago

Chicago's steakhouse tradition grew out of the Union Stock Yards, which handled more than a billion animals between 1865 and 1971, and the city's dining rooms still lean on USDA Prime, grain-finished beef from the Midwest.

Chicago
Photo: Austin Hervias / Unsplash

The Union Stock Yards opened on the South Side on Christmas Day 1865 and closed in 1971 after handling more than one billion animals; packers such as Swift and Armour made Chicago the centre of the American meat trade. Purveyors born in that market still supply restaurants: Allen Brothers has operated from the same location since 1893 and sold to steakhouses across the country, and Meats by Linz supplies several local dining rooms.

The classic Chicago steakhouse is the American chophouse: broiled USDA Prime steaks, wet- or dry-aged, with sides served family style. The older addresses cluster in River North and on and around Rush Street in the Gold Coast, from Gene & Georgetti (1941) to Gibsons (1989); Morton's opened its first restaurant on State Street in 1978. Since the 2010s a newer group has opened in Fulton Market and the West Loop, often cooking over wood or charcoal, alongside Basque, Tuscan and British-style grills. Argentine parrillas are found further north, in Lakeview and Logan Square.

Most menus are built on corn- or grain-finished Angus graded USDA Prime, increasingly with in-house dry aging, plus Japanese and Australian Wagyu at the top of the price range. In the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2025, Asador Bastian ranked No. 13 worldwide and No. 1 in North America.

Also in the city: Morton's The Steakhouse (Wacker Place), Fogo de Chão, Smith & Wollensky, Mastro's, Fleming's, The Palm, STK, Steak 48, Michael Jordan's Steak House and Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse.

Listed by name, never by payment or score. Facts last verified: 20 Oct 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Chicago-style steakhouse?

A chophouse serving broiled USDA Prime steaks, usually wet- or dry-aged, with large à la carte sides; the older ones are concentrated in River North and the Gold Coast.

Where does the beef in Chicago steakhouses come from?

Mostly from US cattle finished on grain in the Midwest and graded USDA Prime, supplied by purveyors such as Allen Brothers, Meats by Linz and Creekstone Farms; many menus add Japanese or Australian Wagyu.

Which is the oldest steakhouse in Chicago?

Gene & Georgetti, opened in 1941 at Franklin Street in River North, is usually described as the city's oldest steakhouse.

What were the Union Stock Yards?

Chicago's livestock market from 1865 to 1971 on the South Side; it handled more than a billion animals and made the city the centre of the US meatpacking industry.

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