Went to Gibson's: 5 stars (food and Service)

WOW, what a steak. I had the WR steak (18oz). This is the first time someone has brought out a plate of raw meat to show you what you can order. Service was fast and pleasant. Desserts look incredible. We shared the Turtle pie between 3 people. I would highly recommend this place if you go to Chicago. Make sure you get reservations. We were lucky as we didn't have one but a table had just left.

I have to really disagree with 2 of the recommendations here. A co-worker and I went to Gibsons last month. We are seated outside, and both ordered our steaks medium rare. With both steaks...they were extremely well done. So we sent them back, and my second steak was a lot more medium than rare (only a tiny bit of pink showing in the middle), while my companion had a medium to medium well steak. We both didn't want to wait any longer, so we ate the steaks....but were both disappointed. Last week, another co-worker was in Chicago and ate at Gibsons. He told me that he thought the steak was not too impressive. I then told him about my adventure.
Finally, I ate at Magnums (the suburban location) 2 weeks ago. I had the NY strip....and honestly could not see what the fuss was all about. I have had much better steaks at the Chicago Chop House...(not to mention Del Frisco's in Dallas which for my money is the best steakhouse in the country).

You can't go wrong at Joe's Steak & Crab. I could go for some of those stone crab claws right now!

Next time in Chicago I do plan on trying Chicago Chop House. It too was highly recommended by others.

I wouldn't recommend against the Chicago Chop House, particularly if you've got multiple opportunities to get to Chicago. I've heard it can be inconsistent, though, and it's not usually thought of within the top tier of Chicago steakhouses. FWIW; just trying to help calibrate your expectations.

You really can't go wrong in Chicago, there are more (good) steak houses per capita then just about anywhere :) . Arguing about whose beef is better is very subjective, and any resturant can be off on a certain night.

All in all though if I had to pick one for a great steak and overall experience it would definitely by Gibsons (downtown). The food is great, and I have never had a bad steak there. Definitely go for the lobster cocktail for an app. The whole buzz and scene is hands down the best. Go early for a drink in the bar where the people watching is secnd to none.

I visit Chicago often, however my many friends whi live there would advise you the same.

It's funny....I've lived here about 5 years or so, and have had great experiences at Gibson's, but hate the wait there (seated at 830 for a 7pm reservation, etc). While it seems strange to recommend a non-Chicago based place, the Capitol Grille has been excellent every time I've gone there.

Burgers, steak, seafood, whatever - it's all very good. But quite frankly, as another poster opined, all the places mentioned here are going to be above average. :)

Chains vs Legends
 

Even if one prefers the established Peter Lugar style indies, some of the chains ARE pretty good...and didn't Arnie Morton's ORIGINATE in Chicago?

But sounds like Chicago lacks a LEGENDARY steakhouse from the responses...which is really hard to believe...!

While you can get Morton's anywhere, the ORIGINAL Morton's is indeed in Chicago, located on Rush, across from Tavern on Rush and by Rosebud (also excellent steak). We locals call it "Mortons" and not "Morton's of Chicago" for a reason. I've been to the original location and it is truly AMAZING. The filet is the 2nd best I've ever had (2nd to Buenos Aires....Estilo del Campo).

I'll be checking out Gibson's in October - look forward to reporting.

I actually like Wildfire - I know that they have a few locations but I always go to the location on W Erie and am never disappointed.

I respect your opinion, but I've found them to be inconsistent over the years, and they're definitely a step below the more serious steakhouses mentioned above.

Two that have not been mentioned
 

I am surprised no one has mentioned Nine. That is my favorte steak place in the city. My runner up is something low key and popular with the locals, The Saloon Steakhouse.

Of course neither of these compare to a three inch filet from the Paulina Meat Market , seasoned with my secret blend of spices, and cooked across the coals of my trusty webber kettle grill, which I keep to this day for only that reason. As always, Your Steaks May Vary. ;)

I've eaten at Chicago Chop House a few times and had uniformly great food and great experiences.

One additional thing to reccomend about CCH is that the wine list is far deeper and more interesting than the standard (and cliched) steakhouse collection of California Cab/California Chard. One of the best steakhouse wine lists that I've come across anywhere in the country.

Nine was discussed in this thread, fyi: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ighlight=steak