Restaurant in Chicago, United States
Heritage Chop House Format
Chicago Chop House is a straightforward book for anyone after a classic steakhouse experience in River North. The Victorian brownstone setting and meat-forward menu make it a reliable choice for first-timers or groups — and with low booking difficulty, it is far easier to secure than most of Chicago's destination dining options. Dinner is the fuller experience; lunch offers better value.
If you are weighing Chicago Chop House against Gibsons or Gene & Georgetti for a classic steakhouse night in River North, Chicago Chop House deserves serious consideration — particularly if you want a room that feels rooted in Chicago history rather than polished to a corporate sheen. For a first-timer, the address on West Ontario puts you squarely in one of the city's most accessible dining corridors, walkable from most River North hotels and easy to reach from the Loop. The booking difficulty here is low, which already separates it from the harder-to-secure tables at Smyth or Alinea.
Chicago Chop House occupies a Victorian brownstone that signals its intent before you walk through the door: this is a meat-forward, old-school steakhouse with walls covered in photographs of Chicago political figures and local celebrities. The atmosphere is deliberate and consistent. If you are arriving expecting the minimalist plating of Kasama or the theatrical progression of Next Restaurant, recalibrate. This is a room built around prime cuts, sides big enough to share, and a wine list oriented toward big Cabernets. The sensory signature here, as at most serious steakhouses, is the kitchen: the char and fat from the broiler carries through the dining room in a way that is part of the experience rather than incidental to it.
For a first-timer, dinner is the more complete version of the Chicago Chop House experience — the room fills, the energy is higher, and the full menu is in play. Lunch, however, is worth flagging as a practical alternative if you are on a budget or working around a conference schedule in River North. Steakhouse lunch menus in this category typically offer a tighter selection at lower price points, which can make the experience more accessible without sacrificing the core proposition , quality beef in a room with some character. If your priority is value per dollar, lunch is the smarter entry point. If your priority is the full dining occasion , celebratory dinner, client entertainment, or a night out , book the evening.
Chicago Chop House sits in a different tier from the city's tasting-menu destination restaurants. It is not competing with Oriole for the same diner. Its competition is the city's other traditional steakhouses. Against that set, it offers a more characterful room than many chain-adjacent options, without the premium pricing of the top-end independents. If you are visiting Chicago and want to experience the steakhouse tradition the city is known for, it is a reasonable and accessible choice. For broader Chicago dining context, see our full Chicago restaurants guide, and if you are planning around a hotel stay, our full Chicago hotels guide covers the neighbourhood options nearby.
The restaurant sits at 60 W Ontario St in River North. Booking is direct , no weeks-in-advance scramble required. Dress expectations at a room like this trend toward smart casual to business casual; jeans are typically fine, but the setting discourages overly casual attire. Groups are well accommodated given the traditional steakhouse layout. For travellers comparing Chicago to other major steakhouse cities, the format here is closer to the American chophouse tradition you would find at a venue like Emeril's in New Orleans than the fine-dining precision of Le Bernardin in New York City.
Quick reference: 60 W Ontario St, River North, Chicago , easy to book, smart casual dress, leading for dinner but lunch offers value.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Chop House | — | |
| Smyth | $$$$ | — |
| Alinea | $$$$ | — |
| Kasama | $$$$ | — |
| Next Restaurant | $$$$ | — |
| Moody Tongue | $$$$ | — |
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