Chicago has a rich, meaty history when it comes to steakhouses—one that dates back to the Union Stockyards and the city’s influential meatpacking industry, which helped shape the local culinary landscape.
From Gene & Georgetti, Chicago’s oldest and arguably most iconic steakhouse, founded in 1941, to Morton’s The Steakhouse, which opened in 1978 before expanding to 65 locations nationwide, and Chicago Chop House, serving locals since 1986 in a historic Victorian brownstone, the Windy City’s love of meat and potatoes runs deep.
It's no surprise, then, that Chicago would earn three coveted spots on the recently released 2025 World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list. Managed and published by London’s Upper Cut Media House, the ranking is the work of "steak ambassadors" that take into account 28 specific criteria—from taste and quality of meat to restaurant ambiance, service, wines on offer and more.
In Chicago, Asador Bastian, an intimate Basque-inspired restaurant located in a historic townhouse built in 1883, landed at number 13. The eatery's secret to success involves the meat masters’ ability to grill timeworn dairy cows over live embers to create distinct flavors that you can't easily find anywhere else. With rich Spanish reds to whet your whistle, you can be sure that you’ll leave satiated and happy.
Located in the Fulton Market District, Swift & Sons, which is ranked at number 71, is a lively locale for celebration, especially if patronizing one of the private dining rooms, where you can be regaled by a tableside magic show, dessert trolley or bar cart. Popular with diners, the high-quality USDA Prime, dry-aged cuts—the New York strip and porterhouse specifically—are unfussy and grilled with skill.
Coming in at number 77, Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf stands out among the many steakhouses in Chicago’s River North. Under the direction of Brad Skougard, diners can enjoy fine dining with a seductive French flair, complemented by expertly curated wine pairings.
The 101 best steakhouses in the world:
1. Don Julio Parrilla in Buenos Aires
2. Margaret in Sydney
3. Laia Erretegia in Hondarribia
4. I Due Cippi in Saturnia
5. Burnt Ends in Singapore
6. Bodega El Capricho in Jiménez De Jamuz
7. Casa Julian De Tolosa in Tolosa
8. Lana in Madrid
9. Ag in Stockholm
10. Cote in New York
11. Ibai in London
12. Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney
13. Asador Bastian in Chicago
14. The International in Sydney
15. Born & Bred in Seoul
16. Firedoor in Sydney
17. La Tête D’or in New York
18. Victor Churchill in Melbourne
19. Carcasse in Koksijde
20. Porteño in Sydney
21. Capa in Copenhagen
22. Gillis in Gent
23. Hawksmoor in London
24. Brat in London
25. La Braseria in Osio Sotto
26. Elisa in Vancouver
27. Nikuya Tanaka in Tokyo
28. Los 33 in Madrid
29. Regina Bistecca in Florence
30. Tributo in Quito
31. Amaren in Bilbao
32. The Gidley in Sydney
33. Beefbar in Monaco
34. Anahi in Paris
35. Fogón in Buenos Aires
36. Aalia in Sydney
37. Steer Dining Room in Melbourne
38. 11woodfire in Dubai
39. Lutyens Grill in London
40. Miyoshi in Kyoto
41. Aragawa in London
42. Clover Grill in Paris
43. Gwen in Los Angeles
44. 4 Charles Prime Rib in New York
45. Gimlet in Melbourne
46. Kitan-in in Osaka
47. Knife in Dallas
48. Asador Nicolás in Tolosa
49. Niku Steakhouse in San Francisco
50. Fireside in Hong Kong
51. Shell House in Sydney
52. Jeffrey’s in Austin
53. Bistecca in Singapore
54. Koki in Hanoi
55. Blok in South Wales
56. Elena in Buenos Aires
57. Matilda 159 Domain in Melbourne
58. Keens in New York
59. Cut By Wolfgang Puck in Singapore
60. The Bazaar in New York
61. Char Fuego Y Brasas in Tenerife
62. The Cut Bar & Grill in Sydney
63. Minetta Tavern in New York
64. Grill Royal in Berlin
65. Beef & Glory in Vienna
66. Shatōburian in Singapore
67. Holsteins in Mexico
68. Firewood in George Town
69. Prime + Proper in Detroit
70. The Devonshire in London
71. Swift & Sons in Chicago
72. The Grand Bar & Grill in Helsinki
73. Gallaghers in New York
74. Maven in Antwerp
75. American Cut in New York
76. Jacobs & Co Steakhouse in Toronto
77. Bavette´s Steak House in Chicago
78. Izzy’s in San Francisco
79. Beef in Kyiv
80. The Steak House in Hong Kong
81. Sala De Corte in Lisbon
82. Williams Butchers Table in Zurich
83. Niku Kappō Jō in Tokyo
84. Nuri Steakhouse in Dallas
85. Porter & Rye in Glasgow
86. Okadamae in Tokyo
87. Vuur in Stellenbosch
88. Gage & Tollner in New York
89. Guinea Grill in London
90. Meatguy Steakhouse in Jakarta
91. Meatmaiden in Melbourne
92. Grill Americano in Melbourne
93. 20 Chapel in Sydney
94. Fife Lane in Mount Maunganui
95. Herma in Buenos Aires
96. Fukutatei The Ukai in Osaka
97. The Blockman in Johannesburg
98. Sugita in Tokyo
99. Bistecca in Sydney
100. Wagyu Mafia The Butcher’s Kitchen in Tokyo
101. Brutus Tavern in Athens