This is a review of Bavette’s Steakhouse in Chicago. If you are looking for Bavette’s in Las Vegas, you can check out that review here!

It had been a while since we checked out Bavette’s in Chicago, probably before COVID, but I was really looking for a nice date night after weeks on end of constant school stuff: games, races, concerts, practices, you name it! Bavette’s is a tough reservation to get in Chicago – they only open up 21 days out at 9am, and the best times are gobbled up extremely quickly. I managed to get a reservation at 4:30pm on a Monday in early October 2024, but we are fine eating early. By 5pm, the restaurant was absolutely packed and bursting at the seams with people!

Bavette’s has several dining areas, and this time we at upstairs in a lush, large booth between the door and the bar. The ambiance is cozy and traditional, and there are a lot of cool design elements around the restaurant if you look closely. The exposed brick walls are inviting, and the lighter wood tables brighten up the otherwise dark space. Musically, there’s a slick, jazzy bass-line undercurrent to the place, amplifying the cool vibe.

Service here is superb, and the food was paced out perfectly. We never felt rushed, and were allowed to enjoy our meal at a leisurely pace, in spite of the fact that there were a lot of people at the bar waiting for their reserved tables. This is definitely a place where you want to take your time, so I would suggest an earlier reservation, since I bet they do get a bit backed up later into the night.

The food at Bavette’s is top-notch, and there’s a reason why the menu at it’s sister restaurant in Las Vegas is virtually identical. The recipes are tried and true, and they know not to mess with what works! We started with the sourdough bread (no longer complimentary), which is very crusty and very sour, which I love. If there are only two of you, you can get the half portion, it will be plenty. We got the full portion, and it was pretty much an entire loaf of bread.

Next, we ordered the baked goat cheese, which is one of my favorites here. You get even MORE bread in the form of really spongey and soft Texas Toast, and the most herbaceous, gooey goat cheese with marinara you can find anywhere.

The steaks here are all perfect, and you can’t go wrong with any choice. We opted for the 20 ounce dry aged ribeye to split, and it was cooked perfectly medium rare, with a nice, crispy outside and warm, red, flavorful middle. We added warm king crab oscar to the top, which I thought was a bit too lemony, but I am not a huge fan of too much lemon on anything, so that’s just my preference. The steaks all come with steak salt and seasoning as well as bearnaise sauce which is actually totally unnecessary, since the beef is so delicious and tender.

For sides, we chose the truffle mac and cheese, which is perfectly cheesy, subtly truffly, and baked with a nice cheese crust on the top. The button mushrooms with sherry sauce and crunchy onions, though, was the side that really sang here. To me, mushrooms and steak are a perfect pairing, even if it is overwhelmingly savory to have both, but these mushrooms were so incredible, I’m still thinking about them a few weeks later. In fact, I really need to get that sauce recipe, because it was so nice and creamy, and when you top it off with crispy onions, it’s an amazing combination.

The nice thing about Bavette’s is that they have a ton of side options (there are twelve!!), so there’s something for everyone, and something new to try each time you go back. In fact, the menu itself is actually quite diverse, and I’m always tempted to try something that isn’t a steak, like the 10 ounce (!!!) wagyu cheeseburger, or the lobster frites, or the double cut Berkshire Pork Chop. Their seafood display is actually so enticing, that I’m definitely going to have to go back and try the lobster frites!

Finally, even though we were completely stuffed to the brim, no trip to Bavette’s is complete without dessert, and the best dessert here is the enormous slice of carrot cake that they offer. It is three layers of super moist cake, bursting with flavors of nuts, raisins and carrots. The frosting is chock full of cinnamon and sugar goodness, and there’s plenty of it too, which is really nice. It’s topped with roasted coconut flakes, which give it a textured and sweet crunch. Carrot cake is something that I’ve never been able to master at home, so it’s a real treat to have a really excellent slice at a restaurant.

With so many steakhouses in Chicago, it’s harder and harder to set yourself apart these days, but Bavette’s remains one of my absolute favorites. It’s consistent, the food is excellent, and you will always have a great time here. This is one of my Top Five favorite steakhouses in Chicago (article coming soon!), and if you have the opportunity to snag a coveted reservation, don’t hesitate!