My husband scored a reservation (they book only 30 days out) for my birthday this August, 2024, to the very hyped, very hot, and very exclusive Asador Bastian, one of Chicago’s most highly-praised restaurants of the last year. We adore Spanish food, and we also love steak, and our recent experience at Bazaar Meat (another incredible Spanish Steakhouse in Chicago) made for some very high expectations. Truly, this was one of the best meals I’ve had this year.

The place is adorable – being housed in, essentially, a classic two-flat in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. The dining room is small, and has a very cozy feeling, like you are hanging out at someone’s house. Seats are plush and comfortable, although a bit crowded. This could be a romantic spot, but it is quite busy and a bit loud, so not super conducive to an intimate evening out. That said, the atmosphere is jovial and fun, and chatting with the table next to you is the norm. Service here was excellent from the start. Our meal was perfectly paced and our server was informative and very helpful.

We had a hard time deciding what to have, since the menu is chock full of our Basque Country favorites like Jamon Iberico and Spanish Omelettes, as well as all sorts of assorted meats and fish. Luckily, they offer the “Chef’s Spontaneous Menu,” which gives you a little bit of everything. That’s exactly what we chose to do!

We were initially served a bunch of pintxos, not the least of which were gorgeous red ribbons of Jamon Iberico – a very generous portion for two people. We also were served the cute and delicious golden caviar churros, and anchovy “matrimonio” which is basically one kind of anchovy next to another type of anchovy on a delicious crispy cracker – yum!

We were also served the “Lobster, Corn, and Fois Gras” which was one of the big surprises of the evening for me. This is what you would get if you essentially put lobster on a Frito (my favorite chip) and the melding of the flavors was seriously the best. I wouldn’t normally choose this dish just reading a menu, but I would highly recommend not skipping this appetizer.

As if that wasn’t enough, we were also served a very large Tortilla Espanola, which was covered in freshly shaved black truffle. This was freshly made, decadent, rich, and served hot, which is my preference. It’s at the very top of the menu for a reason – it’s excellent, and well deserving of your dollars.

Next, as a bit of a palate cleanser after all the very flavorful pintxos, was a fresh, acidic summer market greens salad with vegetables and herbs. It was definitely a nice break, especially before we saw what still was to come in our Chef’s Menu extravaganza!

Our next course was absolutely epic – we had massive prawns that were dramatically served with a seafood risotto with a spiky, spider crab shell on top. Talk about rich, this dish was creamy to the max, and adding the delicious, briny prawns to the already bursting-with-seafood risotto, made it a perfect match. Included with our spontaneous menu was a glass of brightly acidic oloroso sherry, which was a perfect pairing with the shrimp, and really cut through the richness of the risotto. Just as pork and pinot are a perfect pairing, I’ve now discovered that shrimp and sherry is also pretty amazing!

We weren’t even close to done, though! Our Chef selection included two different cuts of steak (out of the five or six on offer) for us to try – too much even for my husband to finish! The steak was served with smoked piquillos which had a really nice flavor, and was a nice accompaniment to the steak.

I’m a sucker for sides, though, and any great steak house has got to have at least one memorable side. Here, at Asador Bastian, they serve what I will call the most delicious potatoes in all of Chicago. You MUST NOT skip the bone marrow potato puree. Again, served dramatically with the large bone in the middle of a sea of whipped potatoes, your server will ensure that all of the marrow is coaxed out of the bone, and he mixes it directly into the mash. It’s an absolute revelation, and one of my favorite sides at any steak place in Chicago, or anywhere.

Finally, for dessert, I was kind of hoping for the Burnt Basque Cheesecake, but we were served the Raspberry Mil Hojas, which is a dessert that has something for everyone. It’s got fruit, chocolate, vanilla cream, and crunchy meringue. Despite the fact that we were completely stuffed, the dessert was surprisingly light and easy to finish. Definitely a better choice after all the mains than the cheesecake.

I am so happy that we now have two, very high quality Spanish steakhouses here in Chicago. Both Bazaar Meat and Asador Bastian are on the “World’s Best Steak” restaurant list (at 39 and 14 respectively), amongst many other delicious Chicago eateries (check out my review of GT Prime in the 75 spot). Both, to me, are extremely memorable, and you will have an incredible experience at either one. For me, Asador Bastian gets the edge over Bazaar Meat, primarily due to their extensive pintxos options to start, and the bone marrow mashed potatoes are mind-blowing. I would highly recommend Asador Bastian, if you can get a reservation! Salud!