Erie Cafe

The Grilled Calamari is to die for… buttery smooth and tender. Making my mouth water just thinking about it. The Caprese Salad as well… the best mozzarella. The wait staff is A+. The Owners are far beyond incredible hosts. Old school classic but for the modern palette. Excellent!

Ordered the full filet and the Australian Lobster Tail. The filet was terrible. Very good cut of meat just wasn’t cooked properly and had no flavor at all. Same with the tail. Good size just wasn’t cooked right. $ 85 tail and it was like chewing rubber. The worst $ 200 meal I’ve ever had. Service was great and the atmosphere was great it just seemed like whoever was cooking had no business being in the kitchen. I would never go back.

We came to Erie Café for dinner with a good-​sized group of people and had a very enjoyable time.
Décor: Several others have described this place as an «old school Chicago steak house» and I would have to agree. I cannot really evaluate the exterior (as it was raining and dark) but the inside is just that: there is a nice wood décor, a decent-​sized dining room with lots of tables, and a solid bar up front. Everything about it, from the table linens to the water pitchers feels like an classic steak house. That is to say that it is nice, inviting, and upscale. We actually ate in the private room up front, which was perfect for our size group.
Bathroom: much like the rest of the place, clean and inviting
Staff: Our waiter, and the bus boys, were spot-​on with the service and were all very friendly. The service was quick and the food came out hot and fresh. Great staff.
Food/​Drinks: We started with a round of drinks at the bar and then moved into the dining room. We had another round as we ordered (an assortment of cocktails) and started the meal off with salads (again, a large assortment). Personally, I had the Tuscan Kale Salad and it was VERY tasty! We then moved on to the main course, of which most had steak. There were a few hold-​outs that had the shrimp (which was a HUGE portion) and the sea bass (which smelled delicious). I had the rib eye, which was also MASSIVE (although there was a decent amount of fat and it was bone-​in) and pretty tasty. It was a tad overcooked but that is to be expected when you have a larger group of people. There was also the petite filet which was good, but not as perfectly lean as others I’ve had. The sides we had were the sautéed spinach (very tasty), the cottage potatoes (which come with the entrees, are like giant potato chips, and are very good) and the mushrooms. All the sides were spot on! Being STUFFED from dinner we all passed on dessert.
Value: The food quality is decent (note steak comments above) but the service is there and the prices reflect that. I would actually like to see the prices come down just a bit because I feel like they are a bit high for the food they provide.
We had an enjoyable meal but I feel as though I would like to try other Chicago steak houses before returning here for another meal.

The food is mediocre for the price. I had the house special Rib Eye for $ 55. It was way overcooked. I will not be eating here again… or suggesting any business lunches.

Been here a bunch. I love the outdoor patio when the weather is good. It’s one of the best in the city. The steaks are great. Sides are classic and very good. Creamed spinich, mushrooms etc.
It’s a real Chicago place. The waiters are classic Chicago steak house waiters. They don’t mess around. Drinks are basic; old school. Room is big. It’s a great place for events. Lots of regulars-​not a touristy place. What I mean by that is if you are a tourist, you aren’t going to get ripped off. What I really like about them is the service. The maitre d really knows how to treat customers. They go out of their way to make you happy. Steak is highly competitive in Chicago-​so they have to be on their game all the time.

First time dining in and this has been absolutely the worst experience. I explained to the server that I’m vegetarian prior to ordering and asked if the item that I’m ordering is vegetarian.
Apparently English isn’t the server’s first language. He brought my food layered with beef, so I returned it.
He apologized and brought a 2^nd plate that had marinara sauce, but the pasta shells were stuffed with beef.
At this point I requested the manager. The person who came stating that he’s the manager, didn’t seem to care too much.
When the meal came for the 3^rd time, I was absolutely disgusted with the place and service and could hardly eat my meal.
I don’t mind the prices of the meals, but I do have an issue when these prices are accompanied with poor service.
First and last time dining here.

Great lunch spot if you work in River North. Great food and you can find sandwiches and pasta for a pretty good price, or take a client for a little more upscale meal.
Probably the best thing about this place is the patio during the summer, or when its nice enough to sit outside, no real wait.
Only drawback was wait time to get your meal.

If you like your food bland with more than a hint of cigar smoke, the Erie Café patio is the place for you. Perhaps the blame is more on me for not realizing that in 2015, it’s still ok to have the people at the table next to you blow their cigar smoke in your face while you try to eat an overpriced and relatively uninspired (though massive in quantity) entrée. Further, the waitstaff when asked if there was anything they could do simply shrugged and said we’re more than 15 feet away from the door, so it’s ok. Not only can you smoke cigars and cigarettes on the patio (which would be incredible without the smoke), but you also get to be around other people’s dogs.
I typically don’t write reviews good or bad, but this was such an expensive, disappointing experience, that I felt compelled to speak up.
I had the lasagna (weekend special) and my wife had the filet with shrimp. Both portions were massive but were very bland. Salads were fine, and bread was actually pretty good.
The perpetrator of our cigar smoke was not the only puffer dining there, so clearly the cigar crowd knows this is the place to go. If you don’t like your blah $ 50 steak with a side of smoke, I recommend somewhere else.

Much improved. Excellent meal and service. Meat prepared perfectly. Very large portions.

Erie Café is the type of old school that neither exudes the apathetic «I’m-sexy-and-I-know-it» ‘tude of Gene and Georgetti’s nor the men-​in-​black business of Joe’s. To reference the Goldilocks principle, it’s an old fashioned establishment that’s comfortably classic. Be prepared to endure a massive bout of ze meat sweats when consuming their most prized plate: the bone-​in ribeye. From my close sources, it is their top choice for the best chicagoan style steak. It’s charred, juicy, and cooked to a perfect medium-​rare. I’ve also heard that their prime rib is equally worth the order. In the times I’ve been, we always order the calamari, which has us fighting over who gets to sop up the sauce. On top of the generous bread basket, salad, and «chips» that comes with our steaks, we’ve also tried their lamb chops and whitefish filet– all terrific choices.
Erie’s unapologetic tradition lends itself to fly under the radar compared to the glitzier steakhouses. In the constant battle over Chicago’s top steakhouses, Erie’s my pick time and time again.

I had such a great time at this restaurant. There were twelve of us and the staff was incredibly attentive and accommodating. We started with calamari which was outstanding and stuffed mushrooms.
One in our party ordered prime rib and it looked almost prehistoric. Cavemen were chomping on this thing back in the day it was the hugest piece of meat dangling off a big bone. I think all of us could have eaten just that and been satisfied. But we didn’t, several ordered filet mignon which was also a sizable portion. I personally got the lamb and I highly recommend it! There were maybe six chops all perfectly cooked and they tasted amazing!
Meals do not come with sides so we ordered several. Asparagus, broccoli and mushrooms come to mind. They were all very typical and did not stand out from others I have had at other steakhouses.
I ordered lava cake for dessert which came out warm and chocolately and was just delicious. I was so full from the entire meal that I couldn’t finish it.
The wine list is pretty good a handful of reds and whites but we were happy with our choices. All in all this was a great experience. It is a pricey visit but if you are ready to just go for it then it is worth the trip.

We’re on a mission to try out as many steakhouses in Chicago as possible, but we leave it for the special occasions: anniversary, birthdays, etc since these can cost us a pretty penny. Erie Café was recommended to us by some friends who raved about the steaks.
We came to Erie Café to celebrate our anniversary and was happy to find that they have complimentary valet parking, kudos! However, upon walking into the restaurant we stood by the host stand for a few awkward minutes with no one greeting us, it left us feeling a little foolish standing there and unsure who to ask for. Finally a server greeted us and noted our reservation and sat us in one of their open booths (outside was over an hour wait). Before we could even finish sitting down we were greeted by our server asking us what we would like to drink, at this pointed I proceeded to hurriedly view the wine menu and order and my boyfriend hastily decided on a beer option. Our drinks were served quickly but during the time we waited we had no menus to look at to decide on our dinner, weird. (Yes, we were not seated with menus.)
The bread that was serve was decent, nothing stood out, you can ask for OO and Parmesan, my favorite way to eat bread, yum. We went ahead and ordered: crab cake, bone in ribeye with asparagus soup and cottage fried potatoes, filet mignon with asparagus soup and baked potato. At least 10 – 15 minutes passed before we received our crab cake, which was tasty, but a little burnt although the crispiness gave it a good crunch. Finally our soups came and sadly this was the best part of our entire dinner, not too creamy, just perfect and flavorful. My ribeye was huge and tender, I could of definitely shared this, however it lacked flavorful, more salt and pepper please. The same goes for the boyfriend’s filet, delicious cut of meat, but it also lacked flavor. And their cottage fried potato was soggy and oily, barely a few were crispy enough to eat.
Unfortunately, Erie Café didn’t tickle us fancy and left us craving for steaks from our favorite restaurant.

Wanna impress some friends or a date? This place is an absolute can’t miss. Classic and very classy wood paneled Chicago steakhouse, with all the trimmings. See mostly men in here as you’d imagine, so I’d also imagine ladies are treated extra-​extra– special when they grace the doors of this awesomely managed steakhouse. I’ve eaten here a few times over the years and have to say I always leave totally satisfied. And that’s a bit of understatement. The food is literally fit for a king (or queen).
Steaks are USDA prime beef, 7 or 8 different cuts; plenty of authentic Italian food with truly excellent service by Italian gents in black suits who are mostly fun guys themselves; great cocktails (perfect manhattans); best grilled calamari I’ve ever had (for confirmation, read the other reviews); and a cigar friendly outdoor patio across the sidewalk. This place is off the charts with its food and drink! And yes you’ll drop a C-​note per person, totally worth it though.
Put it this way: I was in Chicago with about 3 totally free hours last week. I made a beeline for Erie Café and was in heaven on my cab ride back to the hotel. Can’t miss steakhouse.

My Company just pitched this to us! lol. and now their taking me here for Lunch today so i’m just going to give it 5 stars based off of my company hyping this place up not to mention its about 3 blocks away from my job so Kudos to that.
I’ll be back with some pictures and better reviews to see if this place really does live up to the hype.
** okay im back…*
The Callimari, The steaks, creamed spinach… Lord! the drinks
Its all good here & its a classic staple here in chicago

This is a classy Italian restaurant resting in the west part of River North. It has a very neighborhood feel and the service is great!
Not necessarily kid-​friendly, as it’s more of an elegant dining place, but they were great when I brought my nephew with me (he was 3).
The food tasted pretty good, portions were very large and service was great. Plus they have a patio across the way which is lovely to sit at. It overlooks the Chicago river. Food was a bit heavy for me, but overall, a very nice establishment.

This is one of the classic old restaurants. Nothing super trendy about it but if you’re hungry this is the place to come. In fact, the portions are really a bit ridiculous so you should plan on taking some home or splitting a steak. I opted for the 9 ounce filet with 3 grilled shrimp and that was perfect. It was also about ¹⁄₃ of the size of other orders.
As for the steak, I thought it was prepared really well and I have no complaints about it. The appetizers and sides were all good. The service was excellent. When you put that together with the ambiance of an older restaurant it works out pretty well. The best parts are: no wait and good for large parties.

I will first say that the food was delicious. Not particularly special, but still, everything that came to our table was very good.
HOWEVER, the service left much to be desired. Our waiter was fine at first… until we ordered the wine. My mother ordered a lower-​end $ bottle and everything went down hill. First, he flew by to say «You’ll need to choose another bottle, we’re out of the Chianti.» Okay, fine, except for the tone with which this was reported. It took forever to return to us, and when I said «Can you tell me about the Barbera d’Alba?» and, because it was also not very expensive, he brusquely replied «It’s basically the same as the Chianti.» Okay, FINE.
Now, I know a thing or two about wine. I’m not a sommelier by any means, but I enjoy it, I know my way around a wine list, I’m not a beginner. Neither is my mother. Oenophiles, here.
That does not mean I want to shell out $ 80+ for a bottle of wine every time I go out. I put more money into the wine I drink at home and not toward restaurant mark-​up. Besides, we are here on a brief apartment hunting trip that is turning out to be a $$$ few days.
So the disdain with which we were met was seriously annoying. And in addition to tone and terseness, the pace of our service slowed to a crawl. We were consistently ignored or made to wait, but got to watch him schmooze in on and chat at leisure with the couple near us on a date.
It’s not like you can’t make a tidy sum on a table of 4, even if the wine doesn’t meet your standards of acceptable! We are habitual good tippers and we would’ve probably stayed for dessert, or, novel, gotten a SECOND bottle of wine if we felt like dealing with this guy for a second longer.
My boyfriend and I are, in all likelihood, moving to the neighborhood but I can’t say I’m eager to return.

Great old school atmosphere. The food was good and the service even better. The bone in ribeye was flavorful, cooked perfectly, and a extremely generous portion size of meat.
A friend got the 40oz prime rib and it was massive. Not sure how people finish it but apparently some people do.

First time here, had the grilled calamari and it was delicious!
It was in a red sauce that was just a little creamy… added some Tabasco sauce. The spicy and vinegar set it all the way off.
I’ll be back to try some more for sure!

i was just ok with it. Far better steak houses in Chicago for the price you pay there

I’ve eaten here twice. Once long ago, and this afternoon for lunch. There is so much wrong with this restaurant. Not immediately apparent, but so much wrong.
First, the food. The experiences long ago was to order lobster at $ 65, that was almost tasteless and like felt. Not good.
This afternoon a $ 14.00 hamburger that was way to big. Burgers that big are interesting in photo’s, but how do you pick it up? How do you get a bite? I ordered medium. I got well done. I specifically said no tomato. I got a tomato slice. OK tasting, for a well done burger, but boring. Definitely NOT worth the price.
Then there is the room. Not good. You enter through an area with the bar and a few tables then down a slope to dining tables … but the windows stay on the same level up there. You sit way below the bottom of the windows. You feel like you are sitting in a bucket. With the lowered floor and the high window sills with big windows, everything in the room seems out of proportion.
Very bad lighting. There is a large chandelier way up at the ceiling with no reason for being there. It doesn’t give much light. It doesn’t seem to fit into the room décor, such as it is, (why the heck did they put it there? Because there was already an outlet?) except it hangs for the ceiling.
Plus it was cold. I did ask them to either turn up the heat or turn it off. They turned it up, briefly, then the cold draft started again. .
This place is a bit of the beaten path. I got the feeling this is a place where older wealthy men took their young hopefully to become girlfriends to impress them with the cost of the food, lord knows it isn’t the food itself, a place where their wife’s with better taste wouldn’t go for lunch.
There are so many much better paces, skip this. Go to the Walnut Room for all the charm and ambiance, and good food, this places wishes it has and doesn’t.

Erie Café was recommended to me by a long time Chicagoan as the best steak house DT about a year ago. Since then I’ve visited 4 times, including last night, with a variety of guests.
In my opinion there’s no one best steak house in Chicago; there’s plenty of great ones and Erie Café is one of them. The atmosphere is old Chicago — don’t expect fancy but that’s part of its charm. Do expect amazing food and top quality large cuts of meat cooked exactly as ordered.
Highly recommend the grilled calamari and fried ravioli appetizer and always check out the daily specials. These are usually either combination plates like filet and shrimp last night or a unique sauce or cut. Bone in Rib Eye, T Bone. Fillet all fantastic and purely your personal preference of cut. If you’re really hungry and a big eater, the Prime Rib is out of bounds. Only the strong should take a shot at finishing this guy.
Go visit Erie. The staff is super friendly and the food rocks — you’ll be back!