RPM Steak — Restaurant in Chicago

*Updated review

I came to RPM with my family on a Saturday night. We came with reservations and were sat promptly once all of our table arrived. They have valet for $20 but also there’s street parking that’ll cost you $10. The interior and ambiance of this place is classy, as the dim lighting and sleek design set the mood. Once seated, we ordered some drinks. I got an old fashion and the drink was well made and the orange peel was rolled up cutely. Then we got appetizers. We got the Parker House Rolls and the Iceberg Wedge salad. The rolls were so pillow-soft and the butter/salt was just right. The Iceberg Wedge was tasty but the salad lacked creativity. For the main, my girlfriend and I split the 10oz center cut filet and the wagyu burger. I was surprised when the steak came precut, as in the past they had not done this and I wish they hadn’t. The steak was very juicy but didn’t have as much crust as desired. It also was slightly over cooked for a medium steak. The wagyu burger melted in your mouth but not sure if the price justified it. The fries that came with it were so crispy and good. We also got some sides - hen of the wood mushrooms, parmesan spinach and millionaire potatoe. The mushrooms were cooked nicely and had a lot of flavor. The spinach and millionaire potatoe was good too (although, the millionaire potatoes could use a bit less garlic). To end the meal, as a courtesy, they bring out a different flavored cotton candy each week and I absolutely love this flair. It’s a signature thing of theirs and i think it’s such a good idea (i also love cotton candy). this one was cherry limeade and it was close to the flavor. While I appreciate our server for their thoroughness in breaking down the menu and considering allergens, I felt the service was a bit slow and not as attentive as i’d expect for a place of this caliber. Overall the experience was good but the price tag did not justify it this time for me. I’d recommend giving this place a try for yourself but be prepared for a hefty price tag for a special experience.

• Original review My family came in town to come see me and my Dad was persistent on trying a nice Chicago steakhouse. After looking for the right place, we settled here. I honestly thought wow how good could a steak really be, as I feel I cook some pretty good ones at home with my partner. No, this steak was not just good, it was fantastic. I was very impressed with the Ribeye and with a side of caesar salad (the dressing was great). The outside had such a nice crunch and the inside was so tender and flavorful. The rest of my family enjoyed their meals throughly as well, and my dad was beyond satisfied. At the end of our meal, we were given complimentary cotton candy, which was a cute touch for the end of the meal. (Side note but the names of some of the menu items were real fun). To go with great food, the ambiance in the place was fitting, with light house music playing in the background (it was just the right volume) and the dim lighting. To top it off, we had a fantastic waiter to help us. Ray helped all of us in curating our meal and had some excellent selections. He had great vibes and was always fun when he came by. We also had some dietary restrictions and really appreciated how adamant Ray was on ensuring we did not get anything that would potentially cause an allergic reaction for anyone at our table. We really enjoyed the experience overall and we...

From the moment the valet slips your keys away and the city’s din fades behind RPM Steak’s glass doors, you are gently ushered into a space that’s been engineered not simply to impress, but to disarm. It’s not flashy—no theatrical ostentation here—but richly confident: burnished woods, gentle lighting, and a design language that suggests taste over trend.

There’s a hush to the service that only comes from well-practiced grace. Scotty, my guide for the evening, brought more than attentive hospitality; there was a genuine ease in his presence. Connecticut-born, we discovered some shared Northeastern history, but the connection wasn’t what mattered most—it was his intuitive understanding of tempo and tone, and his impeccable command of the menu.

A brief pause before the meal began was filled with the Belvoir: a sparkling elderflower cocktail laced with citrus. It struck precisely the right chord—cool, effervescent, herbaceous. The kind of aperitif that resets your senses.

Then came the Hamachi Crudo—slices of Japanese amberjack draped like silk over a whisper of sesame and white soy, the faint oniony tickle of chive threading through. Crudo is often delicate; this was transcendent. It delivered the flavor clarity of sashimi with the layered seasoning of something far more deliberate. I found myself quietly stunned.

RPM’s steak program reads like a ledger of obsession. The kitchen offers Wagyu in both classic wood-grilled form and the drama of Ishiyaki. I chose to explore three rare selections—a vertical tasting of sorts: • The Namiki from Kaneko Farms, a strip loin exclusive to RPM, offering that densely marbled, slightly sweet character of Aomori-raised beef. • Sendai, from Kawaguchi Farm, representing a mere fraction of Japanese production, was mineral-rich and faintly nutty. • And then, the Château Uenae Snow Beef—Hokkaido ribeye, raised in subzero climate, impossibly tender, with a melting quality I’d only read about.

Each cut was an education, and each grilled to an exacting finish that bordered on reverent.

Sides never feel like an afterthought here. The roasted sweet corn laced with lemon garlic and feta played up smoky-sweet tones. Japanese sweet potatoes were given just enough heat from Fresno chili to counter their velvety texture. And the so-called Millionaire’s Potato? Truffle-shaved, indulgent, and utterly unrepentant.

Dessert became a delicious dilemma. Ultimately, I caved to the house-made cookies and cream sundae: ganache ripple, magic shell, layered theatrics. It’s served tableside with a pour-over of hot ganache that seals the dish in a glossy chocolate shell—somewhere between Willy Wonka and haute pâtisserie. A playful flourish of orange cotton candy arrived, unrequested but deeply appreciated, alongside a properly dry cappuccino—served with the restraint many places still get wrong.

RPM Steak doesn’t reinvent the steakhouse. It refines it—distills the genre to its most essential, luxurious parts. There’s modernity here, yes, but it’s all in service of pleasure, not novelty. If you’re in Chicago—or within even the vaguest excuse of a detour—go. Not to be impressed, but to be genuinely,...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

RPM Steak in Chicago is the embodiment of urban sophistication—a temple to fine dining where every detail, from the polished wood to the hushed lighting, seems designed to cocoon you in understated luxury. The ambiance is pitch-perfect: modern, elegant, and buzzing with the quiet confidence of a place that knows it’s at the top of its game.

Service here is impeccable—attentive without being overbearing, effortlessly knowledgeable, and ready to make you feel like the only table in the room. For those in the know, the happy hour special is a revelation—an absolute must, so run, don’t walk, to snag it before word spreads even further.

Intent on sampling the breadth of their offerings, we began with the Wagyu Double Cheeseburger—a glorious ode to indulgence. Rich, juicy Wagyu beef melded seamlessly with crispy onion and sharp cheddar (or the funk of blue cheese if you’re feeling bold). It was a near-perfect 9/10—luxurious yet somehow familiar, like an old song in a new arrangement.

Next came the Black Truffle Fries—irresistibly crisp, perfumed with Bruna Alpina and accompanied by an unctuous Béarnaise. They were sinfully good, though the generous hand with salt left them firmly in the “deliciously dangerous” category (a solid 7/10 for salt fiends).

The Crab Roll arrived as an elegant interlude—pillowy brioche overflowing with sweet, impeccably fresh crab, lightly dressed to let the delicate flavor shine through. Each bite was the taste of summer on the coast, simple yet impossibly satisfying.

The crown jewel of the evening, however, was the Petite Ember-Roasted Seafood Tower. This was a masterpiece in miniature—Wild Blue Prawns kissed with smokiness, briny Manilla Clams and Oysters that tasted like the sea itself, and sweet Maryland Blue Crab that melted like butter on the tongue. A flawless 10/10, it felt less like dinner and more like an edible love letter to the ocean.

Our drinks were no mere afterthought but a show in their own right. The About Last Night cocktail was a sultry blend of Montelobos Mezcal, passionfruit, toasted coconut, and lime—smoky, tropical, and utterly seductive. The Lemon Drop was classic and bracingly bright, a zesty foil to the meal’s richness. Each sip felt like a celebratory punctuation mark.

Overall, RPM Steak isn’t just another upscale restaurant; it’s an experience carefully designed to spoil you. It’s where luxury meets comfort, where technique meets generosity, and where every meal feels like a special occasion. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to savor Chicago’s high-end dining at its...