Shula's Steak House — Restaurant in Chicago

This is a hidden gem in the Streeterville area of Chicago. The restaurant it located on the main floor of the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk Hotel. Both Chef Chayanne and Chef Christian along with our waitress Maria took amazing care of us.

DRINKS: Every dinning experience should start with a round of drinks and at Shulas they mix few good ones. We started the night with makers old fashioned garnished with an orange peel and two cherries (yay) and French 75, a lemon forward bubbly refresher.

APPETIZERS: It’s hard to find a favorite among the four delicious appetizers we have tried. The smokey flavor of the braised pork belly made my taste buds dance with happiness. The calamari was prepared perfectly with crisp breading on the outside. The Creole Shrimp dish arrived with five jumbo shrimp smothered in delicious Cajun flavor sauce. And of course, we can not forget about the four Mini Ahi Tuna Tacos that came with a huge bank of flavors. Served on a bed of Avocado Mousse, dressed with pineapple relish and gochujang aioli is an absolute must.

MAIN COURSE: Per chef’s recommendation we decided on Atlantic Halibut. The fish fillet was perfectly prepared on a bed of sauté Spinach, accompanied with Potato Gnocchi, and dressed with Pickled Fresno and Grapefruit chunks. The 28oz Tomahawk Ribeye, made to the requested temperature, was simply the BEST ribeye I had in the city. Our main course arrived with two shareable sides, fluffy mashed potatoes and mixed mushrooms. Both great side but the mixed mushrooms deserve the extra recognition. Unlike the boring (I mean traditional) white mushrooms served almost everywhere else, At Shulas mixed mushrooms are made with six different kinds of micro shrooms creating a unique dish.

DESSERT: Please note that by this time we had a large bag of leftovers knowing that this part of the dinner is also going to be epic. And it didn’t disappoint. The cream brûlée is absolutely amazing and comes on a huge dish garnished with three types of berries. The cheesecake is an absolute bomb. I am a total cheesecake junkie and this one not only hit the spot but as I am writing this review three days later it still has me craving...

After spending several days at the overpriced mediocre Sheraton and experiencing the grease factory of the burger joint, after a day of meetings and walking around the city we decided to slip into Shula’s for an appetizer to top off the day since we had an early morning departure. I walked in wearing jeans and a button down shirt, my wife a pair of dark jeans and a sweater.

The hostess immediately sneered and looked us up and down. “Do you have reservations?”

“No,” I replied.

“Are YOU guests in the hotel?” she asked incredulously.

“yes…” and I gave her my room number.

After looking us up and down one more time she sighed and handed us off to a young girl who took us to our table. Our waiter stopped over and said: “You want bottled or TAP water!?” We shrugged and said tap. Although I’ve never heard a waiter make a glass of water sound like pond scum before.

We knew were only going to get appetizers going in, so when my wife ordered a bowl of soup and a side potato and I ordered the blackened steak appetizer, the waiter’s demeanor shifted again, calculating that his tip was going to be a percentage of a 40 dollar bill not a 120 dollar bill.

Feeling the eyeballs of the staff we kept our heads down and ate quickly and our waiter returned. “Don’t you want something else?” he asked, still shocked he wasn’t going to get a chunk of next month’s rent as part of the tip we left.

We quickly wrapped up our tabs and left, never before in our lives have we felt so belittled. Being looked down upon by people whose responsibility it is to serve us dinner and make us a feel welcome, it was the single most uncomfortable (and mediocre) meal I’ve ever tasted. I will never again set foot in a Shulas’s or any property associated with them which includes the...

When you are traveling, and have a really tight schedule, you don’t always have time to look for a new, exciting places to eat. Even if you have the time to look up a few places, you might not have the time to actually go to one. In this case, what you wish for is a great restaurant inside the hotel you are staying at. This is exactly what happened with me when I traveled to Chicago. I stayed at Sheraton Grand, and thankfully, they had a real restaurant in it.

The inside was a nice size, much bigger than I expected. The restaurant is on the ground floor, and right by the hotel entrance, therefore, they have a street view. The interior is classic, with wood floor, dark furniture, and tables covered with white tablecloths. Lots of photos in sepia, creating kind of historic atmosphere.

We were taken to our table with a football! Their signature steak menu was on the football, how cool is that? They do have more steak offerings on the actual menu, on paper.

Since I was not super hungry (regrettably), I didn’t order their steak. Instead, I ordered Pan-Seared Sea Scallops. The scallops were really nice and plump, soft and tasty. The roasted corn was sweet and flavorful, asparagus was crunchy and fresh, and bacon added that extra punch of deliciousness. Didn’t get much truffle flavor, but it was still a good dish, I enjoyed it.

My companion ordered one of their steaks and seems like he really liked the steak, as he devoured it all. The staff was really nice, friendly and polite. He made sure we were well taken care of. We didn’t have to ask for anything. It was a very pleasant, relaxing dinner, I wish if I was more hungry so I could have tried their steak…maybe next time. Read my full review of the restaurant and food on my food blog,...