STK Steakhouse — Restaurant in Chicago

My 2nd go round at STK was definitely my last. I was hoping this restaurant could redeem itself after my 1st meh experience with underseasoned food. For starters, we arrived 5 minutes after our reservation. Upon entering the restaurant, my husband and I stood at the hostess desk, waiting for someone to greet us, check us in & be seated however, there were no staff at the desk. We glanced around the restaurant hoping to be noticed but still no one acknowledged us. It was near 4:15pm & not very crowded but the few staff that we did see walked passed us engaged in other tasks. We stood at the hostess desk 9 minutes before a young girl, dressed as if she was out at a club with friends on a 100 degree day (tube top, short jean shorts) approached us & said "Got reservations?" It definitely wasn't obvious she was an employee as she was not in any uniform or dressed appropriately for a job. "We responded yes we have reservations & proceeded to give her our name. She said "Give me a minute." Then she walked away to the dining area and proceeded to clean/bust tables. I was very bothered that my husband, my son and I stood at the door in the middle of the afternoon when it was not crowded, and waited 31 minutes to be seated! UNACCEPTABLE ! I was ready to leave because we were already were not at 1 of the best steakhouses and we had so many options being downtown.

When our name was called the hostess lead us to the back of the dining area & placed us at a table that was set for 8 and distributed 8 menus. My husband and I looked at each other confused....and then stood at the table to get the hostess attention and she quickly caught the error amd said " Oh wait...you are not the right family, your table is over here" 👉 [pointing to a smaller table]. We rejected our seats and requested a bench style table near the window.

Once seated, no one came to our table. So here we are sitting another 12 minutes, waiting for our waiter/waitress to simply bring water to the table,bread, or to simply introduce themselves. I was upset at this point after waiting at the door 31 minutes and now at my table for 12 minutes. We were ready to order & beyond hungry! Then a guy comes over who was just casually walking the dining area & ask " Have you been helped?" By this time, I answered in my agitated disgusted tone " No, we haven't been helped and we been patiently sitting here and ...[a waitress approaches and interrupts me and said " "What can we get you all?" She was so obvious with trying to keep me from explaining what I had experienced with the wait. Sbe began to quickly suggestive selling and explaining the happy hour offerings. To sum up my experience, it was a waste to go to STK. They definitely failed to deliver great service once the food did come out, it did nothing for my sophisticated pallet.

Margarita 🍹 -Basic but taste ok. Lamb chops- requested medium came out well but I dare not return them or I would've had to wait another 45 minutes to eat. Tater tots- need to be removed from the menu. Taste like play doh. Mashed potatoes- the only thing we enjoyed. Creamy with flavor My husband said his 10 oz filet steak was better than it was our last visit but he had to request for it to be seasoned.

My son's soda had to be returned as the machine was serving watered drinks and needed changing.He is 11 and enjoyed his calamari and lobster tail.

However, we will never return to STK. It lacks the top tier service and food is bland to be a steakhouse. It will never make my top 5 and I've been to majority of Chicago's steakhouses in the surrounding downtown area. I was very disappointed in the wait for a half empty restaurant, lack of recovery and aim to please and the food was simply meh, mediocre and lacked flavor. Furthermore, to add innury to insult--you advertised 50% off Labor day weekend for First Responders and Teachers, but when presented, you took off 50% off 1 side dish was very misleading. Hell, for what we experienced, it really should've been 50%...

1/3/25 - Returned for the first time after COVID and I’m overall very disappointed. Not the STK I remembered.

TL;DR Food is meh considering the price you are paying (over $300 for 2 appetizers and 2 entrees, after tax & tip) Server is nice but very busy, so I always have to keep an eye on his whereabouts to get what I need. Music is loud, so not the place to have conversations Cold inside, not friendly for ladies dressing up

Here’s the detailed review while my memory is still fresh:

Caesar salad - $27 Very average Caesar salad. Nothing to complain about but nothing fancy. No protein.

Fried Calamari - $30 This one is good. Good amount of calamari, very crispy. The peppers on top are very tasty too and balance things out. The sweet & sour dipping sauce is a great idea in addition to the garlic aioli. We liked this dish.

Fish & Chips - $68 This dish enraged me. It’s cafeteria quality food sold at a ridiculous price. The crust of the fish is not crispy at all and a little tough to chew. Fish is overcooked and is on the tougher side. Unforgivable coming from professional chefs when I can do it better at home. The fries are literally the same kind you get from college cafeterias. I feel robbed.

Dry Aged Delmonico - $117 Ordered medium, got the steak medium rare, borderline rare. It didn’t have a good crust and the meat looked gray-ish. The meat has a weird gas grill aftertaste, like when you get when a gas grill not fully burning all the gas. The au poivre sauce is decent, but over salted.

Overall this dinner feels like a robbery to me. For the money we paid, there’s no plating whatsoever. The food is just plain bad. They can’t do the basics right, let alone making things special and memorable. My wife’s honest review is “we should’ve gone to Texas Roadhouse.” Honestly at this price range you have so many other choices like Bavette’s, RPM, Maple & Ash, Gibson’s or even MJ’s Steakhouse. The quality of food and the service you get from those places almost make this place look like a joke. A only 1/3 full dinning room on a Friday night proves that I’m not the only one who thinks that.

Images are from Google, and they are the closest representation of our dinner that I could find because I didn’t bother taking any. The steak shown is a NY strip, but the presentation and the crust situation is about the same, that’s what I wanted to emphasize. The fish pieces I got are also much smaller than what’s shown in...

I have been a loyal STK guest for years, visiting locations all over the country, so I had high expectations for STK Chicago. Unfortunately, this was without a doubt the worst STK experience I’ve ever had and frankly one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve had in Chicago.

First, we were dressed for a Saturday night at STK polished, chic, and ready for the elevated vibe I’ve come to expect from this brand. Instead, we were seated in an overflow area that felt completely disconnected from the STK experience. The atmosphere was subpar, loud, and not reflective of the usual upscale, lively, yet refined environment.

The dress code that STK advertises was not enforced at all the section looked like a completely different restaurant. People were dressed in casual streetwear, which killed the polished, sexy vibe that makes STK so appealing. It honestly felt like I had been seated at a sports bar or even walked into a random music video set, not an elevated dining room.

But what truly ruined the night was the service and treatment:

We waited 20–40 minutes past our reservation time, standing outside in a group of guests, with no communication or apology from staff.

Once seated, we were told bread service was unavailable only to watch a table of 10+ men (all white) be seated after us and immediately receive bread, comp drinks, and attentive service.

There was zero acknowledgment of this discrepancy, no apology, no effort to make the situation right.

This location is heavily visited by Black locals and tourists, and the contrast in service between tables was very clear and incredibly off-putting. STK is supposed to deliver a consistent, luxury dining experience — not one where certain guests receive prompt seating, special concessions, and full service while others are dismissed or ignored.

We made the effort to dress for the occasion, book a reservation, and spend our money expecting the signature STK experience. Instead, we were met with inconsistency, poor hospitality, and a complete lack of accountability from the staff.

As a loyal customer, this was extremely disappointing and unacceptable. I left feeling ignored, underappreciated, and like my business didn’t matter and that is not the STK standard I know. This location needs to reevaluate its management and service training to ensure every guest receives the same level of attention, respect, and elevated experience that...