Bavette's Bar & Boeuf

This is Bavette's, an upscale steakhouse on Kinzie Street in Chicago. I have been told to go here several times over the last few years, so I finally made it happen.

The Lowdown

• City: Chicago, IL (River North)
• Address: 218 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654
• Phone: (312) 624-8154
• Website: bavettessteakhouse.com/chicago
• Hours: Mon to Thu 4 PM to 10:30 PM, Fri and Sat 3 PM to 11 PM, Sun 3 PM to 10:30 PM
• Heads up: Bavette's is temporarily closed and plans to reopen in mid November 2026

How to actually get a reservation

Reservations open three weeks in advance at 9 AM Central, but you have to be on that page ready to go because they sell out like that. I tried for three years and never got one at 9 AM. Here is the trick: go there at about 2:45 PM. That is when they start taking walk in reservations. They put you on a waitlist, and we were able to get a 5:30 table that same day.

The vibe

The vibe was incredible. Very dim room, a large bar, a lot of seating, and very intimate. Perfect place to go after work, for a nice dinner, for a date, or to bring family.

What we ordered

• Carajillos
• Fresh baked sourdough with soft cultured butter and sea salt
• Baked goat cheese with garlic bread
• 6 ounce filet for my wife, 10 ounce peppercorn crusted filet for me
• My buddy's burger
• Brussels sprouts and truffle mac and cheese
• Creme brulee and ice cream (salted caramel and mint)

My thoughts on the food

We started with a couple of carajillos to get the vibes right, and it was one of the best carajillos I have ever had. The sourdough was good, but the butter stole the show. That soft, creamy butter made the bread so much better. The baked goat cheese was incredible. If you do not like goat cheese, obviously skip it, but the combo of the goat cheese, the red sauce and that perfectly toasted garlic bread all went so well together.

My peppercorn crusted filet was one of the best filets I have had in a very, very long time. Cooked exactly how we asked. My buddy got the burger, and it was one of the best looking burgers I have ever seen. The bacon was like half an inch thick. He let me take a bite and it was so juicy, with a perfect bun. That said, I do hear Au Cheval is a little bit better, so take that for what you will.

For sides, the Brussels sprouts were great. The truffle mac and cheese was okay. Good, but it did not blow me away.

Then dessert. If you know me, creme brulee is my favorite dessert of all time, and this was the best creme brulee I have had in my entire life. Perfectly torched on top and that cream, oh my god. I have been thinking about it every single night since. The ice cream was good, but ice cream is ice cream. I inhaled the mint.

The verdict

Overall the place was great and definitely worth the wait. For me it is hard to stomach that price for food, but it was really, really good. And if you can not get a reservation, Gilt Bar is a few doors down. Same owner, very similar vibe, different menu. We went the night before and it was really good too.