The Windy City is home to more than 7,000 restaurants, ensuring that residents and visitors have the opportunity to enjoy almost every type of cuisine. But what is the most expensive restaurant in Chicago?
The most expensive restaurant in Chicago is Temporis. This restaurant serves American cuisine at $175 per guest, but the optional wine pairing can add $325 to this initial cost. As such, some diners may spend upwards of $500 at Temporis.
If you’re looking for the priciest meals in Chi-town, you’ll want to dine at any of the top-notch restaurants ranked below. Just be sure to bring your wallet along for the ride!
Here’s the Top 10 List of Most Expensive Restaurants in Chicago:
- Temporis
- Alinea
- Oriole
- Ever Restaurant
- Bavette’s Steakhouse
- Smyth
- RPM
- Mastro’s Steakhouse
- Maple & Ash
- Swift & Sons
10. Swift & Sons
Fulton Market is well-known for its diverse restaurants, corporate office buildings, and exclusive social clubs. Swift & Sons is a fixture of this unique scene, and it’s one of the most popular destinations for steak lovers.
Though Swift & Sons serves a mix of mouthwatering dishes, including shellfish, salads, and seafood, their primary claim to fame is Wagyu steak cuts. These are some of the most expensive steak cuts in the world due to their exceptional tenderness and unforgettable flavor.
However, true Wagyu steaks only come from Japan. Consequently, Wagyu steak cuts incur hefty importation fees that raise their base price.
But if you’re looking to try one of the best steaks in Chicago, you won’t want to miss the chance to try a Wagyu steak from Swift & Sons. Still, you can expect to spend between $65 and $189 to enjoy one of these infamous cuts of beef.
Most Expensive Dish
The most expensive dish at Swift & Sons is the Wagyu Tomahawk Ribeye (32oz). This steak cut costs $189, not including tax or service charges.
9. Maple & Ash
Maple & Ash is located on Maple Street, hence its name. It’s located in the Near North Side of Chicago, only a short stroll away from Oak Street Beach.
If you’re planning to soak up some sun while in the Windy City, and you’re in the mood for a high-quality (and costly) lunch or dinner, you’ll want to stop by Maple & Ash. This restaurant is technically a steakhouse, but its menu features a little bit of everything.
When you visit Maple & Ash, you’ll get to choose from decadent caviar, octopus-laden salads, and dry-aged steaks. But the Fire-Roasted Seafood Tower is the star of the show, featuring a medley of some of the most expensive seafood items, including Alaskan king crab.
Still, these dishes aren’t cheap. So, if you’re eager to try a meal at Maple & Ash, you’ll need to prepare to spend between $14 (the Baked in Coals French Onion Soup) and $239 (the Fire-Roasted Seafood Tower).
Most Expensive Dish
The appropriately-named Baller Fire-Roasted Seafood Tower is the priciest dish at Maple & Ash. This mixture of crab, prawns, scallops, oysters, and clams is covered in garlic butter and chili oil, making it salty and savory. Still, you’ll need to spend $239 to enjoy this tower of fire-roasted seafood.
8. Mastro’s Steakhouse
The River North neighborhood is home to many of Chi-town’s priciest restaurants, Mastro’s Steakhouse included. So, if you ever find yourself wandering through the River North neighborhood of Chicago and you’re interested in enjoying some of the city’s most exceptional meals, you’ll want to make a beeline for Mastro’s Steakhouse.
This steakhouse has domestic Wagyu (from Broadleaf Farms) and imported A5 Japanese Wagyu. You’ll also find some of the world’s most delicious fish, including Chilean sea bass.
Many of the well-crafted meals at Mastro’s Steakhouse cost $40 or more. But this restaurant does offer a handful of affordable options, like the $14 Spicy Mambo Salad.
Still, if you come here to enjoy a perfectly seared steak, expect to spend between $53 and $250. Naturally, this price doesn’t include tax, service fees, or beverages. When considering these additional costs, your meal can quickly hit the $300 mark.
Most Expensive Dish
The most expensive meal at Mastro’s Steakhouse is the Wagyu Tomahawk Chops from Broadleaf Farms (40oz). This dish costs a whopping $250. The 32oz option isn’t far behind, costing $195.
7. RPM
While you’re dropping cash in the River North neighborhood, you’ll want to check out RPM. This restaurant takes fine dining to a new level, dwarfing the high prices found at Mastro’s Steakhouse.
Cocktails at RPM have an average price of $16, and daily specials typically vary between affordable (less than $20) and expensive (more than $70). If you choose to add a dessert, you can expect to spend another $13 to $21. Dessert wines are far pricier, with the vintage port costing almost $300 per bottle.
But one of the qualities that makes RPM unique is the diversity of its menu. For example, diners can enjoy simple dishes like thick-cut applewood bacon, but they can also treat themselves to bluefin tuna sashimi, one of the most expensive types of sushi.
Most Expensive Dish
The most expensive dish at RPM is the Sakura Wagyu Tomahawk (42oz) from Westerville, Ohio. To enjoy this unique and well-marbled steak cut, you’ll need to spend $250. You may also want to add a side of Black Truffle Butter, but it’ll cost you an additional $9!
6. Smyth
Smyth lies in the heart of the West Loop neighborhood, only a short stroll away from City Winery Chicago. As such, it should come as no surprise that this fine dining restaurant offers a wide range of alcoholic beverages, including local wines.
What might surprise you is that Smyth doesn’t offer an à la carte menu. Instead, it charges diners $265 to enjoy the culinary equivalent of a trip through Smyth County, Virginia.
This experience takes between two and three hours, so clear your schedule before you reserve a table at this restaurant. You’ll also want to set aside some extra dough if you’re eager to try Smyth’s handcrafted cocktails or reserve wines.
But what kinds of meals can you expect to munch on while visiting this restaurant? Maitake mushrooms, sunchoke chips, and carrot sorbet are almost always on the menu. These ingredients are some of the most diverse in Chicago, ensuring that a night spent dining at Smyth is entirely unique from other Chi-town fine dining experiences.
Most Expensive Dish
Dining at Smyth is a culinary journey that costs $265 per guest. Dishes are not available for separate ordering, though beverages (excluding water and tea) are not included in the initial price.
5. Bavette’s Steakhouse
When you walk inside Bavette’s Steakhouse, you might feel transported to a different time. The gentle incandescent lighting, booth-style seats, and polished wooden bar harken back to simpler times. However, the food here is distinctly modern and refined.
The menu consists of salads, steaks, sandwiches, and various meat-based entrees. The sides are also diverse, ranging from mashed potatoes to elote (grilled corn)!
But if you’d like to make your time at Bavette’s unforgettable, you won’t want to leave without ordering Maude’s Tower. This chilled seafood dish consists of two ice-filled platters stacked atop each other.
These dishes are brimming with shellfish and king crab legs. When you order Maude’s Tower, you’re choosing to dine on shrimp, crab, mussels, and lobster. Seafood lovers are sure to remember this dish for years due to its high-quality and varied ingredients. However, Maude’s Tower is relatively pricey.
Most Expensive Dish
The most expensive dish at Bavette’s Steakhouse is Maude’s Tower. This seafood tower costs $275, though it’s large enough to feed multiple diners.
4. Ever Restaurant
Unlike the other expensive restaurants listed above, the Ever Restaurant on Fulton Street doesn’t charge diners per dish. Instead, you can expect to pay a per-person fee of $285. This fee covers between eight and ten courses of delicately handcrafted appetizers, entrees, and desserts.
This tasting menu constantly changes, reflecting Chef Curtis Duffy and Chef Michael Muser’s desire to keep diners coming back for something new. Ingredients like scallops, king crab, and black truffle are commonly featured alongside uncommon additions like fresh lilies and blue basil.
The Ever Restaurant is one of the few restaurants in Chicago with two Michelin-star chefs. Its ambiance is notably modern, sleek, and slightly industrial. But don’t let the low lighting fool you—each course served in this restaurant truly shines.
Most Expensive Dish
No dish is more expensive than others at the Ever Restaurant. Diners pay $285 to enjoy eight-to-ten courses consisting of exquisitely handcrafted dishes.
3. Oriole
Like the Ever Restaurant, Oriole charges a per-person fee. While this fee is more affordable than the Ever Restaurant’s, sitting at $215 per person, the optional sommelier service boosts it to $340.
Located in the infamous Fulton Street area (home to many of Chicago’s finest restaurants), Oriole isn’t nearly as pretentious as other fine dining options. Instead, the dining room is brightly lit and simply decorated, ensuring diners focus on their meal.
The floor plan also allows guests to watch Oriole’s chefs at work. The ceiling posters naturally draw the eye, making every dining experience just as entertaining as it is delicious.
As you might expect, the menu at Oriole doesn’t remain constant. However, you can expect to enjoy Hamachi sushi, Hokkaido uni, caviar, and Wagyu steak when dining here.
Nearly all beers and ciders originate from Chicago, though the wine list is often international. Oriole is bound to please your tastebuds and fill your belly, no matter what you’re in the mood for.
Most Expensive Dish
Oriole doesn’t sell individual dishes. Instead, it charges a $215 per person fee. This rises to $340 per person when adding the $125 optional sommelier service.
2. Alinea
Alinea is located between the Ranch Triangle and Old Town Triangle neighborhoods in Chicago. This location sets it apart from the hustle and bustle found near Fulton Street. Alinea has the honor of charging the highest per-person dining fee of any restaurant in Chicago.
Every person who opts to dine here will need to spend a jaw-dropping $390 to enjoy the Kitchen Table menu. That said, Alinea does offer lower-priced per-person menus. For example, the Salon Menu costs $190 per person, and the Gallery Menu costs $290.
The menu changes almost every day, and as you might suspect, each menu type offers distinct and creative dishes. Typically, the number of courses you’ll enjoy depends on the menu you choose, with the Gallery Menu featuring the fewest number of dishes and the Kitchen Table menu offering the most courses.
Wagyu steak, truffles, and fresh-caught mole are only a few ingredients you might find on the menu while dining at Alinea.
Most Expensive Dish
Alinea offers several different menus, each with a unique price point. The Kitchen Table experience is the costliest at $390 per person.
1. Temporis
The most expensive restaurants in Chicago don’t charge per dish. Instead, they charge per diner. And while Temporis technically has a lower per-person cost of $175, your dining bill can skyrocket after adding a high-quality wine pairing. For this reason, Temporis earns the title of Chicago’s most expensive restaurant.
The Seasonal Menu (also called the tasting menu) at Temporis changes every week, reflecting the types of ingredients available from the house hydroponic garden. This level of freshness isn’t standard for most restaurants, even fine dining establishments.
Still, dishes like Wagyu beef cheek, truffle cake, and Kaluga caviar often make appearances on this ever-changing menu. These exquisite ingredients make the relatively high per-person dining cost slightly more reasonable.
But if you’re not careful, you can easily spend upwards of $500 while dining at Temporis!
Most Expensive Dish
Temporis is one of several fine-dining restaurants in Chicago that charges a per-diner fee instead of a per-dish fee. Those who order the Seasonal Menu will spend $175. But adding the most luxurious wine pairing costs an additional $325, bringing the total bill to $500 or more.
Eat At Chicago’s Most Expensive Restaurant
The most expensive restaurant in Chicago is Temporis, but only if you opt for the priciest wine pairing. Otherwise, Alinea offers the costliest dining experience in the Windy City, with a per-person price tag of $390 for The Kitchen Table menu.
Many of these fine dining restaurants offer the most exclusive and in-demand seafood and steak, contributing to their high prices. Others provide fresh, in-season ingredients harvested from private gardens and rare, well-aged wines. But, of course, some offer all of these things!
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