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Categories: Steakhouses, Lounges [Edit]
Neighborhood: Near North SideGrand (Red)
Merchandise Mart (Purple Express, Brown)
Clark/Lake (Pink, Brown, Green, Blue, Purple Express, Orange)
"wowza. i love this place. ive eaten here twice and ordered the same thing - center cut filet with mashed potatoes and spinach with a nice…" read more »
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Went Friday night about 9pm, party of one. Hostess quite pleasant greeting. Decided to have drink at bar and then dinner in dining room.
Bar drink, scotch and soda, made right - good stiff drink. $10.
Dinner - seared ahi tuna, lobster bisque, wedge salad, chilean sea bass.
The ahi tuna appetizer is something I like to get at Sullivan's, it is so good, but maybe not for everyone. If I'm not mistaken it is basically raw tuna, seared only on the outside. Served with ginger, wasabi, and stringy cucumber-like slaw. I love this appetizer. The texture and flavor of the tuna and the sides is unique.
Lobster bisque was wonderful, with a pretty good pile of lobster meat in the middle.
The wedge salad comes with the entrees which in my book evens out the prices somewhat. It was terrific. It is covered in blue cheese crumbles and diced tomatoes and somehow they give it a sweet flavor in addition to the obvious blue cheese flavor.
Chilean sea bass is "Hong Kong style" which means, on a bed of bok choi and with a sauce, I guess it was soy sauce. It was a quite large filet and it was served quite hot with crispiness here and there on the outside but otherwise moist and hot. No dryness whatsoever. Beautifully prepared and flavorful.
Quite a good meal. Total with two glasses of $13 chardonnay, $88. No desert, damn you doc. Only complaint - the bathrooms. They are in freaking Namibia. You have to go up the stairs, around a corner, up a couple steps, search a bit, ah FINALLY, THERE they are. Could be an issue for older diners, or mobility impaired. I think maybe I saw an elevator ? It was dark, not sure.
So some clients were kind enough to take me out to Sullivans last night. I got there early so i went to the bar for a cocktail. The bartender was not only immediately attentive, but she was also very attractive and friendly which is the greatest combo a bartender can have.
Once our group arrived we were sat rather quickly into a very nice dining room. Very roaring 20's feel, like Capone would be sitting in there. We started with a bottle of the house Pinot Noir and it was tasty stuff and a great call by our waiter. We ordered our crab cake apps which are baked, not fried and were outstanding...lump crab meat none of this dungenous deep fried patty nonsense. They easily were the hit of the table. I do wish however that our waiter told us the portion size wasn't going to be enough for our group and to order more than 2,there were 6 of us and we each had maybe 2 bites.
Our service overall was just OK. I was a big fan of how the management has the female staff dress, I mean I can look right? Short shorts and all black, that makes almost any girl look good. Our waiter was so worried about annoying us that he had long moments of neglect. We had to waive him over a few times.
I ordered the bone in fillet (12oz) and i must say in Chicago, steak is king and this steak was just OK. Cooked to a nice medium even though i ordered med rare. it lacked seasoning big time and unlike the rest of my group I'm not big on having a huge melted block of Gorgonzola or blue cheese on my steak. It's not a burger or a cheese steak so why?
Great location for a place to start your night as Hubbard street has a bunch of fun, hip spots to have a fun night but overall in the grand scheme of steak places its not even top 5. For the money you can get better much better in this town
I debated between giving this place three or four stars, but their prices tipped the scale to four.
The ambiance is excellent. You walk in and it feels like you are going to be greeted by those girls that walked around in the 20's with cigarettes on a box around their shoulders. It was as if Dick Tracy was going to come in, guns blazing, arresting flat top and the gang.
They have generous portion sizes, but don't expect the best steak ever, their steaks are just above average. Their sides are excellent though and I haven't been disappointed by one of them.
I took my boyfriend here to celebrate his birthday on a Saturday night. Awesome steaks, side dishes, appetizers and drinks. For once, I had a martini before dinner and actually felt a buzz. Exactly what I want from a 10 dollar drink. The servings were generous and we had leftovers for Sunday. I definitely reccomend the 3, 4oz filets with three different toppings (mushrooms, a variation of the oscar, and cheese). The sweet potatos were also to die for. Very expensive, but what do you expect for a steakhouse? I just hope we can come here again soon!
This review is for the private room. Was here with a party of 16, so did not go with the 3-course deal they had going on. The "summer of $69" promotion did get a chuckle out of me.
The sweet potato and mushroom apps were outstanding and the seafood platter app satisfied our corner of 4.
Mains were good, but did not stand out as more than standard steak-house fare.
Do: opt for the stack of giant onion rings to start and the Peanut Butter black bottom pie to finish.
Met up here with a few Yelper's for restaurant week. Upon arriving the greeting was friendly and inviting. The decor was warm with a lot of wood. I did get the impression that it was going to be a great dinner.
Perhaps the staff wasn't really into the concept of restaurant week, perhaps they thought deal seekers are cheap tippers, I really don't know. However, when we asked about it, there really wasn't a menu. The server rattled off the choices, which were pretty limiting.
Anyhow, it did take a long time to get our drinks and the lemon slices requested to go with the water. The salad also took a long to arrive and we were still working on it when the entrees were served.
I had the fillet and it was done probably, but taste wise just average, the side offered was horseradish mashed potatoes. They were light and fluffy, however it was the only choice, I'm not a big fan of horseradish but it wasn't overpowering. If you wanted something else it was seven or eight bucks for any other of their sides. For some reason, I find seven dollar green beans insane. And again, many people are anti-carb, so for this week I thought have a choice one potato and one veggie.
Overall, just underwhelmed, and I expected the service to be much better, timing is everything and at a place of this caliber should be the norm.
My unsolicited advice for Sullivan's is if you're not into restaurant week, don't participate.
If you're in the area, go to Weber Grill instead.
I am disappointed that I have to write this review as I went into Sullivan's with such high hopes.
I went to Sullivan's with a friend to have a nice evening out and catch up. Like other Yelpers, we saw that it had a Restaurant Week (RW) menu and decided to try it since we were both jonesing for a steak.
I arrived early and sat alone in the bar having a drink. There was a piano and drummer and singer doing some lounge-y music. Kind of loud which made the others sitting near me have to shout their conversations to each other. Chelsey the bartender was nice.
My friend arrived and we were seated at the time of our reservation. It took a while for our waitress to come by (I think her name was Claire). Once she did come by, she was a little scattered and was always curt with us - like putting down a drink and walking away without seeing if we needed anything. This happened multiple times.
We looked at the menus and it was their normal menu, no Restaurant Week menu. When she came back to take our order we asked about the RW menu and got, "oh, yeah, I was going to tell you about our specials." and promptly rattled off all of the specials and then mentioned the RW. Fine, understand that Sullivan's probably doesn't want to announce the menu and wants the suckers to order off of the main menu. Good thing my friend and I had already looked at the RW menu online beforehand.
We ordered a $75 bottle of wine. She came back twice asking which vintage we had selected and then we could see through the glass into the cellar that she had to climb to get the bottle. They don't have wine stewards to do that?? So, our wine took a while to get to our table.
Our wedge salads took incredibly long to get to us. And, before we were finished with the salads, out came the steaks! Mess up with timing in the kitchen??
The 8oz filets are OK. Definitely not the best fillet I've ever had, and I've had many. It was served with garlic mashed potatoes which were also just OK.
Halfway through the meal a woman in a gray suit with pink pinstripes (floor manager?) was walking by and promptly backed up when she saw we had a bottle of wine. She complimented us on our selection and poured more into our glasses. The pour was huge! Like she was trying to dump the rest of the bottle into our glasses! But there was still wine left in the bottle since it took so long to get to us in the first place.
After our steaks were done we had a choice for dessert. We both selected the chocolate mousse. Again, not the best mousse, it was kind of heavy, but chocolate taste was a nice finish with the wine.
We ate dessert and were given the check. We let the check sit there as we sat talking and finishing the wine. The server came back and tried to take the tab quickly and we hadn't even opened it at that point.
A couple of minutes later our conversation was interrupted by another manager (?) who leaned over the table and said that we could take our wine and finish it in the bar area. Unbelievable! Not only did I just mention earlier it was loud in there, we could see it across the room that it also had got very crowded. No conversation or seating in there.
At this point we had been inside the restaurant and seated for just over an hour. Yes, the tables around us were full, mainly with parties of 2-5. But, this is the incredulous part. The two of us had just spent $200 for wine and dinner a the table, more in the bar beforehand, and who wouldn't say that we wouldn't have had an after dinner drink at that table?
I have never felt so unwanted at an "upscale" establishment before. And put it this way, the two if us were not wearing jeans, unlike other patrons that evening.
Not sure how many people were in the bar waiting for a table but there were only 5 seated near the desk when we left.
Talk about it being a factory - allowing people only 1 hour to eat on a weekend? Instead of shooing me out, maybe they should talk to their servers and kitchen about being more timely on service (and friendly would also be nice).
There are SOOOO many other steakhouses out there to try, many with RW menus. I won't be going back to Sullivan's.
They got an extra star since I had come right from traveling and they had stored my carry-on luggage for me in the coat check.
An update only: Sullivan's is not open for lunch anymore. Oh well.
First off - I don't know a damn thing about steak or steakhouses. I don't cook or eat it often, and… Read more »
Sullivan's- you earned yourself another star the other night. I actually ended up at you through a default- my first two choices were actually closed (it was New Year's Day) and I wanted a steak and some oysters. So with your neon sign beckoning to me, I gave you another try.
And guess what? You pulled it off! Funny what a difference a good server and food done the way you like it make.
Our server was delightful- making suggestions and finding us just the right bottle of wine. And as for the steaks? I rarely find a place that can do steaks the way we like them but you pulled it off flawlessly this time.
And as for the sides? I still have dreams about those white cheddar au gratin potatoes.
Sullivan's-You'll be happy to know that the next time I want a steak- you will no longer be the "ugly stepsister" to my two other favorite places in town!
In a town known for it's steaks like Chicago- you have to deliver beyond the standard experience to… Read more »
http://i.love.chicago.restaurant.week. I went there for the three course dinner meal and it's a great way to check out some restaurants that, on any other given day, would be so far out of my price range. We were late for our reservation and had to wait, but they offered us free drinks. For having to wait. When we were late. Awesome.
The service was great. From the bartender that helped us while we were waiting to our waitress to the hovering manager, everyone was super friendly and eager to please. Even though I'm pretty sure we were under dressed and sticking out like the sore thumbs we are. The wedge salad is DELICIOUS. I am a huge fan of anything wedge, but this was better than any wedge salad I've ever had. I got a seafood rigattoni thingy that was good but pretty heavy, with cream and noodles. My pal got a steak and an amazing heavenly cloud of mashed taters. Do it.
I had dinner at Sullivan's a couple weeks ago on a Saturday night, and it was fantastic!
The main room of the restaurant is rather small. Be prepared to be squeezing your way in between people/tables to get to your seat. Once you're there, you'll be sitting very close to other tables, so if you are just dying to try the bernaise sauce at the table next to you.....
The menu is extensive. They also had a 3 course prix fixe for $29 that I had. Our server was a bit....ditzy, if you will, and she told me the wrong items that came with the courses. So, my dinner was a bit of a surprise, but great nonetheless!
Like all steakhouses in Chicago, Sullivan's is expensive. The portions are really large so I would encourage you to share sides, desserts, etc. The wine list is incredible and often they have discounts on bottles, etc. Plus with a prix fixe menu there are so deals to be had.
Not much to say really.
Porterhouse was cooked accurately but was a bit over-seasoned. Sauteed spinach was solid, creamed corn was good, and horseradish mashed potatoes were excellent. Not too sure about the wedge of iceberg lettuce that you get with dinner - my dad used to do that when he was too lazy to actually make a salad. Service was friendly, but then again our party of 14 constituted 50% of the business going on at the time.
I've had better but I have no real complaints I guess. The front bar area was bumping though, might have to investigate that sometime - I hear good things about the martinis there...
This is our number one place to meet on Thursday nights, half price bar appetizers, $5 martinis, $5 wine and jazz. We went one Thursday night with another couple, spent 2 hours eating and drinking, total bill withour tip??? $83.00
The shame is the second floor was a very cozy cigar lounge but with the new smoking law it is basically closed.
Get ready to spend but it's worth it. The food is great. The ambiance is wonderful. Staff is exceptional.
It is a sad day indeed when a steakhouse of Sullivan's supposed caliber can't get a steak right. But it happened to me, I swear on all that is holy.
My entire clan of in-laws and I went to Sullivan's to celebrate a family event. Now, I love fine dining when someone else is picking up the tab, but guilt over the price tag kept me from ordering my usual filet mignon and I opted instead for the cajun ribeye, ordered medium rare. As a proud and happy carnivore, let me assure you, I know what medium rare is supposed to look like.
My slab of cow came still mooing. I mean, rare is not even a good comparison. The damn thing was RAW. Ice cold in the middle and oozing blood. I'm not squeamish in this regard, but at the same time, I was not about to eat a cold, bloody steak. I had it sent back to cook some more.
It was brought out resembling something a little closer to rare. That is, it was no longer at the "still mooing" stage but it was definitely not medium rare. The center was STILL cold and oozy. I sent it back again.
It came back FINALLY medium-rare in the center. The problem now was, it was a CAJUN ribeye, and the outside was so hard and crusty at this point that even cutting into it with their steak knife was difficult. My in-laws were almost done eating their entrees so I told the waiter to just forget the steak, I no longer wanted it. He came back and told me the manager "was willing" to take it off the bill. How gracious.
My in-laws dropped over $600 on this meal, including tip. On the way home, my husband had to stop somewhere to pick me up a sandwich. Everyone else had a decent meal. Why was I the unlucky one?
A chain it may be, but they are doing a lot of things right here at Sullivans.
The ambience of the place is very inviting with dark woods and warm lights, and the food matches the mood step for step. My New York strip was cooked to perfection, but (echoing Albert) was a little over seasoned. I found myself retreating to my wine selection a bit too often for relief.
The sides are simple ideas give a classy touch. Creamed spinach that was firm, not served too-hot, and not over salted. The wine list is very nice, with an emphasis on bold Napa Valley selections.
A little pricey, but not too bad. Well worth it! A classy place that is off the radar for some reason...
at first the service seemed good, but once i asked about the restaurant week menu it went down the drain.
when our waitress asked us what drinks we wanted, 3 of us asked for lemons for our water. i also ordered a diet coke and one asked for a mojito. we sit and chat and literally 10 minutes go by and then we get bread. another few minutes we get the diet coke and mojito. ask again for lemons. order our food. another 5-10 minutes go by and then we get our first round, salads and calamari, and finally our almightly lemon wedges. then all of a sudden our food comes lightning fast, steaks were at the table shortly after i finished my salad. then the table is cleared and some time goes by before the waitress comes back to ask what we want for dessert. we order. dessert comes in a timely manner. we wait for a little bit for the check.
the place wasn't even busy. no excuse for poor service. food was good but not worth the prices and meh service.
I had to verify that my first experience wasn't a fluke... and it wasn't. I was amazed at the consistency. Again, the CAJUN RIBEYE was amazing and has to be the best in North America! The CREAMED CORN stood out again as well, and the AU GRATIN POTATOES were a hearty addition. Sullivan's is a must-do whenever I'm in Chicago!
PS - I visited Morton's a few days prior. The staff was great, but there was no comparison to be made to the dining experience at Sullivan's. Even my waitress told me not to set myself up for disappointment.
I'll keep it brief.
I had the perfect medium CAJUN RIBEYE, BAKED POTATO, and the most delicious…
Read more »
Sullivan's serves the best steaks in Chicago for me. Don't get me wrong, the other ones are good too, Sullivan's is just a little better. My favorite is the filet cooked black and blue, oscar style. And if you're not in the mood for red meat, the scallops are delicious as well.
The atmosphere is what you expect of that area, catering to the 40-year old man and his 20-something date. (Although if you're a 23-year old recent college grad wanting to show your 33-year old cougar that you're beyond keg stands and flip cups, this spot could be for you as well).
There's an upstairs lounge for you to get a couple of drinks down as they prepare for your table downstairs. And it's the type of lounge with dark mahogany throughout, not the type with ambient lighting and soft trance. There's not much to speak of the super-crowded dining room once you've sat down. ...Except maybe glorified cafeteria.
The night started off as 4-stars but the dining experience left a 2-star taste in my mouth. My friend and I decided to try the Restaurant Week menu at Sullivan's--quite a great deal for $32 a person. When we sat down there was no mention of the restaurant week menu--we had to ask about it. The server semi brushed it off and definitely tried to undersell it. They didn't even have a printed menu with the Restaurant week selections! Thank god we looked at their web site and already knew what we wanted. Anyway...our salads took a while to arrive, so of course we were still eating them when our entrees arrived. Even our desserts took a while to arrive. At least we had a bottle of wine to sip and enjoy. After we finished eating, our server came back to check to see if we paid our tab. This was after 1 hour of us sitting down. (Nice subtle hint for us to get moving along). Not too shortly after that a floor manager (or maybe the restaurant manager) came by and said, "Ladies, we have a nice bar area if you'd like to continue to enjoy your wine in there." My mouth dropped open in shock. I saw him approach a few other tables and tell them the same thing.
I've been to top-rated and critically acclaimed restaurants across the world, and I have NEVER EVER been so blatantly rushed out of a restaurant. In my opinion, the onus is on the restaurant to properly pace the service and accurately estimate how long dinner for two on a Friday night will take. Instead, Sullivan's made US feel like we were in the wrong by sitting there and enjoying our meals and a $75 bottle of wine. By the way, we had only been sitting there 1 hour and 15 minutes.
I will never go back to Sullivan's. I guarantee if we would have had dinner around the corner at Ruth's Chris we wouldn't have been rushed like that.
I have to preface this review with the fact that I had one of my WORST dining experiences here of ALL TIME and then 2 yrs later I went back for $5 martini Thurs nights and it was fine. However, I won't be dining here ever again, and will limit all future experiences with Sullivan's to Thursday nights.
Let's start with the WORST OF ALL TIME. I can't emphasize this enough....it was awful. So one year, the bf and I decided to make last minute reservations for new years eve. We were making reservations the day of (poor planning on our part) but Sullivan's had an opening for 6:30. Early, I know, but I thought we were lucky to sneak in and have a good steak before drinking.
We get there, and there were about 20 employees running around and there were about 4 other parties there. First, they try to give us a crappy table in the middle of the passageway from the kitchen to the dining room. It was a table that was put there to add more tables for what was sure to be a busy NYE.
When we asked to be seated at a different table (b/c there were 30 plus available) we were given a sigh and an eye roll. Great.
We get seated, wait 20 min (no joke) for water. WATER!! WTF?!!! Then, we are told that we are only able to order off of the special NYE menu. Ok, fine. So we wait another 15 min to get the attention of our server to get a drink order in. Then another 15 min after that to actually receive our drink. Remember, aside from the employees that were visible, we were 2 of about 12 ppl in the restaurant. I swear, this 15 min thing was purposeful.
So, after we get a drink we place our orders. We were kind of disappointed with the NYE menu, but figured that's what we get for not being more prepared. After we place our order, someone else seats a couple near us. That couple got the regular menu.
Umm...what?! Where was this info when we were ordering? So, I wave the server over and ask her about the other menu. She didn't say much but maybe mumbled a "sorry." She didn't come back with the menu though. Then I ask another server and she brings the menu.
Then, the other server goes to her table and tells them about their addtional specials, like adding a lobster tail. Huh? Specials? We didn't know. I was sooooo annoyed that I had already spent 45 min at this place and only had my drink to show for it. No bread, no appetizer, NOTHING.
At this point, I am so fed up with our server that I call the manager over. I explain the situation to the manager and he is mortified and he offers us a glass of champagne. It was CRAP champagne. Now I'm even MORE annoyed. I'm seething. I go downstairs talk to another manager and she is so embarrassed that this situation has continued that she decides that she will be our server for the rest of the meal.
So, we got our steaks and she put in the order for a lobster tail for us. After our food was served, she had a new server help us. The last server was great. When we asked for our check, the managers had paid for it and we left a nice tip for our last server.
This experience was so horrible to me, I vowed to never go back....until I heard about $5 martinis. Then it got me. They have $5 martinis and 1/2 price bar food on Thursday nights. The deal is pretty good. I think we had 14 martinis and 5 different bar food orders for about 105 before tip. Not too bad!
I'll go back for a Thursday night, but never for the dining room. NEVER.
when we think of "steak" ... Sullivan is the first place we think of. Seafood/Oyster & crab cake for appetizer; Lobster Bisque for soup. If you still have room before the entree ... go for salad, their Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with Blue Cheese Dressing is awesome.
For entree, my favorite is 'Bone-in Kansas City Strip 20 oz' .... it's juicy and tender .... YUMYUMYUM
Oh, don't forget to ask for recommendation on wine .... you got to have it with your steak.
Sullivan's always provide consistency in their food taste, quantity and quality. More importantly, their service is so consistence I am VERY impressed by it. I would love to know how they train their staff .... All the servers seem to be Friendly, Informative, Courteous, Professional and Polite.
Only a few restaurants can WOW me ... this is one of them :)
I was on vacation there & this was was close to my hotel. If you go there on a Sunday, they have a prime rib special for $29.
Salad: Spinach Salad with mushrooms, red onions and bacon dressing
Prime Rib: so juicy, tender and cooked just how I requested!
Sides: White Cheddar Au Gratin Potatoes and Sauteed Mushrooms
Dessert: Rocky Road Ice Cream
Being that all their steaks were $30+ not including sides, this was a great deal!
SULLIVAN'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
OK, I have no ax to grind with chain restaurants... I mean who doesn't like a giant deep fried onion and a gaggle of annoying servers chanting "Happy Birthday" once in a while? (OK, I can deal without the latter...) But in a town known for great steaks and great steakhouses, one quality I insist upon in addition to a sublimely carnivorous experience, is a restaurant with soul and character. Gibson's has it...the Chop House has it... but Sullivan's lacks it.
You see, Sullivan's dirty little secret is that it is owned by none other than the consistently bad LONE STAR STEAKHOUSE. ***GASP!***
For some reason finding this out really ruined this place for me as far as steakhouses go. I mean nothing against steakhouse chains like Ruth's Chris and the like...but in a town with so many exceptional steakhouses, I just can't bring myself to go here for dinner.
That said, I do enjoy going to the upstairs lounge for a smoke which is why I'm awarding them 4 stars. They have comfy leather chairs, a bourbon collection that would make any Kentucky-ian proud, and a good selection of reasonably priced cigars for sale. Try the smooth, mild Romeo y Julieta claro robustos or the stronger, darker Arturo Fuente maduro robustos.
I don't care if it's a chain or not, everyone should give some business to Sullivan's. It was the 3rd out of 3 steakhouses we visited while my parents were in town, and definitely the best out of the 3 not only because of the food, but because of the service.
Steaks were obviously great, but I was really won over by the sides. Yes, I'm one of those people who gets more excited about side dishes than steak... but at Sullivan's, both were great. We tried an awful lot of sides, but my favorites were the creamed corn and au gratin potatoes -- such total bliss. The horseradish mashed potatoes were amazing too, and not TOO horseradish-y, which is good for me. The creamed spinach was great, the mushrooms were great, everything was great! AND they brought us out an extra sweet potato casserole because they heard us talking about how excited we were to try it! Now that's fantastic service.
But it gets even better! After we ordered dessert, we told our waitress about how Sullivan's was our favorite of the 3 steakhouses we had visited. And she told the manager, and he told her to COMP OUR DESSERT! How nice is that? (It was yummy, too -- souffle.)
I think Sullivan's should teach lessons in how to win over lifelong customers. It probably didn't cost them TOO much to comp us a side dish and dessert, but it seemed like a very grand gesture to us, and it ensured that we'll be back -- multiple times. AND, they give free refills on soda, which is another small gesture (soda cannot possibly cost a restaurant that much, I HATE restaurants that charge per glass) that made us VERY happy indeed.
Our service was as great as the food, and the restaurant was not crowded at all. More people should come here. Although, as others have pointed out, it does have a faint cigar smell, but it didn't bother me at all. I'd much rather give my business to Sullivan's than to certain other hoity-toity steakhouses. Definitely worth 5 stars!
First of all, get the onion rings. The crispy and delicious treats arrive as a fabulous golden tower. Yum.
I have to admit that Sullivans was not what I expected. Rather, the ambiance and decor weren't quite what I expected. I thought it would be a little sexier and swank. Instead, it's very much an Old Boys Club.
I noticed a lot of older dudes wearing cell phones on their belts, jeans and golf shirts emblazoned with their company's logo. Really? Is that what you wear on a nice night out? Come on guys. Let's class it up a bit. It's not Chili's.
The food was delicious. Since they offer a lot of sides and salads, it's possible to avoid a total gutbuster of a night. But it's hard to not clean your plate since everything tastes so f'ing good.
The smoking ban took care of cigar smoke in the lounge.
This is one of my favorite steakhouses in Chicago. My husband and I ate here 4 years ago and the setting was soooo intimate upstairs. We've returned on a few more occastions but it was with co-workers that I found out their special. Every Thursday everything on the bar menu is half priced. $5.00 STEAK...ya can't beat it!
I tried this place out for Restaurant week with a group of friends and family. I was pleasantly surprised when they offered real full sized entrees instead of skimpy offerings for the price fixed menu.
The bleu cheese wedge was really good despite the excess of dressing.
The house red Cabernet (Raymond's estate?) was yummy.
I tried some of the other cuts that everyone ordered and I really liked both the Kansas strip and the Ribeye (more so than my filet)
I am deducting have a star because my filet mignon had a grainy mouth feel to it that reminded me of overdone meat although it was rare.
Also another half a star, i hate it when my steak NEEDS steak sauce. And this one did....
I visited Sullivan's Steakhouse last Saturday night with my family and boyfriend. After reading many positive reviews about Sullivans, I was excited to experience what everyone had been raving about. We arrived right on time and were seated in about five minutes. Before we sat, we were offered complimentary "mint like" martinis (which i could have passed on but was appreciated).
They had a nice seafood special that night but who goes to a steakhouse to eat seafood? Everyone order something different (Filets, New York Strip, Prime Rib) but I must say my filet was exactly what I wanted and needed. Much like all the other reviews, the Au Gratin Potatoes are to DIE FOR and are a prefect side dish to share with another person.
I would highly recommend Sullivans, my one suggestion would be to skip or eat a lite lunch before going :) Enjoy!
In my opinion this place is awesome.
Judging by the reviews from other people they were not aware of the fact that Sullivan's is basically a cigar bar. In fact, it's one of not many great cigar bar's in the city. So if you don't enjoy or can't deal with cigar smoke don't go there, never mind the food or expensive drinks.
Music, atmosphere and the food is somewhat what i would expect from a decent cigar bar, and in my experience there last night everything was quite nice.
The fact that the drinks are a little overpriced, i don't mind. In fact to be able to enjoy a nice cigar (and for that i recommend a cigar shop across the street next to VTK, instead of the stuff available at the front) i would pay even couple of dollars more.
I cannot believe i didn't come across this place before. My friends and I had a really good time just sitting in the bar area downstairs and smoking a cigar, chatting. We got there a little early so it was very easy to talk and even after people poured in and music got a little louder we were still able to carry on a conversation. So, couple of drinks, nice music and good friends combined with a smooth 1990 Vintage Rocky Patel made for a perfect evening.
Sullivan's is a true delight. Walking into the restaurant you know you are going to have a wonderful experience. I took my boyfriend there for dinner and I could not have been more happy with the service. Our waitress was wonderful, very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. I ordered a dirty martini, and they made it to perfection.
Since it was a special occasion we went all out and had a three course meal. I had the Cesar salad, while the boy had the iceberg salad. I would have liked a little more dressing on my salad, but his was to die for. I basically helped myself more to his then I had of mine.
I then had the crab stuffed shrimp. To say they were delicious would be an understatement. It was probably one of the best things I've had at a restaurant in a lonnnnnng time. For sides we had the mushrooms and the horseradish mashed potatoes. I think the mashed potatoes were my favorite part of the meal. They were soooooo good.
Since it was a special occasion I asked the waitress while my boyfriend was in the bathroom to bring him out something special. She told me that normally they brought a souffle out but I told her he wasn't really a souffle type of guy, so she offered the cheesecake. She brought it out with a sparkler and it was a perfect end to the meal.
I would recommend this place for any special occasion, or just to treat yourself. Great overall!!
I went here on a business lunch with high expectations (based on a previous dinner), I have to say, this is not a "happening" restautant for lunch. We were one of three tables filled with patrons from noon-130p. Pretty surprising if you know the history of this place.
I ordered a burger because steak for lunch isn't my thing. I know is a bit sacrilegious at a steakhouse but those places cook the best burgers using the best beef. I'd give it a 8 out of ten. Pretty good but not great. Juicy at first bite but not pink at all in the middle.
I highly reccommend the business lunch special that includes, one meat, one potato and one soup or salad. I saw so much food included in that meal!! Plus, it gives a first-time Sullivans diner a taste of everything.
What bothered me about Sullivans was the service. Our waitress could barely speak English. This wasn't a cute James Bond "girl" foreign accent; I couldn't understand much of what she said. She didn't know the menu well and was absent for much of the meal.
Try Sullivan's out for dinner if you want the true "old-time" Chicago Steakhouse dining experience.
Your classic high-class steakhouse ambiance with great food and attentive service. The menu items are pricey and bottles of wine are overpriced but I guess you would expect that at a fancy steakhouse. This dinner was not on my dime so I had a great time but for the 5 people I was with the tab was $600 with tip. If you are looking for a elegant steakhouse check this place out. But If you are looking for something more on the cutting edge, this is not the place for you.
Must try dishes: Giant Scallops in a spicy Thai sauce, Beef Tartar
Very good steaks in a town known for steakhouses. Service was good to excellent. Can be noisy on a busy night (as was the night when I was there) so hard to carry on a conversation with a group. Bar atmosphere was very good, piano player, rich wood and leather. But the restaurant itself is nothing special. Suggest the $5 Martini Thursdays.
If you like smelling like a stinky cigar all night, and smelling stinky cigar all night, this place is for you. Seriously, my skin smells so bad right now I could throw up. My leather purse reeks.
I just can't enjoy a dining experience in a place that smells so bad, and I'm seriously considering knocking it back to two stars because of how bad I smell right now, simply from being in the restaurant.
And anh, the food is fine. My steak was good, but I just don't have enough experience with steak places to know how good my steak actually was. I don't like steak enough to make this sort of place a regular part of my dining out repertoire. I also just can't get behind a meal that is essentially a hunk of meat on a plate, with sides costing extra. Not my thing.
But I guess if you like this sort of thing, then it's a perfectly acceptable place to eat this sort of thing.
With clients in from out of town we did the usual... sight see, Steak and Bar afterwards. Rather than meander into Divorcee/Gold Digger/Viagra Triangle we decided to go off the beaten Path to Sullivan's.
I have been many times before. Upstairs Private Room, Apps in the Cigar Bar, dinner at the bar. First time sitting in the Main Dining Room. Our waiter was great and attentive, quite an extensive wine list and a fantastic Meal.
I've never had a bad meal at Sullivan's, ever! The steak has always been seasoned and cooked perfectly medium rare. I normally fluxuate between the Filet Mignon and New York Strip Steak. And my eyes are always bigger than my tummy. I love their wedge salad with blue cheese dressing. I loved it so much I asked them one time if they bottled it up for guests to buy! I have had stone cold crabs here also and they were good, although I prefer the Alaskan and King Crab better. The service has always been very friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. The wine list is pretty good and very well priced. The room has a very classic, Chicago steakhouse feel to it and is beautifully laid out. I highly recommend Sullivan's for that special occasion night out to celebrate.
Live Jazz, amazing food, cigar bar. Enough said?
This place puts Gibson's and Smith & Wilenski's to shame.
I've been to them, they were dry and flavorless at best.
Sullivans is on the high side price wise but the food makes it worth it.
I highly recommend the Filet Oscar.
Filet Mignon on a bed of asparagus topped with lump crab meat and holandaise sauce. Good Lord does it get any better than that?
Top the meal off with a cigar and a nice Courvoissier Napoleon and I'm spent.
I went to Sullivan's 2 weeks ago for drinks Friday after work. The group of people I was with were all lawyers who knew each other- I was the odd-insurance-girl-out, who knew only a few of the hosts. This has really nothing to do with my review, just thought I would set the scene.
Anyway, Sullivan's. We spent the whole night downstairs in the bar area. This whole place screams pretention, but I got so plowed on Guinness and then entirely-too-expensive pomegranite martinis, (NOT a good combination, for the record) that the rest of the night, quite frankly, is a blur. I just remember thinking that it was very pricey, the jazz trio in the corner were playing some really weird selections, (The Police, etc.) and that Sullivans didn't really have or do anything that Gibsons, Smith and Wollensky, and others haven't already done. And that I certainly wasn't their target demographic.
It wasn't a terrible night, though. Service was good, the company turned out to be fun, and it wasn't too crowded. But choose somewhere else for the casual Friday night post-work drinking. Save Sullivan's for dates and expense accounts.
We had dinner at the new location in Lincolnshire, and will definitely be back again. The food and the service was great, even though they had only been open 2 weeks. You could taste the fresh quality in the ingredients and cuts of meat and fish. I'm not a blue cheese fan, but their wedge salad with blue cheese dressing was pretty darn good. Their drinks and wine list also deserve a nod. The wine list offers a nice selection by the glass and bottle, and the martini's are smooth but can sneak up on you. The only thing that still needs some work is the decor. Way too many mirrors on the wall, and I'm not really a fan of black table clothes. For good food though, I can look past the other items.
3-course meal for $39.95
Neighborhood: Near North Side
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Neighborhood: Near North Side
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Category: Steakhouses
Neighborhood: Near North Side
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Category: Steakhouses
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Steakhouses
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Steakhouses
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