2016 top independent restaurants in Chicagoland
2016 top independent restaurants in Chicagoland
By Restaurant Business Staff on Oct. 04, 2016Ten of the Top 100 Independents operate in the windy city, and another three are located in Chicago's suburbs. This list of restaurants is heavy on steakhouses, with some seafood and Italian for good measure.
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse (Chicago)
Top 100 Rank: 8
Annual Sales: $23,636,657
Average Check: $73
The Buzz: Brunch and egg dishes are now served daily from 11 a.m., but steak is the calling card.
Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
Top 100 Rank: 14
Annual Sales: $21,600,000*
Average Check: $76
The Buzz: The first of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises' Joe’s Seafood restaurants, it opened in 1999.
*RB estimate
David Burke Primehouse
Top 100 Rank: 23
Annual Sales: $19,300,000*
Average Check: $95*
The Buzz: Breakfast, lunch and dinner served in an elegant steakhouse in The James Chicago hotel.
*RB estimate
Bob Chinn’s Crab House
Top 100 Rank: 26
Annual Sales: $18,426,078
Average Check: $36
The Buzz: Added a new side for fresh seafood: Okinaw Sweet Potato Pie.
Shaw’s Crab House
Top 100 Rank: 34
Annual Sales: $17,300,000*
Average Check: $65*
The Buzz: An upscale seafood restaurant and midscale oyster bar together, both serving top-quality fish and seafood.
*RB estimate
Chicago Cut Steakhouse
Top 100 Rank: 36
Annual Sales: $17,200,000*
Average Check: $75*
The Buzz: A 100-seat patio that's open in nice weather yields a postcard view of the Chicago River and surrounding skyscrapers.
*RB estimate
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse (Rosemont)
Top 100 Rank: 43
Annual Sales: $16,868,128
Average Check: $70
The Buzz: Performing nearby, Justin Bieber got steak takeout meals for his 17-person crew.
Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse
Top 100 Rank: 63
Annual Sales: $15,100,000*
Average Check: $48*
The Buzz: Unfortunately, their former announcer isn’t here to see the resurgence of his beloved Chicago Cubs.
*RB estimate
Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse (Oak Brook)
Top 100 Rank: 68
Annual Sales: $14,731,787
Average Check: $72
The Buzz: Coming in winter of 2016: The Oaks at Gibsons Oak Brook, a 6,000-square-foot addition primarily for private dining.
Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House
Top 100 Rank: 69
Annual Sales: $14,708,983
Average Check: $64
The Buzz: Russell Kook, former excecutive chef at Chicago Cut Steakhouse, took over Hugo’s kitchen in July.
Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar
Top 100 Rank: 87
Annual Sales: $13,562,185
Average Check: $29
The Buzz: Gibsons Restaurant Group’s restaurant and wine bar is helmed by chef-partner John Coletta.
Tavern on Rush
Top 100 Rank: 89
Annual Sales: $13,363,304
Average Check: $72
The Buzz: Seasonal menu items are added four at a time, four times a year, to keep the menu fresh.
Greek Islands
Top 100 Rank: 99
Annual Sales: $12,200,000
Average Check: $31
The Buzz: Kontosouvi (pork on a spit) was 2015’s most popular menu addition.