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Reviews, get directions and information for El Che Steakhouse & Bar

El Che Steakhouse & Bar
"El Che Steakhouse & Bar is Executive Chef/Partner John Manion’s homage to Argentina's beloved asados, those traditional backyard barbecues featuring platters of rustic flame-finished grilled beef. This Argentinian-influenced steakhouse, located just beyond the West Loop’s famed “restaurant row,” has built a reputation as Chicago's go-to destination for beef, wine and live-fire cooking. A 12-foot custom-built grill serves as the inspiration for El Che’s menu, which includes South American-tinged meats, seasonal vegetables, seafood and novel barrio-inflected snacks. Its heat — both figuratively and literally — can be felt throughout the restaurant, especially at the Chef’s Counter and Hearth Table located directly in front of it."
Address: 845 W Washington Blvd , Chicago 60607, IL, US
Phone: +1 312-265-1130
State: IL
City: Chicago
Zip Code: 60607


Opening Hours

Tuesday: 17:00-22:00
Wednesday: 17:00-22:00
Thursday: 17:00-22:00
Friday: 17:00-23:00
Saturday: 17:00-23:00


related searches: Creekstone Chicago, STK Chicago, El Che menu, El Che Chicago menu, Chicago Cut, Swift and Sons, El Che Chicago reviews, Swift and Sons Chicago
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Reviews
El Che Steakhouse was a wonderful experience paying homage to the power of simple, delicious, high quality ingredients with excellent preparation. I was able to start off with scallops, oysters, and shrimp which were prepared on the grill delivering a lovely cross of the delicate taste of seafood with that deep flavor you can only get from a grill. We also enjoyed the wedge salad. I really appreciated it as the lettuce was nice and crisp with thoughtful toppings. It provided a nice palate cleanse from all the grilled meats. We tried the sweetbread, a meat I have never had before but believe it is a cut from around the throat. Honestly, I was so happy to have tried it. It has almost the texture of fish but the flavor of grilled beef. The sweetbread provided a really interesting and tasty experience that I would most certainly repeat. Next was the dry aged ribeye and the meat was so nice and tender packed with flavor on a perfect medium rare preparation. I would be curious to try more and see what magic they work with different cuts of beef. Last but not least, I sat at the bar for my meal and was able to talk with the lead bar tender while we ate. She was super passionate about the work she did and it really showed up in the drinks. I have had several cocktails off the menu and would recommend any of them. If you are a fan of steak and seafood, do yourself a favor and visit El Che Steakhouse. I would happily return to enjoy a meal here and am ready to try a few more drinks from that goregous cocktail menu.
We LOVED the chef's counter experience for my birthday. The entire team was incredibly attentive, friendly and informative. We had a great night with Alex and Chefs Adam, Sam, and Jimmy. I hope I remembered everyone's names right! The food was absolutely delightful and we walked away without being able to pick a single favorite. We came up with a top 5 instead in no particular order: oyster, grilled shrimp, quail, agnolotti, steak + lobster with lobster butter....so half the menu! The other half was delicious too. They even made my fiance - who hates seafood - say some of the seafood items were his favorite. They were also incredibly accommodating of our requests. We did not do the wine pairing but Alex was super helpful in helping me pick a few glasses for the meal. We thoroughly loved it and will be back for another meal soon. My pictures don't even do it justice - and I forgot to take pictures halfway through because I could not wait to dig in. One tip if you're doing this: dress accordingly. It does get balmy, you're sitting 10 feet from a live burning fire after all.
My friends and I chose this place based on Instagram and reviews and the food did not disappoint! Sadly, our server reduced the quality of our experience. There was crazy traffic and we were going to be over 45 minutes late, so we called to see if we could change our reservation. They told us they were very booked but they would see what they could do when we got there. When we got there we were seated right away. The hostess just told us we had a time limit on our table which was much better than not getting to eat!! So, we REALLY appreciated that! Everything we had was amazing! I'm from Louisiana and the oysters were good. Not like Louisiana, but still good. The mashed potatoes were a small bowl of love and the steak was absolute perfection! I can't say enough about the food! Our server came to the table and never introduced himself. He immediately asked if we knew what we wanted to order. We asked for water and ordered a few drinks. When he came back my friend basically had to flag him down to ask questions. He didn't seem overly busy or hurried just uninterested in helping us. We had to drag answers out of him instead of him telling us the specials or giving suggestions. We asked our questions and our answers were short and made us feel uncomfortable asking anything. Shortly after we received our food, we heard him explain specials, offer drink suggestions and go above and beyond for the table next to us. When we asked him about it, he said we already knew what we wanted and didn't give him a chance to explain anything. Later, a manager stopped at our table and asked how things were and we told him what happened. He was extremely polite and apologized. He brought my friend a drink and when he came back to the table he stayed for a while and talked to us. He gave us other restaurant suggestions for the rest of our trip. He was very appreciated and made our visit a little more enjoyable.
tl;dr version- Amazing. Can't give more than 5 stars, but I would if I could. My husband and I have been wanting to try a Chef's Table experience for a long time. When we knew we were coming to Chicago and it happened to be on my birthday, I looked up options for the experience in this area and found El Che. After reading some of the reviews, I decided to go ahead and book it- and let me tell you, from what I read off those reviews, my expectations were set pretty high despite having never tried a chef's table experience before. All that to say- I seriously couldn't have asked for a more wonderful birthday dinner. The food was *incredible*. Delicious, complex, flavorful, comforting while simultaneously challenging and full of depth, each bite was a journey into bliss, with an Argentinian twist. I tried food that I would have never tried on my own, and I have to say I really, really enjoyed each and every item. From the chefs to the waiters to everyone else I met, the service was friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and professional. Watching the chefs work to create dishes for the rest of the restaurant as well as ours!, getting to ask questions about the food, such as how or why a particular dish or item was done the way it was, was so incredible. Alex, and everyone else I bothered were happy to answer any questions we had- no matter how silly they might have been. I learned a lot and have a bunch of new ideas of things to try at home! We chose not to do a wine or beverage package, but we had plenty of amazing recommendations from the drinks menu to enjoy with our meal. We didn't get to meet John Manion that evening, but to be honest and no offense to John, I'm sure he's lovely we never felt the lack. I will definitely be back and I am so grateful I chose this experience for my Chicago birthday dinner! This is truly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Please note, these photos are by me, a VERY bad photographer with absolutely NO training under my belt. Please excuse any photos where bites have already been taken- I had a hard time remembering I should photograph the food first, THEN eat! Also, when you book this experience, they aren't joking when they say it gets warm. You're right next to the fire which I LOVED and all the action, but dress for it! Suit coats or even long sleeves would be pretty hot.
Fantastic dinner for my anniversary! It wasn’t too busy when we first came in and it picked up significantly throughout the night. Our waiter Kai was fantastic and made great recommendations. Highly recommend coming in and checking it out.
Came to El Che for a happy hour and dinner. The entire experience was a perfect 5 stars. From the drinks, to the service, to the food. One of the best steaks I've ever had!Dine in: YesOutdoor seating: NoTakeout: Yes
Dined solo for Restaurant Week and enjoyed it from beginning to end! The atmosphere felt romantic, casual, and comfortable. My main server was Julio but three others helped as well—they were all attentive and friendly without being overbearing. I ordered the whipped ricotta that came with warm, lightly toasted bread. The menu said “focaccia” but it looked more like ciabatta to me—I didn’t mind, I would’ve preferred ciabatta anyway. Then came the savory and mildly spicy pork shoulder stew, which was dense and more filling than it looked. Next, the steak frites came perfectly medium rare, and finally the tres leches cake was sweet and light. I only wish was that the cake was spongy—it felt cloudy like an angel food cake. But overall, it was an amazing meal with great flavors and diversity of textures. I look forward to coming back for their regular menu.
Here's what you need to know: this is a review of the 'Hearth Table' experience that's only purchasable on the restaurant reservation platform "Tock". It's a family style meal experience where the the menu is pre set by the restaurant for $100/diner + T&T. Overall, the service and ambiance make for a 5 star experience. The quality of the steaks and sausages I would rate 3 stars quite Underwhelming but the overall rating warrants a 5. Oh, and be ready to eat because it is SO MUCH FOOD on the hearth table. The hearth table experience is a great way to bring in a celebratory night. The restaurant allows for seating of 6-10 and all participants must participate in the experience. If you're celebrating a special occasion and want to pair that with a nice rare Wine, they so allow BYOB with corkage $45/bottle for up to 2 std sized bottles of your own wine. For the food, we started off with an outrageously delicious olive bowl with assorted Spanish style olives in warm Olive oil brine. Then we moved on to an empanada and endive salad which was a perfect combination pair. Then on the stupendously well seasoned quail poultry plate with delicious croutons. Next was the super indulgent warm seafood platter with oysters, prawns, and lobster tails. That was chased with the grand offering of their signature meat platter filled to the brim with sweetbreads, short ribs, blood sausage, chorizo, and massive ribeyes. Surprisingly, the red meat platter was decent but the weakest of the courses when it came to seasoning and quality. Short ribs were a little too fatty and rubbery, ribeye was average quality. We finished with a dessert platter which had amazingly delish alfajores and ice creams. Overall, great celebrating. Bill was $135 for food with tax and tip included, and the rest was for cocktails and bottles of wine which varies for each party
Visited for dinner on a Saturday evening. I recommend reservations if you want a table, there were open seats at the bar though. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The beef empanadas and Japanese sweet potatoes were delicious. The filet and steak frites were cooked perfectly and tasted great. The rum old fashioned was different and good. The only item we did not like was the sundae. The herbs and nuts flavors were a bit overwhelming.
Went here with a group of friends for my birthday this year and we had an AMAZING time! All of the staff was very kind and attentive. The food itself was all cooked and seasoned to perfection. We ordered the bone marrow, Tomahawk steak, fries, brussels sprouts and broccolini and they all were delicious. Would highly recommend to anyone checking out the West Loop.
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