Easily my favorite steakhouse in Chicago. They have awesome grilled calamari. I get the one they do spicy with Jalepenos. I've had the veal chop for lunch and its by far the best veal chop I've ever had. Other than that I go for dinner and get the bone in Ribeye. Erie Cafe is simply the best! read more

The Grilled Calamari is to die for...buttery smooth and tender. Making my mouth water just thinking about it. The Caprese Salad as well...the best mozzarella. The wait staff is A+. The Owners are far beyond incredible hosts. Old school classic but for the modern palette. Excellent! read more

Love this place! Came here for Mother's Day with the family. My parents live in Milwaukee so wanted to get out for the weekend. I came across this place by searching for restaurants. The food was amazing and the service was great! This place is pretty expensive but it was well worth the price. I highly recommend for special occasions. Also the area the restaurant is located is adorable. There is a nice park across the street and there is free street parking outside the restaurant. I would come back here again for sure! read more

If you're looking for old timie chicago, you got it right here, solid from soup to nutz - its beautiful food, the odds of you leaving hungry are slim to zero read more

I think it is a very good restaurant. The food was outstanding the sausage with peppers was cook to perfection. The garbage salad was to die for. I have never tasted veal that tender. I will love to know where they buy there veal just great. All the workers where very helpful very professional. Last but not least the owner Ron Lenzi couldn't be so pleasant. Wonderful person plus excellent desert. I highly recommend it. read more

Went there for a late dinner with some friends. We sat on the patio and it's dog friendly so we brought two of our dogs. Dinner was nice, and for the price you get a lot of food. Only reason why they're getting 3 stars is they allow smoking on the patio and we were surrounded by men smoking cigars that was just an awful smell to be around during dinner. I thought it was illegal to smoke on patios now ? Anyway, we asked to moved tables to avoid the smoke which didn't help cause I swear every table was smoking. If it wasn't for the cigars they would get 5 stars because the service was amazing and food delicious. read more

First time at this restaurant. I had Chicken Vesuvio which was good but lacked the necessary splices. The service was outstanding and the atmosphere was equally inviting. Will return to many of their disches. read more

For this place to call itself a steakhouse is criminal. For a $60 piece of meat I should be wowed. I wasn't. The steak was cooked fine but bland. The calimari was rubbery and it was the first time I've had it with no breading so I was expecting something special. Nope. The Ceasar salad with chicken was also bland as were the meatballs. And the service was also bland. Disinterested server with no personality who never smiled. Overall I will never go here again, I will not recommend this place, and I will actively tell people about the lousy experience we had. read more

The Erie is as accessible as any restaurant in the Downtown / River North area of Chicago. A very friendly atmosphere coupled with a unique setting ( an old Chicago meat packing facility) makes for a fine dining experience. The main event is steak,,, real steak! The menu does offer other entrees but the star of the plate is the steak. And don't miss their garbage salad as an opener to the meal experience!! The ambiance is bustle-busy but without the deafening roar of so many restaurants of the same ilk. And the wait-staff know just how to make you and your guests feel very special and well attended. And the steaks??? Better than outstanding..... ! read more

The patio i thought was the best attraction to the cafe though the waiter kept on forgetting the drinks we ordered (multiple times) and the steak was pretty BLAAHHHH read more

I am so disappointed! After seeing all the great reviews I expected so much more. I had the filet Mignon and it came out burnt and dry. It is by far the worst steak I've ever had. I asked for medium rare and it came out medium and it was burnt to a crisp on the outside. Not to mention, there was no flavor to the steak what so ever. The ambiance was very nice and the service was average. However the food killed it and I will never go back there. read more

Delicious - we went with a group of about 6 girls and sat outside to enjoy a warmer summer evening. If you are going to sit outside at night, try to request a table more in the enter of the patio or you will risk bug bites from the nearby bushes (we all ended up bitten the next day). Food is delicious and portions are VERY generous, if you are looking for a more reasonable option (menu can be $pricey) a great tip is to order 1/2 orders, of course they don't outright say that the option is available but it's a great way to go. The portions are still MORE than generous - one of my friends and I split a half order of gnocchi and still couldn't finish it. Also highly recommend the side of potatoes. Great place to go and share food with a wide variety on the menu. read more

After reading a lot of fellow Yelpers pan this place unmercilessly, I was a little nervous prior to coming. Thankfully their negativity didn't cloud my judgment. I have to give a big thumbs down to the decor. There is nothing cozy about this place. Its one of the most boring interiors to any restaurant that I have ever been to in Chicago. Thankfully, you don't come to a restaurant for the decor. For those who complain about the prices, I wonder what your expectations were? The prices for this place are nothing unusual when it comes to Chicago steakhouses. If anything, the prices were a bit lower than I expected. You can get a plethora of menu options in the $18-$27 range and there is nothing wrong with that. Steaks range from $30-$45, which is typical for this market. I got the Linguini Frutti Di Mare and it was OUTSTANDING. The sauce had just the right amount of flavor and spice and the portions were HUGE. I was able to eat the leftovers for lunch the following day and dinner the night after. My wife got the Chicken Ciaciatore, and that was wonderful as well. For appetizers, we got the Blue Cheese Ravioli (good, but not great as the blue cheese overpowered the ravioli) but the grilled calamari was excellent. The sauce was excellent...very tasty. We got a dessert tray sampler and just about everything was wonderful. The coconut ice cream was a nice touch. You don't find that everywhere. To the reviewer that said the restaurant doesn't have a wine list, that's just plain false. The wine list was rather large actually with a lot of nice, mid-priced, selections. We were in a large party of 12 and the service was good, but not great. We arrived early, around 6pm and despite the restaurant being half empty at that time, our server wasn't nearly as attentive as he could have been initially, but the service improved as the night went along. Overall, I would definitely go back based on the food quality we received. Service and decor were just average, so for a full experience we would probably go elsewhere, but the food alone warrants the 4 star review. read more

Great food but service... Not so much. My husband and I went to Erie Cafe on Saturday evening before going to the theatre. Since it was early evening, our server only had 3 tables. However, it was all we could do to flag him down. That said, the food was good and valet parking was free. read more

Between the over priced menu, bad and very slow service, overcharging my card, the food being nothing special, and the RAT picking up food on the ground between the tables outside, all else was grate. Never going back. read more

I have been eating at the Erie Cafe for the past 8 years. The food is consistently first-rate and the staff is consistently friendly and accommodating. I held a business dinner there a week ago and, as always, requested that Boz be our server. He is attentive, friendly, good-humored and--get this--never takes a note when taking down the orders from (in this case) 15 people. My guests came from os Angeles and, to a person, they said they were hugely satisfied with their food and loved the service and atmosphere. The Erie Cafe and Boz rock! read more

The outdoor dining area seemed like a good idea for a summer night, but it was terrible. They allow cigar smoking, and we had to leave because there was so much cigar smoke we were overwhelmed. Add to that the food is extremely overpriced, and nothing special in terms of preparation. A bad experience overall. read more

Very disappointed in outdoor dining tonight. The waiter was inattentive , preferring to spend his time waiting on table with young women showing lots of cleavage. Food was good as usual although it took too long to receive. A real deterrent to not returning for awhile read more

I wear my heart on my heart so here is my review of a Chicago favorite that was recommended to us by a trusted local. We had order the grilled calamari based on previous reviews and it was quite excellent. The raviolis with brie cheese were also superb. We ordered 3 steaks. One bone-in ribeye, and two filet mignon. The bone-in ribeye steak was to our guests' liking. The two filets were disappointing in that they were not properly seasoned at all (not even S&P) prior to cooking. As you know, a filet is a lean cut of meat, there is no fat to render and provide flavor, so seasoning is a must. These steaks were just that, a bland cut of meat that had no flavor. Very disappointed in the main entree as I said, the restaurant was recommended to us by a trusted local resident of Chicago. Sides and desserts were okay. The thick cut potatoes were bland as well. They were not salted when they came out of the fryer so they tasted like a fried, starchy, potato. EC accommodated crediting one of the two steaks as our guest had taken one bite and pushed here plate away and not eating more. read more

Third time there and we won't be back. Service was slow and uncaring. We ordered entree's including pork chop and pasta w basil. Pasta was tasteless and when we told server he shrugged and walked away. Pork chop could have been good. It it was raw inside. Finally waited for 10 minutes for server to come by and get it to be cooked more. After 20 more minutes the chop came back to the table half the size, burned and inedible. The server said "I told the chef he cooked it too much" as he dropped it off and swiftly left. This food and service was far from professional and we will not return. read more

I came here for my birthday and was so impressed - the service was incredible. The waiter didn't bother us but showed up as soon as we looked up for him - it was great! The food was great also - good variety on the menu. I recommend the lamb chops! read more

Always great service. My finace and I go in and sit at the bar sometimes and the service is sometimes slower there than at a table cause they only have 2 bartenders but its all good, its great atmosphere. Old school steak joint with a neighborhood feel. Grilled calamari is the best I have ever had. Try and score a seat outside if you can in the summer read more

http://www.steakonaplate.com/steakhouse-ratings/v10commentary 05/15/2015 Steak: 1.0...Contrary to what women say, bigger does not always mean better. The size of the medium rare bone-in was massive but unfortunately the flavor was non-existent. ​I only ate a tenth of the steak ​where as usually I am gnawing on the bone. Drinks: 2.5: Wine was unimpressive and not memorable. Ambiance: 1.0...The "classic steakhouse" feel went out the door once you walked in the door. We waited 15 minutes for our reservation. We were sat​ given menu's and then no one returned for 20 minutes. Not sure our waiter stopped by other than to finally take our order. And if the whole experience wasn't bad enough, when we were paying the bill, a server carrying a folding table smashed it right into the back of one of our buddy's head, looked at him and kept walking. At this point of the evening I was pretty fed up and complained to the manager which at least got us a free round of drinks. Sides: 1.5...Peas and onions were bland, ​Erie Potatoes should be thrown into Lake Erie not eaten. ​Was done with the spinach after one bite. The only tolerable item were the broiled whole mushrooms. ​ ​To better explain how horrible the meal was, I came home drunk and ate a turkey wrap because I couldn't even get myself to finish my meal. And PS the wrap was the best thing I ate all night read more

Came here on a Saturday night with a date. It was your quintessential Italian restaurant, complete with really old pictures of people I've never seen before covering the walls and almost all decor and amenities made of wood. This place is a block and a half from my apartment so I've always wanted to try it but never did. I'm glad I made the trip. One thing I will say is that I'm grading this as far as what Erie Cafe is trying to be. Compared to Olive Garden it's Piccolo Sogno/Spiaggia, but compared to Piccolo Sogno/Spiaggia it's Olive Garden. They don't try to be super upscale classy trendy and adventurous, just a really solid Italian restaurant with a typically huge menu. With that said, I will give them a near 5 star rating. The service was good, nothing too personal or entertaining but that's never expected. They brought everything out in a timely manner. We started with the fried ravioli with blue cheese and this dish was the only thing that kept me from delivering a perfect rating. Too much blue cheese on top, for me, it wasn't even necessary at all. Next time I order this I'm going to ask for no blue cheese. The ravioli was amazing though, reminded me of pizza rolls and who doesn't like pizza rolls? Got me through college. I got the filet mignon which was a big fat piece of meat cooked just the way I like it - rare plus. My date got the whitefish which was also very well cooked and delicious. It was a pretty massive size as well. I wanted to try the spumoni but since I lived to close, I thought an "after dinner drink" at my place would be more appropriate. I'd definitely come back here, super solid food and seems like a great place to have a gathering or pregame dinner. Not your upscale fine dining establishment but again, it doesn't try to be. read more

So i took my lady here for Valentine's Day and I'll just start by saying screw your reservation. We arrived at 8:39 for a 8:45 reservation . Was told there was a 20 min wait , I'm thinking at that point ok that's fine , though we had a reservation I didn't find it necessary to make a big deal, so I headed over to the bar where I noticed there were over 20 couples waiting to be seated who had 8:00 reservations . At that point I got pissed but yet instead I kept calm and had a drink . 30 mins later I'm still sitting at the bar as I see a couple come in who obviously knows the manager get seated . No forking way was I letting this go unnoticed I walked up to the manager and told him to please show me there reservation he acted as if he was dumb then. " I seat you now " was his next words which pissed everyone else off that was waiting before me but hey a close mouth don't get feed. Now I'm thinking finally the wait is over and my old lady can enjoy dinner. Boy was I wrong . It's about 9:30 now and our server was this little Italian guy which I will go on and say was PROB the best thing about the restaurant. That's another story though. He got us a drinks and we started with the crab cakes as appetizer. It was very delicious. I was so excited now thinking the food was about to be epic. Nope not at all we order our app and entree at 9:45 the app came and the entrees was obviously being shipped by ups standard delivery Because it took for ever to receive it. Time to be exact 1hr. Now I'm pissed our waiter did all he could to make our experience better so I found it not necessary to give him a headache but to be patient. Like old magic our plates appear . Ugly as f#ck no love put in it at all The presentation was just meat on a plate (no pint intended). Now it gets interesting I ordered the broiled strip med cooked. It was so over cooked that I swear to god I thought it was a dog treat. I tried to have a bite but nope there was no flavor at all I asked for a1 which any steak house should automatically take offense to , it's like asking red bull for a monster. Though I didn't think much was wrong with my lady food until I seen her filet was rare and she hates rare . At this point it was mandatory to speak with the manager who was sitting next to us having dinner with what looked to be his son and his date , he comes over asked what was wrong, we told him and his answer was " I haven't had a complaint all night" are you serious at no point do you address a customer that way. Now I lost it. I told him " to get me something else or comp the order which was clearly not touched" he agreed to do so after the pissed off me entered the room. I didn't even bother waiting I asked for the check paid it and left. Never again will I ever try this place and never will I ever recommend it to anyone. As I didn't mention to them nor in this post until now but if these guys ever wanted to actually see how a customer experience should be at a place that has a 100 dollar steak I would like to invite them to my kitchen at the Peninsula CHICAGO hotel where I am chef de cuisine I will show those guys first hand each step they went wrong at and how no solid attempt was made to fix it. read more

Beware non smokers. Cigar and cigarette smoking allowed on patio so it is a popular spot for people who like to smoke and eat at the same time. Also allow dogs to dine on laps of patrons. Overlooked steak, lame iceberg lettuce salad, skimpy side of cottage fries and indifferent staff, all for $47. read more

We had high hopes for this place but very let down. Juan was our server and started out rough because we were talking and instead of letting us finish our sentence rudely interrupted and pretended it was our fault we we're in conversation. Ordered a ribeye and tbone medium rare. The ribeye came out well done and the manager Ross came and agreed it was overcooked. 25 minutes later the new steak came out which Ross brought out and without saying a word dropped the steak off and walked away. Our friend cut into the steak and found hardly even rare inside! The manager didn't even wait for us to cut in or to appologize. At this point we were over everything and the rudeness and just wanted to leave. Juan came out to box the food and stared at our friend sarcasticly like it was her fault she didn't finish the steak she had waited for all night after being sent back. Afterwards we felt we should see Ross and tell him that we were let down that he didn't even verify the new steak was done correctly. When we tried to tell him the issue he kept looking around and would not listen to our complaints. I actually had to say to this person "is there somewhere you have to be?!". Never would I have thought I would be treated this poorly. It makes sense why this place had so many reservations free... Stay away! read more

We went here for dinner on a weekend evening. The restaurant has a large well-lit interior and is located across the street from a park. There are a couple of dining areas at the front of the restaurant, a bar area in the middle and a large dining room in the back. We've been here for dinner in the past and have sat in the back dining room and also at the bar. On this visit we were seated in one of the front dining areas promptly after we arrived. The portions are very large. The wine list is a one-pager. Service is efficient, but not rushed. Recommended are the Chicken a la Vorda (chicken with sauteed peppers), the cottage fries (!), the grilled calamari appetizer (large enough to serve as an entree) and the sauteed broccoli. Entrees include the cottage fries and a house salad. The Chicken a la Vorda portions are large enough for 2 to share. read more

Is such a shame the service here is so bad because all the other variables are in place for a great restaurant. The ambiance in the place is sterile but outside is lovely(minus all the old men smoking cigars). The food is very good but the servers are not friendly and the service is just awful. When we complained we were sitting 20 minutes before someone came to take an appetizer or drink order it just got worse from there. They never came back to bring drinks and never came to bring our bill or take it once the credit card was given. We finally brought it to the manager who just charged us and while apologetic didn't do anything after telling him our service was just awful. I would have a difficult time returning. The servers are arrogant and I feel like that's where people go to die. There is no music inside and no ambiance whatsoever. If not for location and patio the place would never survive. My opinion get a new staff, take more pride in service, and the place might be worthy of a decent review. read more

One of the WORST experiences EVER. I was out with a group of friends the night of Taste of River North. We stopped in the Erie Cafe and was actually shocked we were able to be seated on the patio outside. Upon being seated I smelled a foul oder and I said to my friends is someone smoking a cigar. Sure enough the table behind us had a party of two men and one woman and the two men were puffing away on cigars. I immediately asked the server if they allowed smoking in their restaurant and was SHOCKED to learn they do allow cigar smoking. I immediately turned around and asked the patrons behind me if they could please put out their cigars as the smell was atrocious and physically makes me sick. Well these jerks didn't care who they offended and actually started blowing the smoke at our party. I got up and asked a server if I could speak to a manager. The server said the owner is sitting right there on the patio as well and i spoke to him. He blathered on about how the city of Chicago MADE him allow smoking as long as it was 15 feet outside the restaurant. I said to him this is going on IN your restaurant and it is YOUR restaurant and YOU can allow or not allow whatever you want. This patio is part of your restaurant. He offered to buy us a round of after dinner drinks and I told him I wasn't interested in getting a free drink I was interested in dining and breathing at the same time. Frustrated, I went back to our table and told the rude customer that he was indeed RUDE. The owner didn't seem to understand that by allowing these 2 jerks to smoke he was offending many customers. To make matters worse our server actually told me I needed to chill out. Besides the unspeakable service the food was mediocre....I'm being very kind with these remarks. I have had better food at dive truck stops. Will never be back read more

This place was wonderful! The atmosphere was great. Loud, but you can tell this is a local favorite. Everything we ordered was delicious! The cheese ravioli was to die for! The Veal scaloppini was perfect The creamed spinach was perfect. And to top it all off, the chocolate lava cake was to die for!! Would definitely recommend this to everyone! read more

First of all, the portions are really big here. Secondly, they are absolutely delicious. The $17 grilled calamari is completely worth the price. They use a house-made sauce for the calamari which will completely blow your mind away. In fact, you can also specially request dishes to be made and the cooks at the back will do it for you. So if you want a certain pasta dish with the same sauce as the grilled calamari, they will give it to you. The shrimp in the shrimp cocktails are gigantic and very fresh. I ended up getting the veal cutlet parmigiana. This was probably enough for a family of 4. The veal was cooked fantastic and smothered with cheese. The spaghetti worked blended perfectly when all of the flavors were combined. As I said, that dish alone would have lasted me for at least 4 dinners. My friend got a lobster Diavolo but had them add in grilled green and red peppers and onions. The lobster tail was enormous and this alone could have been a dish for a family of 4. After eating, I couldn't believe that I had never been there before. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Both the service and the food were terrible. There are WAY too many restaurants, especially steakhouses, in Chicago that would leave you happier. When a steakhouse sends a well done steak out when a medium was ordered, you know there is a problem. read more

I was there with a group of "Ladies and Gents who Lunch.". I had Grilled Calamari. It was spicy, delicious, and plentiful. One lady had the soup which she enjoyed and it smelled good. Many of the ladies, at my table, had a large shrimp entree (sorry, I forgot which shrimp entree) but everyone at my table was pleased with the food and service. We were there Nov 2014. I plan to return when it's warmer weather so I can sit on the patio. read more

A very disappointing evening. Everything is significantly overpriced and of mediocre quality. I ordered a filet, cooked medium. It was overcooked, dry, and tasteless. The home fries were simply thick cut chips (and cold at that), and the salad was nothing but iceberg lettuce with one tomato wedge. My companions had similar experiences. The setting at the end of Erie St. is lovely, the decor has a nice old Chicago vibe, but the food is barely ok. Don't waste your time or money here. read more

Very poor service. They are so unpleasant, they spilled my coffee, not saying a word about it. All the time, waiters are so busy, trying to get people up to speed... You either order the stake here or you will be treated as someone who is not welcomed. Wanted to come back and taste the specialties from the menu, but after this awful service and such a bad treatment, no way! read more

I'm shocked by all the good reviews this place seems to get. I've been here twice now, and I'm not sure I've ever had a more flavorless steak at any restaurant short of the Olive Garden (yeah, I *should* know better), much less one that bills themselves as a Chicago style steakhouse. I've had both the bone-in ribeye and the filet - in theory the two tastiest cuts one can eat - and both times I left the restaurant craving a steak that actually tastes like a steak. The sides, though, are pretty solid, but both times the service has been very mediocre. The steak itself is on the cheaper side for a steakhouse, but if I'm going to go out and spend $100 or more for a steak and drinks, the steak better taste like the real thing. read more

An awful experience at an overpriced restaurant. Compounded by a complete lack of service by staff. Attended a graduation dinner at Erie Cafe on June 11. No air conditioning in semi private room, matre di said that it would be turned on. Then moved my group to main dining room which was just as uncomfortable. It was over 90 outside and any rational owner would have closed the place on a Sunday night. Meals consisted of Flintstones like plates of meat with no sides. Great place to recommend to ex-husbands and ex-wives read more

Very good veal, white fish and minestrone soup. The staff was attentive. Only draw back is it's just a little pricier than it should be.

i come here for lunch often, the food and service is always great. the outdoor area is nice since it's more quiet than most, and the booths inside are cozy. the portions are quite large so it's best to split one and definitely order the caesar salad. read more