Whenever I visit Chicago, this is always my first stop. Breakfast, lunch or dinner - you can't go wrong. First, the ambiance is classy, and the servers are amazing! Good service is hard to come by, but the service here is on another level. There are so many delicious items on the menu, and it's hard to choose just one entree. Many of their dishes are simple, but they do them so well. The chicken club, lobster roll and burger are just a few of my favs. The truffle fries are out of this world. As far as apps ago, the Rockefeller mussels are amazing! They aren't on the menu, but if they have the product - they will make it for you. The drinks are really good here too. Probably one of the best Bloody Mary's that I've ever had. RL is definitely one of my favorite restaurants. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. read more

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RL is the quintessential downtown Chicago restaurant. The dark wood and gallery walls provide the most intimate, romantic dining experience. Especially during the Holidays, RL is a beautiful choice for your next dining experience. The crab and avocado salad and lobster bisque are both amazing options for apps and I adore the turkey burger and chicken parmesan for mains. Perfect spot after a day of shopping downtown. read more

This place is gorgeous looks historical. We had some special drinks the service was amazing I would definitely recommend!

From the beer selection to the veggie burger and cocktails, everything seemed prepared with real dedication. Outstanding. Thanks.

Amazing Lobster Roll's! The appetizer comes with 3 and I make that my meal. The restaurant itself has a classy yet comfortable feel to it.

The food was sub par. We've been here many times and everything is usually excellent. A tall, blonde, male server picked up 2 martinis to serve to guests on the patio but before he did, he took a sip out of one of them! Gross! read more

Much too loud. Don't honor reservation time. Food is acceptable but expensive for what you get.

This was such an amazing experience. They got us in around 5 o'clock on a Friday evening, amazing personality from the staff. David was awesome thank you so much RL. read more

RL Restaurant - Amazing service, the staff is so personable. Thank you RL! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We enjoyed a superb dinner at RL Restaurant Friday evening. Over the years, we have dined at RL whenever in Chicago.  The overall experience from the moment we arrived was attentive. Our server Aracely provided professional superior service.  She was there when we needed anything and made sure we had everything we needed as we needed it. We enjoyed well crafted cocktails and wonderful specials of the day, including Mini Lobster Rolls and Chilean Sea Bass.  The filet was seasoned to perfection.  RL Restaurant has always had one of the best, warmest environments, but it was particularly wonderful on our visit Friday night. read more

Another superior meal. Service was fantastic on Saturday evening when we arrived for dinner at 9:00 pm. We arrived and were seated and welcomed immediately. The Manhattan here is still one of my favorites in the city - simple yet delicious. My dining companion has a gin cocktail and was equally as thrilled. We had the crab cake and filet. Although my friend committed a sin by asking for the steak well done, it was still cooked perfectly and delicious - not tough at all. Excellent cut of meat. The mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts were superb. The crab cake was amazing! I was bummed it was only one cake but it was bursting with flavor and actually I was completely full after it. To continue my tradition of dessert, we brought the coconut cake home and it was just as amazing as in the restaurant. A+ once again. This place is my Chicago go to. read more

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Came here on a Monday night and they were slammed! So happy I made reservations! The atmosphere was authentic and traditional. I love the art on walls and design of restaurant. It was a class act! Our server was Jafar, and he was amazing! We could not of gotten a better server! He was outstanding! The entire staff was accommodating and checking up on us. The food was wonderful! I had scallops for entree and the drinks were delicious!! Can't wait to try out RL's other places in other cities! read more

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A very fancy-pants dining establishment, that's also not that fancy? Yes - maybe that is a bit confusing. But what I mean is - you are instantly transformed into a low-lit, library type environment when you enter. It's cute, intimate and cozy. You feel like you are in your own living room - if you lived in a large, ornately-decorated home. We were sat promptly upon arrival (of which we made reservations.) I had a Basil Hayden Old Fashion as my drink of choice for the evening. The cocktails had adorable little polo mallet's as the stirrers. A+ for attention to detail and aesthetics! First, the bread basket is a great freebie! The cheesy, cracker type option is divine. For dinner I had the salmon. The pesto, cheesy glaze was a perfect accompaniment. For dessert, I split the chocolate cake with my boyfriend and it was more than enough. In a city like Chicago it's hard to pick and choose restaurants. For a good American fare with a cozy atmosphere, RL is a good route! (Also, rumor has it that once Justin Bieber sat at the window table with Oprah.) read more

Tourist trap? Vegetable salad not crisp. Iced tea, no ice and tepid. Service almost non-existent, though there were other diners at the bar and servers constantly passing through. Before 5: 00 PM. Chicagoans know there's much better food in the city. read more

So, whenever I need to catch up with my besties Jen and O (that's JenNIFER ANISTON and OPRAH to you commoners), I ring them up and schedule a lunch at RL. Didn't you know? It's only the place to come to a quick lunch off the Mag Mile. Jen might like it for its privacy (the paps always seem to find me, though) and O's loyalty is borne from, well, loyalty (location and namesake), I come here when I want to reminisce about my holidays to the English countryside, complete with horseback riding, tea sipping and wench harassment. Oh, what a hoot! The pictures adorning the walls, comfortable leather couches and dark furniture really take me back. Even the bathrooms (and tiny elevator that takes you to and fro) are added touches, resplendent with many mirrors within which I can gaze upon beauty only imagined in legend. While summer is the time to dine al fresco (duh), I tend to skip it in favor of the dining room. It's so comfortable and inviting. Truthfully, I like RL more in the colder months. It just seems more... appropriate that way. The menu offerings aren't ground-breaking but they are familiar and quite comforting. Spinach salad with pecans, endive and bleu cheese followed by chicken hash won't introduce your palate to any new taste sensations but the artful way in which the dishes are done will bring a smile to your face and warmth to your belly whilst discussing twins, home wreckers, rogue employees, risky professional gambits, tv vs. film, and Arnold Palmers. In other words, my typical autumn lunchdate. Try not to stare. read more

Amazing!! My wife and I visited, again, last Friday evening and you keep getting better and better. The food and atmosphere were both perfect. And our waiter, Jonathan, was one of the best we have experienced......anywhere!! This is a must for anyones 'Restaurant List'. We will be back, much more often!! read more

The dining room is perhaps the nicest "room" I've ever been in, from the wallpaper to the cool mix of paintings, portraits and photos in their gilded frames, to the china and silver. The glassed-in bookcase in the back of the dining room has perhaps the best collection of art books I've seen anywhere. Brunch was wonderful. Our server was darling and so good at his job. Sometimes I forget how nice true fine dining service is. Really good! This is definitely the kind of atmosphere that helps you remember to mind your manners! We were celebrating our uncle and his partner's anniversary, so we brought in a cake, which they brought out as a surprise. An extra step for them during the very busy Sunday brunch hour, but if they minded at all, they certainly didn't let us know. We ended up with some extra and gave it to the very dapper, affable couple seated next to us. They were so cute about it and it was a real conversation starter! My brother and I got the quiche and the french toast and kinda shared, which was a fun way to try a little more of the menu. The food was superb - the quiche was so fluffy and light it almost looked fake. The berries atop the french toast seemed just-picked and the toast was perfectly prepared. Coffee, mimosa, it was all delightful. As were leaving, we spotted a celebrity, which just seemed like, of course you would see a celeb walking into RL for brunch. read more

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Make a reservation ahead of time. I enjoyed the short rib with mashed potatoes, amazing, fell off the bone . (Limited menu may not be available every day.) Amazing atmosphere, desserts were good too! read more

Celebrating my wife's 60th birthday and lunch was perfect! The food was delicious. Our waiter, Peter, ensured everything was fantastic. Peter did this while the restaurant was very busy, a very nice personal touch. read more

Love RL! Food is always delicious and the service is impeccable. I ate there tonight with a group of ten including a baby and toddler. The hostess and wait staff were always kind and didn't blink an eye when we accidentally dropped a plate on the floor. Did I mention I love RL? read more

For out-of-towners visiting Chicago, particularly families not afraid to spend a little, you can't do much better. First of all if the little dude on the horse makes you wretch: don't go! The atmosphere exudes the brand-it is clubby, high touch bordering on self-obsessed. The art work though is amazing with lots of original photographs of the famous and not so much. There is this great nude in the men's room of a woman's behind, her legs curled up under her with ice skates. How cool is that? I was however blown away by the execution around the food, in particular the entrees. I had Lamb Chops that were good enough to make me go back, encrusted in herbs and putting a similar dish at Morton's, Gibsons or Flemings to shame. We went for my daughter's 10th birthday and it was exceptionally child friendly. The waiter offered up off-menu kid food that when it arrived was too good not to nibble on! Buttery chicken tenders and pasta Primavera.-wow. We ordered a dessert to share (Banana Split) which was decedent. Surprisingly, upon delivering it the server informed us the dish was "on the house." Awesome and unexpected touch! The wine list is very nice albeit expensive, in my opinion. So if you don't break out in hives within 10 yards of American Girl Place I suggest you go to RL and live the good life. read more

I Always love my meal here. I more often come for lunch but decided to dine here for an early dinner before heading off to Lookingglass Theatre. Mom and I ordered the steak salad and we both loved it. The flavor was reminiscent of steak tartar... The vinegarette dressing had a bright acidity with layers of flavor like capers and dijon. Steak was cooked perfectly. Portion was just right. French martini was perfect - foamy and not too fruity. Service was top notch. Decor was impeccable. Looking forward to my next visit. read more

RL Restaurant - French martini was perfect - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Let me start by saying that I like this place. The last time we were there, however, the overall experience was not just as good as it normally is. The place is always packed so we had a reservation and on this night, the people that were sitting at the table that they had earmarked for us didn't seem to want to vacate the table. Now I am not for rushing people- but we waited over an hour and 15 minutes to be seated with the host coming over to us every 15 minutes telling us that he thought that they would be leaving soon. They didn't. I wonder why we had to be at that specific table- surely there must have been another table that we could have been seated at. The good news is that while we were waiting, they were able to get us a table in the bar to wait at that was right in front of the fireplace so that we could sit in these armchairs and drink our martinis and watch the world go by (for a little while at least). The bar is small with only a few tables a handful of seats at the actual bar and a banquette along one wall with several tables. There was standing room only the last time I was there. The restaurant is also small,actually the whole place feels a little over stuffed. When we finally got to our table, we were so close to the table behind us that I could have shared our appetizers with the guy behind me! The service is attentive and they made some excellent suggestions for dinner. Some of the standouts include the lobster bisque and the venison chops. The wine list is really good as well. Oh- and did I forget to mention the breads that they serve? Really outstanding! For those of you driving- there is valet parking out front. I'll end as I started. I like this place- it's got a good feel to it and the food is consistently good. I'll be back- I just hope I won't have to wait so long to get seated the next time. read more

I would NOT recommend the RL Restaurant at all. Our food was not good, the service was poor, and our meal was seriously overpriced. Basically, you cannot order a regular meal at the restaurant. For example, two of us ordered lunch salads ($18/each) and two very small salads that both skimped on all the good stuff arrived. Neither was flavorful. Similarly, the tuna burger ($32) was not enough to constitute a lunch. So, with a side order of fries ($10) lunch for one person jumps to $42. Garbage. Also, the waitstaff seemed more interested hurrying is through our meal than providing us with a nice experience. read more

This restaurant has ambience. It has great service. It has fantastic food. It is probably my favorite restaurant in Chicago. Russell the bartender is as good as it gets for the profession and the sommelier whose name escapes me was incredible last night. He had real passion and enthusiasm for his wines and his craft. Just love RL. read more

Really bad service, as if I'm begging to be there. My friend took me there for lunch for the first time and when we walked in, we were greeted by a basic brunette girl dressed in preppy outfit. She said hi, but with an attitude like she only did it because she had to. She sat us down and forgot to give us a drink menu, but remembered to give everyone else one. The menu was simple, everything on it looked good. The waiter was much nicer, but not every attentive. We finally had to ask the waiter for a drink menu, it took 30min to get 2 mimosas on the table. The food was pretty good, but honestly not worth sitting through the bad service. Rather go to some overpriced restaurant with equally good food and great service than dealing with a bunch of snobby people who thinks they are too good to be a waitress/waiter but obviously not because they work there and look miserable. read more

I had moderate expectations for this venue; and maybe that's b/c it's connected to the Ralph Lauren store (and I figured it couldn't be too surprising.) The food was great; I had carpaccio for the appetizer, and I went with their sirloin steak for the main course. For desert was their sorbet medley (also surprisingly good.) My drink of choice was a sidecar that was made to perfection. Nothing I tasted was anything less than dynamite. While I thought the tab was high I'll be going back. My only knock on the place was the size of the establishment. This place is SMALL and I felt cramped due to the proximity of the tables. Now if you're in a booth I think you'll be ok. Also to get to the bathroom you have to walk thru the kitchen downstairs (and it kinda feels like you're walking underground!) read more

"So why does Ralph Lauren have a restaurant?" is the question I first asked when I first saw this place. Then I heard something about Oprah liking this place, and since I pretty much do whatever Oprah tells me to do I decided to give this place a try. And I'm glad I did! You need to make reservations or else you're in for a wait on the weekends, but I sat at the bar with a friend and ate our lunch there with no wait. We both kept it simple and got sandwiches, and they were sooooo good. The Lobster Club was amazing, and had a big helping of lobster inside. The Grilled Steak sandwich was perfectly cooked, I could have used a little more meat but it was great nonetheless. The coffee and Bellini I had were both just ok, nothing special. Can't wait to try brunch or dinner here in the future! read more

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Had a great time at this restaurant. Very good service and nice and relaxed ambiance, however I think sitting outside pretty much made the experience. The inside looks a little dark and stuffy. I really enjoyed how many of the patrons looked like they popped out of a RL catalog. Service was great. They checked in on us just enough and were on top of our order. The bread basket was delicious (whatever those crackers were in there are sooo amazing!). I enjoyed the lavender gin martini, and tried my friend's dark and stormy which was generously strong, but good as always. The only thing I did not appreciate as far as drink selection is that all their wines were from California (which is where I was visiting from) so I would have maybe appreciated something slightly more local or at least that I wouldnt have readily available back home. One of my friends order the gazpacho; I appreciated the presentation. We all ordered burgers, because we are gluttonous beasts, but no regrets there! Burgers were great, you got to pick what kind of cheese you wanted, and my favorite part was that it came with 3 dipping/spreading sauces (ketchup, mustard, and mayo). Very cute. read more

RL Restaurant - Lavender gin martini - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We came here for lunch during my birthday. The food was amazing and so was the experience. Very attentive wait staff. They even remembered it was my bday and they presented my dessert with a candle and the waiter sang happy birthday. Thanks so much ! read more

This place does it right. It is extremely rare to encounter perfect service these days, but this place knocked it out of the park. The service was perfect. The timing was perfect. Our server, Jesús, and his team were all in sync (it was almost as if it was choreographed). The champagne selections is great. The food is top notch. We each had the lobster bisque as a starter. Awesome. Thanks again! read more

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When they brought to the table a savory lobster bisque with huge chunks of the buttery goodness floating around in it, I truly felt the love. Just a cup of this sea nectar was a great way to warm up to the hearty rotisserie chicken hash with black truffles and poached egg. Even though I couldn't quite taste the truffle, the dish is well-seasoned, quite tasty and is almost enough for two! I'm a big believer in a damn-near breakfast-time lunch hour and this works well with the popular RL on the mag mile. Like many of you, I've sauntered past this spot many times, as it's directly across from the Water Tower--never thought it would be affordable or attractive. Boy was I wrong. The nice lady server carded me, I blushed after deciding on an obese glass of yummy Cotes du Rhone. RL's dark wood, posh decor with high end lodge quality leather seats at the front bar area's dining quarters is my favorite area. The main dining room is spacious but the dim, red lights make me feel vertigo and temporary blindness... so I'd keep to the window seats up front, if possible. After getting drenched as a result of circling in dark, chilly, chubby rain, I decided to forgo Fred's, McCormick or Feast and try RL after threatening for a decade or more. Better late than never. read more

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I'm not sure what I can add-in that hasn't already been mentioned besides the fact that while their burgers/sandwiches are not vegetarian, if you do eat eggs, their french toast and their omlets are good. But really, at RL, are you looking for me to review the food? The place is beautiful! It's so classy yet nothing presumptuous about it. The service was super-friendly (albeit a little distracted), the decor takes you to an old east coast library/study and the fireplace (by the entrance) is adorable. The place is a little cramped overall, especially the bar, but it's not distracting necessarily. read more

I was in town visiting my sister and she suggested lunch here. It was FABULOUS! I loved the décor- that old, elegant type of charm. When you walk in it looks like a library, with beautiful wood. We ate in the bar, and the bartender was very charming to us. I noticed they had liver and onions, and I know that's not everyone's cup of tea...... but we ordered it and a salad, and shared both. There was more than enough food, and every last morsel was exquisite! They make a reduction from Kalua on the liver and it was to die for! I love this type of place and service, and there just aren't enough of them any more! I'll definitely be back on my next trip! Can't wait! read more

RL Restaurant - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is very kind of old fashion design, like clasic dark wood with lots of paintings in the walls, very nice, very Ralph Lauren style. I ordered a spinach salad to start and i will give a 10 out of 10 to that salad, it was fresh, great taste. Then for the main dish i askes for the famous seafood pasta.. Really dissapointed guys, no taste at all, i had to order extra parmegian cheese to see if it woul added more flavor to it, but it didnt work. So a 5 out of 10 for the seafood pasta....... :( not what i expected. What i really like is that they have half portions which is perfect if you want a taste of two or more dishes. I got half salad and half pasta. read more

RL Restaurant - Seafood pasta.. No taste at all - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I have wanted to try RL for a long time. Had lunch there yesterday and was very impressed with the service, ambiance, and food. It lives up to their reputation. We ordered their hamburger which was cooked to perfection, the fries were great, and the vegetable salad was loaded with a good selection of veggies. Would definitely return. read more

I swear to you that if I lived in Chicago I would dine at RL's once a week. I would find a way to come here as often as possible to escape the real world. The atmosphere is SO good. It has a moody gentleman's club vibe to it. It is dark, detailed and gorgeous all rolled into one. Your eyes have as much to feast on as your mouth does. It can easily take you to another time, yet be as current and relative as you want it to be. The service was perfection. I don't remember our waitresses name, but she possessed all the best qualities that anyone in this profession should have. She was friendly, approachable, knowledgeable and attentive. All of these things without overdoing any of them. Anytime that my mind thought "I wish our waitress was here" she was there within seconds. Amazing. Seriously, like she was a mind reader. I bet being a good waitress does require a lot of mind reading abilities and she sure did have them. The food was really great. From the appetizer to the entrees to the dessert......fantastic. The price range was from extremely reasonable to high. I know they offer lunch also at an even more reasonable price. Even though the style and atmosphere scream decadence, the prices, food and service scream all are welcome. I have used "perfection", "gorgeous", "amazing", "great" and "fantastic"........I think I would recommend all to go to RL Restaurant, NOW! read more

RL Restaurant - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Tables are packed in and on top of each other. Neighbor kept bumping in to me. Neighboring table was very loud and vulgar. Perch was hard to find under a massive amount of under cooked breading. cocktail and lobster bisque was good. Service was excellent. Not worth the price. read more

My office takes us out for lunches on our birthdays and work anniversary dates. We have only 5 people in the office, so it's a nice intimate affair and we get to pick any restaurant in the city! Awesome! We never really wanted to go to RL because it's obviously a tourist trap and Oprah told everyone it was THE place to go downtown, but my boss and his son went there with some clients and said the food was really good. So we decided we wanted to go last summer, but because of Oprah and her big mouth we couldn't get reservations. But finally this year in May we got to go! It was a really good experience. I can't really comment on the prices since I didn't pay, but I think it is pretty pricey. We started with the Charcuterie Plate and passed that around. Very delicious and a healthy portion. Then we ordered our entrees. My boss's wife, my co-worker and I decided to split 3 things. We got the lobster club, the steak salad and the braised beef. We asked for a few extra plates so we could split it. When it came out the waiter had cut the sandwich into 3 even parts and split the salad up on separate plates. The beef was awkward and couldn't be split in 3 ways. But what service! We even were figuring that we would get charged for a split plate fee, but no. He just did it to be nice! Everything was very good. I thought the braised beef was a little bland, but it was still enjoyable. The steak salad was probably my favorite! My boss got the softshell crab and he really enjoyed that too. It was my co-workers birthday and the waiter caught wind of it and brought out a massive plate of cookies, cake, ice cream and fruit for our table to share and that was also free!! Ralph Lauren might be touristy, but I think Oprah is on to something!! read more

RL Restaurant - A tasty treat from our server for my co-workers birthday! - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I always love every visit to RL! Thank you all so much for making every time feel like the first time. - JEFFREY DOORNBOS, PhD - Chicago

Lobster bisque was A-1. I try to find places that has bisque when take the BF out because he loves it. This was probably my #2 favorite (#1 being Joes.) The pieces of lobster were huge and perfectly cooked. There was literally like a half tail in there. I had the halibut special, which came with kale and a mushroom broth. It was good, but didn't wow me. After, I wished I had gotten the seafood papperdale, which was my initial choice. The BF had the salmon w/ cous cous - probably the best cous cous I've had thus far. Service was great, besides them giving our side of potatoes to the next table. They comped them, so that was fine with me. The decor was beautiful and original; I felt like I was in the 1920's somewhere. However, it is cramped in there, and when the front door opened, I felt a breeze. We were the last table in the back. Take that how you want. I wanted to get a 'tableside prepared' bananas foster, but seeing that the 'tableside' was a section in the back corner, I opted out. They literally don't have the space to roll that cart around. Because of my table placement, I was able to see everyone else's preparation....good for me, kinda sucky for whoever ordered it. Valet was 14$. I will return. read more

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