Butcher and the Bear
Steak house · Park West
2721 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
Highlights
Steakhouse with wagyu, seafood, pasta & cocktails
Steakhouse with wagyu, seafood, pasta & cocktails
"This Lakeview steakhouse features a wagyu tasting board with beef sourced from Australia and Japan. Other options are prime black Angus from Second City. This is a tiny and dimly lit space that brings a more energetic atmosphere to a neighborhood steakhouse. The steak flights are a unique way to experience what the steakhouse has to offer." - Ashok Selvam
"Like a lot of restaurants in Chicago, Butcher & The Bear is a pricey steakhouse with average (at best) food. For Lincoln Parkers, it’s a three-level series of small dining rooms ready for a low-lit anniversary dinner. Or, a birthday for someone really into tall framed pictures of stern-looking bears smoking cigs. But any special occasion here won’t be related to the food. If someone drags you here, stick with the namesake chopped salad. It’s nicely dressed, with jalapeño slices that keep it bright. And it’s a safer bet than a ribeye that might come out with an off-putting amount of fat, or scallops on top of a very bland poblano sauce. Nothing here is worth the splurge or whatever hassle it would be to travel to one of the city's much better steakhouses. photo credit: Butcher & The Bear photo credit: Butcher & The Bear photo credit: Butcher & The Bear Pause Unmute Food Rundown B&B Chopped Salad The bits of jalapeño give it some kick. It also might make for the most exciting bites of your night. photo credit: Nick Allen Meatball The thick breading on this meatball makes us wish it wasn’t joined by a bland, watery tomato sauce. photo credit: Nick Allen Wagyu Tasting Board Thanks to the Japanese wagyu, this pricey steak tasting board with four different cuts is only 25% a good idea. 16oz Black Onyx Ribeye An underwhelming centerpiece. The staff might come by and ask if the temperature is OK, but won’t acknowledge the large chunks of inedible fat you have to cut from the rest of it. photo credit: Nick Allen" - Nick Allen
"We could make jokes about The Revenant or a certain TV series with a penchant for “yes, chef!”-ing. Instead, we’ll direct you to what we can only assume is the unofficial mascot of this new Italian steakhouse in Lincoln Park. Does Chicago need another Temple of Beef? Maybe not, though this one has a speakeasy-style atmosphere and $140 wagyu steak tasting board." - john ringor, veda kilaru
"Located at 2721 N. Halsted Street, this upscale, low-lit retreat occupies the former home of Mexican restaurant Mayan Palace and centers its menu on steaks sourced through partners who run a high-end meat and seafood distribution business. The program highlights a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye, a 14-ounce New York strip, a 16-ounce double-boned pork chop, and a wagyu steaks tasting board — a $140 lineup of Australian and Japanese cuts that Demos contrasts with a roughly $500 price in River North — with an optional, market-price bone marrow butter–poached lobster for surf-and-turf. Chef and partner Saul Ramos leads the kitchen while seafood appears across the menu in two types of crudo, Oysters Rockefeller, scallops with poblano cream sauce, and umami-marinated sea bass; the lone pasta to watch is wagyu beef cheek with cavatelli and aged fontina. The 4,500-square-foot space seats about 80 with a 10-seat bar, an elevated dining room and a lower-level “bear den,” decorated in dark green and red with framed bear portraits and hidden little bears; the beverage program opened with about 80 wines from California, Washington, Italy and France and a six-drink cocktail list that includes an olive oil martini, plus housemade syrups and infusions." - Naomi Waxman
"Signage for Butcher & Bear has gone up at 2721 N. Hasted Street for a new Italian steakhouse taking over the former Mayan Palace Mexican restaurant." - Naomi Waxman
