Gene & Georgetti's Restaurant

(312) 527-3718

500 N Franklin St (At Illinois St, River North)
Chicago, IL 60610 41.8909 -87.6356

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Neighborhoods: Near North Side, Central

GENEANDGEORGETTI.COM

Years in business

Established in 1941

Hours:

Mon-Thurs 11am-11pm

Fri-Sat 11am-midnight

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 5.07.12

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Celeb Hangout, Historic Setting, Private Rooms, People Watching, Business Dining, Group Dining

Cuisine:

Steakhouse, Italian

Smoking Permitted:

At Bar

What People Are Saying About Gene & Georgetti's Restaurant

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Though it never was a private club, it always had the feel of one--still does. Service is good (you won't be neglected), though far from refined, and occasionally brusque. It appears as if nothing has changed since it opened in 1941--except the prices. Most of the customers are men; few are younger than 40. – – The Food – Call it classic Italian steakhouse cuisine. The 18-ounce filet mignon stands four inches tall, charred to a crisp on the outside and bloody rare in the middle, just as ordered. The salmon's worth a try, too; a mammoth slab of nicely cooked…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Craving a stogie? Cigar smokers are allowed to light up, but only at the bar.
The Extras:
The restaurant has three separate private dining rooms that seat 20, 40 and 60, respectively.
ambiance
50.0% positive
  1. Bland decor - poor service.
  2. The service is lousy and the atmosphere is dirty and lousy.
  3. Excellent parking without the usual valet shakedown found in most downtown restaurants.
  4. Warm neighborly small tavern atmosphere.
  5. If you like an original, throwback to the past atmosphere this is the place to go.
  6. Crowded, dirty, unappealing ambiance.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. Although we were a bit crowded in the upstairs dining room, the food was excellent and the service better than average until the desserts and after dinner coffee arrived.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. Gene & Georgetti's may claim to have great steaks and chops but they need to start serving up better sides and get up to speed on their drinks.
  2. kid you not, right before I left for Chicago, I had dinner at the Golden Corral(my friend does not eat meat and likes the salad bar ) The steak I had at the Golden Corral was every bit as good as the one I had at Gene&Georgetti's.
  3. Service was great, wine was good, food was very good, but the people were the best!
  4. Although we were a bit crowded in the upstairs dining room, the food was excellent and the service better than average until the desserts and after dinner coffee arrived.
  5. Noisy and not fancy - just wonderful food and real drinks.
food quality
65.21999835968018% positive
  1. Just great steak!
  2. The food was overpriced and the steaks were tasteless.
  3. had the best steak I have ever eaten.
  4. The calamari was excellent, as were the onion rings, potatoes and mushrooms.
  5. If you do want to torture yourself at G & G, here's some advice: Be over 60 years of age; Be white; Don't bother making a reservation; Tip the host, which will make your wait annoying instead of intolerable; Expect to spend lots of money for an average me
  6. Overrated place with bad food.
  7. Have eaten at the best steak places in the world - to cut to the chase - G&G's is not worth your time or money.
  8. but our experience was poor food, poor service, bad value.
  9. Gene & Georgetti's has a classic Italian neighborhood feel with its close seating and great dishes.
  10. We were from out of town and everyone told us that this was the place to go for good steak.
  11. We are from out of town and everyone told us that this was the place to go for good steak.
  12. went with a party of about 8 guys who were looking forward to a great steak.
  13. The food was not as good as some seem to think it is.
  14. The steak was tasteless.
  15. This could of all been forgiven with a good steak.
  16. Great food great staff, men is pretty attractive.
  17. Absolutely the best steak ever.
  18. There was a long wait even with a reservation and the meal itself from appetizers to conclusion was almost a parody of bad service and worse food at high prices.
  19. All had steaks, one of which was medium rare instead of medium, but all good, juicy quality cuts of meat cooked well.
  20. If you don't like medium rare you really need to stress that--I like fairly rare steak but as the steaks are thick you have to request a longer cook time if you don't want it pretty pink.
  21. Noisy and not fancy - just wonderful food and real drinks.
  22. The food is always great and the service is no nonsense!
  23. Family owned with great Italian dishes and steaks.
  24. The steak was dry as a bone and very tough to cut.
  25. The service was terrible, the salad was like something you would get at bad buffet, the steak was overcooked, and the waiter seemed irritated to even serve us (if that is what you call it).
  26. Although we were a bit crowded in the upstairs dining room, the food was excellent and the service better than average until the desserts and after dinner coffee arrived.
  27. Chicago Institution-Always the best steak
  28. Service was great, wine was good, food was very good, but the people were the best!
  29. kid you not, right before I left for Chicago, I had dinner at the Golden Corral(my friend does not eat meat and likes the salad bar ) The steak I had at the Golden Corral was every bit as good as the one I had at Gene&Georgetti's.
  30. Everything was horrible, especially the food.
  31. Having recently moved to Chicago from the West Coast, this dump was recommended to me by natives as one of the best steak houses in the city.
  32. Break the diet and have the wonderful cottage fries with your steak.
  33. The accompaniments, salad was okay nothing special, the bread was cold, like it just came out of the fridge, along with the butter.
  34. Not a terrible cut of meat, but nothing I could not get at the mega-grocery.
  35. Not only does it have amazing steak and meat selection it offer a.
  36. The restaurant specializes as more of a steakhouse then Italian food, though its Italian dished are superb.
  37. Best lamb chops in the country!
  38. Service was less then mediocre as was the food.
  39. Gene & Georgetti's may claim to have great steaks and chops but they need to start serving up better sides and get up to speed on their drinks.
  40. What a joke - the steak was was flavorless, (good thing they actually have A-1 steak sauce on the tables), the potatoes they serve with dinner were cold mushy, and greasy, and the waiter was completely unintelligible.
  41. The roasted chicken and NY strip are the best dishes, and when my son was with me, they always would just cook him whatever he wanted (usually an alfredo dish).
  42. won't pretend that it was inexpensive--it takes high prices to pay dozens of older men to wait tables--but the food was incredible.
  43. The steak was excellent and the service was good, but the cottage fries were cold and hard.
  44. My husband and I both ordered the filet, which was a mistake because they were both absolutely the worst filets we have ever eaten, a burnt layer surrounded the raw stringy beef inside, we actually had to cut it off the meat which was flavorless, I added
  45. The steak is lousy.
  46. The steak was not bad but it was not great.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. Not only does it have amazing steak and meat selection it offer a.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. ah yes, this is a good place!
  2. There are too many very good steakhouses in Chicago to go to this place.
  3. There are to many good restaurants that will treat you properly, do not go to this place.
  4. Always been a great place.
service
46.4300012588501% positive
  1. The food is always great and the service is no nonsense!
  2. The steak was excellent and the service was good, but the cottage fries were cold and hard.
  3. Although we were a bit crowded in the upstairs dining room, the food was excellent and the service better than average until the desserts and after dinner coffee arrived.
  4. The service was terrible, the salad was like something you would get at bad buffet, the steak was overcooked, and the waiter seemed irritated to even serve us (if that is what you call it).
  5. Service was great, wine was good, food was very good, but the people were the best!
  6. but our experience was poor food, poor service, bad value.
  7. The service is lousy and the atmosphere is dirty and lousy.
  8. This is nowhere near what people expect of a great Chicago steakhouse.
  9. There was a long wait even with a reservation and the meal itself from appetizers to conclusion was almost a parody of bad service and worse food at high prices.
  10. What a joke - the steak was was flavorless, (good thing they actually have A-1 steak sauce on the tables), the potatoes they serve with dinner were cold mushy, and greasy, and the waiter was completely unintelligible.
  11. Bland decor - poor service.
  12. They have the best service you could possibly want.
  13. Many parties were leaving due to the poor service.
  14. Great food great staff, men is pretty attractive.
value
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. If you do want to torture yourself at G & G, here's some advice: Be over 60 years of age; Be white; Don't bother making a reservation; Tip the host, which will make your wait annoying instead of intolerable; Expect to spend lots of money for an average me
  2. Have eaten at the best steak places in the world - to cut to the chase - G&G's is not worth your time or money.
  3. The food was overpriced and the steaks were tasteless.
  4. There was a long wait even with a reservation and the meal itself from appetizers to conclusion was almost a parody of bad service and worse food at high prices.
  5. won't pretend that it was inexpensive--it takes high prices to pay dozens of older men to wait tables--but the food was incredible.
  6. but our experience was poor food, poor service, bad value.
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. FYI: My first visit I did not understand the the scene, and our reservation time came and went, so I joked with the maître d' about our reservation time and he liked my attitude and Texas accent, (laughed with me and asked me where I was from) so we were
  2. There was a long wait even with a reservation and the meal itself from appetizers to conclusion was almost a parody of bad service and worse food at high prices.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/24/12

nice

by arturo5460

Dinner comes with a salad, but don't miss the garbage salad. It's got meats and cheeses and is topped with jumbo shrimp. Their house oil and vinegar dressing is one of the best. It's garlicky and delicious. This review is making me want to go right now.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/23/12

The best food and service

by williamm529

The best food and service we have ever received. They have us as repeat customers for life!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/18/12

Very nice and classy

by bond7521

We had one of the best dining experiences at Gene & Georgetti. Very nice and classy. The food was excellent as well.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/08/12

great service

by willadele89

Food is fresh and the service is very professional. Rich is the best waiter, server, and busboy!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/25/12

nice job

by elizabethannie7

Our visit to Gene and Georgetti was an excellent dining experience. At the start we were greeted in a friendly manner and promptly taken to our table. No wait, even though it was at prime time. Our server was professional. We had the right amount of time for drinks and apps before ordering dinner. Service was prompt, the food good and the portions large. The price was fair. The restrooms were clean as well. In summary, this was a fun place to have dinner. Despite what the other negative reviews say, we were treated as well or better than a Chicago alderman.

The Details on Gene & Georgetti's Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • best rare steak
  • overpriced food
  • poor service
  • tasteless steak
  • cold cottage fries
  • great italian dishes
  • dirty atmosphere
  • good juicy quality cuts
  • cold bread
  • worst filets
  • very good steakhouses
  • love chicago
  • great lamb chops
  • horrible restaurant
  • love gotta
  • superb italian dished
  • like throwback
  • great staff
  • bad dream
  • best steak houses
  • totally chaotic seating
  • great dining
  • bad buffet
  • great place
  • delightful fried calamari

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