Smith & Wollensky
(312) 670-9900
318 N State St
Chicago,
IL
60611
41.888
-87.6281
Neighborhoods: Central, Near North Side
Price:
$$$$
What People Are Saying About Smith & Wollensky
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short
With confidence and style, Smith & Wollensky has maintained its martini-drinking, expensive suit-wearing power crowd at this fab location on the Chicago River. The green-and-white awning and riverfront windows draw attention from the outside, while folk art, dark wood, marble accents and high ceilings impress on the inside. The meat-heavy menu offers crab cakes, a buttery 16-ounce fillet, "angry" roasted half-lobster seasoned with spices, and carrot cake with two layers of cream-cheese frosting.
User Reviews
debbiejean
June 18, 2009
We ate at Smith & Wollensky for our anniversary. We ordered the stuffed lobster which is displayed on their website as a special. We also ordered the lobster corn soup. The soup had very little flavor to it. We are not sure what was in it. The lobster was suppose to be a 2.5 pound lobster. It was not. The waitress and waiter stood at our table cracking crab legs and placing the meat on top the lobster for about 15 minutes. By the time they were done, the side of potatoes and the side or corn were cold. I don't know why they call this stuffed lobster. It was a big mess on a plate. Our bill was almost $200.00 for this mess. Very dissapointing.
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nychitown
October 08, 2008
Had dinner here recently, valeted the car. After I got it back, the battery was about to die and the hood was open. Apparently the passive alarm system on the car sent the workers into a panic, which led to them trying to jump the car at some point. I wasn't sure what that had to do with anything; maybe they left the lights on and forgot to mention it. In any event, cost me $100 to replace my battery. The valet manager was a good guy and apologized and offered to buy me dinner, but the manager at the restaurant had an attitude and little interest in hearing my complaint. Offered to buy me a bottle of wine the next time I'm there. Thanks. As if they weren't responsible for screwing up my car. On top of it all, the steaks here are average at best - just like the overrated Smith and Wollensky in New York. Skip this place and the aggravation, go to the Chop House.
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chgofoody
June 25, 2008
The three of us were promptly seated on the riverfront outside as per our reservation. The sunglass-clad waiter appeared and took our drink order to the bar. Is it appropriate for a server to wear sunglasses, especially in the shade of tall buildings at 7:30 p.m. at an up-scale restaurant? We waited for a long period of time with empty glasses for our server to return to take our order. We were only given one menu which we passed around. The wine arrived and was graciously and professionally presented and poured. The beer and cheese soup and split-pea soup arrived hot and were tasty. We had to reach to the vacant neighboring table to get a third set of utensils; our table was only set for two people. I ordered a med-rare filet mignon which was actually med-well, just the slightest bit of pink. I brought this to the servers attention, he instructed me to cut through the center were it would be more rare...it was not. The steak was returned to the kitchen; a different person returned with the new. She found it necessary to tell me that the returned steak was inspected in the light of the kitchen and was indeed, found to be over cooked. Did they think I was trying to pull something? My replacement steak was cooked as ordered but lacked any kind of seasoning or grill flavor. After generously sprinkling it with salt and pepper I was able to enjoy it. The other two people said their steaks were "ok". The truffle macaroni and cheese was full of flavor but suffered from pools of oil (not truffle oil) and had the look of a broken sauce. The hash brown potatoes were swimming in oil as well. The several accompaniments to the baked potato was a nice touch. We skipped dessert. No bread was offered at our table. Our $450 tab (incl. $115 bottle of wine) for a meat and potatoes meal was excessive considering we ordered no appetizers or dessert. A good value is a long stretch; not up to par with the service and food at competitors.
read full reviewThe Details on Smith & Wollensky
Know Before You Go:
The more casual Wollensky's Grill, open later and for lunch on weekends, offers a lighter, limited menu and wine list.
The Extras:
Enjoy live piano music in the bar Tuesday-Saturday from 5:30pm until about 10pm.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Carte Blanche, Discover, Diners Club, Visa, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
Fine Dining, View Dining, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Group Dining, Dine At The Bar, Notable Wine List
Cuisine:
Smoking Permitted:
In the bar
