BLVD Steakhouse

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Old Hollywood Comes to Chicago's West Loop

BLVD Steakhouse draws its inspiration from Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard — the famed strip of dining and entertainment that defined an era of glamour. On West Lake Street in Chicago, that spirit translates into a classic American steakhouse where sophisticated design meets a chef-driven menu and genuinely warm service. The restaurant earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, a recognition that reflects the seriousness of its cellar and the overall dining experience.

The Spaces

Interior designer Karen Herold of Studio K Creative shaped the dining rooms — the Chandelier Room, the Gallery, and the Champagne Room — around Art Deco geometry softened by Hollywood Regency opulence. A newer addition, the Atrium, was conceived by Aria Group as an all-season indoor-outdoor space: a 20-seat bar anchors the room, surrounded by lush greenery, linen curtains, and romantic string lighting beneath an 11-foot wood pergola with motorized screens. The result is two distinct moods under one roof — grand and intimate at once.

Chef Joe Flamm's Menu

Celebrity Chef Joe Flamm leads the kitchen, and his steakhouse menu is built around prime cuts sourced from Heritage Farms in Illinois, complemented by Wagyu options from Snake River Farms and Westholme Australia, and A-5 Miyazaki from Southern Japan. The Butcher's Block ranges from a 6 oz filet mignon to a 32 oz 50-day dry-aged porterhouse. Beyond beef, the menu moves confidently into fresh seafood — oysters with golden balsamic mignonette, king crab cakes, broiled lobster with Calabrian chile basil butter, black bass with caviar, and a full or half seafood tower. Starters like bone marrow with bacon jam and sourdough, and tuna crudo with veal aioli and house giardiniera, signal a kitchen that thinks beyond the expected steakhouse formula.

Sides hold their own: truffle mac and cheese with fontina and cheddar, beef fat fries, blistered asparagus with smoked trout roe. Sauces — truffle béarnaise, au poivre, bordelaise — are available as luxe upgrades. Desserts, listed as the "Curtain Call," include sticky toffee pudding with dulce de leche gelato and a chocolate ganache cake.

Drinks and the Wine Program

The wine list earned BLVD its Wine Spectator recognition, and the drinks program extends well beyond the cellar. Caviar service features selections from Rare Tea Cellars, including Golden Kaluga and Emperor's Osetra. The after-dinner list leans into amari, ports, and Sauternes, while daily happy hour brings half-price martinis and $1.50 oysters — a rare combination of fine-dining credentials and genuine accessibility.

As the restaurant puts it: "Sunset Blvd was known as a playground for the stars. We consider BLVD Steakhouse a playground for you."