From the outside, Elba’s Golden Steer is easy to miss in a row of businesses. But step inside, and there’s an immediate familiarity to it. Some restaurants survive by reinventing themselves. Golden Steer survives by staying exactly where it is. And that’s the point.
That feeling, that steadiness, is hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it. And it’s why, when I leave the Chicago area for any length of time, someone eventually asks me the same question.
Why stay? The winters are harsh, the traffic seemingly endless.
The answer is always clear in my head but difficult to articulate, because it’s not really a list of things. You can talk about food, or architecture, or the way people show up for each other, but none of that quite explains it. It’s something you sense. Something you recognize when you’re in it.
That’s the feeling I have every time I walk into Elba’s Golden Steer in Forest Park. It’s that uniquely Chicago steakhouse vibe you simply can’t find anywhere else, and places like this are one of the reasons I love living here so much.
The Ambiance
Before you even walk in, you can tell you’re in for a treat.
From the signs to the awnings, there’s something comforting about a place that really leans into its personality. Nothing’s been smoothed out or stripped back or rebranded into lifelessness. It still looks like itself, which feels increasingly rare.
As I get closer to the door, I can hear what’s happening before I see it. A low chatter spills out, the unmistakable clink of bar glasses, a short burst of laughter that sounds like it’s mid-story, not staged for anyone passing by.
Through the windows, I catch glimpses of the room: the bar glowing warmly, booths already filled, and a table of guys posted up near the bar who look as if they’ve been sitting there together for years. Or at least long enough that no one’s checking the menu anymore.
There’s history here. Golden Steer has been part of Forest Park since the late 1960s, and you can feel that longevity in the way the place holds itself. It’s like an old-school supper club where the walls carry secrets and rich history. By the time I reach the door, I know I’m stepping into something already in motion. It’s a place with its own rhythm, its own regulars, and its own sense of continuity. You’re not the main character here. You’re just lucky enough to join for the night.
The Menu
After I’m greeted at the host stand, I start the walk through the dining room to my table, making notes of everything on everyone else’s plates. I order a drink first, and at Golden Steer Steakhouse, it’s hard to imagine starting any other way than with a dirty martini. It’s cold and properly briny. But there’s plenty else to choose from, whether you’re looking for wine, beer, cocktails, or soft drinks.
An appetizer follows, and yes, if it’s your first time it should be the shrimp de Jonghe. It’s baked, broiled, swimming in garlicky, buttery richness, and the kind of dish that feels inseparable from the Chicago area’s dining lineage. If you want to stick with chilled, the fresh Gulf shrimp cocktail is a must.
While perusing the dinner menu, I realize there’s a choice of epic proportions to be made. Do I decide to go with a classic dinner salad or French onion soup with my meal?
I add both.
If you’re here for the classic steakhouse experience—prime rib, rib eye steak, filet mignon—you pick your cut and move on. If you’re in the mood for seafood, there are delicious fish filet options, such as Atlantic salmon and broiled Pacific grouper. The lobster tail feels especially right for a special event, particularly when paired with one of those steaming baked potatoes ready for butter and sour cream. If you’re feeling more casual, there’s a steerburger on the menu too.
After I order my entrée, the courses begin to arrive. Chilled salad plates hit the table first, with crisp lettuce and cold forks, presented in that classic supper-club way. Then comes the French onion soup, still steaming, the broth deep and savory, the onions fully softened, with the ultimate cheese pull.
The main plates follow in their own time. The rib eye for my guest arrives with a proper char and a juicy center. My filet mignon cuts cleanly, tender without falling apart. There are generous portions of everything.
After the plates are cleared, there’s a second decision to make. Dessert or a nightcap—or both, if the night calls for it. For dessert, there’s homemade tiramisu, layered and balanced, not overly sweet. Next up is chocolate mousse, rich and smooth. Or perhaps a slice of New York cheesecake. And then there are the drinks meant to stretch the evening a bit longer: an Irish coffee with Jameson and whipped cream, a Brandy Alexander with vanilla ice cream and nutmeg, a pour of sambuca, or simply American coffee or hot tea.
Click here to view the full menu.
The Reason to Return
Golden Steer is one of the places I wind up returning to again and again. It’s the place I’ll suggest without hesitation when someone comes into town and asks where to go for dinner. It’s where I head on a cold Wednesday night in winter when the house feels too quiet and staying in sounds worse than putting on a coat. It’s where you mark a birthday, or an anniversary, or nothing at all—just a regular night that could use a little something.
That’s the thing Golden Steer does so well. It doesn’t separate special occasions from everyday life. It makes room for both. You can dress it up or keep it simple. You can order the steak you’ve been thinking about all week or sit at the bar with a burger and a drink.
In a region with no shortage of places to eat, Golden Steer stands out not by trying to but by staying uniquely its own. It offers a distinctly Illinois dining experience: familiar, generous, unpretentious, and deeply rooted in place. The kind that reminds you why these restaurants mattered in the first place, and why the good ones still do.
I hope it continues exactly like this. The same sign. The same awnings. The same room full of conversation and clinking glasses. Because places with this much personality don’t need reinvention. They just need to keep their doors open and keep doing what they’ve always done well.
Last updated: 1/26/26