A Review of Shula's Steak House: Good Food, Insane Prices

I would have never even thought of Shula's Steak House as an option for our Chicago trip if it wasn't for the fact that it was located inside our hotel - the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Once I saw this restaurant was at our hotel, I jumped at the opportunity to eat here. I remembered being told that this themed restaurant had excellent food, so I had to give it a try.

The Reservations
Making reservations was a breeze since I could do it online. I had read that reservations were highly recommended, so we booked our dinner plans a few days in advance. The website uses opentable.com to book reservations, which I conveniently already had an account for. Even if you don't already have an account, making reservations online is very easy AND the best part is that you get a written confirmation of your reservations.

The Restaurant
Arriving at the restaurant, it actually wasn't busy at all since it was a Wednesday. However I did notice it was pretty busy on the weekend so I was glad we went on a Wednesday. The restaurant's decor, according to the website, is "themed after the 1972 Miami Dolphins' "Perfect Season" - the only team in NFL history to finish a season undefeated. " The restaurant has football freeze frame pictures and players throughout. As part of the theme, the menu of steaks is brought out on a hand-painted football. All this really does is list the different steak choices with all the other menu items being on a separate menu.

We got lucky and got some very comfy chairs. I noticed most of the restaurant had plain old restaurant chairs, but we got one of the few tables with comfy high-back chairs. We were comfy while we waited! The lighting was perfect, the atmosphere was nice, and overall the place was pleasant.

The Food
To start, the waiter brings out the selection of steaks on a table so you can see exactly what you would be ordering. He or she explains each item to you and then tells you that all steaks or $40 with a few that he points out at different prices. When I heard this, I said WOOOOAAHH right away. $40 for 1 steak? And further, it doesn't come with sides as those are ordered extra. Well, we were already here, and already seated, so we decided to suck it up.

My husband ordered a $36 steak which was 16oz. He did say that was pretty large, but we wished they would make 8oz or 12oz steaks so that we had cheaper options. I got the $25 salmon and an $8 side of grilled asparagus. My husband also got an $8 Caesar salad and shared some with me so that we didn't have to get two of these pricey salads. The food was all good, and comparable to some of the best restaurants we've been to, however, the price still shocked us the whole time. Being that we were on vacation, I couldn't take leftovers home, so it was sad that I could only manage to eat half of my salmon and only a bit of asparagus. I would recommend either splitting a side with the entire table OR skipping the sides altogether. They also provided us with bread which I wish I would have skipped so that I could have eaten more salmon. IF we ever go to a Shula's again we will probably just get a salad to share and then the entree, and that's it.

The Service
They obviously have great service - because they know they are getting a big tip! When you take 15-20% on a bill like that, these servers are bound to get good tips from everyone. We had our waiter who was quick and explained the menu to us, then there were some other guys that brought us our food and cleaned up each plate or glass as soon as we were done with it. Everyone was nice and relaxed and we never felt rushed, which is always a nice plus.

Overall
I would not go out of my way to eat at Shula's again the next time I'm near one. Yes it was good, but I'm still in shock at how much we spent on it. I can get Salmon for $13 at most restaurants which I actually enjoy just as much as I did at Shula's. My husband liked the steak a lot but agreed that he can get an enjoyable steak elsewhere. The portions of the sides were just too large and the portions of the steaks as well. If they would cut some of these things in half (including the price), we would probably be more likely to go there again. Maybe we are just not the type to frequent a restaurant like this. We sat next to a couple who had no problem ordering 2 sides, 2 salads and wines without even blinking when the price was announced. If you are budget-conscious like us, Shula's is a good one time deal. However if we could justify spending this much more often, I would eat there a lot because it was very good. Enjoy!