Hawksmoor Chicago

Hawksmoor began in London in 2006. We are Will Beckett and Huw Gott, childhood best friends who decided to open the steak restaurant we wished existed. Proper food, sourced with care, cooked over real fire and served by people genuinely pleased to see you. 

From there it grew. We built a reputation for exceptional seafood and drinks, and a team serious about craft but never solemn. We tried to reflect what London does best. Laid back confidence, great produce and a desire to give everyone a good time, whether at the bar alone or hosting a party. 

We never imagined it would lead here. Named the World’s Best Steak Restaurant, recognized by the James Beard Foundation, opening in New York and now in Chicago, America’s spiritual home of beef. 

We came to Chicago for the same reason we opened the first Hawksmoor. We wanted a restaurant we would be excited to visit on our night off. That means proper food and drink, done properly. 

We are obsessed with beef. Beef from good cattle, cooked over real fire by people who know when to leave it alone. We care deeply about sourcing, aging, charcoal and seasoning, but none of it needs to feel serious. 

Just as important is how it feels to be here. Warmth and buzz. Music you can tap your foot to. Staff who treat you like a guest, not a problem to manage. Come as you are, whether it is your first visit or your fiftieth. 

We have brought a few habits from home. Proper Sunday roasts with Yorkshire puddings that barely fit the plate. Martinis so cold they sting. A belief that a great steak and a good bottle of red can sort most things out. 

The aim is simple. A restaurant that feels like yours. Serious about the craft and relaxed about everything else. 

We serve the kind of food and drink we genuinely want to eat and drink ourselves. You already know how seriously we take our steak, but it does not stop there. Our seafood is just as considered, from sweet shellfish to simply grilled fish that tastes exactly as it should. It is sourced with care and handled with a light touch. 

Then there are the sides, which we treat with the same respect as the main event. Beef dripping fries that are crisp and fluffy in all the right places. Rich mac and cheese. Seasonal vegetables cooked properly and generously seasoned. The kind of plates that get passed around the table and argued over. 

Puddings matter too. We believe dessert should feel indulgent and a little nostalgic. Sticky toffee pudding that demands a spoon straight down the middle. Peanut butter shortbread that walks the line between sweet and salty. Big flavors, no restraint, and worth saving room for. 

And of course, the martinis. Ice cold, properly made and poured with confidence. No theatrics, no fuss, just the right glass at the right temperature, arriving at the right moment. 

You sipped, we listened.

We’ve taken the spark of our sold-out cocktail nights and built a bar around it. London cocktail culture meets Chicago charm.

A place for James Beard-nominated drinks, London-accent interiors, music you can feel, and lighting set firmly to “moody”.

Our ice-cold martinis & next-level, London-inspired snacks headline the new menu. After work drinks, weekend kicks or private parties – this is the place.

This round, we’re teaming up our friends at Charis Listening Bar, the Bridgeport spot that feels like your favorite living room with better music.

Meet The Glass Slipper.
Condesa gin, fino, mastiha, salted oolong honey, and a whisper of St Germain and Benedictine. It’s quietly complex, a little playful, and best enjoyed with good tunes and great company.

And because good drinks should do a bit of good, $2 from every Glass Slipper will support Pilot Light, a brilliant Chicago non-profit helping kids connect what’s on their plate to the wider world.

Great cocktails. Great people. Great causes. That’s Martini Mates.

A Sunday roast is one of Britain’s most cherished food traditions — a generous meal that gathers friends and family around the table at the end of the week. It’s less about rushing, more about settling in. Ours centers on slow-roasted, dry-aged beef, carved thick and served with crisp beef-dripping roast potatoes, a towering Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables and rich bone-marrow gravy. Everything arrives together, ready to be shared, passed and properly enjoyed.

In the UK, our Sunday Roast has been awarded Best Sunday Roast twice, and it’s the standard we hold ourselves to in Chicago. It’s hearty without being heavy, nostalgic without being fussy — the sort of meal that stretches into the afternoon and makes Sunday feel like something worth planning around. Served every Sunday in River North, and genuinely not to be missed.

We know you don’t always need the full works. Sometimes you just want something that properly hits the spot — and still leaves room for another round. So we asked our team what they’d tell their friends to order if they were coming in straight from work, a little hungry, a little thirsty and watching the clock (and the tab).

The result is a short, sharp menu of the things we’re proud of at prices that feel almost suspicious. Steak frites for $25 — dry-aged beef, cooked over live fire, with crisp fries and the sort of sauce you mop up properly. An absolute steal, if you ask us. Our Notorious B.E.E.F for $21. And cocktails — properly made, no shortcuts — all $13 or less.

It’s not a gimmick. Just good food, good drinks and good sense, served with the same care as everything else we do. Join us in River North, every day from 5–6pm, and consider it your new favorite hour.

When you walk into Hawksmoor, you should feel at ease straight away. The room has scale but never intimidates. There is a low hum of conversation, warm light against brick and timber, music you can tap your foot to. You can come dressed up, dressed down or somewhere in between. Everyone is welcome. 

At the bar, cocktails are made without theatrics, and the Martinis arrive ice cold and exactly as they should. The wine list is deep but approachable. The welcome is genuine. We are serious about food and drink and relaxed about everything else. 

Our service is personal, not scripted. Our team does not wear a uniform, and we do not ask them to leave their personalities at the door. We want people who are knowledgeable, intuitive and genuinely warm. The kind of people who know when to guide you and when to step back. 

For us, special does not mean stiff. It means care and attention. A steak cooked exactly as you like it. A drink timed perfectly. A room that feels alive but never chaotic. Easy going on the surface, serious underneath. 

Mondays deserve better than leftovers and early nights. So we started something simple. Bring any bottle you like — a first-growth Bordeaux you’ve been saving, something picked up on holiday, or a perfectly cheerful bottle of Barefoot — and we won’t charge a penny in corkage.

No ceremony. No side-eye. Just proper glasses, the right temperature and a team who’ll treat your bottle with the same respect we give our own list.

Not sure what to bring? Our neighbours at Aqua Wine & Spirits are right across the street and know their way around a shelf. Tell them what you’re eating and they’ll point you in the right direction. You can even give us a call beforehand and speak to one of our sommeliers — they’ll happily steer you toward something that’ll make your steak (or seafood) sing.

It’s our way of making Monday feel less like the start of the week and more like an excuse to open something good.