Chicago steakhouse makes New York Times’ top 50 restaurants list

CHICAGO — The New York Times has unveiled the 2024 edition of their list of the top 50 restaurants in the U.S., which runs down the best eateries in America — and a Chicago steakhouse is among the spots that made the national cut.
The newspaper endorsed Asador Bastian, located north of the river in downtown Chicago, adding “It is no small thing to call this chophouse’s steak the best in Chicago.”
The paper’s Brett Anderson elaborated that even beyond the steaks – which include Galician bone-in ribeye, Akaushi Wagyu and dry-aged Holstein – the rest of the menu resembles a “fight for supremacy with seafood from the plancha and even a simple tortilla, albeit crowned with a ribbon of nutty jamón.”
Highlighting Chicago’s historic reputation as the meatpacking capitol of the world, Anderson said Asador Bastian is a worthy neo-brasserie contemporary with such New York stables as Frenchette and Minetta Tavern.
This isn’t the first honor bestowed upon Asador Bastian. Earlier this year, it was ranked 14th among the world’s 101 best steak restaurants, as determined by the London-based Upper Crust Media House. Among U.S. steakhouses, only New York’s Cote ranked higher (in fourth place).
Chicago was represented by two establishments in their prior, 2023 list: Daisies, which the newspaper praised for having “Italian-inspired cuisine (that’s) authentically Midwestern,” and Thattu, a former food hall Indian restaurant that the newspaper cited for its “playful dishes, like tater tots dusted with chaat masala.” Both of those restaurants, north of downtown, are still open and taking reservations.
Other Midwestern restaurants that made the New York Times’ cut included two from Minneapolis: Oro by Nixta, a Mexican restaurant known for its handmade corn tortillas, and the neighboring Hmong eatery Vinai. Michigan was also represented by Noori Pocha, a fun-forward Korean restaurant in suburban Detroit.