Been to this location two times. Very professional and friendly staff, they even helped me surprise«pop the question» using a dessert tray(I know — not overly original). The steaks are incredible and the sides are super sized so if you want to watch cost, just get one side to split. I am not a fan of sweets, but my fiancé and I tried the molten lava cake and it was a game-changer. Great place for a nice, romantic meal — but go without the kids.
Michael D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Santa Clarita, CA
Love the food and loved the servers! Those ladies were so sweet and made us feel like we were at home. Ate here every day for two weeks and would go back if I could.
Ziana C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Gastonia, NC
Eaten several times while staying at the Westin. Breakfast bar –hot food is cold. Stick with the fruit and muffins. Service is outstanding. Dinner both times was $ 100 for one person. Service again was excellent. Steak quality was not all that. I was not impressed at all. If I was not staying in the hotel, I would not be eating here. Had two lovely high priced dinners. But I could have better meals elsewhere.
John M.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Portland, OR
The steaks are great. But go there for breakfast and the service is not. Had to ask four people in the course of 20 minutes just to get a glass of water. When the server brought the bill holder — the bill wasn’t even there. It was a hassle to get one to pay.
Janine E.
Rating des Ortes: 5 New Orleans, LA
We went with friends and had a variety of appetizers, steaks and sides. It all was some of the best food we have had. I have been to steak houses all over the county and this was the best I have had in a long time. The only downside was the service was not in line with the price point of the restaurant but the food more than made up for it!
Keith T.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Addison, IL
A friend and I had a taste for steak on a Saturday night. We checked a couple local spots we’d normal eat at and both had significant wait times to be seated. I decided to use the Opentable app to see if we could get in anywhere quicker. I had never heard of Shula’s prior to this, but according to Opentable there was no wait. So I made reservations. On the way we picked up a 3rd person and shot over there. The hostess was very friendly and nice, and she sat us immediately. The fact our party had grown by 1 was not an issue at all. The place was surprisingly empty for 7PM on a Saturday night and had people at maybe 5 – 6 tables. The atmosphere was upscale and very intimate considering it was attached to a suburban hotel. My initial feeling about Shula’s was the wait staff is somewhat disorganized. After we were seated, it took a while for anyone to come by to get us water or take our drink orders. I only noticed this because it was as empty as it was. Eventually our waiter came by and offered to show us the steak cart. We weren’t aware of it, but everything is ala carte. So you needed to specifically order any sides. Our waiter didn’t explain this while we were ordering, and walked away after he took our steak order. We were slightly confused why he didn’t tell us about any sides that came with our meals. We called him back and asked about them, and that’ when he explained we had to order them. After our waiter took our order, he handed us off to our server. Our server was a very nice woman and had a good sense of humor. Which certainly went along way with us enjoying our time there. Between the 3 of us, we got the crab cake appetizers, 8 ounce Filet mignon, a 12 ounce Ribeye, and Scallops for dinner, with a side of Au Gratin potatoes. One of our party had 2 glasses of wine, while the other 2 had ice tea. The meal was just ok, and was really just an average steak in my opinion. Nothing to special, but nothing horrible either. The crab cakes and Au Gratin potatoes were so-so as well… Nothing horrible, but nothing to write home about. None of these issue caused me to find them inedible, and wasn’t anything I felt the need mention to our waiter. I just made a mental note of it and ate my meal. My other two friends seemed ok with their meals, but neither were bragging about them either. The real surprise came when we got the bill. Which came to $ 250 between the 3 of us. Over $ 300 including tip. After I got the bill I was extremely aware of how average our meal was. I didn’t do any research about Shula’s when I made my reservation, and had just placed it because of the convenience. If I had searched Unilocal about them prior to making reservations I might have opted we go to a different restaurant. The price they charged is on par with Gibson’s or Ruth Chris’s… and to be honest we had nowhere near the experience we would have had at one of those restaurants. I’d give Shula’s 3 stars for an average meal, but deduct a star for the price.
Andrew D.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Cedarburg, WI
Typical overpriced steak place. Steak’s were«ok» and the joke at the table was how small they were and how high the price was. The only thing that salvaged the marginal food was the company, which the restaurant had nothing to do with. It was in the Westin so it was convenient, but not worth the price at all. Won’t be going back!
Amanda C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 DeKalb, IL
Was staying at the Sheraton and weather was bad so two of us went to the convenient albeit expensive restaurant shula’s. No beers on tap. What’s up with that? The calamari«fries» were some of the best I have had. Tender, thick strips. Granted, I like the tentacles and this had none, but the meaty thick strips were great. The marinara sauce had an odd spice like maybe anise. I got the filet mignon and it was done perfectly medium rare. Also tender with great flavor. The dipping butter wasn’t needed. Salt wasn’t needed. It was just good meat. The side was really for two or three people and we weren’t warned of that. I had the crab and mac cheese and it was stupendously creamy. Just took a lot of leftovers. Server thought he was funnier than he was. Unnecessarily flirty and just odd. He would also walk away without waiting for a full response from us. Very expensive. My meal alone, with two drinks, was $ 100. So great food, yes, but it was a splurge.
Joseph L.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Wood Dale, IL
Pretty disappointing for a high end place. Way too expensive for what you get. Too many other options for this amount of money. It it was half price it would just be ok. I won’t give it 2 stars because it’s not bad, just not worth it.
Jason G.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Grand Rapids, MI
Honestly the worst service and filet I have ever had at a steakhouse. Same price as a Ruth’s Chris, Chop House, but nothing close to quality or experience.
Alina S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Chicago, IL
Omg yum! The steak here is delicious and portions oh so large. Went here for my man’s work holiday dinner last night. The apps were off the chain. The BBQ bacon wrapped shrimp was so delicious and soft and perfectly seasoned so you can taste each and every ingredient. The crab cakes were also tasty as were the beef skewers. So tender and melt in your mouth. The sides that come a la carte with the entrees are very shareable and large portioned. I ordered a double baked potato. This was the largest and most cheesiest potato I ever did see. I love cheesy potatoes! For my entrée I ordered the 15oz bone in filet. It was cooked to perfection and again melted in my mouth. I also was able to grab a bite of my bf’s lobster tail. It was amazing! I’m not a lobster lover and usually I need to drench it in butter but this time I needed no sauce for it. It was so so delicious! For dessert we had the mini cream brûlée sampler. They were banana chocolate and grand mariner. Each was super tasty and perfectly crisped and caramelized on top. WHATANAMAZINGDINNER!
John Y.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Chicago, IL
Terrible terrible terrible service! Went there for brunch buffet around 8:30 am this morning and the hostess/receptionist misquoted the price of $ 50 vs $ 15. I asked twice but miscommunication was the theme. Didn’t bother telling me that kids under 5 yo were free. So I elected the menu. The waitress gave me the bill and then when I found out the brunch was $ 15, no apology, rolled eyes, and basically a «I hate my job» demeanor. The food was not bad, but not really what I wanted. Lost my appetite from the lack of a welcome, smile, or effort to accomodate at all.
Courtney G.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Alameda, CA
Shula’s was good. We had the breakfast buffet which consists of: Scalloped breakfast potatoes, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, croissant, small pastry assortment, cereal, juices, jams and you can order your eggs how you like as well as an omlette. It was $ 20 for all you can eat and we each only had maybe less than a plate so it was quite expensive in proportion, but if you’re pretty hungry it’s a much better deal. The scalloped potatoes with eggs, cheese, mushrooms and peppers was the highlight though a little under seasoned.
Gina F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
I took my dad here the Saturday before Father’s day for dinner and have to say we were very impressed. The host was very friendly and we were seated immediately for our reservation. The server was equally friendly and put up with my Dad’s gentle ribbing about how HE gets the best beef around from a farmer he knows and so on. A patient lady, to be certain. Now, the food is the most important part, right? Well, that delivered. We were thoroughly enjoyed everything. He started with the scallops, which were well-prepared, and followed it with the prime rib. That he enjoyed, though it was not medium rare as requested. Still, he thought it was flavorful and really liked it. As the vegetarian at the steakhouse(make your jokes) I was really pleased to see how many delicious options I had. The fresh mozzarella & tomato salad was great, and we had a feast of sides as well. The grilled asparagus and scalloped potatoes were certainly stand-outs. The mashed potatoes were good, nothing to write home about, but they were a good complement to my Dad’s prime rib. The only thing that didn’t meet the mark was the spinach. It was incredibly salty, otherwise it would have been a favorite. We get spinach pretty much any time it’s on the menu, and the spinach itself looked good, but the salt killed it. The crowning achievement of the night was the lava cake. It could easily feed four! It was warn with an amazing filling and served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. I would return for that alone, no question. I took him to Gibson’s last year and everything was good, but I really feel this surpassed our experience there. The sides at Gibson’s are notoriously huge, but they lack the flavors and balance in the food here. I’d certainly recommend Schula’s any day and would gladly go back,
David C.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Cincinnati, OH
As my hundred dollars flew out of my hands I scratched my head and thought, I wasted my time and money on this? Unfortunately Shula’s at the Westin is borderline 3 stars, and it’s the umpteenth time I wish I could pull a half star out of Unilocal and make it a 2.5. The problem with Shula’s is that the cost is right up there with Morton’s, Ruth Chris, and Capital Grille, but they don’t deliver anything close to those experiences. Third time eating here in 3 years, late night solo dinner in late January. It seems they’re afraid, or untrained, on how to be world-class at this Shula’s(vs. Indy location which is GREAT). Service: bad, as in 10 minutes to see a server, 20 to get a cocktail, 35 – 40 to place my order. Had to LITERALLY tell my server I needed to «get this show on the road». Really? For a 100 dollar dinner, and a restaurant close to empty, that wait staff should SMOTHER me with Ruth Chris’ or Morton’s crispness, but I received the opposite. Ordered the porterhouse, 24 oz., medium rare; my server stood by upon its delivery to table and said«I’ll wait til you cut it and see that it’s done to your liking». She stood by with good cause… My medium rare was medium to well-done, through and through. Graciously delivered a replacement porterhouse 15 minutes later and it was perfectly cooked. Potatoes au gratin(Boursin), creamed spinach were tasty. I’ve had their French onion soup before, and it’s world class. Ditto for their huge tomato and mozzarella chop salad. Another Unilocaler also mentioned the entire Shula’s presentation, and I have to agree. I just don’t think they really«get it» when one spends a c-note for dinner, that everything NEEDS to be top-notch and first class. Presentation of food and the staff’s overall service was weak. Don Shula would have heads rolling at his namesake restaurant if he popped in for a dinner and drinks. I’m going to try it again in 3 weeks, update t/c. My Manhattan was excellent! And the bartender personally came over and poured it into my martini glass. Now, why can’t the rest of the wait staff be that responsive?
Brian L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Chicago, IL
This is probably what I consider to be on the better end of dining for a hotel restaurant. Usually the same things are present: high prices, fancy sounding foods, ok taste. They have great ingredients here but you can tell they could really benefit from increasing the skill involved in preparation. I ordered the 24 oz prime rib. Perfectly seasoned but just slightly overcooked. You can tell that the meat had great marbalization but had a little more attention gone into presentation, the au jus could have been put on the side to increase the flavor. The waiter’s wine recommendation was definitely overpriced for the quality here but it complemented the steak very well.
Luis G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Schaumburg, IL
Being the Friday after Halloween, the place was frightfully empty. We had a reservation at 8 pm, but got there 45 minutes early and was sat immediately. At the time we sat down, I saw one other table occupied. We enjoyed the quiet atmosphere, as we were taking the night off from our baby anyway. The service was friendly and prompt. I enjoyed the fact that our waiter wasn’t stiff, being a nice restaurant, sometimes the service is standoff-ish and that wasn’t the case here at Shula’s. We felt that we were taken care of really well. Our food was really good. I don’t know if I would say it was BETTER than most other high end steak houses, but it really was good. I had the prime rib, which was an excellent cut of meat. My wife had grilled salmon with an asian sauce that was really outstanding. All in all, I would recommend Shula’s.
Nina S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Washington, DC
The food and service were both really great and the location was really convenient for me because i was attending a conference at the Westin Northwest. My only complaint is that the restaurant was really quiet — we had a 6pm reservation on a Thursday night, and there was only one other diner.
David R.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Raleigh, NC
I’ve been to a couple Shula’s Steakhouses in the past, but this was my first time dining in their Westin Chicago Northwest(Itasca, IL) location. The best way to summarize the meal: it may have been an acceptable experience for an Outback Steakhouse, but not at Shula’s. For starters, the hotel is dreary. It’s isolated in an office park area, and has no energy at all. That carries over to the restaurant, which is off the main lobby. Our group of 6 was seated inside the bar area, which was confusing to say the least. You don’t spend $ 500 on dinner to sit in the bar. Service was mixed. A couple drink orders gotten wrong… a couple times they had to recheck/reconfirm orders. Not horrible, but it was noticed. The food was the letdown. Totally underwhelming. I know steak, and my $ 44 ribeye, ordered medium rare, was more of a medium well. The mac & cheese was pretty good. A few drinks from the bar were great. a couple others were terrible. Bottom line– the overall experience, from ambience, to service, to food, was not what I would expect from a Shula’s and from the prices they charge.
Dinah T.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Addison, IL
I recently came here for a business luncheon. The food was good. I had their onion soup… I’d get that again. sweet onion taste, not salty, with melted cheese on top yum. I had their grilled salmon(didn’t have a taste for steak for lunch) for lunch. It was pretty good but they lack the amount of vegetables when I asked to double the veggies and remove the starchy carb side. The service was ok, it wasn’t busy at all and for our party of 6 our wait staff was half taking our drink orders. The meals were slow coming to us, I mean we weren’t in a rush but man a 2 hour lunch just to eat was a bit too long and it wasn’t at all busy, did I mentioned that it wasn’t busy? This restaurant is in a hotel so you’re sharing parking space with people who are spending the night in the hotel. It’s a place you shouldn’t wear shorts and a tshirt… nice casual outfit please. The hostess and staff were friendly saying hello and good bye, they know that you’ll be spending money here so they better! The space looked like they have 2 separate rooms. It looked like you were in a high class man cave hence all football memorabilia, big leather chairs, and even football leather covered menus. I’ve been here before for dinner several years ago. As I remembered it was pretty dark not dim, dark to a point that the waiter used a flashlight to show me how medium rare my steak was. No it was bloody so I had to ask him to reheat it. I don’t mind paying for a good steak, but this place was meh… I’d rather go to Ruth Chris’s and spend that kind of money there. I would only come here if someone else is picking up the bill.