Mid-Michigan Dining

• 539 N. State St.
• Chicago, IL 60654
• (312) 467-9696
• Website
• Menu

The Weber Grill Restaurant on State Street in downtown Chicago.

It isn’t very often that J and I eat at the same restaurant twice, so when I tell you this is the third time we’ve eaten at Weber Grill, you should know that it’s a good restaurant.  After spending all day walking around Chicago, it was finally time for dinner.  We had a reservation for 7:30 and we left The Gap at about 7:00 to start walking towards our dinner destination.

Weber Grill Restaurant is located at State and Ohio in the bottom floor of the Hilton Garden Inn.  The downtown restaurant is one of four locations with two others in the Chicago suburbs (Schaumburg and Lombard) and the third in Indianapolis.  Weber Grill is like no other restaurant you will ever go to.

Yes, Weber Grill Restaurant is owned by the same comapny that produces those kettle grills you should have on your patio or in your garage.  There are no stoves here.  Just grills.  Giant ranch grills.  Everything is cooked over live fire and charcoal.  It’s a grill lovers paradise. 

We showed up for our reservation about fifteen minutes early.  When I checked in, the host said he would try to get us in as soon as possible, but we should be seated by 7:30 for sure.  I took the little buzzer thing and we waited.  Almost exactly 7:30, my buzzer goes off and we’re shown to our table.  There are four dining options at Weber Grill.  In the back of the space, there’s a traditional dining room.  The first time J and I ate there, that’s where we were seated.  Another option is a private room in the front.  There’s also a bar area which is first come, first serve and they have pub tables, the bar, and even a lunch counter type deal over looking the kitchen.  The fourth option is a row of booths that are basically in the kitchen.  When you walk from the front door to the dining room, you walk right by the kitchen which is completely open.  The waiters/waitresses pick their food up in the same area that you walk down to get to the dining room.  We were seated in one of those booths and had a front row seat to a busy Saturday night in a Chicago restaurant.  The Executive Chef was walking around in front of us all night and it was amazing to watch the orders come up, be finished, and taken out by some very skilled waiters and waitresses.

Weber Grill Restaurant in Chicago on State Street

Our meal started with the waitress coming over and explaining the menu to us as well as the specials.  A jug of water was put on the table for us as well as a basket of pretzel rolls.  The rolls are grilled just like everything else and they come with whipped butter and a whipped cheddar spread.  J and I ordered Coke’s while my brother went for lemonade.  My sister-in-law stuck with water.  We polished off the rolls while waiting for the waitress to come back.  My brother had a hard time deciding so it was probably a good thing the waitress took a few more minutes to come back.

It’s hard to just choose one thing, but of course, they had the one meal that always stands out to me.  On the menu, in the burger section, was the Black ‘n Bleu burger, so of course, that’s what I ordered.  The burgers are flame seared, 100% USDA Black Angus beef.  They come with lettuce, tomato, and onion which I of course, took off.  The sandwich is also served with fries and a pickle spear.  The sandwich was awesome.  The bun was nice and toasty.  The burger was a perfect medium and it was a large piece of meat, so I didn’t have to worry about leaving hungry.

J ordered a BBQ combo where you get to choose two of their BBQ options.  She chose the chicken and pulled pork.  You get your choice of midwest or Carolina style pork.  I told her to pick Carolina since that’s what I usually make at home.  Her platter came with three different BBQ sauces.  There was a thicker KC style sauce that was on the chicken, a vinegar and pepper sauce, and a really sweet tomato based sauce.  The thinner sauce was awesome.  I tried dipping a few fries in it, but she used it all on her pork.  The vinegar and pepper sauce was really hot.  The piece of chicken was a quarter chicken consisting of the leg and thigh.  She’s not a huge dark meat fan, but still said the chicken was good.  The pork was piled on top of a piece of toast.  The BBQ entrees come with cornbread, Makers Mark Bourbon Baked Beans, and coleslaw.  She said all the sides were great and more than enough to satisfy her appetite. 

My sister-in-law also ordered the BBQ combo, but she got the BBQ meatloaf and ribs as her meats.  My brother says she almost always gets the ribs when she eats out so that wasn’t much of a surprise.  The meat was tender and ripped off the bone.  She got the thicker KC style BBQ sauce with her entree.  The BBQ meatloaf was interesting and she said it was really good.  Again, covered with the same thicker BBQ sauce.

My brother couldn’t decide what he wanted to do.  He kept talking about wanting a steak, but the price almost drove him away.  His wife finally told him to shut up and just get the steak.  It was probably better.  He got a New York Strip.  When he asked for the steak medium, the waitress told him what medium was (pink, warm center) and asked if that’s what he wanted.  He said yes and also said the garlic mashed potatoes would be ok as the starch.  After the first bite, he knew he made the right choice.  He said it wasn’t as good as the steak he had at Mesa Grill in New York, but still a pretty damn good steak.

We got our check sepearte and neither seemed too bad.  J and I spent just over $35 before tip.  My brother spent just over $50 and he got a steak.  Everyone left stuffed.  The waitress put the dessert menu on the table, but there was just no way. 

Weber Grill Restaurant is awesome!  Our table was great because we got a show during dinner.  It was awfully loud with all the yelling, but it never hampered our conversation.  The meal took about an hour after we were seated and they do validate if you park in the parking deck above their restaurant.  If you’re in Chicago, Weber Grill Restaurant is a must.