Maple & Ash Chicago

“Maple & Ash takes the classic steakhouse formula and pushes it into something louder, glossier, and more theatrical, the kind of restaurant built for celebrations and special occasions rather than a quiet weeknight dinner. The Gold Coast location has a sleek, modern interior with an open kitchen and a real buzz to the room, music playing, servers moving with energy, the whole place feeling more like an event than a typical meal out. Everything here is meant for sharing, and we leaned into that fully. The wood-fired steaks are the centerpiece, and we went with a bone-in ribeye that came out with a deep char on the outside and a perfectly cooked interior, sliced and presented in a way that made it feel like a small spectacle on its own. We also had a seafood tower to start, oysters, shrimp, and crab piled high on ice, fresh and well-presented, a good way to ease into such a heavy meal. The shepherd's pie surprised us, rich and comforting, not something you'd expect from a steakhouse menu but it ended up being a quiet favorite at the table. Sides came family-style, and the mac and cheese in particular disappeared fast, creamy with a good crust on top. Cocktails were handcrafted and well balanced, the kind of drinks that feel worth the price even before the food arrives. It's expensive, unapologetically so, and the atmosphere leans into the spectacle of fine dining rather than subtlety, but for a special night out it delivers exactly that experience.”

“We had a fantastic brunch experience! The complimentary drinks and black caviar treats were a lovely surprise. The poached eggs with crab meat were absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. We ended with French toast for dessert, which was the perfect sweet finish. Great food, amazing ambience, and our server was attentive and friendly throughout. Definitely a place we’ll come back to!”

“Everything was absolutely five stars! Kasey was our server, and she did phenomenal with her suggestions and certainly impress us with the way she listened to what we wanted or needed. She made our birthdays fantastic by making up a menu with our names on it because it's our birthday week. My boyfriend had the best steak of his life and I had a fantastic Caesar salad. We really enjoyed the ambiance, the candelabras on the tables, and the whole feel of the place. It's very intimate and welcoming at the same time and it's hard to find the two together. I wish we were not just visiting because we would certainly make this our top spot for steak and fun!”

“The food was amazing. Everything was delicious and cooked put to perfection. The filet mignon melted in your mouth. We ordered a number of sides and each one was better than the next. We had the asparagus, the mushrooms, the macaroni and cheese and the mashed potatoes and they were all made with a special touch. The overall atmosphere was elegant, but they kept the lights way too low. Part of enjoying your food is being able to see your food. And part of ordering your food is being able to see the menu without having to almost catch it on fire with the candle. For a restaurant this expensive and this level of elegance, our waitress could’ve been a little better. All of the people who brought out the food and did all the other aspects of service were amazing. I don’t know if our waitress was just a little overwhelmed with her tables, but we found ourselves looking for her often trying to get refills and other things we needed. That was just a little hiccup, the overall experience was amazing and the food was great. Highly recommend.”

“I expected a better experience from Maple & Ash, especially since we chose it to celebrate our anniversary and had seen so much positive attention about it on social media. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with my filet mignon. I ordered it medium, but it arrived quite rare—I could see blue when I cut into the steak. Our server promptly took it back to be cooked further, but when it returned a few minutes later, it had a charred top and wasn't very appetizing. The server kindly offered to have a new steak prepared, which I appreciated, but we had other plans afterward and didn't have enough time to wait for another replacement.That said, the rest of the food was very good, and our server handled the situation professionally. While I appreciate the effort to correct the issue, the steak ultimately fell short of my expectations. I've had better steaks at other restaurants, especially considering the reputation and price point of this establishment.”