A guide to Hogsalt restaurants and how to score a reservation. Hogsalt Hospitality is the group behind some of Chicago's best and most popular restaurants. The downside? It can be nearly impossible to get a reservation. I'm sharing tricks for getting a table and a breakdown of all Hogsalt's Chicago restaurants.
A Guide to Hogsalt Restaurants:
Hogsalt Hospitality owns and operates over a dozen restaurants in Chicago, as well as a coffee shop, a doughnut shop, and a food hall. The restaurants are known for their exceptional design, top-tier cuisine, and hospitality.
What do you need to know about Hogsalt Hospitality restaurants?
First off, they do live up to the hype. The food is wonderful. Their mission statement is to make the classics so well that people understand why they became classics. It's a bold statement but they are successful. The chefs truly set out to create the best version of something, whether that is a wedge salad, cheeseburger, steak, or pie.
Hogsalt is known for menu repetition across restaurants. This makes sense. Once they created the best cheeseburger, they didn't feel a need to keep changing it. It's quite similar across all restaurants. Some menu items are identical. For example, the sticky date cake is the same at Armitage Ale House and Trivoli Tavern. The truffle mafaldine and the vodka rigatoni are both on the menus at Armitage Ale House and Trivoli Tavern.
Hogsalt restaurants have a more formal atmosphere. Hogsalt doesn't specify a dress code, but most people dress up for reservations at Hogsalt's sit-down restaurants. I'd call it smart casual. You can wear jeans, but dress them up.
What are the Hogsalt restaurants, and how are they different from one another?
Armitage Ale House
Address: 1000 W Armitage Ave. in Lincoln Park
Hours: 4pm-10pm Monday and Tuesday, 11am-10pm Wednesday and Thursday, 11am-10:30 Friday, 10am-10:30pm Saturday, and 10am-10pm Sunday
A British pub serving classic English cuisine and Indian pub food. The menu includes curries, pot pies, steaks, and a wagyu burger.
What to order at Armitage Ale House:
The double wagyu burger is fantastic - but similar to the burger at other Hogsalt spots. If you want to try a more unique menu item, opt for the fish and chips or a pot pie. No matter what, you absolutely need the sticky date cake.
How to get a reservation at Armitage Ale House:
Reservations become available via Resy at 9 am, 21 days in advance.
Does Armitage Ale House accept walk-ins?
Armitage Ale House is smaller than some of the other Hogsalt restaurants, so there is less room for walk-ins. I haven't had luck walking in at dinnertime, but I have successfully gotten a spot at the bar on a weekday at lunchtime.
Au Cheval
Address: 800 West Randolph St in the West Loop
Hours: 10am - 11:15pm daily
Au Cheval is an upscale diner in the West Loop. While getting in for dinner can be challenging, the restaurant is open from 10am - 11:15pm and usually isn't too crowded during the day on weekdays.
What to order at Au Cheval:
Au Cheval is famous for its cheeseburger (the single is actually a double, and the double is actually a triple). If you aren’t in the mood for a burger, try General Jane’s Honey-Fried Chicken. The fries with mornay sauce and an egg are an indulgent treat.
How to get a reservation at Au Cheval:
Au Cheval is walk-in only, with waits that can be up to five hours long. It's best to get in line 15 minutes before the restaurant opens.
Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf
Address: 218 W Kinzie St in River North
Hours: 4pm-10:30pm Monday-Thursday, 3pm-11pm Friday and Saturday, 3pm-10:30pm Sunday
Arguably the most popular of all Hogsalt restaurants, Bavette’s is a French-inspired steakhouse. It's formal and romantic.
What to order at Bavette's:
Bavette's is the place to go all in on a full steakhouse style meal. Start with a wedge salad. The steaks are truly exceptional; my husband loves the Chicago Cut. I love the shortrib stroganoff, too. Our favorite sides are the creamed spinach, button mushrooms, and the loaded baked potato. The chocolate cream pie is divine.
How to get a reservation at Bavette's:
Reservations become available via Resy at 9 am, 21 days in advance.
Does Bavette's accept walk-ins?
Bavette's accepts walk-ins, and the full menu is served at both bars. You will have the best chance at a walk-in spot if you get in line just before the restaurant opens, or go after the dinner rush (after 8:30pm).
Ciccio Mio
Address: 226 W Kinzie St in River North
Hours: 4pm-10:30pm Sunday-Thursday, 4pm-11pm Friday and Saturday
Located between Bavette’s and Gilt Bar, Ciccio Mio serves red sauce Italian cuisine.
What to order at Ciccio Mio:
The rigatoni vodka, truffle bucatini, and lasagna bolognese rotolo are standouts. As is the burrata appetizer.
How to get a reservation at Ciccio Mio:
Reservations become available via Resy at 9 am, 21 days in advance.
Does Ciccio Mio accept walk-ins?
Ciccio Mio accepts a small handful of walk-ins. There are a couple spots by the window at the front of the restaurant where people can dine. I do not think that there is a bar where people can dine, like at other Hogsalt spots.
Doughnut Vault
Address: 401 N Franklin St in River North
Hours: 7:30am-1pm daily, or until they run out
When Gilt Bar turned an unused closet into a doughnut shop, it kicked off a doughnut trend that went coast to coast. Doughnut Vault is known for its old-fashioned (cake-like) doughnuts; my favorite is the pistachio.
Gilt Bar
Address: 230 W Kinzie St in River North
Hours: 4pm-10:30pm Sunday-Thursday, 4pm-11pm Friday and Saturday
The first Hogsalt restaurant, Gilt Bar, is an elegant bar serving upscale bar food like prime rib French dip, roasted chicken, and several pastas.
What to order at Gilt Bar:
Order the mussels, the bone marrow, and the fried chicken. And the chocolate cream pie (the same as Bavette's).
How to get a reservation at Gilt Bar:
Reservations become available via Resy at 9 am, 21 days in advance.
Does Gilt Bar accept walk-ins?
Walk-ins are able to order from the full menu at the bar.
Green Street Smoked Meats
Address: 112 N Green St in West Loop
Hours: 11am-10:30pm Sunday to Thursday, 11am-11pm Friday and Saturday
A Central Texas-inspired barbecue spot where meat is available by the half-pound or on sandwiches.
What to order at Green Street Smoked Meats:
You can't go wrong. Order meat by the half-pound, brisket chili, frito pie, a smoke turkey sandwich, or a pulled pork sandwich. My favorite sides are cornbread and potato salad.
How to get a reservation at Green Street Smoked Meats:
Green Street Smoked Meats is a fast-casual counter-service restaurant. It is walk-in only. There are lots of picnic tables inside and outside where you can sit to eat.
High Five Ramen
Address: 112 N Green St (below Green Street Smoked Meats)
Hours: 4pm-10:30pm Monday-Thursday, 4pm-11pm Friday, 12-10:30pm Saturday, and 12-10:30 Sunday
A tiny restaurant with a menu offering four preparations of ramen, including a miso mushroom version for vegetarians. The drink menu features Japanese whisky, beer, and slushies.
What to order at High Five Ramen:
The menu features just four types of ramen, so order ramen.
How to get a reservation at High Five Ramen:
High Five Ramen is walk-in only.
Lobster Bar
Address: 114 N Green St in the West Loop
Hours: 4pm-10pm Sunday-Thursday, 4pm-10:30pm Friday-Saturday
Located within Trivoli Tavern and made to look like the cargo hold of an old ship, Lobster Bar offers shellfish and sushi in addition to the full Trivoli Tavern menu. In the warmer months, Lobster Bar has tables outside.
What to order at Lobster Bar:
Lobster Bar has a fun happy hour on weekdays from 4pm-5pm. Order slides, pigs in a blanket, crab rangoon, and French fries. And sticky date cake.
How to get a reservation at Lobster Bar:
Lobster Bar is walk-in only.
Sawada Coffee
Address: 112 N Green St in the West Loop
Hours: 8am-4pm daily
A coffeeshop next to Green Street Smoked Meats serving Doughnut Vault doughnuts.
Small Cheval
This fast casual burger joint is an offshoot of Au Cheval with locations in Logan Square, Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, Lincoln Square, Fulton Market, Old Town, the Loop, Gold Coast, and Hyde Park. The menu is small: burgers, chicken tenders, fries, and ice cream, plus beer and cocktails.
How to get a reservation at Small Cheval:
Small Cheval is a fast-casual counter-service restaurant. It is walk-in only.
Trivoli Tavern
Address: 114 N Green St in the West Loop
Hours: 4pm-10pm Monday-Thursday, 4pm-10:30pm Friday, 10:30am-10:30pm Saturday, 10:30am-10pm Sunday
In my personal experience, this is the easiest Hogsalt restaurant to secure a reservation. I call Trivoli Tavern the “greatest hits of Hogsalt” since the menu has some of the same pot pies from Armitage Alehouses, pastas from Ciccio Mio’s menu, and steaks like Bavette’s.
What to order at Trivoli Tavern:
The menu is packed with hits. Try the prime rib sandwich, chicken pot pies, steak frites, or any of the pastas. The mushroom casserole is an incredible side dish. I love the sticky toffee cake and the butterfinger pie equally.
How to get a reservation at Trivoli Tavern:
Reservations become available via Resy at 9 am, 21 days in advance.
Does Trivoli Tavern accept walk-ins?
Trivoli Tavern leaves about 25% of its tables for walk-ins, including 12 seats at the bar and 17 seats at Lobster Bar. When the patio is open, it adds another 132 seats.
Tips for Getting a Spot at Hogsalt Restaurants
Some Hogsalt restaurants are open for lunch, and it is much easier to get a daytime reservation. All restaurants accept walk-ins. It is easier to get a spot during lunchtime or later at night after the dinner rush.
You can try to use the Resy notify feature to see if a table becomes available.
My top tip, which I should keep secret, is the patios! Most Hogsalt restaurants have patios that open up if the weather is warm enough. Usually, patio reservations are released last minute or the space is saved for walk-ins.
