Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse
Chicago's classic steakhouse delivers on the bottle
Gold Coast · Chicago · American, Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 13, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The wine list at Gibsons hits you the way the room does — big, confident, and unapologetically old-school. Five hundred to seven hundred selections anchored in France, California, and Italy, which is exactly what you'd expect from a Rush Street institution that's been pouring Cabs for decades. Wine Spectator noticed in 2023, and honestly, the list earns it.
Selection Deep Dive
This is a Cabernet lover's dream and basically nothing else — which, given the menu, is entirely the point. California is stacked with the heavy hitters: Opus One, Caymus Special Selection, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap CASK 23, Jordan, Beringer Private Reserve. France shows up properly with Château Margaux and Château Lafite Rothschild. Italy gets a nod through Sassicaia, and Australia sneaks in with Penfolds Grange for the adventurous. What you won't find is a deep dive into Burgundy by the glass, natural wine curiosities, or anything resembling a value-driven discovery section — this list is built for the power lunch crowd dropping real money on a steak.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is genuinely solid for a steakhouse of this size, and Victoria Hutchinson keeps the program from feeling like an afterthought. The by-the-glass roster leans predictably California-heavy, which tracks with the room. Rotation feels more curated than spontaneous, but what's there is competent and well-maintained.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — Available by the glass
Jordan is one of the most consistent, food-friendly Cabs in California and rarely gets marked into the stratosphere the way the cult names do here. It's the move if you want something serious without signing your mortgage over.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Everyone chases Opus One and Caymus at a place like this, but Beringer's Private Reserve is a legitimately great Napa Cab that flies under the radar at steakhouses. It consistently punches above its profile — and above what the flashier names on this list deliver per dollar.
Caymus Vineyards Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon
At $250 a bottle, you're paying a significant premium for a wine that retails for a fraction of that — and Caymus Special Selection has become the kind of crowd-pleasing status pour that gets marked up hard at every white tablecloth room in the country. The wine is fine. The value is not.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars CASK 23 + Prime bone-in ribeye
CASK 23 is one of Napa's most structured, age-worthy Cabs — it has the backbone to stand up to a serious bone-in ribeye without either one steamrolling the other. This is the pairing the list was built for.
Monday — Half-price wine night every Monday — the single best reason to rearrange your week around dinner at Gibsons.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Gibsons is a reliable destination for big-bottle California and French wine in a room that was made for exactly that kind of drinking. The pricing is steep across the board, but Monday's half-price wine night turns this into a genuinely compelling night out — show up then, order the ribeye, and spend the difference on a second bottle.
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