Sometimes the bar is the best seat in the house at restaurants. It’s the place to settle in when you really want to find out what that establishment is all about. Here, you’re likely to make fast friends with the bar team, get the scoop on upcoming specials, and possibly get sneak previews of cocktails and dishes.
In the case of El Che Steakhouse & Bar, situated in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, you’ll get all those things, plus a bangin’ soundtrack of some of the most delightful South American music around. From deep Latin house cuts to groovy jazz tunes to classic songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, you’ll be Shazam-ing and jamming all night long.
The restaurant is owned by chef John Manion, whose career I’ve followed since he opened the nuevo Latin-inspired Mas in Wicker Park in the late 1990s. His dedication to cuisines and cultures of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and other Latin countries has intensified as his culinary craft matured.
In my opinion, El Che Bar is Manion’s best restaurant to date—and one of the most underrated steakhouses in Chicago. You’ll find a 32-ounce prime dry-aged, bone-in ribeye enhanced by smoked salt and chimichurri alongside fresh and bountiful seafood selections. My new fave is the mar de plata, or grilled shellfish parrillada, of scallops, prawns, charred lobster tails and smoked oysters accompanied by a heaping of beef fat fries and drizzled with house-made lobster butter. Everything is fire roasted, well seasoned with Latin accents and juicy beyond words.
The cocktail list, of course, focuses on classic South American cocktails as well as original takes. And the wine list is one of the most comprehensive South American offerings you’ll find in the Midwest—if not the United States. That’s due to the masterful efforts of Alex Cuper, El Che Bar’s general manager and wine director.
Cuper visits the continent at least a few times a year to connect with the wineries, often seeking out smaller vineyards and lesser-known wine owners. He loves passing on his knowledge to guests, and when you’re lucky enough to be seated at the bar, he’ll pull out one of his favorites and discuss its history.
Right now, he’s very passionate about the wines of Chile because its famed Itata wine region was struck by wildfires in February. Some of the vines were 150 years old and were destroyed as were facilities and homes of wine growers. It’s a devastating situation for certain. There are many ways to help these growers recover, Cuper says, but “the most important way to support them is to buy their wines.”
To make this option accessible to all, Cuper has created a by-the-glass list of his favorite Chilean wines, including Agricola Grillos Cantores Velo de Flor. The corinto, or ruby red, vino reminded me of a classic rosé, yet it was more profound and earthier and paired well with that outstanding wood-grilled seafood platter.
One of my favorite things about El Che Bar is that any wine you enjoy at the restaurant you can take home. That’s because during the height of COVID-19, Manion and Cuper launched a marketplace at the front of the restaurant. Here, you can grab bottles of any wines offered at the bar, steaks to cook at home, aprons and other merchandise.
It’s a shame I can’t grab a to-go container of that luscious lobster butter as well. YET.
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The Appeal of El Che Bar