Gene & Georgetti

The History

Gene & Georgetti opened in 1941, founded by two Italian immigrants who had met while working in Chicago's restaurant industry. Gene Michelotti and Alfredo "Georgetti" Federighi chose a location at 500 N Franklin Street in what is now River North, directly in the shadow of the elevated train tracks. The rumble of the L overhead would become as much a part of the restaurant's character as the steaks themselves. They started simple: an Italian-American steakhouse with good meat, strong drinks, and no pretension. The formula worked from day one.

Through the 1940s and 1950s, Gene & Georgetti became the power lunch destination for Chicago's political and business elite. The dark wood paneling, the white tablecloths, and the no-nonsense waitstaff created an atmosphere that signaled seriousness. This was not a place for tourists or casual diners — it was a place where deals were done, alliances were formed, and reputations were made. The restaurant survived the construction of the Kennedy Expressway in the 1960s, which tore through the surrounding neighborhood and destroyed much of the fabric of the area. Gene & Georgetti stood its ground, literally and figuratively.

When Frank Sinatra performed in Chicago, Gene & Georgetti was his restaurant. He would arrive with an entourage, take over the back dining room, and hold court late into the evening. Other celebrities followed: Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, George Burns, and generations of Chicago mayors, aldermen, and power brokers. The restaurant is now in its third generation of family ownership, and the formula has not changed. The steaks are still massive. The waiters are still blunt. The cottage fries are still perfect. In a city that has seen thousands of restaurants come and go, Gene & Georgetti endures because it has never tried to be anything other than what it is.

What Made It Famous

Gene & Georgetti defined a style of Chicago steakhouse dining that every subsequent steakhouse in the city has either emulated or reacted against. The formula is deceptively simple: dark wood, white linen, enormous steaks, abrupt but knowledgeable waiters, and an atmosphere that says "regulars only" even when you're a first-time visitor. The restaurant pioneered the Chicago tradition of the power steakhouse — a place where the food is secondary to the status of being seen there, where your table assignment communicates your standing in the city's social hierarchy, and where the waiter decides what you're having as much as you do.

The food, of course, is legendary in its own right. The bone-in ribeye is a slab of beef that hangs off the edge of the plate. The filet mignon is cut thick enough to qualify as a weapon. But it's the sides that have achieved their own iconic status. The cottage fries — thick slices of potato, pan-fried until golden and crispy on the outside, creamy inside — are universally regarded as one of the great potato preparations in Chicago. And then there's the garbage salad: a massive chopped salad loaded with salami, provolone, olives, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and whatever else the kitchen deems appropriate. The name is deliberately unglamorous, the dish deliberately excessive. It's a perfect expression of the restaurant's philosophy.

The Sinatra connection elevated Gene & Georgetti from a great local steakhouse to a genuine American landmark. Sinatra didn't just eat there; he made it his Chicago headquarters. His visits became events, with word spreading through the city that Frank was at Gene & Georgetti's. The table where he sat became hallowed ground. Even today, decades after his last visit, Sinatra's presence is part of the restaurant's DNA — not in a touristy, memorabilia-on-the-walls way, but in the quiet confidence of a place that knows exactly who it is and has never felt the need to prove it.

Key Facts

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