This September, a new dining destination is joining the Chicago Riverwalk. Set inside the historic Reid Murdoch Building, Carlyle Club is the latest concept from the team behind Dēliz Italian Steakhouse, bringing all-day dining, a lively social atmosphere and a fresh take on riverfront dining.
For owner and restaurateur Steve Gogolab, the restaurant is an ode to the city. When he first visited Chicago in August 2025, he spent days walking the streets, taking in its architecture, exploring its dining scene and tracing the Chicago River through the heart of downtown. By the time he left, he knew he wanted to come back for more than a visit.
“I fell in love with Chicago—the river, the architecture, the energy of the city,” Gogolab says. “I remember going to the top of LondonHouse and thinking, ‘There’s something here. I want to be part of it.’”
That instinct led him to the Reid Murdoch Building, the historic riverfront landmark that would become home to Carlyle Club. Dating to 1914 and designated a Chicago landmark in 1975, the building has stood along the river for more than a century. Rather than masking that history with a decidedly modern redesign, Gogolab and Social Design Studio leaned into its existing character, layering in warm woods, plush banquettes, zinc tables and restored French chandeliers to create a setting that feels polished but comfortable.
“We wanted to bring more Chicago back into it,” Gogolab says. “We wanted the space to feel familiar and approachable.”
Expansive windows keep the river and skyline in view throughout the dining room, while a newly expanded Riverwalk patio adds 72 waterfront seats for lunch, dinner and private events.
But Gogolab’s vision for Carlyle Club extends beyond its setting. He wants the restaurant to feel just as natural for a business lunch or happy hour as it does for a date night, celebration or late dinner, with the experience evolving as the day unfolds.
“We always make sure that we create moments in the restaurant,” Gogolab says. “We run it like a Broadway play, so there are acts from the arrival. You go into the bar area and have a cocktail, go into the dining area, and then you have moments, whether it’s the patio, sushi counter or private dining.”
Live DJs help drive that transition from day to night, but the goal isn’t to turn dinner into a nightclub. An extensive acoustic system built into the ceilings, walls and other materials is designed to absorb sound and keep conversation possible as the energy rises.
That same balance carries through to the menu, which draws inspiration from classic American steakhouses, Japanese precision and contemporary global flavors. Dishes range from burgers and French dips to caviar, steaks, seafood and house-made pastas, while a chef-led sushi program gives guests another way to experience the restaurant. Nigiri and rolls can be added to the table, made the focus of dinner or enjoyed from one of six seats at the sushi counter.
“The food is not overly done—the ingredients are the stars,” Gogolab says. “Everything is made in-house. The food and hospitality are about making people feel comfortable.”
Wine is another centerpiece. Master sommeliers Ken Fredrickson and Fernando Beteta are leading the program, building the restaurant’s wine team and hosting monthly dinners. Carlyle Club will house more than 2,000 bottles, including rare selections, alongside 35 temperature-controlled wine lockers where guests can store their own bottles. Classic cocktails and sake round out the beverage program.
Taken together, those elements reflect Gogolab’s larger ambition for Carlyle Club: not to reinvent riverfront dining, but to create a restaurant that feels connected to the city and versatile enough to become part of how people experience it.
“I want guests to feel at home,” he says. “I fell in love with Chicago, and Carlyle Club is my love letter to this amazing city.”
Learn more at thecarlyle.club.
Dining and Cooking