Stockyards Inn

Culled from: Drury, John. Dining in Chicago, New York: The John Day Company, 1931, pp. 69-70.

Note: The Newberry Library holds the personal papers of author John Drury.

STOCKYARDS INN

The Wild West

Although in close proximity to thousands of cattle on the hoof, your ears hear nothing, your eyes see nothing, and your nose smells nothing of cattle when you have luncheon in the dining room of the Stockyards Inn. This South Halsted Street restaurant is near enough to the stockyards to obtain the choicest cuts of fresh meats, and yet far enough away from the cattle-pens to make it one of the important gastronomical locations in Chicago.

Ranchowners and stockmen from the wild west ought to be good judges of meats. To see these big, sun-tanned fellows eating luncheon here every day, and eating it with keen relish, should be proof enough that the foods and meats served in this establishment receive the stamp of their approval. The roast beef is unexcelled for freshness and tenderness; the vegetables seem to have come from the garden directly to you; and the coffee and pastries are on a par with the best coffee and pastries served in the Loop.

The interior is not an artificial log cabin or ranch house, as you might expect with a clientele of cowboys from the prairies. It is quite removed from such, being a replica of an old English inn, with high oaken paneling and hunting prints adorning the walls. The atmosphere is very quiet and comfortable, and the service is beyond reproach. Women are welcomed.

The Stockyards Inn, American

42nd and Halsted Streets

Open for luncheon only

A la carte — and average in price

Maitre d'hotel: John Hill