Berghoff Restaurant

Ambiance: Pretty ritzy entrance with a heavy door but once you round the corner it has a more casual bavarian-​esque interior with that rich mahogany-​colored wood everywhere. Service was friendly and our food took a reasonable amount of time considering we had a large party. They give you plenty of rye and pumpernickel bread to snack on which was OK. The bread had a manufactured feel to it instead of being fresh baked but who is to complain with free.
Food: The pretzel is a good appetizer to start with as it is warm, fluffy, and tender. It is easily shared among 2 – 3 people. I would recommend the game sausage plate which had a boar, venison, and duck sausage coated in a Madeira sauce. They were all juicy, savory, tender (considering they were game meats) and had uniquely different flavors from one another. The spätzle also added a fun textural component to the dish. My
wife had the Wiener schnitzel dish. The pan-​fried veal had a nice simple rustic crust which let you focus on the moist tenderness of the veal. The German potatoes with it were pretty bland/​under-​seasoned but the asparagus were perfectly cooked. Definitely get the Hefeweizen which is light, clean, and has a strong refreshing citrus aftertaste.
Overall the Berghoff is a fun place to visit for its cultural and historical novelty but their prices (~$ 18/​entrée) and relatively rustic flavor palate make it more a treat than a regular haunt.

Great authentic German/​Austrian restaurant. Make sure to get their spätzle and red cabbage. It has a nice old world décor.

Great place. Full of history, helpful staff and good food. My wife found this place on her gluten-​free ap. Apparently, they have a separate GF kitchen. I got the Jäger Schnitzel, which was very flavorful. My wife got the Sauerbraten and our friend got a huge portion of battered cod. They were all served in about 15 minutes.
You pay a little more for the food than you might elsewhere, but you get some tasty food in a unique location. Also, I got a pint of their beer for $ 6, which is pretty good for downtown Chicago.

Man, this place was on our bucket list since it briefly semi-​closed a few years ago. I love Chicago history and this place is definitely a staple landmark. It hold the first liquor license in Chicago. We visited the bar side (separate entrance) and we were very impressed with the décor and ambiance. The woodwork is beautiful and you can’t help but feel the presence of patrons past. We went on an early Saturday evening, and the place was surprisingly empty. We had our choice seats at the bar and tried some of Berghoffs own tap beer. It was pretty good, and I especially liked their rowdy (alcoholic) root beer. They are famous for their regular root beer as well. If you check in on Unilocal,you can enjoy one on the house.
The bartender was amazing, and I even asked his name. Sadly, by the time I write this… I cannot remember it for the life of me. Buddy? Billy? Something not even close to these? I forget. He was very polite, informative, and accommodating. My entrée was nice (wiener schnitzel.) Halfway through it, I was craving some type of gravy to go with it. My wife got the stuffed sole, but there wasn’t a whole lot of flavor in it for her.
Overall we had a great time and we will be back!

I can never get enough of this classic eatery when I visit Chicago. The roast schweinhochsen and duck are best I have ever had. The beer is good and service very professional and thorough. Worth the wait.

Last stop on our food tour was this German restaurant.
It wasnt a bad place and I loved hearing about the history of the place throughout the prohibition too! They were the first to get their liquor license back.
Anyways, we got some potato salad and a bratwurst. You know, it was good but I think it was just too much by the end of the day and I’m not super into sausages.

Great ambiance and great root beer have been bringing people back here for a very long time. In fact, the history goes back to the 1893 world’s exhibition (where the Berghoffs had to set up shop outside the fairgrounds, but did very well, thank you). The décor is amazing, particularly the murals and photos of the world’s fair. The German food is quite good, and there are also unusual items such as chili con carne made using a recipe from 1893. Look for Chicago’s first post-​prohibition liquor license, Number 1, in one of the glass cabinets in the bar.

The pretzel was excellent — soft on the outside yet a crisp exterior. The honey mustard and spice mustard were tasty. The cheese left something to be desired but maybe that’s because I’m from Wisconsin.
I ordered the stuffed sole as an entrée and thought it had great flavor. The risotto was nearly perfect.
The service was a bit above average.

Close but no cigar.
I love German food and the place feels quiet authentic, so I had high expectations that, unfortunately, went largely unmet. The food, is kind of bland and pretty average. The sausage trio was watery. The potato salad wasn’t — i.e., it was just sliced up potatoes with some vinegar on top — didn’t really qualify at potato salad to me and the only thing I like more cold German potato salad is hot German potato salad, but this better described as «boiled potatoes.» The sausages were OK but nothing special. The plate was watery.
The best thing I tasted here was the stuff mushrooms. The weinerschnitzel was kind of dry, a little breaded, and again just nothing special.
The service was fine.

A historic location in the Windy City as the site of the first liquor permit post prohibition. Now that’s something to brag about! While there are more authentic German restaurants in Chicago, this downtown loop location is a great spot for tourists to stop for a quick lunch or dinner between attractions. I had the Turkey BLT and really enjoyed the unique take on this tradition sandwich. The cranberry chutney hit the spot for me and it was a nice portion served with homemade chips. While it’s not exactly German Fare, it hit the spot and gave good variety for folks that aren’t into schnitzel and red cabbage.
For 3pm in the afternoon, they were much slower than their usual out the door wait but despite that, service was still a bit spotty. Our server only checked on us once and I kept trying to track her down for water and ketchup. It’s still great family friendly restaurant in the loop district and worth a stop as some point during a visit to Chicago.

We stopped in at Berghoff’s on a Saturday afternoon after spending the morning at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was apparently the first to acquire a liquor license after prohibition, which is a neat historical fact and makes you feel like you’re visiting an iconic place. The restaurant primarily features German food, which I’m not a huge fan of so I just got the cheeseburger and fries. I also ordered a flight of their house brew, which I mostly enjoyed — except for that Straight-​Up Hefe Wiezen. It had a weird smell and taste to me, and I’m usually a fan of wheat beer. There was a free bread appetizer for soaking up that beer. The burger was forgettable, but it was served faster than any sit-​down meal I’ve ever ordered — less than 5 minutes. They could have let the bacon on my burger cook a bit longer though — it oinked at me upon arrival to the table. I spent about $ 30 after the tip and taxes — relatively inexpensive for downtown Chicago. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there, but if you find yourself hungry and walking past, it will do.

Good location for happy hour. The big pretzel was delicious with the sauces. Root beer was a big hit. Ordered the flight. Didn’t find any of the 5 worth ordering in larger size. Nice bar to relax in after sight seeing. Definitely cozy and welcoming.

5 stars for their giant pretzel and mustard and beer cheese dipping sauces. 2 stars for the rest of their food. I never liked lunch here — also, they don’t have fries. Well they have these skinny fries that you can barely taste and chips.
Their beer is OK, not the best. I can only recommend for the pretzel.

What is not to like about an authentic German-​American restaurant?
Hearty, home-​cooked German cuisine is served, along with seasonal beers on tap (they make some of their own), and service that is efficient and yet friendly. One cannot go wrong here. I like to visit for lunch, enjoy a drink in their bar section, then, move to the main dining room.
Prost!

This was the first place we visited on our SkrentWood family tour of the DNA Info’s 10 Oldest Restaurants in Chicagoland (
). Unfortunately, this is one of those Chicago iconic eateries that gets folks to come here based on what its past reputation was, not how good it is now.
What happened to the great menu? The authentic German fare? Sure there are still a few standards, but what we had felt more like the food you’d get in a busy German a la carte café, not the kind of fare I would expect, and I HAVE enjoyed years before, at this classic German Chicago icon.
The décor has been updated since the last time I had one too many Berghoff beers at a happy hour along with a sandwich or two from the carving board cart before we went out and played billiards. It is brighter, and cleaner, and highlights some great interior details I never remember seeing before (the Berghoff crests on the back bar and the three #1 liquor licenses, for example). Gone are the muskies on the wall in the former men’s bar.
They allowed the kids and I to sit in the bar area on the high stool tables, and the wait service was polite and attentive. A real bright spot was that the root beer was a good as ever, and that alone is what my two kids will long remember from this visit. They shared their lunch and enjoyed it, but I thought it was bland. My sausage was worse than some of the fine sausages I have had at other Chicago dive diners that focus on encased meats, and that just seems wrong.
Would I stop here again?
Maybe for a root beer after an architectural tour or a visit to the Art Institute, but based on the meals I remember fondly from my past, and the meal we had on our last visit, I would imagine I won’t be rushing to have a meal here again anytime soon. Some happy memories are best left in the past, because the experience was INDEED better then, it is NOT just something I believe while wistfully overpraising the past.

We came here as a group of five for restaurant week. I was looking forward to trying some things I wouldn’t normally eat, but I think we all were unimpressed. A couple people in our party had a hard time ordering a drink because they were out of some. Our sever was not very attentive and very slow at taking our food order. Our second course was brought out before the first course. The salad was large but nothing special. The potato soup was tasty and the clear winner of the two. The first course came while we were still eating the second course. The bbq glaze was over powering on the shrimp. The pierogies were pretty good and enjoyed by the table. Most of the table ordered the wiener schnitzel while I had the white fish. The wiener schnitzel was huge with most taking half of it home because there was so much. The white fish lacked flavor and the entire plate was doused in the butter sauce. Everyone enjoyed dessert with the generous portions. Overall, I’d say everything was just okay. I wish the timing of the courses had been better. There was nothing that convinced me to return.

I was here a few days ago for restaurants week. We were seated quickly and the waitress was very helpful. The place is semi casual but a nice date spot. I ordered the applewood bacon wrapped shrimp. That was as amazing as it sounds. Next was the potatoes soup which was good. The main course was Wiener schnitzel: I thought is was good. It’s something I never had before so take that with a grain of salt. And finally for dessert I had the old world apple cake. That was to die for! All of the items great and definitely left us stuffed. The Berghoff is good German comfort food.

The food was pretty good, but the atmosphere needs an update if you ask me. I understand the tradition behind the Berghoff, but it did feel like it was asking to be brought into the modern day a little bit. Our service was a little slow and unattentive, but our party enjoyed their food for the most part. Great apple cake!

The Berghoff has been around for a century, and it’s got all the hallmarks of the kind of place it used to be. The service can be slow on a crowded night, but it’s expert and attentive, with old-​school professional waiters. The menu has been updated for modern tastes, but it’s still heavy on German classics; the rouladen is a favorite of mine. The beer selection has gotten better and better, and the root beer is worth a taste. It can get pretty touristy, as you might expect, but in terms of atmosphere and dining it’s still very worthwhile.

It was… okay. Came here with some friends for the Restaurant Week special and I was underwhelmed. The drinks, while unique, were not quite my style (a little too ‘out there’ for what I’m used to). The potato pierogies were good, probably the best non-​dessert part of the meal. The salad was huge, and lacking in flavor. The wiener schnitzel, the whole reason I wanted to come, was just good. It was cooked well, and had flavor, but I’ve had better. The salted caramel cheesecake was the star, I wish I’d saved more room to finish that.
They did bring the courses out in fairly quick succession (almost too quickly), but there wasn’t an awkward lag time between courses. Overall, a good meal, and I’m glad I got a chance to go and try it, but I don’t know that I’d rush back anytime soon.

The food here is well priced, well prepared, and tasty. The service however is lack luster. Almost half of what makes eating out fun is the feeling of ease you get from not having to prepare your own food. It almost feels like I could have made my meal two times over in the time it took for my Reuben to reach my table. The waitress, while friendly, only came to the table to take our order and to drop off the check. So in the interim we were left getting service from a mix of other waiters and bus boys.
The Reuben I had was okay. A lot of gristle in the beef, and tougher than I’d of liked, but well balanced with the right amount of sauerkraut and thousand island. An important part of a good Reuben relies on the fact that you can get a single bite without dragging the middle of the sandwich out. As the sauerkraut and thousand island dressing grease the meat to slide, the toughness of that beef will determine the long term integrity of the meal during eating. This sandwich stood up, but I had to take my time with it, otherwise I’d have a chin and shirt covered in my meal.
The burger my GF had was good, but the bacon was dried out (classic mistake of cooking a days bacon ahead of time and just warming it up when its needed). The chips were great, that is one thing I can unequivocally vouch for.
Tl;DR: okay sandwiches, bad service, you have better options downtown.

This is a great place for hearty, German food. We tend to order several appetizers to share rather than entrees because of the large portions. You can’t go wrong with a pretzel and pierogis! Their beer leaves something to be desired, but they have a decent bottle list.

Came in here without knowing much of anything about it but left full and happy. The staff was very attentive and friendly and the food was great. I had the calves liver and one of their in-​house beers. The beer was really nice and the liver was superb.
There was a good mix of people at the Berghof. There were lots of families with kids, couples, and weird guys eating alone like me.

I found this place via Food Network’s On the Road app. I walked in about 15 minutes to closing, and the restaurant was pretty empty. I was craving a dessert. There was no one at the hostess stand, but there was a young gentleman working on some paperwork with his back to the entrance. I cleared my throat, and he came over.
I requested a slice of black forest cake to go ($ 6). He questioned this, as if this was an extraordinary request. I also asked if I could get a cup of milk to go (because that’s how you need to eat a chocolate based cake), and alas, the restaurant does not sell a cup of milk. I find this very hard to believe. What do people do if they have children? To me, milk is a perfectly normal drink to order, especially since I am sure milk is an ingredient in the kitchen. For this, I give two stars (Meh, I’ve experienced better). I had to go to Starbucks across the street (8 minutes to closing, mind you!) to get a cup of milk. They, by the way, also serve steamed milk, not just cold milk, which was great for a cold winter’s night.
The cake was okay — mushy and crammed into a to-​go container. It sufficed for my sweet tooth, but I definitely have had better black forest cake in small German bakeries for cheaper or even Jungle Café in Houston’s Chinatown. I realize this is Chicago downtown, so prices are going to be higher, but a slice of $ 6 cake should be big enough to share with two people. It was only enough for one!

I love this German restaurant. I loved the previous Berghoff better as they had my favorite dishes ala their Oxtail Stew (among other dishes). But this new The Berghoff was good as well. I had a gigantic stein of beer and ordered their Weiner Schnitizel ala Holstein (with egg), my colleague had the same thing without the egg. It came with epic German fried potatoes and a vegetable (didn’t eat it). One complaint, I had to ask for some lemon wedges for the pork. What’s Weiner Schnitzel without lemon? Jeez… But a great lunch in the middle of the work day. Waiter wasn’t the brightest (I asked for water at least 3 times). Enjoyable!

This place is alright. Came in to kill some time while waiting for my Amtrak from Chicago to Cleveland on the recommendation of a stranger that I hit up for directions to the Art Institute of Chicago, and I’m really glad that I did.
So, sat at the bar and ordered a flight of the house brews for an entirely reasonable $ 8.50. There’s a really nice variety of winter styles, which absolutely nobody does, for understandable reasons, in Texas, where I’m living. The winter ale, amber, and hefeweizen were all rock stars. You can also order pitchers at a huge volume discount, although that is apparently secret knowledge that only locals may know.
The space has that wonderful 1890’s charm that half of Downtown Chicago has – dark and woody and high ceilings – so a great atmosphere to pass the time. My bartender, Kandy, also does tours of the building, so she managed to tell me about all kinds of the place’s history despite being incredibly busy. Major props there.
The food is good if a touch pricey for what is essentially upscale pub-​grub. I did the smoked salmon appetizer and the lamb burger, which totaled a mildly disconcerting $ 28. But it was both good and filling, and, given many hours of drinking, completely essential at the time.
So, to sum, the place has enough charm that I never made it to the Art Institute, so that’s a compliment of its own kind. In the event that I were back in Downtown Chi-​town, I’d happily do it again.

Been here a couple of time for drinks after work. The place is really big, usually get a seated right away. The service is great! Drink selections is great and at a reasonable prices. The burger and soup I ordered were pretty good. Stop by if your in the area and give it a try.

Met a buddy here for lunch. The ambiance here is great — just an old-​school German beer hall with bartenders who know the guys eating lunch at the bar. I got the Berghoff flight just to try all their beers in one go and the bratwurst plate lunch. I liked the Berghoff lager most — some of their other paler options were disappointingly trying to chase the modern (excessive) use of hops. Some of their darker options were pretty good too, but I’d stick to the lager.
The bratwurst was steamed or boiled instead of grilled, more potato filler than meat. Flavor was pretty good. The pretzel bun was serviceable, as was the sauerkraut. The creamed spinach I got instead of chips/​fries was very creamy and somewhat salty. I could feel the butter sticking to my arteries with each bite. Loved that side. Will try the schnitzel next time but I don’t think you come to the Berghoff for the food but for the charm and the nostalgia. Or if you happen to work a block away and your buddy works across the street.

Nice place, wooden decorations, and real friendly service.
I had a schnitzel which was real close to being the German schnitzels I am used to. It came with green beans and asparagus as well as a potato salad.
Also, a must try, the Berghoff version of the Bloody Mary (i love Bloody Marys :))). It is a nice variation to a normally already great drink. With a strong bite :)
Altogether, we had a great meal for a very decent price!

I went here for lunch with some colleagues, and over all, I enjoyed the store aspect of the hotel restaurant and the food was pretty good.
My colleagues in Chicago recommended Berghoff because it’s somewhat of a food destination. That seems to be pretty factual, since the table next to us was a large group of people on a Chicago food tour.
It was kind of confusing, but when you walk in and sit at one of the hightops, there is no waiter service there. (The café was closed when we went.) I guess we didn’t realize it at first, because we waited around for 10 minutes until a waiter said that there is no waiter service there. So wasn’t a big deal, we just have to order from the bar, even though the food is served directly from the kitchen.
I definitely enjoyed the vibe here. We were actually sitting next to the original alcohol license (#1, after Prohibition was lifted) and you can tell this place is been around for a very long time. There’s always charm in that.
The food veers towards traditional German food. I opted for the schnitzel a la Holstein — with two fried eggs on the top — which was a large portion and was tasty. It came with a potato pancake and some vegetables, which I didn’t even know about. This is definitely a very carb heavy restaurant, so know that before you go.
Overall, the food was tasty. Berghoff serves traditional German food in a traditional setting. There’s no reinventing the wheel here. They have a formula and have relied on it for quite some time!

4 stars for the benefit of the doubt because there is not 3.5 stars. With hundreds of reviews, don’t know how much mine will add. The meals, Wienerschnitzel, pork shank & pickle beef (I forget the name) were alright. The free root beer when I checkin on Unilocal was a nice touch. How did they know I like root beer. Everything was okay… Not great, as befitting a long established place that Berghoff’s is supported to be, I had expected better. At $ 75+$ 13 tip for only a main course & a soda for 3, the price ($ 30/​head) should have been better.

Normally, I don’t give a place one star if I liked my food, but I have to.
My waiter Leonard … *pause* My waiter Leonard did the typical bad waiter things not asking if we wanted another drink until before bringing the bill. Not checking on the table etc. He didn’t even clear the empty glasses from the table. I still tipped him 15% which for me is low. He brought the bill to our table $ 63 and change. When