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    The Berghoff Restaurant

    3.7 (1.4k reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 8:00 pm

    The Berghoff Restaurant Photos

    THE BERGHOFF RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Berghoff Restaurant

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    Carmel cheesecake, Carmel flavored crust
    Steve H.

    Good German food, a few other options on menu and didn't fit German food, all sausages are good with a really nice spicy mustard, potato pancakes were smaller and tasted like hash browns, missing flavor that should be in them, beef was nice, potatoes and veggie's tasty and cook well, desserts cheesecake and strudel topped my list of desserts. With Adams street brewery, lots of good beer selections, I had Da Dizzy a juicy sour that was just right, my server had good recommendations and service was fast and humorous. Make it reservations we arrived at 5 to empty tables 10 min later the place was full on a Thursday,

    Beer flight
    Paula C.

    Visited on a Monday for a lunch reservation for two. The restaurant was not busy, but the atmosphere was great. We started with a flight of beers, which offered a nice variety. For our main courses, we ordered the Reuben sandwich and the Pork Schnitzel platter--both were absolutely delicious. For dessert, we requested the German chocolate cake. There was a slight mix-up, and our waiter initially brought us the black forest cake instead. However, as soon as we pointed this out, he promptly and politely corrected the order. Overall, it was a very nice experience and a great restaurant we'd recommend.

    Karyn M.

    The Berghoff has been family owned and operated for more than 125 years. That means they are probably serving the same food they served your grandparents. This was decorated for the season with large Christmas trees and I even saw Santa walking around and talking with kids. There were a lot of groups (multigenerational) dining for the holidays. We started with the giant pretzel and ordered traditional dishes like schnitzel. The menu has made concessions to modern times -- I saw salads, paleo dishes, salmon. If you are looking for hearty dishes, beers, and a festive setting, do like your grandparents or parents did and eat here.

    Liver and onions with carrots, asparagus, atop mashed potatoes
    Sarah W.

    Our group of 5 stopped in here on a Sunday night for a late dinner, which was a great choice because of so many menu options to make everyone happy. Service was great and food was brought out very quickly. Noise level was mild and we enjoyed being seated at our round table which allowed for easy conversation. The food was divine. I had beef liver and onions served over a huge portion of creamy mashed potatoes. Roasted carrots and asparagus also rounded out the dish and overall a very lovely presentation. This was enough food for two; however, we tried our best to make a dent. Would love to return when we visit the city again.

    Potato pancakes
    Barb B.

    Delicious German foods and a wide array of beer offerings. Wood interior makes for a warm atmosphere. Friendly service too.

    Interior
    Kitty L.

    Years ago, we used to dine in The Berghoff Restaurant in downtown Chicago very often when we were actively attending Broadway shows.  Its location makes it such an ideal restaurant to have a pre-show dinner.  A couple of days ago, we played it a visit again as we were going to a show in The CIBC Theatre, which is only a 4-minute walk away.  We parked at the Adams Wabash iParkit Garage, which is a mere 2-minute walk to the restaurant. The Berghoff has more to offer other than its ideal location.  The restaurant is the oldest restaurant in Chicago, but it is maintained really well, clean and beautiful.  When we visited, it was festively decorated for St. Patrick's Day. They serve delicious authentic German fare.  As we were in a hurry, each of us just ordered a drink and an entrée.  Berghoff must have tons of experience serving food for show goers, as the staff were efficient and the food came out quickly. Daughter had a In Cold Blood ($13) and a Reuben Sandwich ($21.95), hand-carved corned beef (or turkey), Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, on house-made rye.  She ordered it without Thousand Island dressing which was included in the menu.  Hubby and I each ordered a Wiener Schnitzel ($27.95 each), pan-fried breaded veal cutlet, creamed spinach, house-made spätzle.  He had a Root Beer ($3.6) and I had an Iced Tea ($3.4).  The Wiener Schnitzel was piping hot, nicely cooked with a crispy light batter and rather tender veal.  It even brought back good memories from our respective trips in Germany and Austria. I enjoyed the house-made spätzle a lot. Daughter liked her Reuben Sandwich too. There is a 3.5% surcharge to every check, as specified in their website. Good thing that it was not a surprise for us. Actually, the service stood out the most this time.  When we were caught in very slow traffic in the expressway on our way to the restaurant, I called The Berghoff and spoke to Brian on the phone, and told him we would be 15 minutes late.  He was very kind, assured we would have our table, and thanked me for telling him.  When we finally arrived 25 minutes late, Brian was still so welcoming, cheerful, and friendly.  As he was leading us into the dining area, he let us choose either a booth or a table.  Fortunately, it was still early for dinner, around 5:30 pm, there were still a few tables available.  When we were eating, the restaurant became packed. Our server, Isaiah, offered flawless service too.  He's also very kind, friendly, and professional.  I informed him that we only had an hour before we needed to leave for the show.  He assured us that he would make sure we leave on time, and he delivered his promise.  Actually, it only took us about 52 minutes from sitting down to finish!  Our dining experience at The Berghoff was delightful and perfect!

    Leslie C.

    Wow! What a cool and historic place. Family owned and operated for over 125 years! Huge place! Many rooms for dining. Oktoberfest was going on in one area, and down below in the lower level was a wedding reception. Festive decor and excellent German food. I had the Ragout from the Oktoberfest menu and it was delicious. My boyfriend's goulash was very flavorful too. The cocktails are tasty too. Wonderful service from Chris. Lovely experience!

    Sausage appetizer with German potato salad
    Benjamin H.

    Visited again and went for the schnitzel. Comparatively, I would suggest sticking with their sausages. They have a wonderful knockwurst and bratwurst. The schnitzel was average. Also, TRY THE HOUSEMATE ROOT BEER. It is complex and flavorful. The Christmas decorations are quite beautiful and German. If you find the pickle ornament on the tree, you get a free drink. Our server was attentive and recommended the goulash for my partner, and it was rich and comforting.

    Menu
    Jessica W.

    Stumbled in here to escape the cold for a beer and some live music but couldn't find a seat so went over to the dining area after seeing that giant pretzel float by... Not typically the dining menu I would go for but it is BIG. We did only get the Bavarian pretzel and beers- both were average. I did really like both the beer cheese and the sweet mustard though! The service in the dining area was slow, I objectively had a bad seat because I was in a square table about 4 inches from a full round table in a corner so the waiter couldn't get to them without bumping into me, and the hostess was rude. Honestly, I likely would have given it 4 stars if we were in the lively bar area because that's what we came for but maybe in a bigger group the dining area would provide better service.

    Sesame Seared Salmon Nicoise Salad
    Padma A.

    I haven't been back at The Berghoff in a while and so glad to have tried it during restaurant week. Such a chicago tradition, the decor and layout has an old world charm about it . Our server Sandra was very polite and attentive. I had the potato perogies and salmon salad both were delicious. Will certainly be back soon.

    sauerbraten
    Jeanne D.

    We haven't been to The Berghoff in decades but we were headed to a concert at Symphony Center and it's nearby. The dining room is beautiful. our waitress was pleasant and attentive. The service was fast. There seemed to be a lot of other concert goers there. My husband had a Czech Pilsner which he enjoyed. We had traditional German food, Sauerbraten and Jaeger Schnitzel. Both were delicious. The sauerbraten came with lots of beautiful vegetables. Especially appreciated the handmade spaetzle. If you haven't been to the Berghoff in a while, or if you've never been, I encourage you to give it a try. We had a lovely dinner that ended with chocolates in celebration of my husband's birthday. We'll be back!

    Dining area
    Rhett B.

    I have meant to come here for years but between work and their limited COVID hours it took me a while! As a big fan of Breweries and beer brewing in general I was excited to visit this historical monument to the craft. Upon arriving for lunch we were quickly greeted and seated. Immediately I noticed the variety and quality of the beer offered was far above average! The menu was filled with predominantly German and UK inspired meat based dishes with few offerings for vegans, vegetarians, or pescatarians. The ambiance was very much a older, touristy, kitschy vibe similar to what you might feel at somewhere like the Walnut room. Service reflected a similar kind of "tourist hospitality worker" vibe and not in the overly performative happy way, more in a - "I'm on hour 13 of my Bubba Gumps shift down at Navy Pier" kind of way. Not to say it was bad or anything, everyone was super kind but definitely had an exhausted/burnt out feel. We had the Fish and Chips and the French Onion soup. The fish and Chips was what you might expect from an upscale pub, but the soup was absolutely phenomenal. I honestly would go back for just the soup alone! Beer was great! In short: -Food was amazing -Drink was great -Ambiance was touristy, elderly, supper club vibe -Pricing = Tourism premium However the big drawback here is prices. Listen I understand it's expensive operating a business like this in Downtown Chi but at some point fried bar food and sandwiches; is just fried bar food and sandwiches - and paying $20+ per plate is crazy. Similar feedback on the beer pricing. Overall I don't like the idea that their repacking traditionally low cost, working class food and drink and selling them back to people for premiums which rival a mid-tier steakhouse. Come here once if your enticed by the locations history but beyond that I can't understand why anyone would come back here. (Except for maybe the decent priced cup of soup!). Would love to see owners take this place in a different direction which focuses less on serving high spender tourists and instead appealing to Loop workers looking for great happy hour spots that won't break the bank. Make it a true spot loved by Chicagoans.

    Audra M.

    Class from the bottom to the top! When I went with family from out of town, it was all excellent. We felt catered to, from our drinks to our desserts. The ambiance is stellar, service great, and food amazing.

    The ambiance

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    The food was great so was the beer. Service was excellent. The dining area was roomy.

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    The Berghoff Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Berghoff Restaurant

    What does the the wait time look like during weekends in December?

    Do you have to walk up or Downstairs and if so is there a elevator for handicap people?

    No stairs when I went. Just a ramp to walk into the restaurant!

    Is this restaurant open for indoor dining? The website says it's temporarily closed but Yelp says it's open.

    Do they have valet parking? If so, how much does it cost?

    There is no parking at all. Take Lyft or Uber. It's in The Loop. All trains stop nearby Red Line, Blue Line and Elevated Trains.

    Anyone know where in the Chicago area I can buy the Berghoff beer?

    They'll be brewing their own beer again soon on location. The Brewery will be called Adams Street Brewery.

    Welche Art von Schweineschnitzel bereiten sie sich hier vor? ist es Münchener Stil? Danke.

    Ich bin mir nicht sicher, was der Münchner Stil ist. Jaegerschnitzel ist mein Favorit und ich war enttäuscht. Wenn Sie ein wirklich gutes Schnitzel wollen, ist Karl Laschetts auf Irving der Ort zu gehen.

    View All 7 Questions

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    Cindy's Rooftop

    4.1(2.8k reviews)
    0.2 miThe Loop
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    Late night dinner and sips after the ghost gangster tour around Chicago! We picked Cindy's…read morerooftop at the Chicago Athletic Association on the 13th floor for stunning skyline views which was the perfect spot to just unwind from the busy day. Though we couldn't see much of Lake Michigan, we knew it was just right there. We enjoyed the fresh Caesar salad, creamy Rigatoni alla Vodka, and warm bread with herbed butter. , and an espresso martini and a glass of prosecco. For dessert, we ordered the baked Alaska (So good), and coffees which ended the night with perfection. Service: Cheers to Anthony for the wonderful service and great menu suggestions!

    We visited Chicago and we looked forward to every single meal we made reservations for, and both me…read moreand my husband agreed Cindy's rooftop is the top among all the restaurants we visited. We went on the memorial weekend, and we didn't know we are getting the brunch intead of the lunch menu. We were so gonna get that fish and chips equivalent, so it took us some time to finally decided on the meal choice. My husband got the breakfast with chicken sausages, while I got the burger. Their burger is great with two thin patties. The veggies and pickles with it is delicious. The bun is pretty good. The fries was decent. His breakfast is so much better than mine though! I tried everything on his plate and it was good! After we finished our meal, we also took some nice pictures at the balcony which you can see all the way to the Field Museum area on a nice weather day. The restaurant is conveniently located near the Grant Park area. We actually visited the cloud gate, fountain, The cultural center, Target/5 below, comic stores, route 66 sign, Chicago stock exchange arch, and the art institution all in that trip. Very convenient! Their reservation opens 2 weeks before. If we ever go back to Chicago, we will definitely visit them again. Hopefully I will complete my Invisalign treatment and can actual eat more food! The elevator is very "vintage" btw. We tried both the express and regular elevators and that was an interesting ride...

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    Cindy's Rooftop - Espresso martini also #basic but also good.

    Espresso martini also #basic but also good.

    Cindy's Rooftop - Pink Moon Oysters* (Half Dozen)

    Pink Moon Oysters* (Half Dozen)

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    Au Cheval

    Au Cheval

    4.4(9.5k reviews)
    1.1 miWest Loop, Near West Side
    $$

    so glad we tried this place! we actually only waited about 15 mins to get seated at the bar on a…read morewednesday night around 7pm. we came here for my boyfriends birthday and we were so happy we chose to celebrate here. the two people that helped us was antonio and issa and they made the experience 10x better. they were very attentive and friendly and just easy to talk to. gave us good recommendations and good vibes. we both really liked our drinks and were happy with the spread the food came out. we got to eat the bone marrow first which also came with this really good sauce it was almost like a meat jam but was so good on the bread and then put some of the bone marrow on for the perfect bite. now the burger, you just have to try it because it really is that good. the sauce in it was so good and it just had a really good flavor. it was just an elevated burger. we got fries as well and we shared the burger so it we were really full after. the server brought out ice cream with a candle and some sort of chocolate sauce too which just made the overall experience. we were really happy with the service and food and it just made my bfs bday that much more special and memorable.

    No good vegan options :(…read more I got the green salad and added avocado (paid extra just for 30% of an avocado) and extra dressing. Overpriced salad for sure. Also the outdoor seating was horrible. No umbrellas so we were melting under the hot sun the whole time. My friends enjoyed the fries but said the burger lacked veggies.

    Photos
    Au Cheval - The cooks were very attentive!

    The cooks were very attentive!

    Au Cheval - Crispy Fries & Potato Hash

    Crispy Fries & Potato Hash

    Au Cheval - Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

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    Wings (very sticky so they come with hot towels)

    Gretel - elevated! butter chicken curry soup with cilantro + crispy paratha

    Gretel

    4.5(464 reviews)
    4.5 miLogan Square
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    Stopped here after dinner for some drinks in their downstairs lounge. I've never gone downstairs…read moreand when I entered it gave speakeasy vibes, I loved it. I had one of the best espresso martinis here and enjoyed sitting on their cozy couches while chatting to my friends. The atmosphere downstairs was really calm and relaxing. Service was quick and our server was very polite.

    My friends and I have started a burger crawl throughout the city, and we had to have Gretel on the…read morelist! First time here for all of us, but definitely will not be our last! We started with a bunch of cocktails (I wish I remember the names.. but they were all so good!). Food to start, we ordered the Charcuterie, and the House Made Pretzel. We were obsessed with both! The charcuterie did not skimp out like some cheese/meat plates do.. it was a satisfying amount that we kept going back for more. The pretzel was outstanding, twisted and hot, perfectly soft and salty. To eat, I split the Gretel Griddle Burger and the Fried Chicken Sandwich with my friend because although we were there for the burger, I kept reading about the chicken sandwich being fantastic. Booyy they were not wrong!! As much as I loved the burger, the chicken sandwich was my favorite! Perfectly crispy, with this sweet and spicy glaze and the crunchy Asian pear slaw... OMG. I'm still dreaming about this! One thing we were excited about were the Elote Riblettes.. but I wouldn't order these again. I accidentally bit the whole thing and didn't realize they kept the core in, and I had to spit it out. And even after eating it properly it didn't feel like I got enough of it from those little bites. Loved the fries though! We didn't see a dessert menu but we would have definitely been interested in that. After all the drinks apps and the chicken sandwich I was feeling so full so I couldn't finish the burger so I got it wrapped to go. But let me tell you even when I reheated that burger the next day.. it was fantastic!! Overall we may have been the loudest and most obnoxious group (we get a bit excited haha) our waiter and the vibe were all matched! Genuinely loved this place, and looking forward to coming back soon.

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    Gretel - Flowers

    Flowers

    Gretel - Outstanding butter & brine oysters from portsmouth maine

    Outstanding butter & brine oysters from portsmouth maine

    Gretel - Beautiful italian orange wine with great minerality

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    Bavette's Bar & Boeuf - Dry Aged Bone In Ribeye

    Bavette's Bar & Boeuf

    4.5(3.5k reviews)
    0.8 miRiver North, Near North Side
    $$$$

    I hate that I loved this place so much! I live in Michigan and was determined to get a reservation…read more So when I finally got it I was elated. First the service, now the host stand can be a little flat but I think they get so busy and it's so in demand they have to be stern but all the staff was amazing. I never needed a thing. They were so nice and checked on us constantly. The food... omg the fooddddd! Healthy portions! You could definitely share if you wanted to be more waist or budget friendly lol. My favorite had to be the shrimp and the steak. The steak was cooked perfectly and the au poivre was a great accompaniment. Dessert was also amazing. Healthy portions for sure shareable. I would definitely make that drove from Michigan to come back! Perfect start to my 30th birthday!!

    I visited for my birthday dinner, and overall the experience was decent. This place has been on my…read morelist for a little bit as I'm all about discovering Chicago's best steak restaurants. The ambience is dimly lit, cozy, with speakeasy-like vibes and seemingly intimate, so it would make a good date night too. Service was great, and our waiter was very attentive and offered his advice and input on food items. I opted for the Lyonnaise Salad, thick-cut bacon, truffle mac n cheese, and Steak frites. My friend had the Double Wagyu cheeseburger. Everything was relatively good, the steak frites cooked a little too done for me though. The salad, the thick-cut bacon, and the cheeseburger were delicious. I am not a fan of the truffle mac n cheese, but then again I don't really like truffle, so take that into consideration. Dessert was delicious! Apple Pie and ice cream were literally so good. While I don't think it's spectacular or anything, it's on par with other Chicago restaurants in this category, and I would visit again.

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    Bavette's Bar & Boeuf - Waiting area and first floor dining

    Waiting area and first floor dining

    Bavette's Bar & Boeuf - Bone Marrow

    Bone Marrow

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    4.6(167 reviews)
    0.9 miRiver North, Near North Side
    $$

    Really loved this little bar! Great food! We didn't realize we were there for Happy Hour or we…read morewould've honestly ordered way more. I loved the cider I ordered and I would go back just for that. We loved the other people we talked to there. The ambiance was incredible. The only outlier was the bartender seemed to be having an off night, she just wasn't super attentive with guests. But it wasn't so terrible that it tainted an otherwise great experience. I would definitely return to this place!

    We stopped in for a night cap and a snack on a Friday evening! We sat at the bar and I liked how…read morebig and comfy the chairs are. We also had front row seats to watch March madness, and more importantly the beer filling mechanism that fills glasses from the bottom! Kinda fun to watch. The bar also has purse hooks, which I am always grateful for. The food came out pretty quickly and was super fresh and delicious. The bartender was sooo sweet, very attentive and quick, and made sure my soda was always topped off. I loved the vibe and the moody lighting! The menu is definitely River North prices -- nothing terribly surprising bht on par for the neighborhood. At the time of our visit, cocktails were $15+ and the fry basket was $10. Again, not terrible but definitely paying to be in River North. If you're in the neighborhood, definitely worth it!

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    Blackened Fresh Florida Grouper Sandwich

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    The Berghoff Restaurant - bars - Updated May 2026

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