Susan is amazing! Best server of our trip. She really knows her stuff and knows hot to talk to customers.

I like it here! It's extremely casual and has options for dining, including a grab and go counter with self seating as well as a full dining room. - I love traditional German food. They do a great job of providing a wide variety of options yet sticking to a traditional preparation of the cuisine. - The ambience is lively. I enjoy seeing the decor as well as the staff fully emerged in the culture. Restaurants like this make Chicago the melting pot that it is. read more

The Berghoff is a German cuisine restaurant located in the Loop just a few blocks from Michigan Avenue. It's been here for a long time and I had dinner there recently. The interior has a lot of charm and Chicago decor and looks like a popular local eatery. I was looking at some of the beef entrees on the menu when my waitress recommended the Sous Vide Pork Shank ($26) saying that the meat was "fall off the bone" and very popular so I went with her recommendation. She also said that their homemade Berghoff root beer was also very good. I noticed that it was offered in regular and diet and she told me they tasted the same so I tried the diet version. The meal arrived less than 15 minutes later. Yes, the meat did fall off of the bone and was not only delicious but also plentiful. The pork shank had a savory taste that I enjoyed. Also the shank was placed on a bed of spatzle and again the shanks jus made it better. Grilled asparagus was added along with whole carrots and it was a filling meal. Finally the root beer was very good taste wise and I could not tell it was diet. I would order this meal again. My waitress told me the truth! read more

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

I have been dining at The Berghoff for many years. The Berghoff remains one of my favorite restaurants. My first visit to The Berghoff was when I was about eleven years old. I have loved and enjoyed this wonderful Chicago institution ever since! The food and service at The Berghoff are always excellent. The restaurant's atmosphere is richly appointed with classic Chicago themes and ambiance. The in-house brewery tour which I took many years ago was great fun! The Berghoff's magnificent mural of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (World's Columbian Exposition) is my favorite part of the restaurant's grand historical atmosphere. The Chicago World's Fair mural possesses special importance and worth to me and my family, because my great-great-great-grandfather was the Chicago building contractor who built the World's Fair buildings that are beautifully and artfully portrayed in The Berghoff's dining room mural! Therefore, dining at The Berghoff with the Chicago World's Fair mural right there always adds another wonderful personal experience for me and my family at The Berghoff. The Berghoff is not only a great and historic Chicago tavern and brewery, it is a great ambassador for Chicago and for the State of Illinois. I recommend The Berghoff to everybody visiting Chicago. Thank you to The Berghoff and to the visionary Berghoff family of Chicago, and thank you also to The Berghoff's many wonderful employees. You all are grand and excellent ambassadors for Chicago and for the State of Illinois. My family has resided in and around Chicago for more than two centuries. The Berghoff will always be among our family's favorite Illinois restaurants. I look forward to a lifetime of excellent and sentimental dining experiences with you all. God Bless! read more

Had our first Chicago meal here and it's clear why it's been open forever. The space is huge and the architecture makes you feel like you stepped back in time. Food was good and server was very attentive. There was a lot of variety on the menu-very meat focused. The Alsatian soup (French onion with apple) and potato pancakes were the highlights. Corned beef Reuben was a bit dry and light on sauerkraut. Extensive beer and drink menu too-including home brewed root beer. Would definitely go back. read more

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I hate this place. I went there once with my coworkers and will never return here. The food was lukewarm not hot. No ones food was hot and I ordered rotisserie chicken. There is a real problem if you cannot roast a chicken. It is a basic meal. My coworker got a burger that was lukewarm also. Service was just ok. This restaurant closed for awhile and it should not have reopened. read more

I go here almost every time I'm in town because I love the beer and this is the only place in the states I think I can find curry ketchup. They also allowed me to replace the French fries with spaetzle. read more

The Berghoff Restaurant - Curry wurst and spaetzle - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here to try out a classic Chicago restaurant with a good Christmas ambiance and certainly wasn't disappointed. The decorations are festive and full of holiday spirit. I wouldn't say the food is amazing, it's average - or at least the schnitzel was. You can get better schnitzel with potatoes at the German restaurants in Lincoln Square. Come here primarily for the ambiance and good conversation in a cool and classic location. If it's busy here (and it will be around major holidays), expect service to be a bit slower. This is a very well-known spot. Had a great experience though! read more

The Berghoff Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Food and service were good. I really liked the ambiance of this place, being an older restaurant with murals and stained glass. Historic restaurant worth the visit. read more

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Wunderbar! I've been coming to The Berghoff for many years and I can't say enough good things about it. This is the second oldest restaurant in Chicago, and it isn't slowing down a bit. My daughter and I were here for dinner on Tuesday December 19th 2023. We arrived at 5:30 and there was plenty of seating available. By the time we left the line was out the door! The line appeared to be moving quickly, and I assure you the experience is worth the wait. They don't take reservations, so if you don't want to wait, I suggest getting there early. The Berghoff is always very attractive; but even more so when decorated for the holidays. It looked beautiful and felt oh so festive. Through the years I have had many of their offerings. On this night, we started with a pretzel, and it was delicious. I had the Jager Schnitzel and it was prepared perfectly. Unfortunately, my daughter was not as happy with her entree. She ordered the Chicken Schnitzel. When it came out, we were both stunned to see it was smothered in marinara! She looked so crestfallen. I felt so bad for her. We did not see in the description that it comes topped with their house-made marinara! She said it was good, but would have been better with a lemon wedge instead of the marinara. It was our fault for not reading the menu better, and it won't impact my rating but this is extremely disappointing. Why not prepare it traditionally, and offer the marinara at no additional charge? I don't get it. Hopefully this public service announcement will save a future customer or two from the disappointment she experienced. A couple of quick side-notes: my daughter has declared the Whipped Potatoes among the best she's ever had; and I would say the same about the Creamed Spinach. Service is always great, and prices are in-line for what you get. In a time where Chicago has lost many of its great German restaurants (Chicago Brauhaus, Schulien's, Zum Deutschen Eck, and Golden Ox to name a few): it is good to see The Berghoff is still going strong! read more

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Perfect wood paneled old world elegance here. Kind of a trip back in time since I used to go here regularly years ago when there were all male waiters in uniform. This time went with a German friend who was well pleased with the authentic German menu. However I had a smoked salmon dish that was like a sandwich with two potato pancakes on the outside and salmon, tomato, cucumber and a light sour cream dill sauce inside; interesting and a very tasty dish. We also started with stuffed mushrooms that included spinach and cheese and were excellent. We finished with Black Forest cake and went home well satisfied. So a trip down memory lane that was well worth taking! read more

We haven't been here in at least 20 years. Nothing has changed and it's even better than I remembered. The flourless chocolate cake is to die for. #iraeats #iraeats1 read more

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It's the same place we came to so many years ago, I just think my expectations are a bit higher now. Food was average, service was very good, and portions were all shareable. It's a Chicago staple, but I think it's had it's day.. read more

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Went on a Saturday night with a reservation and was seated promptly. Service was friendly and nice! Restaurant had music playing and was decorated for Oktoberfest. I had the chicken schnitzel, but at the table was also Wiener schnitzel and the sausage trio. I thought the sausage trio was very good! My first time tasting German food so I don't have much to compare it to but wasn't blown away by the chicken schnitzel. They also have 8 oz, 16 oz, and a stein of beer! Thought the atmosphere was fun. Would return! read more

The Berghoff Restaurant - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was looking for a savory Octoberfest meal from the oldest restaurant in Chicago. I had the Jager Schnitzel which was not as savory as I expected. It had more of a breakfast flavor but I think that was the bacon talking. Anything with bacon is good. :) The spatzle on the side was your basic pasta flavor. The carmelized root vegetables were slightly raw. Not as sugary carmelized as I thought. They looked and tasted like a yellow flesh and white flesh potato rather than potatoes and carrots, or some other root vegetable. I could be wrong though. To wash it all down I had a Festbier which was crushable and an Oktoberfest, very crushable itself. Both were from Adam's Street Brewery, the only true brewery in downtown and all original Berghoff beers. In the end, it was the home cooked, savory meal I had been looking for. Sometimes you have to dive into a city's history and culture Toto really experience it. read more

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The Berghoff Restaurant is a Chicago staple. The food is good, but the service could use some improvement. Be prepared to wait for a table. Currently, the restaurant isn't accepting reservations and is on walk in only seating. We waited about 45 minutes for a table which was to be expected. We were seated right by the hostess stand where managers were congregating, but nobody noticed us sitting for 20+ minutes without a server coming by to even take a drink order. We had to stop another server who graciously took our orders and attempted to find our assigned server with no luck. The food was fine. I ordered a Reuben with chips. The root beer was delicious. Our service was lackluster likely because the server helping us was already busy and took on our table because our server was MIA. The restaurant itself was really pretty. It's a cool place to visit, but I'm not sure I would like to go again. The overall ambiance was cool, but the service and food was just okay for me. read more

The Berghoff Restaurant - Reuben and chips - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Spaetzels to die for. German pretzel can't be beat! Home brewed wheat beer. What more do you need?!

This pains me... Went to my class reunion. Sweet April didn't age so well. Berghoff is like my April. Best in the rearview mirror, in memories, or blurry faded snapshots. What happened to all the great German places in ChiCOWgo? (Can anyone recommend a place? DM me.) Berghoff is to German food like what The Olive Garden is to car repair. May I give you one example? Chicken schnitzel with marinara sauce. Boom! Berghoff goes down! How could anyone involved argue with me over this one? Again, a German restaurant serving chicken schnitzel with marinara sauce. What was that mess? Ugh. No more rye bread? As a child, on a dare, I licked a cow salt lick. It was exactly what the sauerkraut tasted like tonight. (I don't know how you can make sauerkraut taste more horrible but they did it!) The gravy had the consistency of Jell-O. Lumpy. The RED cabbage had major patches that were blackity black. Why? I want to love this place. When it closed (last time) I wept. This time it will be like Old Yeller being put out of it's misery due to the rabies. The building! That neon! The history! I really was rooting for this place but alas it's time to put Bergoff to sleep for good. read more

I was really excited to try the berghoff and my friend and I were really mixed on TBR. The food was just okay I thought it would have been better and the fact that we did not receive any bread really was sad. And my friend's egg was under cooked and he got violently sick. The service wasn't the best either since it took a while for our waitress to get to us. The atmosphere was good compared to other German restraunt's I have been to. Overall, I will say I had high hopes for the berghoff restraunt and sadly it wasn't what I expected. And be sure to get the egg cooked fully. read more

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Great service and flavorful food with the best rootbeer I've had. Root Beer - this root beer has taste to it, it's not just sugar water, they brew it in house. It is the best w/ free refills Chicken Schnitzel - perfectly crispy fried flat chicken It's an old restaurant that has a lot of class. There are pictures from the history. read more

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Have been here numerous times over the years. Location is very good and the prices are decent. It's also just a really interesting place to eat and you can pretty much always get a table. All the typical German-fare you would expect and it's all really good. Always good service. Great place for a family celebration. Large portions on a number of items. read more

This is an old traditional German-American restaurant. The main dining room is a dead ringer for a Viennese cafe, and the pub on the other side of the building is warm and cheerful. The restaurant is paired with an in-house brewery, so there is a tasty and imaginative beer menu. Potato pancake appetizer is a clever take on the classic: mini cakes garnished with a mixture of all the traditional fixings in an apple reduction. Wiener schnitzel was fine, maybe could have been pounded a little thinner and fried a little harder. Service prompt and friendly. read more

My husband wanted to try this place last time we were in town but we weren't able to fit it in. After all, there are only so many meals in the day and this town has a lot of great food choices! We landed on Saturday and discovered the restaurant was near our hotel. Well, then, let's have afternoon snack/early dinner. I was getting hungry so this place was as good as any. It got busier as we sat at our table. Most of the patrons looked to be out of towners, like us. I'm sure locals eat here as well - Maybe the older couple next to us, dressed to watch a show; or maybe the two young gals behind us, having fun with their conversation. Apparently it's their anniversary and they have a special menu. We ordered: Pickled herring. Delicious! Mini bratwurst trio. It's also on the regular menu. Onion and apple soup. Also from the main menu. Also delicious! It's similar to French Onion Soup. Root beer. They make their own. Devil in the White City cocktail. Flight of beer. We enjoyed their anniversary edition the best. I would come back for the pickled herring and onion and apple soup. I disn't think I would like this place, but my husband proved me wrong! Their menu is extensive and we only tried a few items. At 4pm, it wasn't crowded but definitely became more crowded as we were eating our dinner. Enjoy! read more

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Beware of theft while dining here. On Oct 14 around 1 pm, our group of 20+ was seated deep inside the restaurant. During the meal, 3-4 strangers came to our table, tossed flyers, and asked for donations, clearly a distraction while someone grabs your belonging. Within minutes I realized my phone and wallet were gone. Police reports have been made. What concerns me most: 1. These suspicious individuals were able to enter and roam inside the dining area unchecked. 2. The owner told us this wasn't the first theft INSIDE the restaurant. 3. Despite that, no meaningful measures were in place and the restaurant accepted no responsibility. I left feeling unsafe and unprotected as a customer, even in broad daylight and while seated inside. I strongly suggest avoiding this restaurant. You may risk having your belongings stolen while you dine. read more

I feel like I'm stepping back in time when I eat here. Such a historic restaurant right in the Chicago Loop. Good German food and amazing atmosphere. read more

Service is fantastic food is great! I come here every time I'm in town! Beer selection is too notch

This was not my first visit but was my LAST visit to this once was Chicago staple. Just like many city staples this one strictly runs on FAME. Unfortunately, the fame wears out quickly and spot was nearly empty Saturday night. We kept our visit simple. Beers and Schnitzel. I went for the hefe thinking classic German wheat beer should be a hit in this place. But I was wrong, absolutely UNDRINKABLE with a weird smell. Ended up tasting two more beers and went with a simple lager. Dinner was suppose be to classic. Jger Schnitzel with spatzle noodles. Holly SALTY mountain of pork. It was sooooo salty that when my bartender tried the sauce she snagged the plate from me and RAN back to the kitchen saying "I need to warn the chef". I am still surprised that one of their main dishes can leave the kitchen without anyone from the kitchen tasting the classic sauce. For 125 years, the Berghoffs have been benefiting from this iconic spot and it feels like for the last 20-30 years they didn't put a single dime back into it. read more

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Trying this German place in Chicago which has been around since 1898. Made reservations here and had asked if we could come here a little earlier than our time has started. They let us do that and the service plus food came out so quickly. It's a very traditional style restaurant that served German dishes. We ordered a German pretzel which was so filling because it was that huge! The rootbeer that they have in here taste so good. I'm a fan of root beer and this place makes it taste even better than I've ever had. Food wise everything was large portions. Which probably I should of just ordered half the dishes because we barely finished it. It was so festive in here as well with the holiday spirit very strong. I think if you are looking for some old family places to try this should be on your list. read more

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My grandparents took me here when I was a child and I recently revisited with my SO. Had a really tasty dinner. We recommend the root beer, you get refills! Very cool place! read more

Berghoff is one of those iconic places to visit when you're in Chicago. I've lived in the Chicagoland area all of my life but never had actually ate in the restaurant itself. My friends and I came before watching a show at the Cadillac theater. We had a reservation for 6 and we were promptly seated at our time. Staff was very friendly. It was New Year's Eve so all of the Christmas decorations were still up and it was beautiful! The server promptly took our drink orders and when we were ready our meal orders. The food came out quickly. Too quick that we had a lot of extra time before the show. Appetizers - Gretchen's Potato Pancakes. I didn't expect all of the toppings. It was a perfect balance of adding a little sweet with the savory taste of the potato's. Also ordered potato pierogies. These were soft and pretty "normal" not anything I was too amazed or impressed by. Meal - Ordered the winter warm up which is a combo meal I'd soup, salad, sandwich. The cup of soup of the day which was a homemade chicken soup (delicious!), Berghoff side salad, and grilled cheese sandwich (provolone on sourdough!). All of this served with a side of homemade Berghoff chips. The meal was great! It all did taste truly homemade like I was at someone's home and they invited me in for a hearty meal. Everything was prepared well and it was extremely appetizing. All of this was washed down with Berghoff's root beer which I think is made by them. Bottomless too so I enjoyed the refreshing root beer with every bite of my meal! For dessert we had Apple Strudel and Black Forest Cake. My understanding is they bake everything in house. All of it was great! Surprisingly the two desserts weren't overwhelmingly sweet it was just right. And it was a perfect ending to our meal. The servers were extremely attentive making sure to clear out any empty plates quickly and checking in to see how we were doing. Great food and great service. Overall a great experience and I will be back again! read more

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The schlachteplatte was not the best since the pork chop was a little bit dry. The sauerkraut and the potatoes were okay. The bread basket wasn't anything special nor it was toasted. The sausages and the creamed spinach on the other hand were delicious. The root beer was good but it wasn't very special either. read more

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Went on St. Patrick's day weekend, and it was busy. We were seated quickly, though, and service was quick too. I got a full Weiner schnitzel and it was very hearty and yummy, and I liked the peach cocktail that was recommended to me by my server. Great German restaurant which has stood the test of time for a reason! read more

The Berghoff Restaurant - Wiener Schnitzel and Spinatknodel - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It used to be a holiday tradition for my mother and I to have lunch at The Berghoff every Christmastime when coming into Chicago to shop. We loved the old-world charm and history of the place. I always ordered wienerschnitzle with creamed spinach and spaetzle and one of their special beers. Today, I went again and ordered the same meal but had a disappointing experience. All the food was luke-warm at best and didn't taste the way I remembered it. I had ordered a green beer for St. Patrick's Day which never arrived. Instead, I received a regular beer when I was nearly finished eating. Also, didn't they use to serve bread with the meal? When the bill came, I noticed an extra "convenience fee" tacked on. Apparently, they now add a 3.5% surtax to every entree which I wasn't informed of in advance. WTF??? As it didn't amount to much this time and I was running late for my train, I simply paid it. I hate to base a review on one experience, but I don't think I'll be in any hurry to return to The Berghoff again. read more

The Berghoff Restaurant - Lunch Receipt - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was fine. Food was good, but a bit bland for what I'm used to for German faire. Good waiter.

Beyond thankful this historic Chicago institution is still operating. Closed in 2006 after 107 years of business, it was reopened a short time after. A favorite childhood restaurant of mine, I was thrilled to have The Berghoff cater my wedding a few years later. All our guests raved about the food, however I should mention the catering menu does vary widely compared to the restaurant menu. Incredible food then, just equally phenomenal food now. Stopped in recently for a lunch date w my wife. We ordered the Stuffed Mushrooms (oh so delicious!), I had the Cuboff (German take on Cuban sandwich), she had the fried green tomatoes. The sandwich served w rich au jus, butter encrusted bread w luscious meat & cheese. The pickle had a nice snap. I had Jalapeño coleslaw on the side. Not too spicy but a nice bit of heat. The fried green tomatoes were crisped to perfection, served w creamy (ricotta?) sauce & greens salad. Just exquisite w their Sauvignon Blanc wine. I had a glass of their on site brewed cider. Great body, not too sweet. Amazing lunch service on a Tuesday and not too busy. Can't wait to return! read more

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We were lucky enough to get a hotel nearby so we decided to try this out. They take reservations, but their restaurant is large enough that people get seated quickly. I haven't had much German food before, so I was happy to get a taste of their menu! I really enjoyed their Wiener schnitzel, it was very crunchy but still juicy. The portions were also quite large. I also really enjoyed their decor, plus the employees are all incredibly kind! read more

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We had a reservation for 2:30 pm and our flight landed early so we got there around 1 pm, but they were still able to accommodate us quickly! The place looks super cute and antique/historic looking in a fun way. The restaurant's decor makes you feel transported to another time. They also are apparently family owned/operated and have Chicago's first post-Prohibition liquor license, which they have up on the wall by the entrance. In terms of the food, we got the wiener schnitzel (came with spatzle and creamed spinach), the potato pancakes topped with brie/apples/bacon, and the pierogis. All of these were PHENOMENAL. It was our first meal in Chicago and honestly we debated going back again even though we had a ton of other restaurants planned for the 48 hours we were there. We didn't, but we kept dreaming about the food. It was SO good. To top it all off, the service was phenomenal. From the time we ordered to the time we received our food lasted a total of 5 minutes. We were also in Chicago to celebrate my bf's birthday and they surprised us with a Black Forest cake and candle!! We will 100000% be back here and have already told all our friends about it! read more

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Ug I really wanted to like this iconic spot. Some positives. The restaurants age and story is cool and overall friendly service. We ended up taking a seat at the bar to have a drink and grab a bite. We were happy to see they had house brewed hefeweizen. Unfortunately not good, the beer had a weird smell and bitter taste. We ended up not even drinking it. We ordered the classics Jger Schnitzel dish. Portions are a little smaller, perfect for one person. The dish was so salty we couldn't eat it. We hate sending things back but this was just too much. Our bartender actually tried the sauce and took it immediately back to the kitchen. They brought us out a replacement which was much better. But overall mediocre. read more

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This is a great spot if you're looking for German food and a classic setting. I like how they really retained the historic feel of the building! I got the jager schnitzel and it was tasty! The mushroom sauce was very savory, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the root vegetables. The only downside was that I felt like the dish overall was a little too salty but it was good to have the spatzle to balance it out a bit. We also got the Apple strudel for dessert and this was great! It came out warm and went perfectly with the side of ice cream we added. Overall had a great experience at The Berghoff Restaurant. I wasn't blown away by the food, but it's a classic Chicago restaurant to check out! read more

The Berghoff Restaurant - Jger Schnitzel - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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