Chicago (German) - Chicago Brauhaus

Chicago Brauhaus
4732 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL; Phone 773-784-4444
Date of Review: October, 2006

I won't sit here and lie and say that the food is fantastic at the Chicago Brauhaus. If you’re not fond of home style German cooking that sticks to your ribs and is heavy on spatzle, red cabbage and some kind of meat, you are not going to be that happy when you browse through the menu. That said, if you do like German style cuisine, the food is pretty good.

This is a loud restaurant with a unique crowd. You will see old timers dressed up for a night out who most likely have Germanic roots of some sort. At the same time, you will see young groups of people in there 20's, 30's or 40's simply looking for a good time. It seems that the consensus with anyone coming here is that they want to have fun. From September 20th through October 29th (for Oktoberfest), they have a band that plays nightly and you should expect to see various kinds of singing, dancing, yodeling and other rowdiness. This is a restaurant with big tables and is perfect for a large party. This is probably a place you want to come to with at least a party of 4. This is one of best places in Chicago to “let go” at and have fun over a liter or so of beer. If you get to the point where you are 'passing the beer boot' around the table, you deserve extra credit. If you are passing it or taking it from someone you don't know, even better.

An expensive, albeit excellent and very large appetizer is the Kalte Platte which is an assortment of cold cuts, cheese, potato salad and pickles. It is served with a basket of pretzel rolls and rye bread and some fantastic spicy mustard. If they are selling giant pretzels, buy one and dip it in the mustard. For entrees, the Cevapcici is a ground beef and lamb combination that is formed into the shape of thick sausage links. It is pretty tasty and is served with some good German style potato salad. Other dishes I recommend include the Sauerbraten, Wiener schnitzel and the Rindsroulade. The Rindsroulade is especially memorable. It consists of thin slices of sirloin beef rolled with mustard, bacon, onion and pickle and the rolls of beef are then braised. Like most entrees, it is served with spatzle and red cabbage. The portions are good size but they don't overwhelm you, which is a good thing as the food is quite heavy.

The Chicago Brauhaus has an excellent selection of German beers on tap. It is the best selection of German draught beers I have seen in Chicago. Beers they have on tap include Hofbrau, Spaten, Stiegl, Bitburger, Julius Echter, Becks Dark and a house brew. Be careful as you indulge in a half or full liter as these beers have a tendency to make you dizzy.

The service is up front and to the point. It is German. If you are not ready to order, don't expect a kind greeting. Expect your server to walk away and come back in 5-10 minutes. It is the systematic type of service one would expect at an authentic German restaurant.

The food is not cheap but not overpriced either. You can order from a variety of different sausages or other home style type dishes like stuffed cabbage or Bavarian style meatloaf for a pretty reasonable 7-13$. Expect to spend $15-17 for something like Wiener schnitzel, Sauerbraten, Stuffed Chicken or a Pork Shank. The beer isn't cheap but you aren't drinking 12 ounce beers either. The price corresponds to the quantity of beer you have in your mug.

Overall, this is just a fun place to spend an evening at. Once or twice a year may be enough but some of my best nights in Chicago have taken place at the Chicago Brauhaus. The only thing that I would say is great here is the beer but when you add in some decent food, unique and fun music and a diverse crowd of people all looking to have a blast, you get a VERY GOOD TIME.