Tuesday 3rd of August 2010 11:33:07 PM

link
I know many people see the Brauhaus as a gimmick, and it is, but I've always had a good time there. The food has always been good, served similar to like I remember as a kid when I went to authentic German restaurants. There has always been live music and if the crowd is lively you will see dancing. The people watching when there is dancing is nearly worth the visit alone!

I missed the opportunity to get a 2L boot my first visit, but I made up for it with my second visit. They ask for a credit card before you get the boot and inform you that it will be a $50 charge should you break the boot. Needless to say, I was EXTREMELY careful with the boot and probably took better care of it than a parent with a newborn.

The beers are all German. Decent German selection, but you won't get a massive list to selection from.

One interesting thing to note: when you go down the stairs to the basement where the bathrooms are there is a display case with glassware of all sizes. It's pretty cool to look at all of the glasses in there. Just make sure to keep an eye over your shoulder should someone who's had too much comes stumbling down the stairs.

Monday 22nd of February 2010 09:55:13 AM

link
This place is right in the middle of a nice shopping area, and serves 2L boots at the bar. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a beer selection. Julius Echter or Kostritzer is the best you can do, or Optimator in bottles. The atmosphere is great, in terms of the kitsch-factor, a Polka band plays nightly on weekends for the gray haired set. Wicker-domed globes hang above the bar, with red tinted chandeliers above the expansive dining room. The bar service was pretty good on a Saturday night, although it was the second attempt of the night at getting a beer there (first time the bar was full of campers waiting for tables, with no one behind the bar).

Overall there are better beer options in the area, and better options for your Gemutlikeit fix (Laschetts, Glunz, Resi's). This place has ads on local radio, so take it for what its worth...

Thursday 21st of May 2009 09:15:52 AM

link

This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

We've always living within 3 miles of this place in the 5+ years we've been in Chicago so I've been here a number of times and always have had a good experience.

The focus here is (obviously) German Beers, and the selection is fairly good but for me it's all about their "Chicago Brau Haus Lager Bier" which is amazingly fresh (every time) and if you ask for the "large"..well you'll be happy.

Recommended for both the food (traditional German..think herring in cream sause, sausages, and liver dumpling soup), and the house lager.

Friday 8th of June 2007 04:57:31 PM

link
I've been here more times than any of the other German beer establishments in the Chicago area. But I certainly do not find myself here very often. It's usually around a festival or an event that is going on nearby in Lincoln Square.

Because of the timing of my visits, the Brauhaus is usually pretty crowded. They seem to be pretty good at handling the large crowds though, because I have never really had slow or poor service.

The food here has been pretty good. I wouldn't say that I think it is as good as the food I have had at Laschet's Inn, but it has still been pretty tasty and certainly filling. The beer selection is obviously focused on German beers and it seemed to me that the selection wasn't quite as good as the other German focused bars in the area.

The rye pretzels on the bar and the oompah bands and dancers are about the only thing that I feel is better about the Chicago Brauhaus (when comparing it to Laschet's and Resi's). And these two factors aren't nearly enough to get me to choose the Brauhaus over the others.

Transportation options are: The Brown Line Western Stop is a few blocks south and there are buses in the area.