Chicago Brauhaus

(773) 784-4444

4732 N Lincoln Ave (Between Leland and Lawrence Aves, Wrigleyville/Lakeview/North Side)
Chicago, IL 60625 41.9674 -87.688

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Neighborhoods: Ravenswood, Far North Side

CHICAGOBRAUHAUS.COM

Years in business

Established in 1984

Hours:

Lunch: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 11am-4pm

Dinner: Mon, Wed, Thu 4pm-10pm

Fri-Sun 11am-12am

Closed Tuesday

Price:

$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Cash, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Notable Beer List, Hidden Find, People Watching, Dancing, Group Dining, Happy Hour, Live Music

Cuisine:

German

Smoking Permitted:

Yes

What People Are Saying About Chicago Brauhaus

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – The atmosphere is warm, with close tables filled with seniors and families, a full bar on one side and a tiny dance floor. Every night and all day on weekends, live bands play everything from Elvis to old-time German tunes. The menu features traditional German specialties in generous portions. A crowd favorite is the Brauhaus special: smoked pork loin, two sausages, potatoes and sauerkraut. Other entrees include beef roulade, Wiener schnitzel and hot sausages.

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
Half-liter mugs of German imported beers are available with selections like Stiegl, Spaten and Erdinger Weiss.
When to Go:
With live music nightly and no cover charge, evenings are the best times to take in the traditional brauhaus ambience.
ambiance
75.0% positive
  1. They will get great beer, good food, and a lot of fun.
  2. The musical entertainment is fun, and everyone in the place enjoys themselves.
  3. fun atmosphere but food is mediocre at best
  4. like the atmosphere here, as I spent many years in Germany.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. It is a very happening place on weekends with live bands and this is one of the few places I can stand at a bar and speak German with just about everyone (although there is an amusing smattering of dialects) and the patrons and staff are very friendly.
  2. What a German restaurant should be: hearty portions of great tasting food, ginormous beers, and inexpensive prices.
  3. great beer.
  4. They will get great beer, good food, and a lot of fun.
  5. would recommend trying some authentic beer!
  6. They have some decent Rieslings on their wine menu too.
food quality
82.34999656677246% positive
  1. haven't had a more authentic German food experience in Chicago than the Brauhaus.
  2. What a German restaurant should be: hearty portions of great tasting food, ginormous beers, and inexpensive prices.
  3. The food was excellent; however, the music was a disappointment.
  4. wanted a vegetable but we never saw our waitress once the food was put on the table so I did not get to order a vegetable.
  5. but the food is not so great.
  6. They will get great beer, good food, and a lot of fun.
  7. The pork chop was the best I had ever eaten - they basically cook (smoke) the whole loin, bone in, then slice them off to order.
  8. found the Chicago Brauhaus the right stuff; a meal that was fresh and tastee.
  9. would recommend trying some authentic beer!
  10. started with a cup of their Liver dumpling soup, it was basically a liver meatball is a delicious broth, doesn't sound great, but it was.
  11. They have very good food.
  12. If you looking for no frills food with kind of a authentic german flair you shoul.
  13. fun atmosphere but food is mediocre at best
  14. perfect place for the best german food
  15. The chicken schnitzel and pork loin are wonderful; and the struesel is hot and flaky!
  16. The food is delicious and fattening, just the right combo to get you in a lot of trouble.
  17. Friends and family read reviews of this restaurant and went for dinner tonight, expecting to hear wonderful German music and enjoy German cuisine.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. They have some decent Rieslings on their wine menu too.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. This is a great party place.
service
75.0% positive
  1. wanted a vegetable but we never saw our waitress once the food was put on the table so I did not get to order a vegetable.
  2. The staff is great a.
  3. It is a very happening place on weekends with live bands and this is one of the few places I can stand at a bar and speak German with just about everyone (although there is an amusing smattering of dialects) and the patrons and staff are very friendly.
  4. The service was poor.
value
100.0% positive
  1. What a German restaurant should be: hearty portions of great tasting food, ginormous beers, and inexpensive prices.
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/31/11

"Oops, I apologize..." doesn't make up for S&*%%Y SERVICE

by CBrigante at Citysearch

Quite possibly THEE WORSE SERVICE from 1 waitress EVER (and quite possibly any of the wait staff)!!! 1 mistake, that's no problem for me. But MULTIPLE MISTAKES for an hour+ lunch that SUPPOSE to take 30-45 minutes? UN-F'N-ACCEPTABLE!!! I came in for lunch and waited 5 minutes for the waitress to show up. The bus boy didn't give me any water at ANY time during my stay. When she FINALLY gets to my table gives me the specials menu, but DOESN'T TELL ME THE SPECIALS THAT ARE NOT ON THE MENU (oh yes, there were other specials because I distinctly heard her mention them to the table behind me). Oh don't blame the band member playing on the keyboard for not hearing because I heard and saw all the other waitresses addressing their tables loud and clear. I ordered from their main menu and a coke (since I STILL hadn't gotten any water) and that took her another 5 minutes for the coke. When the food arrived, it was THE WRONG ORDER (and I knew right away since all the other places I ordered the same item all came out the same way). Again, the waitress apologized and blamed her "handwriting" for the problem. By the time the right order arrived, I only had 20 minutes to eat before I had to go to work. Needless to say, I was that disgusted with the wait time that I had lost my appetite and took my food to go. And as usual, I had to wait for the same waitress to get the check and the container and to come get bill with my card and yada yada yada. Probably the only thing good about the visit was the gorgeous hostess greeting me at the door. Bottom line, the ENTIRE lunch experience was an EPIC FAIL!!! But if you want German food in the city, where else can you possibly go not that the Berghoff is long gone???

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/17/09

perfect place for the best german food

by swedekay at Citysearch

I ate at the Chicago Brauhaus a couple of weeks ago while I was visiting my brother in Chicago.It was the best experience ever.The food was spectacular and perfectly German.When I visit again I will be sure to eat at the Brauhaus again.

  • Pros: the food is delicious,service is great, and atmosphere is wo
  • Cons: there are no cons
4 Star Rating: Recommended

12/13/07

Fun European atmosphere

by uradel at Citysearch

This is a fun place to experience the folksy foods of southern Germany. My family is from wine country in the central area (Frankfurt/Main) and further north in Germany, but we still get a kick out of the southern Bavarian ways. I'm not a fan of smoked chops personally, but other family members of mine love them. They are not dried out shoe leather like some smoked meats. They look juicy and tender. The schnitzels are my favorite. You can order them in the style of Holstein or Vienna. (traditional Vienner schnitzel). You are served a whole portion whether it's a veal or chicken schnitzel. (schnitzel simply means medallion or cutlet). Our favorite appetizer is the Steak Tartare. They have some decent Rieslings on their wine menu too. It is a very happening place on weekends with live bands and this is one of the few places I can stand at a bar and speak German with just about everyone (although there is an amusing smattering of dialects) and the patrons and staff are very friendly. They will engage you and invite you to join in even if you don't speak German. Some nights there are whole teams of European soccer players and it really gets fun. They talk to you as if they have known you forever. Keep in mind that it is not an upscale German/European restaurant. It reflects the wholesome simple ways of Germany's southern region. It is the German southern hospitality that keeps us coming back.

  • Pros: A fun place to mingle Euro style.
  • Cons: You have to like southern German cooking
2 Star Rating: Below Average

10/02/07

Good Beer...Service non existant

by vegitoboi at Citysearch

How many times have I frequent this place only to wind up drinking German style beer on an empty stomach? It's the same pattern everytime that lead me not to come back in. Needless to say, with the Berghoff in Downtown Chicago non existant anymore, if this was to be a successor, it failed in the first stage: service. First time I went in, I waited 10 minutes to be seated only to give up and stand at the bar only to be pushed around by Lincoln Square tipsy people trying to get their beer needs before mine. The polka band kept things interesting by playing familiar drinking songs and folk songs. On times I do get to sit at an actual table, the waitress disappears into oblivion and I just get up and leave. The place is nice, no doubt, and obviously great for group outings. But it's just not worth the never ending wait for food or a table for that matter. If you're coming for the beer, try Huttenbar just down the street (although be ready to stand even more).

  • Pros: good for group outings
  • Cons: parking, service, didn't even get to try food
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/24/07

Best German Food, Beer and Atmosphere

by rf666 at Citysearch

Absolutely unbelievable - food was fantastic, beer was even better. I started with a cup of their Liver dumpling soup, it was basically a liver meatball is a delicious broth, doesn't sound great, but it was. For dinner, I ordered the Brauhaus Special, which was Two different sausage, a pork chop and potatoes. The pork chop was the best I had ever eaten - they basically cook (smoke) the whole loin, bone in, then slice them off to order. It was so moist and smokey - the brine worked its magic, thus allowing them to sell me more beer. The sausages were also excellent. The only problem I had at the Brauhaus was my stomach wasn't big enough. I hate leaving such delicious food on the plate...

Live German music playiing, people dancing - German conversation heard at the bar. What a great time.

Highly Recommend going!!!

  • Pros: Great Food, Beer, People
  • Cons: can't think of any

The Details on Chicago Brauhaus

Place Categories:

  • great german food
  • nice party place
  • great beer
  • tastee meal
  • mediocre fun atmosphere
  • wonderful german music
  • poor service
  • not more authentic german food experience
  • enjoy band
  • amusing smattering
  • fun musical entertainment
  • excellent sausages
  • love other family members
  • decent rieslings
  • very friendly staff
  • favorite schnitzels
  • great a
  • wonderful pork loin
  • delicious broth
  • best pork chop
  • like atmosphere
  • favorite appetizer
  • like german culture
  • best german
  • enjoy german cuisine
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