As noted above, the place is packed for lunch almost every day. It is also a popular place to go before or after the theater, or even after shopping. While the food is decent if you are going there just as a small group, I would strongly suggest not going here for a banquet or with a large group. We once did a company dinner here. The service was horrible; it took forever to get our food, and it was cold when it came out.

I do enjoy their potato pancakes, a favorite side dish of mine (must be that Eastern European blood in me). In addition, the schnitzel is pretty good as well. I am not a fan of their famous creamed spinach, but that is more likely a personal dislike. The bread is good and will set the tone for the rest of your meal. I believe that it’s rye and wheat. It is dense, coarse, and thick.

The majority of the meals are smothered in some sort of sauce or another. They are usually brown and heavy, and I’m unable to tell one from the other. I would not suggest coming here if you are on a diet - the amount of calories will send you into shock.

The decor in here is authentic German; you do feel like you are sitting in a beer hall it the middle of Berlin, Munich, or any other city in Germany – well, with a Chicago twist. There is a ton of dark wood and a good bit of stained glass. The whole interior is dark, and on the walls there is a lot of Chicago memorabilia.

The beer is OK but I am a bit of a beer snob. I ordered a turkey club sandwich and my wife ordered an eggplant parmesan looking dish. Both were good but the turkey on my sandwich was a little dry and needed some mayo.

Check out the walls and the decor. The walls are lined with old pictures of turn-of-the-century Chicago. The furnishings are authentic German pub with lots of real wood paneling and antique chandeliers lit by Edison reproduction bulbs. Stained glass finishes off the look and adds some nice color. Their other claim-to-fame is that the restaurant received the first liquor license in the city after prohibition. I like this place and would go back again.

When you enter the bar or the restaurant you will immediately feel the comfort of the old world...with Neo-classical European murals above walls that are a rich patena of dark oak and with decorative stained glass windows sending prisms of color over the black and white floor. The fixtures look like they were the original brass ones converted from gas to electric. Pictures of the Columbian Exposition have probably been on these walls for over a hundred years. The menu prices I quoted above are for lunch, which is the meal I usually have here, although it is open for dinner as well. The choices range from the very traditional German to light American or Vegetarian. The hot corned beef on rye with a side pickle and potato salad runs $ 6.50 and I have never, ever been able to finish it! You have to squeeze and squeeze the thing to get it small enough to get a good bite...it's that huge !

Reservations are NOT accepted, so you must prepare to eat here for an early or a late lunch to avoid the waiting lines.