The Berghoff, 17 West

Located at the Berghoff in downtown Chicago on W. Adams Street, this is an old Chicago restaurant serving an interesting mix of German fare.

The restaurant has a long history, the founder being an immigrant from Dortmund, Germany in the late 1800s.  During the World’s Faire in 1893, he sold his beer at the fair, and with its great acclaim he opened a café, which later expanded into a restaurant.

It is the dark wooden furnishings, the long mahogany bar, and the mammoth wall safe that  retain the feel of turn of the century Chicago.  Initially, we believed this to be the location of an old bank, but the waiter informed us that in earlier years, restaurateurs did not trust the banks to keep their money safe, so they had their own safes installed.

We had the wiener schnitzel and spaetzle, along with the bratwurst sandwich on toasted pumpernickel and sauerkraut.  Berghoff has its own brewery, featuring delicious hefeweizen, warsteiner, and lager.  There is also Root Beer on tap, for those who want to try something non-alcoholic.

The food was great, and it made me feel as though I was in Germany again.