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Where's the Schnitzel?

Celebrate Oktoberfest at these German eateries.

Saturday Sep 17, 2005.     By Aimee Hall

Food Feed

As Chicago's citizens turn their attention from injured pitchers to injured quarterbacks, the city's sweaty, beer-starved citizens have one thing to celebrate: Oktoberfest is upon us. Unfortunately for anyone jonesing for some schnitzel and a weissbier, German restaurants are becoming all too scarce in these parts. Luckily, the ones we do have are tried-and-true stalwarts, having staked their claim to a bit of Chicago real estate for 30 years or more. So where's the schnitzel? Check out these places for some good old-fashioned meat and potatoes. And beer, of course.

Chicago Brauhaus
File under: Live music
Long before wine bars and farm-raised chicken made their way to Lincoln Square, Chicago Brauhaus was providing schnitzel and polka music to the area's German residents. The dark dining room, crowded with boisterous beer drinkers to this day, sees its share of raised boot-shape steins. The bartenders pour seven varieties of German beer (like Spaten Lager and Bitburger Pils), with a bunch more in bottles, including half-liter bottles (think Franziskaner Weiss) for wetter appetites.

The food here is a typical mix of schnitzel, sausage and potatoes, but what's on the plate isn't the main attraction. The Brauhaus prides itself on its Oktoberfest-every-day atmosphere. The Brauhaus Trio provides live music daily; couples dance while beer mugs sway to the sounds of polka and oompah music. While the band plays, waitresses in fraulein costumes heave beer-laden trays through the crowd to thirsty diners.

One of the last German restaurants in this changing neighborhood, Chicago Brauhaus is often packed with hungry crowds. Reservations are recommended, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, but you can always sip beer at the bar while you wait for a table. With prices around $15 per entree (you'd do well to try the $6.95 sausage pairings), Chicago Brauhaus isn't exactly a budget buy, but the party atmosphere is priceless.

Glunz Bavarian Haus
File under: Veg-friendly
Glunz Bavarian Haus's vegetarian menu consists of just three entrees, but that's three more than most of the other German restaurants in the city. While it's not exactly teaming with fresh-from-the-garden-goodness, the spinach spaetzle in cream sauce is a bowl full of meat-free glory. The meat dishes are just as tasty, and the huge selection of mostly-German beers leaves just about anyone smiling.

Traditional wood paneling covers the dining room, but white tablecloths give it a slightly brighter, more upscale feel than at similar German restaurants. The menu's $15-$30 entrees give a bit more credence to Glunz's fancier attitude; dishes fall along the lines of the $22.95 venison ragout with cranberries and red cabbage (or, if you will, Gedunstetes Rehragout mit Preselbeeren). A tavern menu of salads, schnitzel burgers and sauerbraten will sate those who'd rather fill up on beer, and a lunch menu offers lighter fare until 3 p.m.

During warmer months, the sidewalk patio is a relatively quiet place for a beer and a pretzel. Located just south of Lincoln Square's German influences, Glunz Bavarian Haus is a reasonable alternative to the more crowded establishments to the north, with plenty of room to bring a group and share "das boot" and just enough ambience make it a date-worthy spot for an evening of ethnic indulgence.

Resi's Bierstube
File under: Bier garden
The small storefront of Resi's Bierstube is easy to miss, but this German mainstay's loyal customers know its door well. The main dining room reflects its opened-in-'64 history with a narrow and dark space lined with various German tchotckes, beer signs and paintings. Those in-the-know head straight toward the back, where the cluttered dining room gives way to one of the best beer gardens in the city. Two enormous trees shade the fenced-in backyard, whose flowers and foliage make this quiet corner a scenic place to share a sausage plate or sample one of Resi's 150 imported bottled beers (Resi's was supposedly the first to offer weiss beer in Chicago, and offers more than 20 weiss beers today).

The food here is less expensive than the average German restaurant, with schnitzel dishes at $10-$15 and sausages running less than $10. Resi's specialty is its potato pancakes, served with applesauce and rye bread (the almost-key sour cream is a pricey option, adding $1 to the price of the dish). The crowd here is slightly younger and hipper than what you might expect, perhaps attracted by the selection of obscure beers, kitschy decor or the affordable prices. It's not a scene, by any means, but this little neighborhood gem is certainly worth a visit.

Laschet's Inn
File under: Home cooking
Inside the German facade of Laschet's Inn is a little restaurant with all the comforts of home. At the front of the building, occupied by Laschet's since 1971, middle-aged men drink beer and watch sports at the bar. Walk up a couple of stairs and you'll find yourself in the main dining room, where the walls are lined with German memorabilia and the tables are covered in red-and-white checkered tablecloths.

Start your meal with an appetizer (most less than $6). Skip the typical cheese sticks or jalapeno poppers and get into the German state of mind with a little liver pate or herring in sour cream. Move on to a traditional entree, like sauerbraten (marinated beef), a sausage plate or some schnitzel. Just about everything comes with spaetzle, red cabbage or sauerkraut, and almost all of the dishes cost less than $15. Lighter appetites (or thinner wallets) can choose from a selection of $6-$7 sandwiches. Save room for some apple strudel or finish your night off with one of the 12 German beers on tap.

Mirabell
File under: Super schnitzel
Tucked away in a mostly residential neighborhood, Mirabell has brought a bit of Germany to the West Side since 1977. Two dining rooms flank the bar area and a small beer garden in the side yard is occasionally open for dining alfresco, providing proper environs to sample authentic food and beer. Waitresses in traditional costume pleasantly serve beef-centric entrees like sauerbraten, beef rouladen and beef tongue. Poultry, sausages and an impressive number of seafood dishes are also available, but the extensive schnitzelbank (carving bench) is where the real meat is. The kloster schnitzel, a ham-and-cheese-filled cutlet, is crispy where it counts but creamy in the center, while the paprika schnitzel adds a Hungarian flair to the traditional German dish.

No German restaurant is complete without a wide selection of German beers, and Mirabell features eight on draft, at least 20 German brews in bottles and a couple of Miller products for the unadventurous. Parking on many of the streets in this area is permit-only, but Mirabell customers can park in the Kmart lot across the street.

Chef Paul's Bavarian Lodge
File under: Suburban chalet
Opened in 1986 and remodeled in 2002, Chef Paul's Bavarian Lodge is one of the newer kids on the block as far as German restaurants go. Make the drive out to Lisle (about 40 minutes west of downtown) for a hearty German meal served in a gorgeous carved-wood chalet. Red oak booths and a red oak bar contribute to the rich, dark atmosphere of Chef Paul's, a lodge look topped off by German antiques and wrought-iron accents.

The food is a typical mix of meat and potatoes in the $10-$15 range, with plenty of classics like goulash and stuffed cabbage rolls. Or celebrate Oktoberfest year-round with a platter for two of the same name, teeming with three kinds of sausage, roast pork and smoked pork chops for $37.95. Ten beers on tap and around 40 in bottles (including Czechvar and plenty of Belgian brews) tempt the tastebuds, but be careful not to overdo it: The L doesn't run out here, and a cab ride back to the city will cost you dearly. Chef Paul's is 100 percent smoke-free, so breathe easy or head outside for a fix. Hand-painted steins are for sale at the front of the restaurant for die-hard beer drinkers looking for a souvenir.