Café Brauer — Restaurant in Chicago

We can’t say enough wonderful things about our experience at Cafe Brauer and with Tigerlily Events as our caterer—our wedding day was truly perfect, and so much of that is thanks to this incredible team.

From the very beginning, working with Ellen, our event coordinator, was an absolute dream. She was unbelievably organized, incredibly responsive, and endlessly patient. Her knowledge, calm demeanor, and clear communication made planning feel manageable and even fun. We truly owe so much of our stress-free day to Ellen—she thought of everything before we even had to ask and handled every detail with such care and professionalism.

Our guests are still raving about the food—it was creative, flavorful, and beautifully presented. From passed apps to dinner service, everything was top-notch. And the service throughout the evening was just as impressive. Everything ran smoothly from start to finish, with no hiccups at all. We felt so well taken care of, and so did our guests.

The venue itself is absolutely stunning, and the layout worked perfectly for our group of about 165 people. We rented the Honeycomb for our ceremony, which was a gorgeous and unique setting to exchange vows. The Loggia was ideal for cocktail hour—spacious and scenic—and we had zero issues with bathroom capacity even with our full guest count. The main reception space felt full of energy but never overcrowded, and the dance floor was lively all night without ever feeling cramped. Our wedding party loved having access to the upper balcony to tuck away bags and take a breather when needed.

From start to finish, we felt completely supported and so grateful to be in such good hands. The beauty of the venue speaks for itself, but it’s the people behind it—especially Ellen and the Tigerlily team—that make it truly exceptional. Thank you for helping us create the most unforgettable day! If you’re considering booking Cafe Brauer for your wedding, just know you will be in great hands, and you are choosing one of the most beautiful, vintage, unique...

We show up, doors are locked with no signs. Naturally we go to the gith which leads us to a waitress, bartender and other people. The waitress looks at the people in front of us looking for a seat in disgust. She seats them then leaves us in the dust because she wishes not to help us being frustrated at the end of her shift. As we wait 5min awkwardly, we decide to ask the bartender (who saw us but didn't care to ask if we needed anything) where we go to get a seat. After reaching the hostess stand, she doesn't even speak a word to us. I state, "well after that labrynth we're finally here to have brunch". She quickly tried to correct us and state that brunch has ended due to it being slow. We have 25 min before brunch actually ends as posted. We paid money and specifically came for the brunch due to dietary reasons. Their lunch menu lacks any nutritional value which forced us to leave especially because they didn't want to accommodate. These employees are clearly clacking professionalism let alone the hospitality knowledge it takes to be in this industry, as well as management making an obseneo call on a Sunday to shorten breakfast. I've been a chef for 8 years and I've never been treated Soo horribly let alone been disgusted by the professionalism of a restaurant. Zero stars to be honest but it won't let you do that to...

Café Brauer was my absolute dream venue, and the entire experience exceeded every expectation. The space is stunning, the architecture and historic charm speak for themselves and hardly need additional décor to feel wedding ready.

We had the pleasure of working with Ellen from our first tour to the day-of (and even after!) and she was incredible every step of the way. Ellen answered every question and handled every request with such grace and care. I always felt supported, and she truly went above and beyond—coordinating seamlessly with our planner, florist, and other vendors to ensure our day was nothing short of perfect. It meant so much to feel like someone genuinely cared about our day through it all.

We also used Café Brauer’s in-house caterer, Tigerlily, and the compliments haven’t stopped rolling in. Guests are still reaching out to us—as well as our parents—saying it was the most beautiful wedding they’ve attended and hands-down the best wedding food they’ve ever had. I couldn’t recommend Café Brauer and Ellen more. It was everything we dreamed...