The Glunz Tavern — Restaurant in Chicago

This tavern is historic, but don’t eat. We went for lunch Sunday and were served food that should have made the restaurant embarrassed. The menu was not as posted online: a stripped down version which was disappointing but we thought we would still be fine. But the quality and value turned out to be uncomfortably bad.

Top of the list was an $18 entree-priced schnitzel sandwich with lingonberry on brioche (sounds nice?)… which turned out a slider-sized chicken-puck looking portion on a 5-inch appetizer plate, no plating. Bun that looked like it came from jewel. No fries (the server had said yes, it did come with fries), which what appeared to be a packaged mayonnaise. Literally thought they sent the wrong item.

Our server (who was kind throughout), even looked embarrassed when she sat down the sandwich “These used to be a lot bigger.” The brat they sent was supposed to be “grilled” and was in fact, boiled to mush and served on a dry hot dog bun. The cheese fries were served in a bowl with what looked like a pump cheese in the middle - would have been happy with these from a street food cart perhaps.

Turns out the owner was in the house and she said she’d ask him to stop over. We watched him turn her down and send her back to us to say “food prices are expensive” and then he walked away and ignored us. I felt terrible for the server who was put in the middle. This was unreasonable. We know what we should pay in Chicago for good food and happy to do so. This was below the professional standard.

We walked in positive and walked out negative. The historic pub and family story here is cool. Enjoying an Oktoberfest beer in this space, probably would have simply enjoyed. But the food experience was in the realm of embarrassing for an established restaurant.

Ps - looking back at some old photos of food on these reviews, these look much better. Full sized portions, etc. Nothing like our actual experience, so it seems like something...

Great little German tavern with spectacular Octoberfest menu so I suggest you hurry in here to enjoy before October passes you by. I'm so glad I took advantage of the outside seating area last week before the weather here in Chicago cooled off. Last week I sat outside and tried a rich chicken liver pate, bratwurst with fries and apple strudel decorated with a chocolate rose on the plate! My waiter was very knowledgeable and training a new young waitress while he waited on me and others seated both inside and outside. Dogs are definitely allowed outside and so a couple brought their dogs along with. I returned this past Saturday and tried the fully loaded spaetzle which is a trio of three different spaetzle options with various toppings like cheese and bacon. The potato pancakes I ordered had a great crispy texture but very bland tasting. I asked why they were unsalted and my waitress told me it's for people who have high blood pressure but honestly a pinch of salt, black pepper and a bit of minced garlic and rosemary would have saved this dish from blandness. The Glunz Tavern has a nice laid back vibe in the early evening and I just came here to eat rather than drink but next time I'll have a sugary beer called a Framboise lambic since I haven't had one in eons. This tavern has a full selection of tavern appetizers, charcuterie and German dishes so it's a wonderful place for a low key bite to eat here...

A friend and I were looking for a bar to watch the Bears game on Sunday but less crowded and we stumbled upon Glunz Tavern. As I debated on hair of the dog, I watched Daren the bartender make a few bloody marys and his attention to detail convinced me to order one. The drink went great with the HUGE pretzel and the eggs benedict my friend and I shared.

I enjoyed this place because the staff was welcoming and the history of the tavern is great. The Glunz Tavern was established in 1888, closed during prohibition for 90 some years and reopened in 2012. The tin ceiling, wooden floors, and bar are the original. There are other tales Daren can share so I won't take all of his stories.

I went back to Glunz for dinner and to my surprise they have live music on Wednesday evenings starting at 7:30 pm. The ambiance, candle light, and music made for an unintended but very nice romantic dinner. We ordered gnocchi without the corned beef, Schnitzel, and pretzel bread pudding. Daren came to the rescue once again. Since they did not have the Chianti Classico I wanted he offered another great red. They have a very wide selection of spirits since The House of Glunz is attached to the tavern and you can just walk over to browse the store.

The Best of Glunz Tavern: -Daren -The history of the tavern -Wide wine and beer...