posted
When I changed trains in Chicago, I twice went to the Berghoff on the recommendation of those here. The schnitzel was delitzel! But now comes this sad news. (And what's going on with Marshall Fields is also distressing):
Famous Chicago Berghoff Restaurant Closing Dec 28, 7:23 PM (ET)
By MIKE COLIAS
CHICAGO (AP) - For generations, diners with a craving for apple strudel or a stein of cold German beer have sidled up to the bar at The Berghoff Restaurant, which is closing after 107 years in business, its owners announced Wednesday.
"We share the sadness that many feel about the closing of the restaurant," Herman Berghoff, 70, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Jan, said in a statement.
"It's been an honor to be part of the fabric of Chicago," he said, but the couple "feel that now is the right time to start a new chapter in our lives."
The restaurant's history is intermingled with Chicago's. It was such a downtown staple that after Prohibition ended in December 1933, the city issued The Berghoff Liquor License No. 1.
Herman Joseph Berghoff, a German immigrant, and his three brothers began brewing Berghoff Beer in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1887, according to the restaurant's Web site. Six years later, he sold it to fairgoers at The Chicago World's Fair, and in 1898 he opened a cafe to showcase the beer, which sold for a nickel.
During Prohibition, the business served near beer and soda and expanded into a full-service restaurant.
The Berghoff will officially close on Feb. 28. The restaurant's building will be leased to a catering company run by Herman and Jan Berghoff's daughter.
The restaurant's closure is the city's second loss of a treasured downtown institution in three months. In September, it was announced that the city's venerable Marshall Field's downtown department store will be renamed Macy's.
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I concur Ms Sojourner. This is a trasgic loss of a Chicago institution.
You don't know how many times over the years I have recommended The Berghoff with complete confidence. I have often recommended it to Amtrak travelers passing through both at this and the other railforums at which I participate.
But we must accept that restaurants today are becoming like women's apparel. They have to change simply to change.
Berghoff is a family owned concern and if there is no successors within the family to carry it on, well.....I think we know the rest of that story.
Sic transit gloria.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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How do i get to this place from union station? if i have time while changing trains in chicago next month, ill pay the place a visit.
Posts: 416 | From: St. Albans, Vermont | Registered: Feb 2003
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Walk Eastward from CUS on Adams Street (North side of CUS) until you get to Dearborn St.
'You can't miss it" as its sign is massive.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Yes, it is on Adams, south side of the street, and between State and Dearborn.
I have enjoyed many meals there and always great service. Another "fallen flag"!!!
Posts: 467 | From: Prescott, AZ USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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Well that is some sad news. To hear of a higly reccomended restaurant and then have it close it's doors is always a shame.
I've thought about opening a restaurant in a grand Union Station and call it "Late for the Train" Serving Jewish deli style food and take out picnic baskets for the train ride. Hmm makes me wonder how succesful I would be and this would happen only if Amtrak survives.
Posts: 259 | Registered: Jan 2005
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So sad to hear about the Berghoff closing!! I have never been there, but have always wanted to go there sometime between trains -- guess I won't be able to now. Thanks for posting the story....
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Oh dear! I will miss the delicious corned beef on rye sandwiches and dill pickles enjoyed during numerous occasions over the past twenty-five years or so. Sad to see another Chicago landmark close.
Posts: 13 | From: Dubuque,IA,USA | Registered: Jun 2003
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I'll miss it too, as I walk past it every night on my way to Union Station. Nothing lasts forever and I think Chicagoans should send a word of thanks to the Berghoff's for running a first class place for so long!
Posts: 171 | From: Aurora, Illinois | Registered: Jun 2005
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Good news! According to the NY Times article for Sat Dec 31, the Berghoff is not closing entirely; Mr Berghoff's daughter Carlyn, who has a "booming catering business" called Artistic Events, will be taking over the restaurant's kitchens and turning its dining rooms into banquet halls. The article continues: "Ms. Berghoff does plan to keep a weekday lunch operation in the basement cafe and open a new bar called 17 West at the Berghoff next spring."
I wonder if the lunch operation will include schnitzel?
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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