This Illinois Restaurant Named the State’s Best-Kept Secret

You won't find deep-dish pizza at this restaurant in Chicago, but what you will find is the best kept secret in the state.

Authentic German food is what you can expect when you visit The Berghoff in Chicago. The iconic restaurant has been serving traditional German cuisine and steins of beer since 1898.

Best-Kept Secret Dining in Illinois

According to Housely, this is the best-kept dining secret in the Land of Lincoln, however, not sure if that's the case if the restaurant has been open since the late 1800s. The menu has classic dishes like schnitzel, sauerbraten, and Bavarian pretzels, all prepared with the kind of care and tradition that’s rare to find.

History of The Berghoff

It all began with the American Dream, the Chicago World's Fair, and beer. That was all it took for Herman Berghoff to envision a new path—one far from the cotton and sugar cane plantations. He had a dream, pursued it, and decades later, that dream is still thriving in Chicago.

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When prohibition hit, he couldn't sell beer anymore. Berghoff turned his bar into a place where people can come to get authentic German food.

For some, The Berghoff remains a well-kept secret, a hidden gem they’d rather not share, preferring to keep its historic charm all to themselves.