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Klas Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
16 reviews for Klas Restaurant
So many stories to tell about Klas....which to share? Hmmm....
We love the new owner and here's why:
He brings us trays of lunch meat and cheese and crackers while we drink. But what's more is there's a story of a saved stolen purse. Depending on who tells the story you may hear it was Sue's purse or Mandy's, but actually it was Sharon's.
The thief gave himself away by running down Cermak with it in his hand. The owner of Klas, Frank, was on the roof making a repair. He actually jumped down from the roof, ran after the thief, tackled him and reclaimed the purse for Sharon, who didn't even know it was missing. I am not making this up. Frank found himself some new friends and weekly (sometimes bi or tri weekly) regulars.
The bartenders pour wine to the brim. It's not proper but it's good on a teacher's wallet. They also pour heavy cocktails. And cheap!!! SERIOUSLY Cheap!! I love it because it allows me to tip high.
The place has history. Frank has shown us the little funky private rooms where mobsters would take their..."dates." There are photos and saved decks of cards from days of Capone. There are tiny mirrors and crazy knick knacks everywhere. There's a nonfunctional waterfall with all kinds of plants all over it in the lounge. On all nighters we play Apples to Apples or Scrabble on the couches while we sip our drinks.
Book a party here, our union does regularly. Last week we had one drink and all you can eat potato pancakes, baby potato skins, roast beef, baby pizzas, cheese, crackers and more for just $5.00 each!! Come on!!
The bathroom is just as tacky and cute as the rest of the place. Wall size mirrors are sweet.
I actually learned of Klas because my Dad suggested it as a rehearsal dinner spot for a family wedding. We thought he was joking. He was not. Feelings were hurt. Words were exchanged. A crisis of Cuban missile proportion was narrowly averted. So when his b-day rolled around, we knew just the place to celebrate.
Klas has been around since since 1922 and it looks like it -- lots of stained glass and Czech tchotchkes (say that ten times fast!) and many, many types of beer (20 to be exact), which is always good for family gatherings.
I had the pilsner beef goulash which came with potato dumplings and green beans. I wasn't blown away because it tasted like beef stew, but it was excellent comfort food for a rainy day. The breaded pork tenderloin was also a popular choice at our table, and was not at all greasy despite being fried. A duck aficionado confirmed that Klas roasts a mean one. Much to my dismay, no one ordered the smoked butt, but there's always a next time!
The service was spotty at best. Although we were the only party in the restaurant, our waitress seemed frazzled and kept forgetting our drink orders and our sides, and at one point even forgot to come back to our table.
Beer, beef, and family healing. Who else could ask for more in a meal?
Went back to Klas again this weekend and surprise, surprise, nothing has changed. We each had the entree with two sides, soup and dessert and with sodas, the total was about $3. I had the quarter duck with the goulash soup - so good! The bread dumplings are tasty and what you would expect, but the kolacky is obviously store-bought and reheated in the microwave - is it that much to ask for homemade? My husband had the pork tenderlon and it was like 2 pounds of fried meat on a plate! Obviously his type of meal, but he said it was a bit greasy (duh). We usually come here for lunch about once a year and enjoy the Bohemian fix!
What can I say about Klas?! Who needs a time travel machine when you have a place like this! Although the area around Klas' has changed, Klas is just simply stuck in time. With its "Eastern European" motif, this is as authentic as you can get to Czech Culture. (If your sitting in the dining room when the sun is going down, make sure to look at the picture of the woman in the upper left hand corner...she "disappears" when the sun goes down!)
I always order the 1/2 duck with dumplings and gravy, 'kraut, liver dumpling soup, and a dessert. In this economy, it simply amazes me that people don't come to this place more often. I guarantee you will walk away with a full stomach. If you get a chance, stop into their bar. It's dark and very authentic. Also, in the cabinets, you can see playing cards that Al Capone would use back in the day. Yes, this place has been here for that long! Forget the Pilsner Urquil and try a few different Czech beers (Staropramen is my favorite!). Prost!
I'm still full.
You will eat heavy food at Klas. There's a good chance it will come with gravy and dumplings. If this is a problem for you, you may wish to consider other options.
If, however, a big plate of roasted or breaded meat, cabbage, potatoes or dumplings, and plenty of aforesaid gravy appeal to you, Klas is the place. More than a restaurant, Klas is a "food hall" -- there are a couple of dining rooms, several private rooms, and a beer garden out back, just for good measure. The place is huge, with a Disneyesque facade and more than its share of stained-glass windows (which feature food products, god love 'em), and several entrances, only one of which actually opens. I wondered what the building used to be, since it looks like some old lodge hall -- or funeral parlor -- until I discovered this *is* what it used to be. Klas has been here since 1922.
I has the budweis, which is pork tenderloin coated with a potato batter and then fried. They also serve standard breaded tenderloin, roasted meats, goulash and paprikash, fish and steaks, and several "signature dishes," such as pork tenderloin medallions wrapped in bacon and three varieties of stuffed chicken breast. I tried the goulash, which was great -- tender beef in a spicy dark sauce. My dinner was large enough to take half of it home, and I am not a shy eater. Dinner came with soup (liver dumpling, yum) and two sides, and at the end, the waiter brought out a tray of pastries for the table to share. Total cost? 11 bucks.
Warning: the busser will push coffee on you early and often, but at the end of the meal, when you're ready for coffee, he will mysteriously disappear.
I came here again last night to kill the craving, I brought my oldest son with me. He had the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, potato dumplings.. My son can normally eat everything he's served, not this time. they gave him 3 huge slices of meatloaf, they were so big they almost hung over the sides of the huge plate.
after we finished eating, we found out there will be a picnic at Bohemian National cemetery at Foster and Pulaski on Sunday afternoon 12-4pm for 10 dollars. My father, grandparents, and several uncles and aunt is buried there, that blew me away!! I will go there and check it out, and its minutes from my house.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/18/2008
This place is fantastic! The food was awesome and very filling. I had the beef noodle soup,… Read more »
The place is fun for the kids to look at- the dolls, medieval stuff, cuckoo clock, taxidermy items, etc..
The service we got was pretty bad (and I'm not a person really concerned about it anyway). I usually don't notice unless they go out of their way one direction or another, like if someone is rude & has an attitude. I thought they were acting snotty just because I had a question about the menu. Plus, our table had a very hard time getting water & coffee.Hope they were just having a bad day.
The food was iffy- some good, some not so great. All the meat was good. My boiled beef was very tender, fish was good, someone else liked their pork. I thought the dill sauce for the beef (and I've had plenty of stuff with dill before) was too sweet (and so did 2 others who had the same thing). The salad was loaded, but the soup had less in it than ramen. The side of veggies were canned beans.
I wanted to try but didn't enjoy the bread dumplings- it just tasted like soggy chewy bread (that's a side dish?). Tried the potato dumpling and that was better- it tasted like a dumpling should.
Along with the meat, everyone liked the deserts.I didn't think they were dry. I had the apple strudel which tasted moist,flavorful, and fresh.
Unfortunately I think the bad outweighs the good. You can go somewhere else with good meat, that will dress it up better and offer more along with it.
Czechs are not world renowned for their cuisine. However I've had considerably better food at bars in the CR (where I lived for a year) than at Klas.
It's not all doom and gloom. The restaurant itself looks somewhat like a modest castle, with kitschy adornments and a nice little back patio/beer garden with Ivy crawling up the walls. It's a festive atmosphere, well-suited for families or groups.
As expected from a Bohemian joint, the beer was great. So was the bread: thick and chewy pieces of rye served generously before dinner. My advice: stick with the bread and beer as your primary sources of nourishment.
As for my entree of Chicken Paprikash, it was bland and heavy, as were the accompanying potato dumplings, which looked suspiciously just like the bread dumplings. The sauerkraut was pretty good, although a little sweet for my liking. The liver dumpling soup got a universal thumbs down from the group. The cookies served for dessert were like dried out donuts with jam stuffed inside.
Generally the rest of my group were underwhelmed by their entree selections: goulash, boiled beef, roast pork, and duck, among others.
A few people enjoyed the "smoked butt" (recommended by the waiter), and let's face it, even just saying the name makes you giggle. So if you like the swine, that might be the way to go.
If I were in the area I would go back for a beer and perhaps some fried cheese or a potato pancake (which looked good). But I really wouldn't make an effort to return.
Anyone interested in time travel? Though theoretically plausible, you don't need to spend those hard-earned dollars trying to replicate Michael J. Fox's sci-fi adventure. Just hop on the Pink or Blue Line (Cicero branch) and walk a few blocks west on Cermak, enter Klas (use the 2nd door) and you're in a true old school restaurant. There is hand carved wood everywhere, including the chandeliers. It feels like the late 1800's.
Klas has been serving excellent Bohemian food since 1922. Unless you're trying to lose weight, you pretty much cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. From breaded tender pork tenderloin to juicy roast duckling to pork medallions wrapped in BACON to the uber-tasty cod fish 'n chips, you have successfully opened your window to weight-gain! Speaking of the fish n' chips, it truly rivals some of the best fish frys I've ever had.
There is no BS at Klas. Just really flavorful heavy Bohemian chow and a decent beer selection at the adjacent bar. And a 23oz Staropramen will cost you a mere $4! If you were to eat here every day, as Weird Al said, "Lemme tell you once again who's fat!"
I have not yet dined at Klas Restaurant, BUT, based on my tiny, tiny experience, thus far, it has lived up to the dream I have dreamt of it since the first time I happened upon it. It's such a nice change of pace - beers are huge and strong and served by somewhat angry women behind the bar, . . . that one guy is sorta watching the Sox playoff game and sorta kinda drifting in and out of an alcohol inspired nap . . . . no one is trying to be impressive . . . . . dark wood, stained glass windows. Excellent.
And no stupid valet. Thank god. This place has the right focus.
I love Czech food. Ever since I lived in the Czech Republic for a brief stint, I have been hooked.
I was delighted to find Klas Restaurant. From the outside, it looks like this crazy Bohemian palace. Very fun compared to the neon, crap architecture of Cermak.
We were seated immediately and the first thing I noticed was that I could get my favorite Czech beer - Radegast. They also have two liquors that I haven't seen much of outside Eastern Europe - Slivovitz and Becherovka. Proceed with caution if you get either of these - they are an acquired taste and the Becherovka (a favorite of mine - it's an herbal bitters) requires somewhat of an iron constitution.
I became estatic when I saw that on their starters menu they had Smazyny Syr - fried cheese. It's similar to cheese sticks, but comes in larger bricks. They serve it with tartar sauce, which is how you need to eat it if you want to be authentic. Try it - it sounds gross but is actually quite good.
(NOTE: My husband wishes me to insert that it is gross. Whatever. Don't listen to him...use the tartar sauce).
The rest of the menu had many Eastern European delights, from Wienerschnitzel to goulash. I ordered the Chicken Paprikash with bread dumplings. I highly recommend this dish. The paprika gravy is thick and creamy and the bread dumplings soak it right up. Whatever you order, make sure you get the bread dumplings as your side. They are very authentic.
I know that Klas might seem far away for Northsiders, but it takes no time at all to get there, parking is simple and it's the best Eastern European food I have had this side of Prague.
Good food, good bread, good beer, nuff said.
Hey this is a really good place. I grew up on this stuff and it was just like grandma made. :) The atmosphere was awesome, you feel like you're back in the 1800's or something. They have a bar attached that seems to always be bringing the house down.
We had the fried cheese for an appetizer (delicious) and then we had some of the best liver dumpling soup I've ever had! My dinner was the roast pork in fried potato flour, sour kraut, and potato dumplings. I will definitely be going back for more.
My boyfriend had some beef that had a sweet gravy over it...that wasn't so good. I guess you have to have the taste for their sweeter palate and that's just not me. But everything else was wonderful!
We went a month or two ago to experience the beer garden and the interior charm of this restaurant. Unfortunately so did a large group of moshing teenagers for a battle of the loud really untalented bands. We managed to pretend it wasn't deafening loud, and hunted down a waitress. Here's the thing, so I don't have to bore you with a long drawn out detail of the evening - the food was great (we had the 1/2 duck, and some chicken plate) it came with salad, dessert, bread, etc, the beer was good too - but the big issue was the service. I can handle a busy waitress who can't take orders - but this one wasn't and was old and mean, and in general that's not what I admire in a waitress. Anyway, she took ten hours to get menus, she sucked, she told us she wasn't coming back to get more drink orders so if we wanted more to order ahead. The headline is that service sucked. The food's good.
After dining at Klas for the very first time recently, I can't say that I'm now a huge fan of Czech cuisine, but you get a very good dinner value here for your money - most entrees were in the $9 to $13 dollar range and included soup, salad, two side dishes, coffee, and a small dessert. Menu choices are predictably meat-heavy, folks that have dined there regularly say that the regular menu items are your best bets, though they did have a couple of interesting "specials". Stay faaarrrr away from the Chicken Cordon Bleu, it was pretty awful, but everything else our group sampled was good. I have a soft spot in my heart for restaurants that have "old-world" European charm, and Klas has plenty of that, both inside & out, they've been around since 1922.
If you'd like to experience old world, Czech food, Klas is the place to be! Family owned for generations, the restaurant is kept up well while sticking to the original "old world" look. The restaurant has traditional dishes, such as goulash(very good!). I was recently there for a birthday celebration, which was held in a banquet room in the upstairs portion. While there, I learned that Klas was one of Al Capone's hangouts. Across from the banquet room was another room, not sure what it is used for, but it's not a banquet room. In it, were about 5-6 doors on one side, which led to very small rooms. I can only assume that this portion was used as a brothel. So, you can go to Klas, have a good authentic European meal, & know that you're eating in a place that has a lot of history with this city.
