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Wed-Thu. 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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My wife and I lived near this place for about 3 years before we finally tried it. If you have never been, please go! It became one of our top favorites after the first visit.
I've yet to come across a menu item that I don't like. If you don't like German food, you can try one of their delicious burgers. The BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger on the Pretzel dough bun is amazing.
As others have said, the beer selection is huge. It may seem expensive at first, but most of them drink slow and should last you through your meal.
Overall, a great place to eat. We've had birthday parties for several friends/family there, and we've never had a problem with service or seating.
I loved this place - the best yummy, German comfort food that I have ever had in this country. Before coming to this place, I looked at their website and was completely annoyed almost to the point of not wanting to go. They make it blatantly clear that they will not be flexible with large groups, will not make any substitutions and really don't care what it is you want - if it isn't on their menu or part of their policy they aren't doing it.
I was a little worried about coming to this place with a large group because of all these "rules" they have on their website, but was pleasantly surprised when I got there. The service was excellent, they were pretty accommodating despite all the threats on the website and though I had to use my math skills to split a bill 12 ways, the food more than made up for it. The only other gripe I have about this place is the parking situation. They were pretty packed the night we went, but there were no spots in their lot, so we all ended up parking blocks away and having to walk to the restaurant. However, the walk was needed after the large portions of amazing food we consumed.
They have a huge selection of both German and not so German fare and from what I am told they have one of the best beer selections around. One thing I loved was that they also offered a great selection of non-beer drinks and wine for people like me that just can't stand the stuff. A great thing about their German food is that they have an option to make your own combo so that you can try several different things instead of committing to one entree. I opted for Weiner Schnitzel, Smoked Thuringer with a side of dumplings and creamed spinach. All of it was great - especially the sausage which the waiter recommended. Everyone else in my large party also loved their food. The portions were pretty big and several people took stuff home; with none of us making it to dessert. This was a great find near my house and I will definitely be back for more schnitzel!
Want to hear something really sad? I found this place when I was pregnant and couldn't enjoy the amazing beer selection. I could only sit across from my husband as he tried beer after beer and drool. Luckily we've been back since the baby was born. Hands down this place has the best beer list in the 'burbs. The food is good too, pretty typical German fare.
Service is kind of on the slow side. I guess they have a small kitchen. But I guess that just gives you more time to enjoy another brew.
Also, for parents, their web-site is pretty clear that you should not bring your children if they can't sit down and shut up. I was terrified to bring my toddler, and he's pretty well-behaved. Be warned.
Since the first cherry-poppin' review, I had gone back to the Bavarian Lodge weekly until I moved out of state. Awesome food. Awesome ambiance. Bathroom floors you could eat off of.
I had never had the rude service on the dining room side that some people mention, and the bar always had great service. My normal female bartender was always accomodating but BEWARE: tipping high will NOT get you anything extra. At first I used to tip like mad (even 50 percent on occasion), but I never got a free drink, shot or anything so I went down to standard amounts.
Wow. What a gem in the burbs.
I haven't had food here yet, but the beers were awesome. They had more…
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This review is rather difficult as this is the best place to get a wide variety of beers. However, the service here is usually pretty terrible. This is only because the management is really rude. I've never had rude service from the wait staff. A year ago they were worse, but seems like they are starting to come around.
The best thing here (aside from the beer) is the fried green beans. They are absolutely fabulous. Addictive and so yummy. Almost made to perfection.
A group of friends and I go here often for happy hour on a Friday. You do have to get there by 6pm to get a table in the bar and to get parking. But this place is so cozy and is so casual that we keep coming back. Definitely recommend trying this Lodge!
Priost!!
Love this place! What an amazing beer menu! Gotta love the schnitzel! My wife and I went here for a night out a little while back. We really enjoyed our food, we took part in a few random brews and went along our merry way. Our server was kind of an idiot and disappeared for long periods of time. I'm not going to ding them on this cause I could readily see that the other servers were doing a great job.
This is a fall and winter place as evidenced by the ease in which we were seated, even without the entire party present ,during the summer.
We have been coming to the establishment ever since it was in a strip mall in Naperville and included dessert.
I believe, in over 25 years, we might have had one bad dining experience (food arrived cold) and one bad waiter. When you are hungry, this is a great place to eat and still leave with a doggy bag. The dumplings and gravy are scrumptious and just love the Wiener Schnitzel. The soup is a great start and you get your choice , one is usually liver dumpling.
For a hearty, comfort food meal stop in and give it a try.
This is the best German food aside from the Berghoff in my opinion. The beer list is similar in length to Webster's dictionary. The dumplings and gravy are things I often dream about at night, second only to George Clooney.....but I digress. My usual order is as follows: liver dumpling soup, 2 pieces of rye bread with butter, sip my beer while I wait for my entree which is usally the Wiener Schnitzel (it's pork - don't worry. And you'd never know it). 2 big slabs of that, along with my sides of dumplings and gravy, sauerkraut. I come close to eating it all, save half a piece of schnitzel which I put under my pillow when I go to bed for George to show up and feed to me during the night....
GO HERE. IT IS THE BEST.
Great food, great atmosphere! Service is a little slow, but we were given plenty of time to eat, and were not rushed out on a busy Saturday night. Get the German Pancakes, they are divine! I am not much of a sauerkraut fan, but my husband said it was the best he'd ever had. The apricot Kolochy is amazing too!
Not much can be said here that hasn't been already.
The beer selection is amazing. So many different brews on tap or bottled that it makes deciding quite difficult. I'm fine with that. I'll just try as many as I can! :)
The food is equally wonderful. I've dined at The Bavarian Lodge many times and I've never been let down. German food is their specialty and they deliver the goods. The saurkraut is to die for.
Dessert featured a german chocolate cake that was moist and delightful.
All in all, always a great dining experience.
It appears as though they recently remodeled parts of the restaurant. The bar area was very clean and looked new. Restrooms equally clean and new in appearance.
Downsides -- beers are a bit spendy and some are served in rather small glasses. Also, they are supremely inflexible about menu substitutions -- goes with the whole german thing, I suppose. They will not split checks and they prefer cash, even stated right on the menu, "We begrudgingly accept credit cards but prefer cash."
This place is the bomb. Is that term used anymore? Well, I don't care...
The beer selection is amazing. I'm not a big beer fan, but they have so many unusual beers on tap, that even I, the beer snob tried one (make that two).
I'm a girly beer girl, so I tried some Dark Ale Raspberry Beer, or something like that title, and it was light and sweet with a hint of raspberry and had a nice smooth finish for $4.50. Then I switched to an apple beer that was special and on tap at $6.50... It tasted like apple cider but alcoholic and was super good and very unbeerlike.
My man tried 3 beers and he liked them all, one was an Egyptian beer that was really quite tasty. They all had great names which I forgot the minute I ordered them, but I really suggest this place for checking out uncommon beers.
As for the food, it was typical german food. I enjoyed the rye bread at the beginning... And man, if you're a fan of sausage this is the place for you!
Overall, decent yet heavy german style food with potatoes and sauerkraut... the enormous drink selection is where it's at. Oh yea, and our server kicked ass and nicely recommended beverages based on our taste preferences.
First of all... The beer selection!!!!
They have an amazing beer selection, the food is also very good. The owner is apparently Czech and the entrees have some of this influence. The sample is the way to go the first time around as they don't skimp on the amount of food they give you. Our party of 2 had an awesome time drinking some lesser known beers in America and enjoying some traditional fare! The service was attentive and extremely helpful.
I Highly recommend!!
Decided to try this place due to the good reviews listed here.
Absolutely wonderful first experience here.
Got there at about 4:20 on a Saturday and had no problem getting seated immediately in a cozy booth. Waiter (german accent) appeared quickly, took our drink orders, and reurned just as quickly with them. He told us the specials then left us in peace to read the menu (lots of delicious sounding choices). He was a perfect waiter throughout our dining experience.
I'm not a beer drinker myself (Bloody Mary please) but my husband is and his eyes gleemed as he perused the long list of beer/ale selections.
We ordered two starters, the Wurst platter and the Tiroler Schnitzel Bites. I cannot tell you which we preferred as they were both so very yummy. The dipping sauces served alongside were delicious. For our entrees we ordered the Hunter's Schnitzel and the Bavarian Rouladen. Again both were out of this world. Portions were very generous and we left feeling very satisfied and stuffed to the gills.
My husband and I can't wait to go back and try more selections from their menu. We only wish they had longer hours.
My rating is really 3.5 but, upped it for its ridiculous beer selection. My original intent was to attend the $20 beer tasting that the restaurant was hosting & would eat something while I was there, so that I would have something in my stomach, fighting my determination to remain sober at the end. Here's what I didn't like, the menus there weren't the same as the one on their website. The selection was smaller (I wanted the goulash before arriving & it wasn't on the menu) & (at the risk of sounding cheap given the economy and all) I didn't feel comfortable spending $15 for a dinner entree, so I only got a bowl of Cream of Chicken with Spatzle for about $6. Now, for the good. Their tapped selection is TOP NOTCH, I mean TOP NOTCH like the Map Room or the Hop Leaf. Surprisingly, their prices (tap) are great at about $5-7 with a bomber (22.oz) is only $7. The service was pretty accommodating, even though the place was packed & receiving the check when my friend didn't get his meal yet. I would recommend the place, just make sure to go on a full stomach to enjoy the bar, so that you avoid spending $15+ just for basic German food.
The best beer selection around! I've enjoyed every meal that I've had at Bavarian Lodge. Portions are generous, and prices are very reasonable. Bavarian Lodge has become one of my very favorite places!
Kids menu, check.
Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic, check.
Delish bratwurst and spaetzel, check.
5 stars, check.
Best German restaurant in the western 'burbs. The food is very very tasty. But the beer is even… Read more »
I will never set foot in this place again.
I absolutely love the food here... and great beer selection... but the service is so crap-tastic that it's not even worth the stress. Not only do they hire really mean people to work there, the owners also quite obviously do not give an at's rass whether you eat here or go elsewhere. They have signs up all over the restaurant that say so.
We were pretty regularly going here this summer for a happy hour on Friday evenings. (NOT my idea) This is an AWFUL place to go for happy hour because they won't seat you unless your entire party is present. We walked in one Friday night promptly at 5:30 p.m. The entire restaurant was empty... the only seats taken were at the bar, which was entirely full. Even though they weren't busy at the moment, they would not seat us. We knew that we would have 6 but only 5 were present, so we waited an entire hour until the rest of our party showed up. We could have been spending money and drinking beer and having a good time... but we were unable to do so because of the bitchy hostess that was seating people. She has a seriously bad attitude.
So even though I adore their awesome food and their delicious beer, I cannot go here because I am giving them money to perpetuate their rudeness.
My boyfriend and I come here on the weekends for their impeccable beer selection. We've never had the food but it does look good. I'm a vegetarian so there's not a whole lot for me but everything smells really great... probably not so healthy though.
I always get the Belgium lambic, Lindemann's Framboise. It's a raspberry lambic, very sweet, that packs a mighty punch. My boyfriend is more daring and usually tries several different beers ranging in alcohol level. I like... scratch that, LOVE that they serve the drinks in their proper glasses. Nice touch.
One thing to note, the music is odd. I think it's a bar regular with his mac tapped up to the speakers. It's really slow, girly music... not the best for German style drinking... and if I hear one more Dido or similar song I swear we are going to take our drinks to the bathroom to enjoy. Oh, and their service isn't great in the bar area (that closes at midnight, I think :( Boo!). They card like it's their their first born at stake... I mean, it's great that they're following the law but my bf and I are clearly legal and are there more than once a month... ps- I have neon orange hair and I know they remember me. Also, you can only get waitress service sometimes. We met friends there one time and the bartender/waitstaff in the bar were INCREDIBLY rude to our friends before we arrived. Our friend asked for a drink and the server said no, he had to go to the bar... then she takes another table's order. Then, a new table comes in... she goes and takes their drink order. I don't know what that was about but we just got off our asses and walked up to the bar... not a huge deal but still VERY odd. In her defense, our friend is not an attractive person in any sense... but, his good looking girlfriend was there too so I don't know, maybe it was his country drawl.
Anyway, the positives and great beer selection far outweigh the negatives. The bar is never busy, not even half full on Friday and Saturday nights so you won't have a problem getting a table in the bar... but service may be a different story. Enjoy a beer and make good convo.
When I first glanced at the beer list online I thought the rest of yelp was nuts -- when you flip open the menu in the actual restaurant there is an ENTIRE PAGE covered in delicious beer choices. ON TOP OF THAT there is another menu to the side of your table with MORE beer choices!!
The best part? They have Miller Light, but they make fun of it, it's the only shit beer on the menu under "Milwaukee's Worst". Hahahahaha. I love it!
The Oktober Fest Feast -- meant for 2 (2 what? 2 giants with 6 stomachs between them??) can easily feed 4.
It's all quite tasty, but they are missing one critical item to their restaurant -- blood sausage. I had a similar sausage platter type in Vienna and man, I could kill for that blood sausage again...
Huge plus for the steamed dumpling bread noodle things, but they should stuff the bread and then steam them as real dumplings!
Fresh beer...need anyone dare say more? Complain about the food all you like...that's not why you or your friends parked in their lot.
So why drive here?...Surly brews--Darkness, Furious, Coffee Bender, they had most all of them, plus plenty of other hard to find drafts from the US (Omegang), Belgium, Germany, Holland.
If they had focused on food, then they would likely be following some Irish theme.
LOVE THIS PLACE! The food is always awesome, and they have Kasteel Rouge! When I have friends in town, I always take them there, and when they talk about coming back to Chicago....they always want to go back to the Bavarian Lodge!
Love this place, and everything about it! From the cozy atmosphere, to the incredible bartender chick! The food is fantastic, but definitely not a light fare- the beer is the same way. Exceptional quality authentic food, and beer you just can't find anywhere else! I had a great cherry beer I would recommend over and over and over again!
food is great! beer selection is insane....beers with 12%alc. hell yea!. the sevice is great. the owner is there pretty much everyday as the host...so he's always watching things. love this place!
food is great! beer selection is insane....beers with 12%alc. hell yea!. the sevice is great.… Read more »
Swinging in this place, we had pretty normal expectations - various Germans swigging their beer boots, arm in arm with random individuals after eating copious amounts of brats and all.
Sadly my imagination is wild because walking in here was a ho hum sit down joint that has working families here eating a family that is, obviously Bavarian based.
We had came in here during the dinner rush. We were given an option of eating at the bar or waiting a half hour for a table. We chose the bar. The bartender was very friendly with explaining some of the massive amounts of beer they have to offer. She was very knowledgeable about the beers because, so she says, she has had every beer here.
Sadly, the bar sitting was only meant to be a quick get me over until a table opens up. That being said, we could not order a dinner; only appetizers. The brat platter was quite delicious and can easily give four people something in their stomachs for the evening. Aside from the brats and beer, we really didn't want anything else since this was stop number one for the evening.
Repeat only to test out their dinner plates.
liver dumpling soup
A+++
I went there again last week, tried their German potato pancake..yummie!!
Great beer selection, nice decor, good service, love their liver dumpling soup! must try! Food was… Read more »
My wife and I went to the Lodge this past weekend, and we came away 100% impressed.
Service: A fantastic waiter - friendly, nice, and he came equipped with decent suggestions.
Beer: A fantastic beer list, I found a German Wheat that was among the BEST beers that I have ever tasted. My wife's Belgium wheat was great as well. Both from the keg.
Food: Appetizer, soup, entree all came out at a respectable pace. Not so close that you ever overlapped but not so long that you begin to wonder if the kitchen lost your order. It took us a good hour to go through the entire sitting, which was about right the number of courses and drinks.
Word to the wise, this is a German restaurant. If you don't believe in eating copious amounts of Pork - stay away. Only the chinese have a stronger love for the fat little piggy.
Thank you Bavarian Lodge, I WILL be back!
This is THE place for good German food in the suburbs. The food is excellent, and priced right too - cheaper than what I've been used to at Resi's Bierstube and the Chicago Brauhaus. This doesn't translate into small portions - they're huge!
They also have one of the better beer lists I've seen recently. A wide selection of European brews both on tap and bottle, as well as some small-batch microbrews. Impressive.
The ambiance is cool - some fun taxidermy on the walls, interesting old paintings, and hardwood throughout. Great staff, friendly crowd... a really nice place!
Great European style establishment. They have a solid selection of German and Belgium beers on tap and the bottled beer selection is very extensive. Many of the beers are served in the authentic glass designed with logo. The food is excellent the liver soup was delicious and and entrees are very large and reasonably priced. Great selection of all kinds of dishes along with great German meals and appetizers. The beer, atmosphere and food are what brings me back top quality restaurant casual setting.
If there's a place that has an extensive European beer list, the odds are pretty high that you'll find me there at some point (even if I don't exactly remember it).
So, I was pretty excited when I discovered a German beer establishment that included the words "Chef" & "Lodge" in its title. I mean, how can that be anything but encouraging? As a result, I was only slightly surprised by the packed parking lot when I stopped by for a much-needed nightcap.
Upon entering, my bf & I headed straight for the bar (where else?), where we noticed a pretty good mix of college-aged kids & gray-haired regulars drowning in schnitzel. Although I didn't plan to order any food, I did make a mental note that a couple of creative vegetarian dishes were on the menu.
As for the beer, there were around 15 drafts, which is clearly the only option that counts. (Note: if you actually prefer bottles - bah! - there are TONS to choose from, too.) Anyway, the focus was obviously on zee German beers, but it was pretty cool to see Delirium Tremens (from Belgium) on tap as well. Fortunately, every drink we ordered was great, & the best part was that they were all served in the proper glasses - yay!
Overall, I'm giving this place 4 1/2 stars, but keep in mind that the rating is solely based on the beer-themed focus of my visit.
FYI: that extra 1/2 star is for the "if you don't really like beer" order "Miller Lite" menu blurb. Gotta love those crazy Germans!
This place is great - the food, the atmosphere, the service, everything. Our waiter was from Austria, and very knowledgeable about the food there. He made some great recommendations, like the schnitzel platter and the liver dumpling soup. It was great!
If you like German beers it's a cool place to even hang out by the bar and have a few cold ones. Great atmosphere, nice woodwork, you really feel like you're in a lodge. Highly recommended!
Great beer selection and fine German food. The Hunters Schnitzel plate is excellent as are the appetizers. Their sauerkraut is just the right blend of sweet and sour. Great service and plenty of room in the booths.
I'm not a huge fan of German food, but my best friend is off-the-boat German so I took her here as a thank you. A shock to me...wow and yum!
The build-your-own platter is the way to go. Choose from the nice list that contains a bit of everything that you, personally, would like on your plate. I don't remember the name of fruited sweet bread they put on the table but it's very good, and if you call ahead, they'll get a loaf for you to buy when you leave. It's too popular otherwise, they won't sell it to you unless you preordered it.
The downside is they're not open for lunch and sometimes have limited hours. Call ahead.
Good food however the service was seriously lacking. It look about 15 Minutes for beers to arrive and about 30 minutes for our soups to arrive.
The atmosphere is unique. Also the parking gets pretty tight after 5PM on a saturday...
I'd say give this place a shot if German food is your thing.
Atmospherically, the Bavarian Lodge attracts a strange variety of diners, from older couples looking for a quiet, German dinner to groups of young adults eager to try the newest offering on tap. The restaurant is usually quieter around the dinner hour, a bit noisier at night on the weekends. Dim lighting and a few television sets at the back of the bar contrast with collections of German steins and paintings. Somehow the strange mix works...
The Lodge offers an incredible selection of draft beers - and an even larger selection of bottled beers - not limited to those from Germany. This includes popular Belgian favorites Delirium Tremens and Lindemans Framboise. Their website advertises "soon-to-be" tapped beers, as well, letting customers know that there's no shortage of effort in regard to the selection of their beers. I have only eaten at the Lodge once - during their 2007 Oktoberfest. The roast pork was good and their sides are, well, German classics.
Not that this will matter come January 2008, but the Lodge has been non-smoking as long as I've been going and this certainly is a benefit to those wanting to fully experience the taste and aroma of the specialty beers on the menu.
It's a beer place. If you want German food...go to Chicago's capital of Germany which is Lincoln Square. I lived there for years, and I NEVER found a beer selection like the lodge. Thank you Bavarian Lodge for bringing out the best beers in the U.S. and around the globe. Fuck you very much for bringing bus loads of old folks, tool boxes who think good beer is fun cuz it gets ya drunk fast, and other beer snobs like me, who have an amazing sense of self-entitlement. Yep, I admit it. I like good beer. I know what makes a bad beer, and I don't drive my drunk ass home. I take a CAB if I have more than 2 beers in an hour. Learn this suburban peoples. Don't kill me! I have a kid to raise.
Check out their beer list - they work very hard to find very unique and unusual beers. They have special glasses for most all of them. Depending on the character of each beer, the glasses are all different shapes too. I tried a blond Austrian Beer that was sweet and very strong. They served it in a cordial glass. My husband tried a dark and somewhat sweet and also very strong beer that was served in a glass shaped kind of like a wine glass.
The servers and bartenders are all very knowledgable too. They are constantly changing their beer offerings, so this must be quite a challenge for them!
We can't wait to return. Oh, and the food was excellent too! They have a great and varied menu, and it was reasonably priced with good portions.
Beer and Schnitzle bites....
yup!
My favorite bar, they have a killer selection of beer.
Beer related portion of review:
I went here because of the superb beer list - on tap and bottles. It's definitely a great place to go if you want a beer selection that is rare to find, especially in the burbs. I really appreciate the fact that they update the beer list frequently (I think everyday on the website and the list in the restaurant was only a day or two old). They also put a note if the beer is new, or almost tapped out, which is nice to know. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a place doesn't have a beer list, or they don't have half the beers on the list because it is so out of date. This is a problem the The Bavarian Lodge will never have!
Non-beer related portion of review:
The food was quite good as well - assuming you like German food. We had a very good server who was attentive, friendly and quick. We went at 6 on a Friday and the parking lot was almost full. We still got seated right away as I think most of the patrons were in the bar at that point, but the place did fill up as the night went on.
The beer selection alone is worth a trip back and more likely then not, I'd definitely wash down some more of that tasty German food.
You go here for a dinner and to talk with friends. Once you understand that then you know what to expect. Dim lights, softer music, stuffed pheasants mounted on the wall by the fireplace. Seats at the bar, tall tables on stool chairs, booths by the fireplace, a larger table by a wall that has a mural of a castle. The drink selection is HUGE, they have a rotating selection that changes more than any other place I've been to. I like trying new things so I like to come here every once in a while. The food isn't my favorite but I've found things affordable and acceptable. Their sausages are sausages if you like em. My favorite item is the potato dumplings with sauerkraut. The bartender is very friendly and knows a lot about the menu and beer. The owner is a nice man too. If you're looking for a certain beer they don't have ask him the chances they can get it in, he did so for me. They have special beer events from a variety of breweries, I haven't attended any yet probably cause I know they get kind of crowded. The best time to come is not on Friday night at 6pm. Parking is hard sometimes but I've always found a place. Bring a DD too.
Glen Ellyn, IL
Category: Performing Arts
Naperville, IL
Category: Italian
Naperville, IL
Category: Pubs
Lisle, IL
Category: Restaurants
Naperville, IL
Category: Dive Bars
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