Berghoff Oktoberfest in Chicago

Went at an off hour. The pretzel was cold and they didn’t have any spoons for the soup. Although it seems cheaper than the restaurant, the portions are also smaller. I love the food at the restaurant, so I would rather pay more and eat in the restaurant with warm food and silverware. It’s only like a block and a half away from the restaurant. The entertainment is cool at the festival though with singers dressed in authentic German clothes, but you can watch it for free.

Great Oktoberfest event in Chicago. Came here with my husband and we had a blast. Great live band’s. Great beer. Great food.

Still a rather fun Oktoberfest, Even if there are better ones. But this one will do…

Good service, warm deco, decent food with reasonable prices. No wonder they are mostly busy.

Really good place for good food. Also nice service.

Berghoff Oktoberfest at Federal Plaza seems to be a tradition for me, whether it’s getting a brat and a beer with co-​workers during the workday and watching traditional polka bands, or going to the Fest after work to grab a beer and watch some cover bands– it’s a great time, and conveniently in downtown right by the Jackson Blue Line.
This year I enjoyed being there at night, watching my friends in Wedding Banned, while enjoying some Fest-​exclusive beers from Berghoff.
— BergHOP Hop-​Fest Lager, was just that– a hoppy Lager, and very enjoyable
— Berghoff Oktoberfest was also enjoyable
— Shambler (Radler) was a bit off on tap the night I tried it, perhaps it will get better.
Grab a bratwurst, pretzel and cheese, corn on the cob, it’s all good. Donate to Mercy Boy’s and Girls Club while you’re there. Ample table space, and people are really friendly. Ample port-​a-​potties nearby as well.
It’s Berghoff Oktoberfest in Chicago– Prost!

OKTOBERFEST IN CHICAGO
There are so many events to choose from over the summer in Chicago but there is only one amazing Chicago Oktoberfest, which happens every year. I honestly can not wait for this event. I went to go check-​in on Unilocal & I could not even believe there was not a page for this event. So I am proud to share my last three years of Oktoberfest in Chicago and hopefully one day I can go to Munich for the real thing but until that day I am going to enjoy my time in Federal Plaza.
I typically take the CTA Blue Line and get off at the Jackson St stop. I then search for the sign that says Adams and as I am walking I can hear the sound of German Music. There is a staircase, from the subway station, that comes right up in Federal Plaza, where the event takes place every year. In 2013, it was the 28^th annual Oktoberfest thrown by Berghoff. The event is always 3 days long and usually starts on a Wednesday at and ends on a Friday. As I am writing this review I am so sad to think that there is only one day left of this amazing fest. I am going to have to wait another 366 days to raise my glass and say, «Prost!»
There are bands every day. In the afternoon, from 11:45am until 2pm, you have «The Johnny Wagner Band». He is amazing and so funny. Johnny knows how to work the crowd. He leads the crowd in traditional German songs. He can also get a plaza full of Chicagoans to raise there Berhoff Beer and chant, «Zicke Zacke, zicke zacke, hoi hoi hoi.» It is so much fun to see how happy everyone is. Today I also saw a few couples dancing in front of the stage. They really knew what they were doing plus had some nice Alpine Hats. I need to go to Germany and get a real one by this time next year. Johnny also rocks out the Bells too. I love how he plays the cow bells and remembers ever single one. Last but not least Johnny breaks out the Alphorn and plays along with a song. I always keep thinking that our tall buildings are like mountains and how cool would that Alphorn sound from the top of one of our sky scrappers. Did I mention he yodels too? I literally have a smile on my face the whole time the band is playing these traditional tunes.
Now lets not forget the food. The Berghoff puts out a big spread of food for everyone. For me, I love grabbing a Brat with sauerkraut and brown mustard plus an Oktoberfest Beer. Those two things make me as happy as the music. There is also a ton of other food options too. They have BBQ chicken sandwiches, roasted corn, pretzels with a Berghoff Beer cheese sauce, Landjaeger, Goulash (gluten free), a Vegan Farmers Market Wrap, Apple Strudel, Cookie, Wine and of course Beer both in Light and Dark. What I love about the menu is that it is thoughtful to everyone attending. It could be jammed full of Traditional German food but maybe people do not like that. So there are a bunch of options to choose from and I love that they offer gluten free and veggie as an option.
Another great thing that Berghoff does is partner up with a charity like Mercy Home. You will see staff members selling Alpine hats and raffle tickets in the crowd. All of that money goes directly to the charity.
Today I was very lucky to attend a session with the Berghoff Brewmaster. Berghoff sold tickets on there website or you could actually walk up, if space was available. And yes that money went to Mercy Home too. It was so much fun to learn all about the Berghoff Brews, that are currently out there and the stories behind them. We sampled 6 different beers: Dortwunder Larger, Straight-​Up Hefe-​Weizen, Germaniac, Oktoberfest, Reppin’ Red Ale and Sir Dunkle Dark. I can honestly say that I loved all of them. Typically in a tasting I will find a few I do not like but I really enjoyed them all. My favorite was the Straight-​Up Hefe-​Weizen. It was 60% malted wheat and 40% pilsner and had a cloudy appearance from all of the yeast. After the tasting, I realized I needed to go shopping because I now have a new beer. I also learned the proper way to sample a beer, in order to take in all of the flavor. We also got to taste the Germanic Beer which is a new Berghoff Beer but from an Old German Beer recipe. In fact, we learned that many of the recipes were old german beer recipes. I love that because when I am drinking Berghoff I want a real beer!
As my review comes to an end, I raise my beer high in the air and I think about all of the wonderful Berghoff moments. I think about the traditional German music echoing off of the downtown buildings. The sound is just beautiful. I think about the smells of brats grilling in the air. I then think we need to enjoy this moment because summer is almost over. I then look over to my neighbor and say, «Prost!»
Oktoberfest is about being part of a community and The Berghoff unites everyone in downtown Chicago, even if it is only for 3 days a year.