The Glunz Tavern

Charming place that seemed a little «undiscovered» for a Saturday evening. Despite a few friends who prefer the more familiar (Americanized?) brats, they were outstanding. The German pretzels were the best we’ve ever had. Spaetzle a little more buttery than I’m accustomed, but still great. Roasted potatoes were toasted to perfection. And the strudel was spot-​on and flakey. And to top everything off, excellent Austrian Meinl coffee (French press, no less). And for the bourbon snobs out there, Pappy Van Winkle (12, 15, 20 & 23-​yr old). Boom!
Not that I want to have to book a reservation 6 weeks in advance, but this place deserves some serious love. Go support the current generation of Glunz family members and have a heck of a meal — and good time — in the process.

This is really hovering around a 3.5, and I’m rounding up to be generous. I really liked this restaurant and the food… the reason it’s dropped to a 3 is because our sandwiches and salads shouldn’t take over an hour to come out.
I got the Glunz Tavern Burger which was delicious (especially with a sunny side up egg, I’m a HUGE fan of eggs in my burgers). All in all, everyone at the table loved their food. We had everything from the crepes to the grilled cheese and the house salad. I think the grilled cheese (cheddar) was a little strong but still delicious.

Was only there for drinks. Nice ambiance, and some tasty beers. Good service.

I went here for a first date one Tuesday and we had such a good time. Neither of us had been here before, but it was a convenient location to meet up. The décor and atmosphere was really nice and homey. It was quiet, our waitress was sweet/​attentive/​made great suggestions and was just overall really friendly and fun. We had the pretzel, burger and crème brûlée and each was really great. Would definitely come here again!

Came here on a Wed night for HH with coworkers and stayed from 5:30 — 7:30. The beginning of our night here was positive. Good selection of wine, hard liquor, and some beers on draft, though on the pricier side. Same for food. Overall, not bad and the waitress was attentive. Around 7:00, a live band set up by the door and played ear blasting jazz. While it’s nice to have live music, it’s wayyyyy to early to start blasting it at 7 pm on a wed night with only a handful of patrons to play to. It became so loud that we couldn’t even hear the person across from us and we decided that it was high time to leave, even with unfinished drinks. I recommend lowering the volume of the band or playing much later when people are ready to just sit back and enjoy the music. Instead we left expensive drinks unfinished in our hurry to escape to a quieter bar.

Glunz is a very charming bar/​restaurant with great drinks. The menu is unique and the food is incredible! There is a spacious outdoor patio and the inside is cozy, yet has a fun vibe. We came on Friday night with live acoustic music. Definitely put Glunz on your list if you are in Old Town!

Friendly place. It’s a 125 years place so it’s must be good place to be open that long and survived prohibition. Kitchen closes at 10.

Wonderful food but the service was a disaster. We came in after the wells street art fair and there was one server and one bartender. We sat ourselves and managed to order but they were clearly understaffed. Our waitress did the best she could but the bartender in charge was surly and by the end of the night, multiple tables walked out without being served. I really enjoyed our food but the service was so bad I likely would not return.

Good place, good décor. They try to be a little different with their menu and they offer quality standbys for bar food. Fair prices for the area. Would recommend.

Great tavern burger and amazing cocktails. Great atmosphere reminiscent of the 19 century when it was originally open.

Our experience here was a wild ride from start to finish.
First, (after seating ourselves) our waiter eventually came over, but was completely confused. He didn’t understand the meals that we were trying to order (it seemed like he didn’t even understand the menu itself), and then simply walked away after taking our order (which were burgers — he didn’t bother to ask how we wanted them) without removing our menus. After about 10 minutes of waiting with no drinks or any other service, we finally had to ask for water. Which he brought over in paper disposable cups. Like something from a fast-​food restaurant. Eventually the manager came over and saw how strange our service was, so she replaced our cups with actual glasses with ice water and tried to apologize.
Then the meal came. Luckily, the burgers were very, very good. However, they were supposed to come with a side of fries which were forgotten, except when we finally got these fries (after we had finished the burgers), they were half-​raw and tasted rubbery.
All in all, this was a very strange meal. I see all these positive reviews, but our experience was completely different from them.

Hidden gem in Old Town! Great cocktails, wide beer selection, and a variety of meat. Get the burger… one of the most underrated ones in the city. Very good upscale tavern without loud, blaring TVs everywhere.

The Gluntz Tavern is a great place to go for drinks. They also have an extensive beer list, including Leffe, which I appreciate as it’s one of my favorites.
They are always consistent in their service — top-​notch — and are friendly, helpful without being overwhelming. There is no bad seat in the house and the ambiance makes this place a complete package — tin ceilings, original bar.
Classy but not stuffy.

One of my favorite brunch places in Old Town. The staff is friendly, the food is great, and I love the old school vibe.
The accompanying wine store is rated the best wine store in Chicago. My mommy likes it there. And my daddy likes the bourbon.
Me? I like the scrambled eggs and milk.

A friend and I were looking for a bar to watch the Bears game on Sunday but less crowded and we stumbled upon Glunz Tavern. As I debated on hair of the dog, I watched Daren the bartender make a few bloody marys and his attention to detail convinced me to order one. The drink went great with the HUGE pretzel and the eggs benedict my friend and I shared.
I enjoyed this place because the staff was welcoming and the history of the tavern is great. The Glunz Tavern was established in 1888, closed during prohibition for 90 some years and reopened in 2012. The tin ceiling, wooden floors, and bar are the original. There are other tales Daren can share so I won’t take all of his stories.
I went back to Glunz for dinner and to my surprise they have live music on Wednesday evenings starting at 7:30 pm. The ambiance, candle light, and music made for an unintended but very nice romantic dinner. We ordered gnocchi without the corned beef, Schnitzel, and pretzel bread pudding. Daren came to the rescue once again. Since they did not have the Chianti Classico I wanted he offered another great red. They have a very wide selection of spirits since The House of Glunz is attached to the tavern and you can just walk over to browse the store.
Great place for food, drinks, and good company.

This place deserves the highest review that I could possibly leave. The night I came was a little unique (which made my experience probably more memorable than others might be), but throughout it all, the quality of the service, the food, and the atmosphere all deserved 5 stars.
Highlights: they have a great wine shop (with a super helpful staff), let you try beers before you take your pick, have an excellent and delicious menu, and are overall very attentive!
First, as we wandered in on a Wednesday evening before a Second City show, we were told that the dining area was reserved for a special event, but the bar and some tall tables around the bar were available. We took a tall table, which was situated right next to the dining area. and asked our exceptional waiter about what was going on. It was an Austrian wine night, so they had an Austrian wine expert come in, talk about 5 different wines which people got to try, and had a special multiple course dinner to go along with the wines.
We were close enough to hear the first talk by the expert (which we super enjoyed), and our waiter showed us the wines and menu they were eating. We asked if there was extra of the entrée they were having, and while our waiter checked with the chef, we wandered into the wine shop (the oldest continuously running wine shop in the country… I think they said!). While the lady in the wine shop was showing us around, answering all our questions (and even letting us try some of the wine that was open), the chef came out personally to let us know the status of our dinner (since we wanted to special order what the Austrian wine lovers were eating).
I won’t keep this saga going forever, but essentially we got everything we wanted and more, with the help of an amazing crew! Thank you!

Housed in one of the first brick buildings built in Chicago after the fire, the building is awash in original detail and/​or historic artifacts. Built in 1883, from the original tin ceilings, wood floors, imported German stained glass windows and other fun stuff, the place has the authentic cham of yesteryear Chicago while being a comfortable, contemporary community treasure.
Tuesday is half price wine night. Oh and BTW, the family owned House of Glunz Wine shop, also a treasure, is the oldest continually operating spirit house in the nation, so they have a great selection of interesting and reasonably priced wine (and beer).
The food blew us away. Best described as a contemporary twist on classic German food as well as some hearty salad and fish options, everything, and I mean everything, was sensational. The food had a real authentic home style taste that only pride, talent and slow cooking can achieve.
We had the roasted brussel sprouts, a beet, goat cheese, pistachio and caraway seed salad, sauteed red sauerkraut, and s salmon vegetable fish dish that were as home style delicious as it comes.
The home made strudel was the final blew that brought the much sought gustatory orgasm we all desperately seek in our dining experiences.
My final bit of advise, listen to Stephanie and order whatever she says. She’s delightful and knows her stuff.

I want to give more stars, but my Old Fashion was weak and I needed a strong one and the beet salad did not have Arugula or much taste. Burger was Awesome though. Fries were good, but nothing to write home about. Server was very nice. So… I would go back, but stick to wine or Beer and not get Beet Salad or Deviled Eggs.

I met with a coworker for dinner, drinks, and non-​work conversations. Two out of three isn’t bad because we ended up talking about work 80% of the time. Anyway, I’ve been wanting try this place after seeing it on my way out of Plum Market. My coworker had never heard of it. It was great place for a last minute decision and for not having reservations on a Friday night. I can’t say that happens all the time, but it was just our luck.
We started off with the cheese platter and the french fries. My friend also got an order of the pretzel, which was bigger than the ones you get at a sporting event. In fact on our check, it even said «pretzel, huge». Insert your jokes here. For my entrée, I ordered the gnocchi with roast beef and egg. I’ve been on this kick lately for ordering a meal with an egg — not sure what that’s about. It wasn’t a big portion (think small plates) but after chowing down on the fries and cheese and downing a glass of Malbec, I wasn’t too disappointed in it. I enjoyed it and probably would get it again.
Also, the entrance is right before the liquor store (if you’re facing north) next door. I walked past it thinking it was part of the dining area and not the actual entry door. Duh.

Drinks = top notch!
Our server took us both on a wonderful libation journey that included Sazerac, Horse’s Neck, The Bronx Cocktail, and Champs Elysee. Oh — and then M ordered a bottle of wine. She drank half of it, recorked it, and brought it home.
And I loved our server. He was perfectly charming, flirtatious, and gosh darn easy on the eyes. He was adept at choosing my drinks and helping me narrow my food options. He was initially very attentive but that TLC waned as the tavern became busier.
The food was good. M absolutely loved loved LOVED it. I just thought it was okay. We got charcuterie, pretzel, deviled eggs, and gnocchi. I tried all of the charcuterie nibbles and then let M conquer it all. We decided that the pretzel was just a means of delivery for the scrumptious mustard dipping sauce. I liked the deviled eggs and M wasn’t as much of a fan. I thought the gnocchi was good but too salty whereas M was completely blown away and said it was even better than what was served at the now closed Maison Brasserie.
Our bill with tip came to about $ 175.
We really liked the old school spirit of The Glunz Tavern. Besides the one flat screen television by the bar (and it was turned off the whole time) everything else about the place was old. Like, antique and not worn down or out dated. It’s a family business and there were members of the Glunz family working that evening. Besides the girl who toppled her stool and fell on the floor the place was quiet. Not awkwardly quiet or anything like that. It was just good for conversation and being chill. We’ll go again and definitely when we want to unwind.