Gasthaus Zur Linde

God this place has gone to hell. Used to love coming here but with the newer ownership it’s full of douchebags and degenerates. Try typing «Elgin Gasthaus» on google and before you hit enter it’ll autocorrect by adding «stabbing» or «shooting» to the search. If you want to drink with a bunch of stabby lowlifes this is the place for you.

Just talked to the Gasthaus about seeing a band this Saturday. They are definitely NOT closed!

Great atmosphere. OK food good people good drinks good music. What more can you ask for.

this isn’t a nice high class place but I always find myself coming back to this place over the other bars in the elgin area. its always a good time and decently priced drinks. the bartenders are friendly and hot and I never have to wait long when getting a beer. I love the variety of music this plays has, they have karaōke, live bands, and the new djs for Thursday and Friday nights snaps with hip hop/​old school house.

this place is a little confusing. when i was younger i went here with family and it was a german/​austrian restaraunt. pretty good food. i looked it up online to see if it was still there, because my husband i moved nearby and online it still says it’s a german restaraunt, plus, you know, the name is still german.
but this is not a german restaraunt, it’s just a bar. food is ok. i was dissapointed, though. don’t advertise as being a german restaraunt when you’re just some random bar.

Absolutely adore this place, no gang bangers and drug dealers. wounder full crowd. In the 3 yrs I have been going here religiously, there has only been one fight.
They are a restaurant during the day as well as a bar, is quiet during the day. Great food and appetizers. I would Deff. give Moore stars if possible.

Great place. The food was excellent, staff was friendly. I enjoyed the live music. It is hard to find a nice place around Elgin. Diamond in the rough!

A cozy, dark, comfortable place to watch live bands, meet with friends, or a quick drink with someone special. I’ve seen 5 like bands there over the years, good sound in a smaller area is always a good time. Street parking, or a parking garage a few blocks away. All tucked nicely right in the heart of downtown Elgin. One of my favorite little bars.

An excellent place for music. I played here and would happily return for another performance in the future.
The sound was great, and the seating area was really comfortable for all of my adoring fans (hi, mom!).
The food wasn’t off the charts amazing, but for bar food it was carbolicious, and not all nachos and burgers. There are a couple of treats on there for the odd person who likes vegetables too.
Top if off with a Guinness to celebrate and voila, 5 stars baby.

Ended up here on a random night in Elgin thanks to the help of high ratings on Unilocal!and the recommendation of a worker at a neighboring bar. To be honest, I was a little hesitant when we first walked in. It’s not exactly the type of bar I’d normally go to, but this place did not disappoint. We were told you could order a Boot if it was within two days of your birthday, but my boyfriend’s was six days away and the bartender was nice enough to let him have one. The (free!) boot turned into a few «mystery» shots, finding a secret door, making friends with a bouncer, and before we knew it, it was time to leave. If you’re looking for a good time, a couple beers at a reasonable price, and friendly people, definitely stop by Gasthaus.

Always fun! Never had a bad time there. The regulars are awesome and so are the newcomers. They have lots of beers on draft and the staff is pretty friendly. I love that there is somewhat of a punk bar in the suburbs. Bands play every Friday and Saturday and occasionally there is a DJ. Lots of fun and decent food! If it is your birthday or even the week of your birthday your get a free boot of beer to drink!

Call me crazy but if you hosted a giant pub crawl; wouldn’t you have more than one bartender?

3.5÷5. I was here last night to watch my friends’ band play. I didn’t get any food. I agree with one of the other reviews — the stage is small but it doesn’t look cramped (at least with a 4-​piece on stage). It wasn’t crowded at all, but there was also nobody out on Grove Ave. last night — who knows. Anyway, there’s a nice viewing area, with tables and some standing room up front. The sound guy has his own room. The sound for my friend’s band (a hard rock act) was alright, but I think the reggae band after them was mixed better. It may very well be the acoustics of the room, if if not the PAs.
There are many flyers and promotional posters up on the walls for upcoming gigs and some bands that have played in the past, so obviously it had to have been on of those rare slow Saturday nights. I would come here again if I’m in the area (or if my friends’ band comes back), but coming from Berwyn, it isn’t worth the trip otherwise. It’s a nice little local joint. They may occasionally have more well-​known acts roll through, but it if you look at it as a local venue, it isn’t bad at all.
Also, I will back what Shaun R. said about the «pints» of beer — I got there well before the music started and I was given a full-​sized glass pint. Someone came and took my glass while I was in the bathroom, and when I went to order another, I was given a small Solo cup which couldn’t have held more than about 12 ounces. Everyone who came in after 9:30 or so was given the small plastic cup. That was kind of weak. So if you get there and they give you a glass, HANG ON TO IT.

Gasthaus is a neighborhood bar. It has recently undergone a renovation and the interior is quite unrecognizable from its previous look. The bar staff and patrons are friendly, regular locals. One does not have to worry about running into hipster-​folk (unless I happen to be there). The drinks are cheap and selection is good enough. There are no frills or super-​specialities here. The live music I’ve seen there has been very loud, and the bands have been fine. It’s a great place to stop by at the end of the night for a last beer or two – not so much an evening’s destination.

I look at this place as more of a local venue. They constantly have local bands and touring bands playing and the prices to get into the shows are cheap.
I didn’t go here for food so I can’t complain about that but this is a great place to go when you’re out partying.

Always loved this place! I moved away, but still have found memories of the schnitzel, dumplings, and wonderful soups. Very rustic and authentic. Been going here with my parents since I was little and always enjoyed it. Dad always got the Sauerbraten, and mom always got the Ruladen (sorry if I spell that wrong) .
I see people saying they are under new management, do they still serve these dishes I remember? It’s been so long! I hope they do!

A nice little bar serving good affordable lunches in downtown Elgin. I found the place cozy and the barstaff very friendly. There are other more fancy bars in Elgin, but this is a good neighborhood bar and a different place to eat for lunch. Nice Phillipino male staff

I don’t speak German, but no worries. I don’t think anyone at this place does either. Came here for a charity fund raising event, driving all the way from the city. The little town square this bar is near, really has some great potential. However, the area is kinda dead. No problem, we brought our own party! The bartenders were wonderful, fast, and made creative, strong drinks. My favorite! The music was WAY too loud. Look, I’m into loud music, I’m not a geezer, but when I can’t hear myself speak? That can be dangerous. I need to hear what I am saying. How do I know if I have to apologize? With strong drinks, I never know what is going to come out of my mouth =) Great atmosphere, and a fun, diverse crowd.

I’ve been to this place a few times now. Been on a quest to find a good local bar that serves something other than Miller or Bud products. The gasthaus has been around for 30 or 40 years I think, but may have been subject to a management change recently. Doesn’t matter.
Unless things have radically changed, it had a selection of good German and Austrian beers, and awesome food. I must confess, it’s been about 6 months since I’ve been there, but many fond memories. Now that I’m home for a while, an update will be forthcoming

Based on Lunch at Gasthaus Zur Linde:
This is much more a bar than a good lunch spot. I believe that they have only been open for lunch for a short time now and this was quite evident.
I walked over to Gasthaus with a couple of co-​workers as we’ve been exploring new restaurants around Elgin.
Gasthaus is listed as serving German, Austrian, and American dishes, but in truth, their lunch menu is very basic bar food — pulled beef bbq (reportedly good), the buffalo wings (average), chicken fingers (average), pulled pork, fish fry, and other numerous fried items including mozzarella sticks, waffle fries, mushrooms, and cheese curds.
The bartender/​server was very friendly and thus this place receives an extra star in my review.
We may have been a bit misguided going here in search of good lunch food as the other bar patrons seemed to find their nourishment in glasses of Chivas Regal over ice.
My meal: Honey BBQ Boneless Buffalo Wings & German Beer: $ 11.00