Looking Ahead To Chicago’s German-American Fest

German-American Fest is set for this weekend, September 5th-7th in the city’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. After heading five– count ‘em, five!– passers-by expressing anticipation for the approaching festival this morning via random snippets of conversation (read: shameless eavesdropping on my part) during my morning run, I thought it’d be fun to get into the spirit a bit early.

So, where to head for a really authentic experience? German-American Fest is in Lincoln Square for a reason, my friends. And, apparently, Lincoln Square can’t wait for the festival to start, either, as they’re hosting a kickoff party Wednesday (tomorrow!) and Thursday nights in Kempf Plaza (the fountain in Lincoln Square) featuring an eleven piece band, beer and bratwurst. That’s all well and good, but what if you want to get a jump of things in, say, the comfort of air conditioning?

Chicago Brauhaus (4732 N. Lincoln Ave.) not only has us covered in the air conditioning and beer departments and with an authentic German atmosphere, but they serve up top-notch regional specialties at very reasonable prices. And, sometimes you can catch the polka band playing 80′s hairband covers. I’m just sayin’.

Huttenbar (4721 N. Lincoln Ave.) is the real deal, too, and, according to the owner Irma Froehlich, has Gemutlichkeit, a “big, long German word that means comfort, coziness, warmth and a feeling of belonging.” along with a spot-on European feel and a palpable sense of community with everyone from the occasional local hipster to native German-speakers young and old merrilly chatting away in the place on any given night.

Moving just south of Lincoln Square to the Northcenter neighborhood, (near Irving Park, Damen and Lincoln intersections), certainly stop by Glunz Bavarian Haus (4128 N. Lincoln Ave.) for more live music, fine imported beer selection, delicious, varied and affordable lunch and dinner options and outdoor seating in this family-owned casual neighborhood gem.

Last, but certainly not least, just a bit west on Irving Park, hit Laschet’s Inn with it’s unmistakable Old World grandma’s kitchen feel (likely due to the endearing ownership of the place) , large and reasonably priced menu of regional comfort foods, and excellent imported beer selection.

Of course, most of these fine places will be on hand at the German-American Fest this weekend, each serving up beer, specialty foods, and perfectly in step with the spirit of the festival in traditional regional dress.While parking is usually easily-found in both Lincoln Square and Northcenter neighborhoods, best bet this week is to take the brown line to the Western stop, which lies less than a block from the festivities.