Laschet's Inn

North Center / Roscoe Village, Chicago –

The black eagle on the bright yellow sign – Germany’s official coat of arms – might seem ominous to some, but patrons at Laschet’s Inn inevitably find warmth and good cheer inside this authentic bierstube.

The stained wood bar takes up most of the panel-ceilinged front room, its vinyl high-backs habitually lined with chatting blue-collar locals and German expats frothing for a taste of home by way of one of a dozen imports on tap.

Many customers are on a first-name basis with the staff and fellow regulars, their hefty hops-fueled haunches forever worn into a favorite bench or booth.

Two additional rooms festooned in German bric-a-brac host generations of neighborhood families at an array of wooden tables, where they feast on enormous portions of sausage, spätzle, and tangy red cabbage beneath mounted old steins and hand-painted murals of the German countryside.

Those who prefer things closer to home can grab a thick burger or Italian beef sandwich, but specialties like rouladen (beef wrapped in bacon) and Hungarian goulash are clear favorites.

The chill neighborhood vibe gives way come Thursdays, when kraut cravers and spaten seekers from all over town pile in to overindulge on the infamous two-liter glass boot of beer. A boot definitely not made for walking.

A cozy European haven, Laschet’s Inn provides its guests with a kitsch-free German experience and a whole lot of calories.