Restaurant Review: With Oktoberfest upon us, North Center’s Laschet’s Inn serves up gemutlichkeit year-round
With Lincoln Square’s Oktoberfest coming up this weekend, it seems only fitting to stop by North Center’s Laschet’s Inn is in what was historically a German area along Lincoln Avenue.
Laschet’s Inn came to be in 1971 when Karl Laschet, a prominent member of the German community, purchased a neighborhood tavern across the street from the famous Schulien’s Restaurant, according to its website. As they recall, ”locals fondly remember having their first beer at Latchet’s.” Twenty two years ago, they started serving German specialties and some American dishes In 2019, Erin and Scott became proprietors of Laschet’s Inn, and reviewers continue to rave about their food, the service, and of course, the beer!
Start your adventure in German cuisine with appetizers like Hackepeter. This one is more like the Wisconsin version than Germany’s pork-based peter. Instead, we get steak tartar spread over rye bread, served with chopped onions and capers. Jumbo Bavarian Style Pretzel is served with Dusseldorf mustard (as God intended!) Potato Pancakes are crispy and pan-fried, and served with sour cream and apple sauce.
If there’s one German specialty I love, it’s bratwurst! Grilled, with sauerkraut, on a French roll with Dusseldorf mustard, please! Here, Bratwurst means a white veal sausage that is boiled, then grilled and served on a French roll with sauerkraut and French fries. Yessss! Their Leberkase Sandwich is a sliced Bavarian veal loaf, pan-fried, topped with fried egg, served on a French roll with French fries and coleslaw. Frikadellen Sandwich is a flat, pan-fried meatball, made with ground beef, pork, herbs and seasonings served on a sesame seed bun or pumpernickel bread with sauerkraut and French fries.
All dinners include your choice of a cup of their homemade soup of the day, a cup of goulash soup, cucumber salad, three-bean pineapple salad or a tossed salad with your choice of dressing. Skip the American hamburgers (no offense, but this is a place for good German food) in favor of their Sausage Dinner—your choice of a white veal bratwurst, a spicy beef and pork thuringer, a garlic beef knackwurst or a veal wiener, served with warm German potato salad and sauerkraut. Sauerbraten, with slices of beef marinated for 30 days and served in a traditional sauer gravy with spaetzle and red cabbage. Chicken Schnitzel is a tenderized chicken breast, breaded and pan-fried, garnished with lemon wedges and served with roasted potatoes and red cabbage.
Laschet’s Inn is located at 2119 W. Irving Park Road. They are open Tuesday- Friday, 12pm-2am (Kitchen closes at 10pm); Saturday from 12pm-3am; and Sunday 12pm-2am (Kitchen closes at 9pm.) They are closed on Mondays. For more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
