What a great German bar! I am German myself and I have to say this place is excellent! The beer selection is top notch as well is the different types of schnapps and brandys. The food is homemade and is outstanding,especially the schnitzel( which I have to mention, is pork) and I love the spatzle! Â In the summer the beer garden is a great place to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. I'm never disappointed going here and the bartenders and waitstaff are always attentive and accommodating.
Review Source:Resi's appears to be a wet dream for the German beer drinkers in Chicago.
I stopped by Resi's around 11 p.m. on a Saturday night during a recent visit to the Windy City. My native friends were excited about the beer selection, plus it was just down the block from where we'd seen a comedy show. After not eating since 4 p.m., though, I was just hoping for some food.
I struck out in the food department. I couldn't quite hear the nice bartender as he either told me that they didn't carry food or it was past cooking time, but it didn't matter; my tummy got the picture.
My friends were thrilled, though. A huge variety of beer was on tap, and every friend had a different kind. We plopped down at a dark table where they sipped their prizes and I gawked around. A ton of interesting things were on the walls -- art, beer promos, coats of arms, etc. -- and the bar wood was gorgeous. The space was long and a little tight (That's what she said), with things getting crowded at the center of the bar, but it felt cozy instead of cumbersome. Between some of the chairs and the floor, Resi's gave off a bit of a diner feel, without the bright lights. Hmmm... so if a diner and a cave had a baby, I guess this is what you'd get.
The interior is very cozy with a ton of beer options. Went for day drinking with family, and everyone enjoyed their beers. We also had the giant pretzels. Make sure you get the Dusseldorf mustard to put on the pretzels. It is a good place. I will have to go back another time for a meal.
Review Source:I go past this place everyday on my bus ride to work, so I decided to try it out.
German beers are good at a good price - I think the one I was drinking was 6 bucks for a half liter.
I split some schnitzel, potato soup, and potato pancakes with my boyfriend. I had never really had schnitzel before, but I didn't like it very much - not sure if it was the schnitzel here or just schnitzel in general ( my boyfriend really liked it though ). The potato soup was actually really good and comforting, and the potato pancakes were about what i expected though a bit large!
Next time I hope to try some sausages instead , and maybe one of their huge pretzels!
What I really like most (aside from the beer) is that it just had a really nice cozy atmosphere. It's a great low-key place to grad some drinks and food with friends.
Service was good, at least the server that I had was very friendly and helpful in giving suggestions for a first-timer.
If you live in the area and like beer and/or German food you should give it a try
Real. Authentic. German.
I have been to Resi's a handful of times and have always been impressed. Â Great selection of German beers on tap (~15) and great food handmade by the 80 year old owner. Â Sam the bartender gives good beer recommendations and is solid drinking company. Â
Try the Russian eggs.
It's a holiday tradition; my friend does a 'home for the holidays' show at the Lincoln Lodge, and we all end up here afterwards. I'm sorry to the regulars, college hipsters, and wait staff that we take over the place, but I hope we at least tip ok. =)
The beer selections are pretty darn good, the GIANT pretzels are good, and I wouldn't break THIS tradition ever, This place is the best place to end the night! I'll have to stop in sometime when its not bone chillingly cold, and make this more of a regular stop.
Word of the wise, though: worst smelling bathroom in the city. Through Pavlovian training and negative reinforcement, I know to hold my nose first. Yikes!
Ok, I'll admit it. Â I feel really bad giving only three stars--for old times' sake, I want to give it four, or even five--but can't any more.
I've been going to Resi's since about 1975. Â And let me tell you, back then it was hard-core authentic German. Â Serious memorabilia on the walls, German-speaking clientele, and the most amazing selection of German draft biers. Â Russiche eier, hackepeter, and Jaegerschnitzel. Â All cooked in the kitchen by one guy, in a space about the size of the galley on a U-Boat. Â (Go to the U-505 and look to see what I mean.) Â
If you knew to ask, there was Poeschel snuff available behind the bar, brought back by patrons when they visited the old country. Â And the backbar was decorated with all these collected bits of German kitsch; you could sit there all night reading it (if you know some German.) Â And there were some truly arcane German liquors.
And I'll never forget one Friday afternoon I got off work early and dropped in for a weissbier, only to walk into a get-together of old guys (well, they seemed old to me then) all singing songs I just knew weren't OK to sing in post-war Germany--and when I quietly asked, yes, they were a bunch of Army buddies who got together once in a while. Â "Which army?" I asked, and got a look. Â Ok...
I've been going back on and off for the past 35 years, and noticed the slow but inexorable change. Â The decorations got quieter, perhaps more politically correct (but much less interesting.) Â The old guys disappeared. Â The old guy in the kitchen (and I feel so bad I can't recall his name) passed on, and it took two people to replace him--but the menu still shrank. Â Hackepeter is dangerous now, so that's out.
But the killer for me was one day a few weeks ago when I was in, made a comment in German, and the waitress just looked at me. Â Turned out she told me that nobody spoke German any more. Â That's when I knew the Resi's I'd loved all those years had evolved into something else. Â The backbar is still there; there's still an excellent draft selection (albeit less than it used to be.) Â The food's still good, if not as wide a selection. Â But something--some ineffable German spirit--has passed on, and it's just a very decent German-themed bar instead of the true German brauhaus it used to be.
And that's sad.
I heart Resi's. Â The food is consistently good. Â My husband and I have been going here for a number of years for food and beer. Â This restaurant/tavern is full of friendly staff, friendly people, good beer and good food. Â This is a family owned place that has been around forever. Â My favorites are the schnitzel w/house salad or sausage dinner with German potato salad and sauerkraut. Â The potato salad and sauerkraut are so good I salivate just thinking about them. Â Downfall- the food is on the expensive side. Â As other reviewers have said, the beer garden is lovely. Â Check this place out.
Review Source:I enjoy this place. Its chill, the bartender thats always there when I'm there is super cool, and the potato pancakes are freakin legit. Could someone please help me out with the correct pronunciation of Resi's though? Is it like the peanut butter cup, is the s more of a z sound? I've heard many variations but don't know which is right. I guess I'll have go soon and ask when I order my potato pancakes and Spaten
Review Source:Good German food, not great, just good. Yes, it can satisfy an urge, but it won't quench it.
The bier garden out back was nice, we had a perfect evening in the low 70s to enjoy it. Â The waitress was very nice and helpful.
The menu was a bit weak, very heavy focus on schintzel and sausages. If that is what you want, you will find it. Dishes come with German potato salad and maybe saurkraut. We had a schnitzel, Kessler ribs, leben hasen and weisswurst. All ok
I did love my erdringer Weiss beer. Â It was refreshing.
One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE German restaurants!!! . We used to go there at least once a week, as i lived only a 1/2 block away.  (1990-1995)  Gosh, i miss Resi's. Soooo many fun memories. Great food and of course the BEER. Hope to go back and visit again.  i will now  continue my stroll down memory lane.....
Review Source:A very good selection of German beers, in a bar with some seriously vintage decor. The bartender told us a lot about the beers, and noted that the bar has been owner by the same family for 50+ years. I didn't eat, but the food looked like well done, standard sausage + sauerkraut kind of stuff. I wish I'd checked out the beer garden while we were there, I missed it entirely.
The place was very quiet: at what I'd guess would be peak hours on a Friday night (10pm-midnight), there were only half a dozen people in the bar.
I enjoy this place. They occasional have groupons which, outside of my love for German beir, prompted my visit. My handsome meal ticket and I went here on a slow weeknight and sat at the bar. The bar tender discussed some of the beers on tap with a level of knowledge you don't get too often. When I was skeptical about his suggestion he gave me a sample. Not only did he not take offense when I didn't order his suggestion, but there was no charge for the sample. The potatoes pancakes though pricey at 10 bucks were delicious and huge. They don't have my beloved currywurst, but they do have a variety of braut sandwiches that we sampled to our delight.
The bar is good for a drink and some meat, but the TVs are older so it might not be your pick for viewing.
The bratwurst and potato pancakes at this place are super duper good. The German potato salad is stellar, as is the rye. Didn't care for the sauerkraut, and the spaetzle was so-so. Also, I'm not so much a bar person, but if you are charmed by taverns, the atmosphere will be right up your alley.
People complain vociferously about the service, but we had no issues; our waitress was very attentive. And our food was hot. No complaints.
All right here is a honest real quick review of this great German place and not the usual professional yelp one. This place is small but unique. It has great German food and a cool Beer garden. The time I went the service was good and very friendly. The place does resemble a german pub with one exception. there didn't seem to be any actual Germans. they should have some slight German music in the background. I guess this area of Chicago once had pure Germans as there seems to be plenty of German bars in the area. This is a good place.
  The food is good but it is German and nothing special.
The food here is awesome. The potato pancakes are so good, it hurts. And the portions are nice and large, so you can share or have leftovers. My super German family loves it. Even the ones who grew up in Germany.
Occasionally, we've had nights where the service was slow or lagging, but that was generally during the summer when the beer garden was hopping and we were sitting inside.
Went to Resi's today because a friend told me this place is a great German restaurant with an awesome beer selection. Â The friend was right about the food and beer. Â Solid. Â But, the service was super slow. Â The dining area adjacent to the bar was very uncomfortable. Â I was back to back with the people behind me and at times I felt like my conversation was being overheard. Â
My friend told to ask for a sampling of beer. Â I asked the waitress if I could try a few beers before I ordered and her first response was that she was too busy and couldn't accomodate that, unless I wanted to wait. Â So, instead of waiting, I ordered a dark beer, which was good, but I didn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling being there. Â The waitress was so slow and I didn't see why because it wasn't that crowded. The table next to us seemed to be getting a lot more attention than our table. Â Maybe because we had two kids with us. Â My kids were really good and quiet though. Â I'm not sure. Â The food was tasty, but it took sooooo long to come to the table. Â The kids were complaining for at least 20 minutes, not loudly, just to me. Â I don't know, but maybe this place would be fun if you sit at the bar and have some beers and you have a lot of time on your hands to hang out.
For my first night in Chicago, a friend of mine took me out of the Loop and into the "far northwest" for dinner at Resi's with a group of his buddies. Â On the inside, Resi's is stuck in time with its retro decor, but that's all part of the ambiance. Â You're not here to marvel at the walls, you're here for homestyle German food and huge steins of black lager.
I had no idea what to get on the menu, but everyone we were with recommended the Weisswurst dinner. Â Trusting the locals, I went head in and was pleasantly surprised. Â On my plate appeared three Weisswurst (a white veal and pork sausage), german potato salad, and sauerkraut. Â Mixed together with copious amounts of brown mustard and a dash of horseradish, it was hot, sweet, and incredibly savory. Â I hadn't had German food in the longest time, but this was definitely doing the trick. Â Moreover, it paired really nicely with liter of black lager I got along with it, but of course you can pick any one of their many German beers on tap or bottled to go along with the food.
It's very much a neighborhood and local kind of place: we were the only party in there for awhile, and then as we left, there were more people at the bar, a group of four guys near the front playing a board game over brewskis, and some one in the back enjoying a meal solo. Â It's not pretentious, not terribly expensive, and the food really delivers. Â Definitely worth a repeat visit next time I'm in town.
Oh my goodness this place is awesome. Really clean, easy street parking. Suiting 60'ish decor, with the feel of a friendly neighborhood bar. Friendly, professional but not overbearing bartenders and waitresses. Â Food came out hot, well presented, and perfectly timed.
Beer selection is broad and plenty authentic varieties. Waitresses can help you pick beer and food. And you can mix and match on the menu (at least the gravy). House dressing on the salad is a must!
You can imagine there are some awesome German grandma's back in the kitchen--- but still surprised at the young, professional, happy & helpful staff.
We were surprised when the bill came that it was so much ($65 for two), as the prices seemed reasonable ($13 for a dinner plate of meat, potatoes, noodles, salad and bread), but we were able to score a GrouponNow.
I will be back! Num num num num
Had a great dinner last night with a big group, service was very good(server was a Care Bear, Halloween), she gave some great beer recomendations.
Only negative was that they only had 1 order of chicken, not a negative for me really, as my friend let me have the last one!! It was sooo tasty, as were the potato pancakes, warning, they are massive!
OooOOoOOOh this place makes you want to say 'schnitzel' several times in a row- and not just because it's one of the funniest words in the English language. It's really, really, really freakin' good. And their beer selection is solid.
I love the vibe here- it's laid back, like a nice little local bar with awesome food, good people, and great beer. And their liver dumpling soup is absolutely smashing. And their split pea soup makes me smile heartily.
Why the fuck am I typing like this? I must be tired. Anyways- this place really does have great food and beer, and you should come here. 'Nuff said.
We went once before - and it was fine. Even as a German Id say : Ja, why not ?
Great food and bier.
Then this happened (also discussed in the Talk section):
I went to Resis Bierstubn on Irving Park a couple of weeks ago only to find that they indeed serve my favorite beer from my hometown on tap. Amazing find so I thought.
So I went there again with a friend on Saturday (Jan 23,2010) night around 12.15 am on my way home and ordered a glass of Koenig Pils from the guy behind the bar (that is actually the guy on the bearded guy on the photo wearing the hat) and asked him to please use the appropriate glass from the brewery that makes that beer
(I admit its very German thing to do, but then again its a German bar and I find it quite important to have the right glass with your drink
(You don't drink red wine out of a pint glass I suppose - well, some do, I don't)
Anyway:
In a very unfriendly way he said that he didn't have the right glasses for my beer.
I had been served my beer in the right glass a couple of weeks earlier so I asked him to check for the glass.
He again said that he didn't have the glass and seemed to be getting very agitated and aggressive.
I did not really like the way he talked to me so I said, well, you know what, just leave it, we re going. I actually don't want a beer. Thanks.
He yells at me : " Yeah, go, go, fine, go back to your own country"
I was almost speechless but could only say, " Excuse me, what did you just say ?" and he yells again "Go, go, just go"
I called the manager 2 days later to tell him
He was shocked and very embarrassed and apologized.
He ensured me that he was going to bring this up to the owners attention and that there would be some disciplinary action taken.
Fair enough. Still an awful experience in an otherwise cool bar with great food and beer.
We went here for a friend's birthday at the end of October and besides the place being 5,000 degrees...it was seriously like walking on the sun... it was a great time.
MOST of the beer was good... me and a friend accidentally got one that smelled and tasted like oldish raw fish. Like, straight tuna water... not good. I don't remember what it was called but I think it was an unfiltered wheat beer. Beware!
I had the potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce, they were plentiful and delicious... I had to split them with friends there was so much. Oh- and they give you rye bread with butter and I know it sounds stupid but it's the best rye bread ever! It's exactly what you want... or maybe I was just really hungry. I don't know.
Good Beer, Great Food... and and the service was fabulous. :)
Yay! I love this place. I really want to invite all my friends to join me here so I can proclaim: Look around! This place IS me! Love me, love this place! Â Or something equally weird and dramatic. But anyway, here are the ways in which we (me and Resi's) are similar:
The bar has a focus on beer. I usually focus on beer.
It is in and of Chicago (do other American cities have this many German bars and restaurants? Milwaukee maybe?). I am of Chicago, and usually in Chicago.
It looks like someone's German basement. I basically am someone's German basement (4 years deutsch gelernt, 3 grandparents with nothin' but German blood, grew up Lutheran, beer steins lying around my parents' house, totally into scheisse films and lederhosen).
This place serves all kinds of sausage. Um, I'm going to stop on this one.
I didn't try the food, but I finally - after 28 years of ignoring my true destiny - sampled German beers. Love! We had a party of about 9 on a Friday night, and had no problems. Didn't sample the food, but everyone else enjoyed it.
Basically, I'll be celebrating all future birthdays and any nuptials (if they occur) here.
Without getting into the gazillions of times I've passed by dreaming of going here, I recently made it here one night and ended my wondering. Great selection of German beer, trippy + cool dated decor, pretzels, internet jukebox, and they even serve 2 gallon(or liter? I forget....) boot glasses of beer for those who have enough of a beer belly to handle it. Though my body politely says 'nein'(no) to that!
Would love to eventually try their German food menu, and to sit in their beer garden when it warms up. Looking forward to my next trip, to see if it gains additional star(s) I bet it'll deserve.
There is NOTHING wrong with this place except your expectations. Lots of linoleum - not exactly an Alpine lodge feel, granted - but even so, the place is pure Gemütlichkeit. Tasty food piled high, fine brews served by guys who don't mind giving some advice, a nice little patio out back. No stupid loud music. This is one of the most comfortable bars in town.
BTW some of these reviews are frickin' hilarious - "I'm giving it 3 stars because I ate too much" or "the sea breeze cocktails are so-so." WTF people??!! Get a CLUE for god's sake. Write a review about the PLACE (not some irrelevant personal behavior of your own which affected your ability to enjoy it) using RELEVANT criteria (i.e. don't go to a steak house & complain about the limited vegan options). This is SO common on Yelp: "this salon gets 1 star because I had a fight with my boyfriend on the phone while I was there" or "I wish I could give this place zero stars since I got a parking ticket while I was there..." Advice for Yelpers: Remove head from ass before logging on.
I was born and grew up in Austria, so I am making it my goal to try all the German and Austrian restaurants in Chicago.
I loved the food at Resi's. First of all - it is the most authentic German food I have tried in Chicago so far.
I had the schnitzl with German potato salad and it was good. The people I was with had schnitzl's in creamy sauces and they were absolutely delicious. Especially the "Turkey schnitzl" - which wasn't really a schnitzl but more like meat loaf but it was very tasty.
Also the beer selection was great. I had checked the website before and I am glad I did because some of the beers were listed on the website but not on their menu. One of those beers was the Goesser Dark which is a very common, Austrian dark beer. They also have a large selection of white beers - German and Austrian.
About the interior - I wouldn't say it was very traditionally German. There are some German posters on the wall but in general it looks more like an old American pub than a German restaurant.
Also it was pretty expensive for a place like that and instead of Spaetzle or Knoedl, which is a more common German side dish they only had pasta.
I heard they have a lovely beer garden which I will definitely check out in the summer.
To sum it up - good food, a bit expensive, interior could be nicer.
For just one night, I was transported back to my childhood and the hot summer nights when my family and I would go to their favorite restaurant located on a lake. Â We would sit outside and I would watch the adults clink steins and eat sauerkraut. Â Every once in a while one of the grown ups would let us take a sip of their beir and all I could think was "mmmmm...delicious!"
Resi's has a lovely collection of German beir and food. Â The potato pancakes are the best that I have ever eaten (sorry mom!!) Â The bar itself is a bit of a hole in the wall, but that's why I liked it. Â The beer garden is great! Â I can't wait for the day when I can go back to Resi's (with a smaller group) and enjoy their Gastfreundschaft.
I have added Resi's to the "places to entertain a curmudgeonly father" landmark register...
It's uber (I think that's a German word, no less...perhaps?) old school German pub/restaurant. I venture to guess it's pretty darn authentic judging by the old school German patrons, formica tables, faux leather chairs in a lovely shade of cinnamon and kitschy German decor spattered about...
What's not authentic: apathetic service. I mean, can't we find some nice German people? Methinks its possible. Cute isn't everything. Our server was doll faced, but lacking. However, the bartender...dammmmmn, I don't care where you came from honey, you were fine with me ;)
I didn't have the food. Something about heavy beer, sweltering temps, Â and oppressive humidity saps my appetite for encased meat and potatoes.
The beer, good stuff. I tried about 4 different kinds and left feeling like I consumed 12 loaves of bread.
Like I said, good for the experience. I'll bring my dad here. Good "dad" place. The beer is cold, the crew is old...let's all drink.
Okay, they don't control the weather. Â So the hot sticky night in the quaint little beer garden wasn't their fault. Â But my parched throat was. Â I don't get how a waitress can get a group of hard core drinkers and not be thrilled about it. Â Or how one can pass by someone with an empty glass a hundred times and say "excuse me" and smile but never think to say "would you like another?".
No problem. Â Go to the bar, should be a breeze. Â I have cash and know what I want, right. Â Not so much. Â Bartender Sonny was doing a great job but I guess they really don't ever expect to do much business and are clearly not ready for it when it happens. Â Which is sad because this is a cute little place with an old world vibe with just the right mix of neighborhood hipsters wearing fake Fendi hats and second generation germans with fancy mustaches to make it a regular stop on the cocktail express.
Its just the service. Â The waitress inside wouldn't wait on us unless we were sitting down, okay fine, I'll sit, and then only with a tab. okay fine, I'll open one, and then only if you're eating....huh? Â I'm German (and Swedish) and know my people like to make up crazy rules but that is just a bit much. Â I just wanted someone to take my money and pour me some more of that Reisling. Â I guess I will have to play my Swedish card at Simons!
Don't get me wrong, it was a fun time with fun people but they really didn't seem too thrilled with money spending customers wanting to buy drinks. Â Makes me wonder....
I give it 3 stars. Â The chicken shnitzel was okay, it was so huge too. The waitress kept asking us if we wanted a box and Maggie R and I said no and yes, we felt bad, all that work from the kitchen staff and for what! Â The plate still looked full, sorry kitchen people. Â Next time, I'll not eat for 4 days before coming in.
The bar did have some character, it was rather small (or maybe it looked small with all the yelpers), but it had tons of beer that I never heard of and random German shots. haha Â
They have a jukebox for music people! Â I can't tell you how much that made my night. Â I get to sit here, drink, AND listen to my favorite 80s tunes! Â
The service was a little slow and the bartendar was getting angry when a customer kept spilling his beer. Â And it was way too hot for the beer garden. Â Also, they need another girls bathroom.
By a very narrow margin, The Stube is now my favorite bar in Chicago. Â I will always have a very special place in my heart for the Old Town Ale House, but it's just too far away to make it my regular place anymore. Â Especially when I can easily stroll over to and stumble home from The Stube. Â
The beer garden in the back is an absolute treasure! Â And now that it's warming back up here, it's one of my favorite places to hang out with friends with a big old beer.
Great selection of German beer and awesome bartenders who are friendly, knowledgeable and have given me many sample glasses to try all the lovely brews on hand.
Full of character and full of characters. Â Love it.
WTF IS THAT SMELL?
I pondered as I made my way into Resi's. Â It's often argued that smell is the sense most linked to memory. Â Usually it's the smell of pumpkin pie or baking bread that triggers fond childhood memories. Â At Resi's it was the smell of beer, bar mats, and a funky bathroom that instantly triggered flashbacks of the aftermath of college parties, drinking games, random people passed out in my living room, walks of shame, etc.
Perhaps that's one of the reasons this place worked for me despite the olfactory assault. Â It reminds me of what I love about going out. Â This place isn't about seeing how many big screen TVs you have, how beautiful your crowd is, or how cool your image is. Â This place is quite simply about great German beer and hanging out with your friends. Â
(Seriously though, someone needs to freshen up that bathroom)
You want hands down the best Potato Pancakes?!? Â Come to Resi's! Â Three thick cakes each bigger than an average male's hand! Â You see the $7.95 price ($8.95 w/sour cream) and say, WTF? Â $8 for potato pancakes? Â Well, you will leave beyond stuffed and ready for a nap even if this is all you order. Â Served with apple sauce, crispy on the outside, perfectly soft on the inside, and chock full of flavor. Â Good schnitzel too.
Nothing fancy going on at Resi's. Â It feels like your 1960's/'70s basement with wood panelling on the walls. Â It is small and still allows smoking at all the tables. Â They must be able to avoid the smoking ban and pass it off as a "bar establishment" and not a restaurant though most people that go there are there to dine.
Nice German beer selection too.
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