One liter of The Radler’s house pilsner.
The other night we visited The Radler and killed a few birds with one stone. Firstly, we got out of the house and had a nice dinner. Next, we got to try out a new restaurant in our neighborhood. Dallas actually went to The Radler once before but I couldn’t go because I was too sick. On that visit he only sat at the bar, so I’m counting this as the first time we visited for dinner. Lastly, this was our first time taking Makai out to eat at a restaurant! I really wish we could have been doing this the last two months, but things have been crazy and with my health not good in those months, I’m just glad I’m feeling better and that I’m finally up for it now!
The Radler’s house pilsner and house radler. Note on the mural below.
The Radler is a German restaurant and beer hall that opened in Logan Square at the beginning of December. To drink, The Radler has a good long list of beers. I can’t remember specifically, but I’m assuming they were mostly German. There were also a few specialty cocktails and some wine. Dallas and I decided to try the house pilsner, which The Radler teams up with Flesk Brewing in Lombard, IL to make. Dallas had the big, one liter stein and I tried the house radler, which is the same beer, but mixed with San Pellegrino lemonata. I liked what I had but it would be way more delicious on a hot summer day.
Marinated Mushrooms And Rahmkase Cheese with rye bread.
Seared Boarwurst with caramelized onions and cocoa nib relish, beet puree,charred frisee, raisins, spicy mustard.
The dinner menu is split into Appetizers, The Best (dishes ranging from smallish to entree size), and The Wurst (a selection of housemade 1/4 pound sausages), and sides. We decided to sample a little from each area.
German Onion Pie with shaved Brussels sprouts, bacon vinaigrette, chives, pilsner soubise
Veal Schnitzel with mulled pinot noir, grilled romaine, oranges, pickled kohlrabi, honeycomb candy.
I really liked the boarwurst and that it had different condiments to sample with the meat. The onion pie was very good. Very savory and the slaw on the top was very light and vinegary, which was a good balance. The pie was small, so if you’re really hungry, you might want to share this in addition to a bigger entree. Dallas enjoyed the schnitzel, but thought the honeycomb candy (this was basically angel food candy) made it too sweet. The only thing we were disappointed in was the appetizer. We were both envisioning something hot with melted cheese and it was more like marinated mushrooms with chopped up cheese. It didn’t taste bad, but was not what we were wanting.
Black Forest Cake baked chocolate pudding, cherry jam, whipped crème fraiche
Dallas didn’t want dessert, but I did! I decided to try the Black Forrest Cake, which was a very rich, dense chocolate cake. It was almost like a brownie and offset with the lightness and sweetness of the cream and the sweet/sour cherries.
The Radler, Logan Square, Chicago
Inside, The Radler is a mix of communal seating and individual tables. There’s a long bar, if you want to just have drinks and a sausage or pretzel. There’s a LOT of dark wood. The kitchen is open to the dining area and we sat right next to it, so we could see the cooks at work. One thing I read is that while they were excavating the space to build out the the restaurant, they discovered a 120-year-old mural and that is the mural behind the bar. You can see it in my photo of Dallas above. Pretty cool. Oh, also, all of the restaurant tables, chairs and stools were built by one of the restaurant founder’s dad!
The Radler, Logan Square, Chicago
Overall, we both enjoyed The Radler. I had expected something more like the Lincoln Square German beer halls. Hearty. Traditional. Old fashioned. But The Radler is actually a bit more sophisticated, modern and refined. Fancier, without feeling stuffy. I’m glad to have this as a new addition… and to have it just two blocks away!