Chicago, Illinois · Founded 1898
A 1898 Loop German restaurant whose post-Prohibition liquor-license tradition and 1969 bar protest became Chicago history.
The Berghoff began as Herman Joseph Berghoff's beer-and-sandwich trade, grew into a Loop German restaurant, obtained Chicago's first post-Prohibition liquor license in 1933, and ran a men-only bar that NOW members challenged in 1969.
Herman Joseph Berghoff sells Dortmunder-style beer at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition, building the trade behind the later restaurant.
Berghoff opens a restaurant in the Loop combining beer sales with complimentary sandwiches.
During Prohibition, the family continues food service and sells nonalcoholic products to keep the business running.
On December 5, The Berghoff receives what is widely credited as Chicago's first post-Prohibition liquor license.
Members of the National Organization for Women (NOW) challenge The Berghoff's men-only bar policy.
The original full-service restaurant closes following Herman Berghoff's retirement.
The Berghoff reopens as a full-service restaurant.
Carlyn Berghoff transfers the business's assets to the Berghoff Restaurant Company of Delaware, reportedly under Pete Berghoff's ownership.
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Consistently confirmed by industry reporting and historical sources, but original founding-era documentation was not located to verify the account directly.
Widely and consistently reported, but the underlying municipal licensing records were not independently reviewed for this entry.
Multiple accounts confirm the challenge and the resulting policy change, but exact dates and details of the protest vary between sources.
The original full-service restaurant closed in 2006 before reopening in modified form; uninterrupted operation since 1898 does not hold.
Independent reporting confirms Pete Berghoff's ownership following the 2016 transfer of assets from Carlyn Berghoff to the Berghoff Restaurant Company of Delaware.
The 'without interruption' framing conflicts with The Berghoff's own documented history: the original restaurant closed in 2006 and did not return to full-service operation until 2007. Family ownership across generations, including the 2016 transfer to Pete Berghoff, is documented, but an unbroken 125-plus-year operating history is not.
The Berghoff relocated to 17 West Adams Street in 1905.
No reliable evidence supports a 1905 relocation; historical accounts place the 1898 opening at or near the present location.
Source: Historical accounts of The Berghoff's founding and early location
The Berghoff has operated continuously since 1898.
The original full-service restaurant closed in 2006 and reopened in revised form, returning to full-service operation in 2007.
Source: Coverage of the 2006 closure and 2007 reopening
The Berghoff holds Chicago's first liquor license.
The designation refers specifically to the first post-Prohibition liquor license, issued December 5, 1933 — not the first license in the city's history.
Source: Coverage of The Berghoff's post-Prohibition liquor licensing
The Berghoff is Chicago's oldest restaurant.
Independent accounts date Daley's Restaurant in Woodlawn to 1892, six years before The Berghoff's 1898 founding, making the 'oldest restaurant' framing a marketing claim rather than a verified ranking.
Source: Independent coverage of Daley's Restaurant's founding; Chicago dining-history retrospectives
The Berghoff has been 100 percent family-owned and family-operated for more than 125 years, without interruption.
Family ownership across generations is documented, including the 2016 transfer to Pete Berghoff, but the restaurant's operating history was interrupted by the 2006 closure and 2007 reopening.
Source: Coverage of the 2006 closure and 2007 reopening; reporting on the 2016 ownership transfer
The Berghoff endures through recognizable family branding, a stable Loop location, German-American culinary traditions, and operational flexibility. Its institutional continuity — rather than uninterrupted service — defines its longevity following the 2006 closure and 2007 reopening.
17 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 427-3170
Check the current restaurant, café, bar and brewery hours before visiting; the official site provides reservation and dining information.