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10 Classic Chicago Dining Rooms

Take a journey through history at these 10 spots.

by Jeffy Mai
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by Jeffy Mai

Chicago has numerous classic restaurants that are all worth a visit, but the following places have historic dining spaces that extend the tradition beyond the menu. Many are decades old while others are more recent but each has a storied past visible in its style and setting. Take a look for yourself and stroll down memory lane inside some of the city's most iconic dining rooms.

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The Berghoff Restaurant

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What started as a saloon selling its own beer has turned into a Chicago institution. The Berghoff has endured for more than a century and even to this day, very little has changed. It still offers its own specialty sodas made popular during the Prohibition era alongside contemporary German fare. And every year the city issues liquor license no. 1 to the landmark restaurant, a tradition that started after prohibition was repealed.

17 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 427-3170
(312) 427-3170

Also featured in:

Pump Room

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Chicago’s iconic Pump Room is one of the city’s most famous dining rooms, having served countless celebrities throughout the decades. After a brief closing, the restaurant reopened in 2011 under new ownership in the remodeled Public Chicago Hotel. The menu features farm-to-table fare including pastas and flatbreads along with Pump Room classics such as roasted lobster.

1301 N State Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 601-2970
(312) 601-2970

Also featured in:

The Walnut Room

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Macy’s famous Walnut Room holds the honor of being the country’s oldest continually-running restaurant. It’s located on the 7th floor of the store and its 17,000 square-foot dining room has been feeding shoppers since 1907, when it was originally known as the South Tea Room. Today, the most popular menu item remains Mrs. Hewing’s 1890 Original Chicken Pot Pie, a classic recipe that continues to satisfy adults and children alike.

111 N State St, Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 781-3125
(312) 781-3125

Also featured in:

Cape Cod Room

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Many greats have left their marks—literally—on the Drake Hotel’s vintage seafood restaurant. The cozy, nautical-themed dining room opened in 1933 and has served famous guests such as Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, whose carved initials can still be seen on the wooden bar. Other traditions that have stood the test of time include preparing the signature Dover sole tableside, a crowd-pleasing best seller.

140 E Walton Pl, Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 787-2200
(312) 787-2200

Also featured in:

Superdawg Drive-In

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Drive-in restaurants are near-relics of yesteryear, with Superdawg being one of the rare exceptions. The iconic hot dog stand has been open since 1948, offering car service so patrons don’t have to leave their vehicles. The signature Superdawg remains a prime example of the Chicago hot dog and hungry drivers coming down Milwaukee Ave. continue to be greeted by giant wiener figures of owners Maurie and Flaurie on the roof of the restaurant.

6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 763-0660
(773) 763-0660

Also featured in:

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.

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The classic Victorian-style building has seen its share of tragedy over the decades. The infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place across the street and a house fire gutted the place in 1971. Today, it’s been revived and rebuilt as the home of the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company, where the specialty is the pizza pot pie. Each pie contains an individual-sized serving of Sicilian bread-type dough and is loaded with housemade tomato sauce, cheese, sausage and mushrooms.

2121 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 248-2570
(773) 248-2570

Also featured in:

Silver Palm

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You won’t find many dining rooms anywhere in the country like Silver Palm’s. Set inside a 1940’s Budd dining car, the restaurant is named after the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which runs from Washington D.C. to Miami. As for the food, the signature item on the menu is the 3 Piggy sandwich that’s packed to the brim with smoked ham, pork tenderloin bacon, gruyere, onion ring and egg.

768 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 666-9322
(312) 666-9322

Also featured in:

The Bedford

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Wicker Park’s popular restaurant and bar is a unique experience unlike any other. It’s located inside a 1920’s historic private bank and features reclaimed and restored material from the original space. Coolest of all, the lounge is set inside the bank vault, which contains a large steel door and copper deposit boxes.

1612 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 235-8800
(773) 235-8800

Also featured in:

Chicago Chop House

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History lines the walls at Chicago Chop House, where hundreds of photos retell the city’s past. The restaurant itself is located inside a Victorian brownstone house that holds three separate dining rooms across multiple floors. Diners feel right at home and the food lives up to the grandiose setting as Chop House is one of the few steakhouses in town offering dry-aged and Mishima steaks, a unique cut known for its “delicate flavor and tenderness.”

60 W Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 787-7100
(312) 787-7100

Also featured in:

Patio at Cafe Brauer

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No trip to Lincoln Park Zoo would be complete without a visit to the Patio at Café Brauer. The restaurant sits beside the historic Prairie School-style landmark right next to the South Pond. The original Café Brauer was one of the city’s most popular during the early twentieth century and while it closed in the ‘40s, the space can still be rented out for private events and functions.

2021 N Stockton Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 742-2400
(312) 742-2400

Also featured in:

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The Berghoff Restaurant

17 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60603

What started as a saloon selling its own beer has turned into a Chicago institution. The Berghoff has endured for more than a century and even to this day, very little has changed. It still offers its own specialty sodas made popular during the Prohibition era alongside contemporary German fare. And every year the city issues liquor license no. 1 to the landmark restaurant, a tradition that started after prohibition was repealed.

17 W Adams St, Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 427-3170
(312) 427-3170

Pump Room

1301 N State Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60610

Chicago’s iconic Pump Room is one of the city’s most famous dining rooms, having served countless celebrities throughout the decades. After a brief closing, the restaurant reopened in 2011 under new ownership in the remodeled Public Chicago Hotel. The menu features farm-to-table fare including pastas and flatbreads along with Pump Room classics such as roasted lobster.

1301 N State Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 601-2970
(312) 601-2970

The Walnut Room

111 N State St, Chicago, IL 60602

Macy’s famous Walnut Room holds the honor of being the country’s oldest continually-running restaurant. It’s located on the 7th floor of the store and its 17,000 square-foot dining room has been feeding shoppers since 1907, when it was originally known as the South Tea Room. Today, the most popular menu item remains Mrs. Hewing’s 1890 Original Chicken Pot Pie, a classic recipe that continues to satisfy adults and children alike.

111 N State St, Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 781-3125
(312) 781-3125

Cape Cod Room

140 E Walton Pl, Chicago, IL 60611

Many greats have left their marks—literally—on the Drake Hotel’s vintage seafood restaurant. The cozy, nautical-themed dining room opened in 1933 and has served famous guests such as Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, whose carved initials can still be seen on the wooden bar. Other traditions that have stood the test of time include preparing the signature Dover sole tableside, a crowd-pleasing best seller.

140 E Walton Pl, Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 787-2200
(312) 787-2200

Superdawg Drive-In

6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646

Drive-in restaurants are near-relics of yesteryear, with Superdawg being one of the rare exceptions. The iconic hot dog stand has been open since 1948, offering car service so patrons don’t have to leave their vehicles. The signature Superdawg remains a prime example of the Chicago hot dog and hungry drivers coming down Milwaukee Ave. continue to be greeted by giant wiener figures of owners Maurie and Flaurie on the roof of the restaurant.

6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 763-0660
(773) 763-0660

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.

2121 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

The classic Victorian-style building has seen its share of tragedy over the decades. The infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place across the street and a house fire gutted the place in 1971. Today, it’s been revived and rebuilt as the home of the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company, where the specialty is the pizza pot pie. Each pie contains an individual-sized serving of Sicilian bread-type dough and is loaded with housemade tomato sauce, cheese, sausage and mushrooms.

2121 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 248-2570
(773) 248-2570

Silver Palm

768 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

You won’t find many dining rooms anywhere in the country like Silver Palm’s. Set inside a 1940’s Budd dining car, the restaurant is named after the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which runs from Washington D.C. to Miami. As for the food, the signature item on the menu is the 3 Piggy sandwich that’s packed to the brim with smoked ham, pork tenderloin bacon, gruyere, onion ring and egg.

768 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 666-9322
(312) 666-9322

The Bedford

1612 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

Wicker Park’s popular restaurant and bar is a unique experience unlike any other. It’s located inside a 1920’s historic private bank and features reclaimed and restored material from the original space. Coolest of all, the lounge is set inside the bank vault, which contains a large steel door and copper deposit boxes.

1612 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 235-8800
(773) 235-8800

Chicago Chop House

60 W Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60610

History lines the walls at Chicago Chop House, where hundreds of photos retell the city’s past. The restaurant itself is located inside a Victorian brownstone house that holds three separate dining rooms across multiple floors. Diners feel right at home and the food lives up to the grandiose setting as Chop House is one of the few steakhouses in town offering dry-aged and Mishima steaks, a unique cut known for its “delicate flavor and tenderness.”

60 W Ontario St, Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 787-7100
(312) 787-7100

Patio at Cafe Brauer

2021 N Stockton Dr, Chicago, IL 60614

No trip to Lincoln Park Zoo would be complete without a visit to the Patio at Café Brauer. The restaurant sits beside the historic Prairie School-style landmark right next to the South Pond. The original Café Brauer was one of the city’s most popular during the early twentieth century and while it closed in the ‘40s, the space can still be rented out for private events and functions.

2021 N Stockton Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 742-2400
(312) 742-2400

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