For more than four decades, Chicago Brauhaus has provided the Lincoln Square neighborhood with German flavor, but that distinction could be coming to an end. On Wednesday, a real estate listing for the building that houses the restaurant and bar (4723 N Lincoln Ave) surfaced, prompting Chicagoist to report that Brauhaus may, in fact, be closing. The real estate agent for the listing, Peter Graham, later confirmed to DNAinfo that brothers Harry and Guenter Kempf, who own Brauhaus, were planning to retire and shutter the iconic German restaurant.
The real estate listing advertises three spaces within the almost 17,000-square-foot building that are available for lease. "Operating in the heart of the Lincoln Square neighborhood for over 40 years, the iconic Chicago Brauhaus now provides a rare opportunity across from the Lincoln Square fountain for dynamic retail and restaurant space just off of the Western Brown Line stop at the intersections of Lawrence, Western and Lincoln avenues," the listing states.
Brauhaus did not say whether it has scheduled a closing date. UPDATE: Harry Kempf pushed back against the leasing agent's characterization in an interview late Wednesday with the Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel, acknowledging that the brothers sold their building but saying the restaurant isn't closing yet: "What might happen in two months, three months, I will decide," Kempf told Vettel. "Nobody else will run Chicago Brauhaus after me, that's for sure." So if you'd like to get one last meal and stein (or boot) of cold beer at Brauhaus, you may want to throw on your lederhosen and head over sooner than later.
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