Lincoln Turner Hall Cafe

Culled from: Drury, John. Dining in Chicago, New York: The John Day Company, 1931, p. 179.

Note: The Newberry Library holds the personal papers of author John Drury.

LINCOLN TURNER HALL CAFE, 1005 Diversey Parkway

Like a breath from Unter den Linden. A German orchestra plays compositions by Strauss, Mozart, and Wagner; imported oil paintings adorn the walls; the dining room is large and colorful, with red predominating; waiters of thick accent careen hither and yon with steins of (near) beer; stout Teutonic papas and their families eat sauerbraten or kartoffel kloesse; and all is lively, crowded, colorful, and Continental.

The dining room is located on the ground floor of the Lincoln Turner Hall, an old landmark in the center of the north side German area. It is conducted by August and Fred Marx, cousins, who formerly ran Marx's "Beer Tunnel," a basement sauerkraut and beer establishment in the Loop in the old days. They are widely known among German-Americans of the city and many of their old friends are always present at dinner in the Lincoln Turner Hall dining room.

Music is featured only during dinner. The table d'hote dinners are $1.00 and $1.25; luncheons are 50 and 75 cents. All of the standard German dishes are on the menu, as well as the regular American items, and the cooking here is in the hands of expert German chefs.

Maitre d'hotel: August Marx