One Of America’s Greatest Old School Restaurants Isn’t Too Far From Rockford

Maybe I'm an old soul but I've always preferred the old school as opposed to the "new" when it comes to restaurants.

For me, Lino's in Rockford is old school, and it's perfect. Everything about it tells me it's one of America's best old school restaurants.

The Daily Meal did a study of the Greatest Old-School Restaurants in the US and while Lino's didn't make the cut, one equally old-school cool restaurant did.

If you've been to around long enough, I'm sure you've heard of The Berghoff Restaurant.

Located at 17 West Adams Street in Chicago, and about a 90-minute drive from Rockford, The Berghoff is the kind of place that everyone needs to visit at least once.

My best local comparison to The Berghoff would be Der Rathskeller in Rockford.

The Daily Meal:

The Berghoff Restaurant first opened its doors in 1898, serving free sandwiches to guests who bought a mug of beer for 10 cents. Over the years, a full roster of German classics made their way onto the menu, including Bavarian pretzels, potato pancakes, sausages and wiener schnitzel.

While Der Rathskeller has closed and now reopened under a slightly different name, The Berghoff in Chicago remains virtually the same.

I made my first trip to the Berghoff last fall before going to Hamilton. The show was excellent, the food was good, it was a wonderful night. After my visit, I can totally see why The Berghoff is one of America's best old-school joints.

Sweet Lenny is the brand manager of 97ZOK, Q98.5, and Operations Manager for Townsquare Media Rockford. Catch him afternoons 3 to 7 on 97ZOK. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and like his page on Facebook.