The Bavarian Lodge

08/22/2026

07/24/2026

Hofbräu München Oktoberfestbier is Now on Tap!

Oktoberfest beer? In July?! We know... It feels a little wrong. Even we glanced at the calendar twice. But when it comes to German beer, we follow the breweries, not the weather or the calendar. Freshness is everything, and the first Oktoberfest lagers are starting to arrive from Munich right now. We could wait, but they're here now and oh so fresh! So yes… it’s officially the start of Oktoberfest season. (Don’t blame us. Blame Germany. 🇩🇪😉)

Brewed by Munich’s legendary Hofbräuhaus, this is one of the six authentic Oktoberfest breweries actually permitted to pour at the world’s biggest beer festival. Hofbräu’s roots stretch back to 1589, when Duke Wilhelm V established the brewery to supply the Bavarian royal court. More than four centuries later, they’re still producing one of the benchmark Märzen/Festbier styles.

Expect a brilliantly clear golden lager with fresh bread crust, soft honeyed malt, a touch of floral and herbal hop character, and a crisp, clean finish that somehow stays dangerously drinkable despite its hearty Bavarian soul.

So yes… it may still be summer, but Oktoberfest has begun to arrive. The first Oktoberfest pour of the season is flowing today at The Bavarian Lodge. Many more classics coming soon... Prost! 🍺

07/19/2026

THE BAVARIAN LODGE IS HIRING!

Oktoberfest season is just around the corner, which makes this the perfect time to join our team, learn the ropes, and get your bearings before one of our busiest and most exciting times of the year.

For 40 years, The Bavarian Lodge has remained a stable, respected, family-owned restaurant with a loyal following, a nationally recognized beer program, and a reputation built one guest at a time. We are not a corporate chain, and we are not interested in filling uniforms with warm bodies. We are looking for genuinely talented, dependable people who take pride in their work and would be worthy additions to our team.

We are currently seeking:
Bartenders • Servers • Bussers • Hosts

Restaurant experience is certainly helpful, especially behind the bar, but character matters just as much. We value kindness, intelligence, good judgment, reliability, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work well with both guests and coworkers.

Intimidated by our enormous beer list or expansive menu? Don’t be. Nobody arrives knowing everything, and we are happy to teach those who are eager and willing to learn.

This is an opportunity to become part of a longtime local institution, work in a supportive family-owned environment, and represent a restaurant with genuine history, personality, and prestige. Apply in person at The Bavarian Lodge or complete an application online through our website.

Come get settled in before the steins start flying. Oktoberfest is almost here!!

Know someone who sounds like the right fit? Please pass this along and encourage them to apply. The best additions to a great team often come through the people who already know and appreciate what we do... Prost!

07/17/2026

WE’RE BACK… AND THE BEER IS FLOWING! 🍺

The Bavarian Lodge has officially reopened after our two-week summer break, and we’re rested, refreshed, and ready to welcome everyone back!

To celebrate, we’re pouring something very special from our taps: Pinkus Unfiltered Ur-Pils on draft for the first time ever at The Bavarian Lodge!

Brewed in Münster, Germany, Pinkus traces its history all the way back to 1816. Once one of more than 150 breweries in the city, Pinkus is now Münster’s last remaining brewery, still owned and operated by the founding family. In the 1980s, it also became a pioneering all-organic brewery.

Their Ur-Pils is brewed with organic malt and hops and served gloriously unfiltered: naturally hazy, ultra-fresh, crisp, lightly bready, beautifully bitter, and exceptionally refreshing. “Ur” roughly translates to “original,” and this is classic German pilsner drinking at its purest.

The doors are open. The kitchen is cooking. Pinkus is pouring. Come see us this weekend! 🇩🇪🍻

07/05/2026

Apparently, big milestones are coming in pairs around here… Hot on the heels of celebrating 40 years of The Bavarian Lodge yesterday, we have another very special anniversary to mark today: it's been 25 years since Tyler first joined The Bavarian Lodge family!

Twenty-five years. It is hard to even put into words what that means. Tyler has been here through countless changes, struggles, and triumphs, always with unwavering support. She is our right hand, the person we count on when something needs attention, fixing, figuring out, calming down, or simply getting done. In a word, she is irreplaceable.

The Bavarian Lodge would not be what it is today without her dedication, her loyalty, her humor, her heart, and the relationships she has built with so many of you over the years. We know there are countless guests, bar regulars, friends, coworkers, and longtime “BavLo” faces who feel exactly the same way we do.

We want to wish Tyler a very happy and well-earned vacation, and hope she is having a wonderful time away. When we reopen, we hope everyone who knows and loves her will stop by, welcome her back, raise a glass, share a story, and help us celebrate her 25 remarkable years of service.

Tyler, from all of us: thank you. Truly. We are so sincerely grateful that you are ours. Here’s to 25 years, and to our one and only Tyler… Prost! 🍻

07/04/2026

As we celebrate the 4th of July and the 250th birthday of the United States, we are also taking a moment today to mark a milestone that means more to our family than we can properly put into words.

Forty years ago today, on July 4th, 1986, our family opened the doors to a small restaurant in a strip mall on Ogden Avenue in Naperville. Back then, it was known simply as Chef Paul. It was opened by an immigrant family that risked just about everything to build something of their own. Forty years later, that same family is still here.

Restaurants are not easy. Family-owned restaurants are even harder. Reaching 40 years is something most restaurants never get the chance to celebrate, and we know very well that we did not get here alone.

To every guest who has ever walked through our doors, ordered a meal, brought in family or friends, celebrated a birthday, shared a beer, left a kind review, told someone about us, or simply chose to spend an evening with us: thank you.

To every employee, past and present, who helped carry this place through busy nights, long weekends, holidays, hard years, and unforgettable moments: thank you. This restaurant has been shaped by so many hands and so much heart.

We are especially grateful for the generations of regulars who have made this place part of their own lives. We have watched guests get married, have children, bring those children in, and now see those children bring families of their own. That is something we will never take for granted.

We are also thinking fondly of the many friends, guests, and familiar faces who helped make this place what it is, but are no longer with us. Their seats, stories, laughs, and kindness are still very much a part of this restaurant.

From Chef Paul to The Bavarian Lodge, from Naperville to Lisle, from 1986 to today, we are humbled, grateful, and honestly a little overwhelmed. We do not know exactly what the future holds, but we are deeply grateful to still be here, still doing this, and still surrounded by a community that has given our family so much.

We are currently closed for our annual summer break, but we'll be back to our regular schedule on Wednesday, July 15th, at 4pm. When we return, it would mean the world to raise a glass with you and celebrate this milestone together. Thank you for giving our family the chance to do this for 40 years.

With full hearts and deep gratitude,

The Bavarian Lodge Family
Seit 1986

06/26/2026

Last call for your Bavarian Lodge fix! This is your final weekend to load up on schnitzel, sausages, roast duck, pretzels, and world-class beer before we take our annual two-week summer break. Come see us this weekend, raise a glass, grab your favorites, and help send us into vacation mode properly!

We’ll be closed July 1–14, then back to regular business hours on Wednesday, July 15 at 4pm.

As always, thank you for supporting our independent, family-owned and operated restaurant and pub. We’re incredibly grateful for every visit, every meal, every beer, and every year you’ve kept this little German lodge going strong. See you this weekend! Prost! 🇩🇪🍺

06/12/2026

Now on Draft: Rothaus Pils

Today we’re thrilled to welcome Rothaus Pils to the Bavarian Lodge draft list for the very first time. Brewed deep in Germany’s Black Forest, Rothaus is one of the country’s most beloved and iconic breweries, with roots dating back to 1791. Their legendary pilsner, often known by its famous “Tannenzäpfle” bottle, is a benchmark of classic German brewing: bright, elegant, crisp, and beautifully refined. This is a beer with history, pedigree, and serious drinkability.

Rothaus Pils makes its BavLo draft debut today... Come raise a glass to the Black Forest!

06/09/2026

Dad says he doesn’t need anything. We disagree!

Give him Chicagoland's best schnitzel, greatest beer selection, delicious roast duck, homemade sausages, and the perfect excuse to come to the Bavarian Lodge... Bavarian Lodge gift cards are available online in just a few clicks, then sent straight to Dad’s email or phone.

Give Dad the gift he'll actually use! No wrapping. No guessing. No emergency socks.

Gift cards available at bavarian-lodge.com.