Fab Happenings: Chicago Christkindlmarket

The holidays are my favorite time of the year, and in Chicago, the holidays are truly magical. There is nothing quite like watching bustling crowds shopping for holiday gifts, sipping on warm drinks while bundled up, or staring at all the Christmas lights around the city. But my favorite thing about the holidays in Chicago is that there is always something fun to do. So this year, I decided to check out the annual Christkindlmarket on Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop. I had heard about the market for years, but I had never been – and boy was I missing out.

{Ambiance}
Inspired by the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg Germany, Chicago’s version transports you to a German Christmas wonderland the moment you enter. You can spend hours meandering through the rows of little booths and taking in all the fun goods and gifts. All the booths are decorated in Christmas greens and lights and are marked with signs telling you where in Germany the gifts are from. This adds to the charm of a traditional German market (though Chicago did not adopt the traditional German spelling of Christkindlesmarkt). However, the real highlight of Christkindlmarket Chicago, at least for me, was all the food booths. The market is open from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and is pretty packed all day long.

I arrived at the market around 11:15 a.m., and there was already a crowd milling around. As the day went on, the crowd got even bigger so if you don’t like busy places, Christkindlmarket might not be the best place to go. The market appeals to people of all ages, I saw many families and groups of friends together. I even witnessed someone celebrating their birthday at the Christkindlmarket, which was definitely fun! Despite the busy atmosphere, Christkindlmarket Chicago retains the holiday charm. There were tall tables with cute Christmas tablecloths all around for you to stand and eat or just hang out. Because there were so many people, I often found myself sharing tables with strangers, which was fun to meet new people. Everyone was very friendly as the holiday spirit was in full swing!

FAB TIP: Christkindlmarket also offers special daily events throughout the day. You can check the schedule of events here.

{Food}
There were food stands scattered all over the market, and at first, I was a little overwhelmed. Having never really experienced German food before, I wanted to try every booth. But as they day went on, it was pretty easy to spot the foods I really wanted to try. To make it easy for first-timers like me, they had multiple booths selling some of Christkindlmarket’s best selling foods and drinks. That way, I was able to try all the popular foods! One great thing that really struck me as cheery, was how you could stop and ask people where they got their food when you saw something yummy. Everyone was so helpful, I was able to find the foods I wanted quick and easy! The lines for the food booths varied throughout the day. However, even if the lines were a bit longer, the vendors moved fast, and I never had to wait more than a few minutes for my food.

Favorite Foods
German Bratwurst with Sauerkraut
This was the first thing I ate at Christkindlmarket, and I fell in love right away. I loved the size of the sandwich because it wasn’t too big and wasn’t too small. I could enjoy it and still have room for all the other food at the market. The bratwurst was hearty and flavorful. I added some sauerkraut, German mustard, and ketchup, which created a balanced bite of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. The bun was fitting for such a hearty piece of meat. It was bigger than your average hot dog bun, but it still had the same softness to it, which I loved. You can find German Bratwurst at various stands throughout the market.

Döner Box
This Döner Box from Dündermen caught my eye right away. I saw people walking around with it, and I was immediately on the hunt to find it. The box comes with seasoned fries on the bottom and topped with flavorful roasted chicken, fresh greens, tomato/cucumber shirazi, onions, pickles, tzatziki yogurt sauce, and harissa red pepper sauce. How was it? It was like a chicken salad over fries, which basically is the salad combination of my dreams. It was so great to get a bite of all the fresh vegetables with the chicken and fries. The tzatziki sauce helped keep the flavors light and refreshing, even though the box was very filling. I saw a lot of people getting it to go, so the word is out!

FAB TIP: Dündermen takes credit cards so you don’t need cash if you’re only planning on getting food from their booth.

Pizza-stuffed Pretzel
I was so full by the time I stumbled across the Hot Pretzel booth, but when you see a pizza-stuffed soft pretzel, there’s really no resisting. The booth offered pretzels in both sweet and savory options. I definitely want to go back to try another flavor. The pretzel itself was soft and warm. I was very satisfied when I pulled the pretzel apart and saw all the pizza sauce and pepperoni inside. Upon eating it, I loved the intense pizza flavor – such a great combo of flavors with the pretzel dough and pizza toppings!

Apple Strudel
The strudel from Helmut’s Original Austrian Strudels hit the sweet spot for me. It was crumbly and flaky and reminded me of apple pie. I tried eating the strudel while walking around, which I don’t recommend. I had sugar and crumbs all over me and even had some of the apple-filing spill out… thankfully, it’s an outdoor market. The apple filling was not too sweet and went perfectly with the flaky pastry around it, a perfect balance. I love this dessert and plan to go back to get a box of these to go!

{Experience}
I wish I had gone to Christkindlmarket years ago! I absolutely loved how it encompassed the holiday and Christmas spirit in such a fun and unique way. I also loved to see everyone at the market having such a good time even though it was cold out! Christkindlmarket Chicago is open until Dec. 24^th, so you can bet I’ll be back whether it’s to try more food or to eat some of my favorites again. It’s free to enter so I highly recommend you check it out if you’ve never been.
Please share your favorite things to do around the Holidays in Chicago!

FAB TIP: Christkindlmarket is cash only! (With the exception of a few booths) So make sure you bring enough cash to eat a lot! Most dishes range from $3-$10.

{Location}
Christkindlmarket Chicago
Downtown Loop || 50 W Washington St, Chicago IL || P: (312) 494-2175

{Price}
$  ($10 and Under)

{Fab Rating: 4.5 Fabs}

Eat on!
Chelsia

Note: These meals were not complimentary. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the writer.