URGENT! German Restaurant Recommendation Needed (Need replies by 5:00pm today (Friday)) (St. Louis: appointed, wedding)

[Kassad]

Taking my wife to a German restaurant in St. Louis and looking for recommendations.

So far I'm leaning towards Gast Haus but I am still very early into my research.


The obvious criteria:
Quality of food (duh.....)
Authentic German look/feel (we lived in Germany for 3 years so we'll know)


Bonus points for:
Area the restaurant is in (can we walk around the area before after dinner and enjoy it)
Beer selection (My selfishness is coming out )
Live music?

[1greatcity]

I've been hearing good things about Gast Haus, but I haven't been there personally. Bevo Mill is always a good option. So is Schniedhorst's on Lindbergh.
And frequently, people go to Illinois towns like Milstadt and Waterloo for good authentic German cuisine. Don't know the names of the restaurants, though...sorry.

[billiken]

My husband lived in Germany as well, and I've been there enough times (in fact, I just got back from a wedding there). You'll pretty much strike out on great German food in STL. We've been to Gast Haus many times, since it's pretty much the only option in town, and the food is just okay, the service is atrocious (the same person might be the host, server, and cook, given our experiences...), and the atmosphere can vary. Sometimes, we'd see a group of people that appeared to be practicing their German language skills, but typically the place is fairly empty, and the servers are definitely not German. It's located pretty much right across the street from Ameren's HQ, which isn't particularly scenic, but Lafayette Square is close by. They have German music playing in the background, I've never seen live music. We are beer fanatics, and if memory serves me right, the beer is mostly focused on stuff you'd find around Munich (which was a bummer because we spent more time in Northwest Germany, unlike most American tourists), and they'd from time to time be out of the beer we'd want.

We went to a place out in Hermann once that was pretty solid, but I forget the name, and it's pretty out of the way regardless. I'd also heard there was a good place somewhere in IL, but we pretty much never ventured out that direction. Don't bother with Rhine Haus in the CWE--it's essentially focused on being a bar that happens to serve German beer with really not-so-good food (who fries spaetzle?)

[Kassad]

Originally Posted by billiken

My husband lived in Germany as well, and I've been there enough times (in fact, I just got back from a wedding there). You'll pretty much strike out on great German food in STL. We've been to Gast Haus many times, since it's pretty much the only option in town, and the food is just okay, the service is atrocious (the same person might be the host, server, and cook, given our experiences...), and the atmosphere can vary. Sometimes, we'd see a group of people that appeared to be practicing their German language skills, but typically the place is fairly empty, and the servers are definitely not German. It's located pretty much right across the street from Ameren's HQ, which isn't particularly scenic, but Lafayette Square is close by. They have German music playing in the background, I've never seen live music. We are beer fanatics, and if memory serves me right, the beer is mostly focused on stuff you'd find around Munich (which was a bummer because we spent more time in Northwest Germany, unlike most American tourists), and they'd from time to time be out of the beer we'd want.

We went to a place out in Hermann once that was pretty solid, but I forget the name, and it's pretty out of the way regardless. I'd also heard there was a good place somewhere in IL, but we pretty much never ventured out that direction. Don't bother with Rhine Haus in the CWE--it's essentially focused on being a bar that happens to serve German beer with really not-so-good food (who fries spaetzle?)

Don't ya hate it when you have to eat at a certain restaurant because it is your only option? That's kind of how I feel about the German restaurant in Mascoutah. That's probably the German restaurant you are talking about in IL. It is average, at best. The only time you should go there is if you live near there and you absolutely have to have something that might resemble german food. Maybe I'm exagerating, but I've spent time in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, and all the adorable little German towns in between and there just is no comparison *sigh*..

I think I'll plan on going to gast Haus, but not set my expectations too high, that way I won't get too dissappointed

On a side note I also came across an eastern european restaurant named Grbic that serves sarma (minced meat and rice wrapped in cabbage rolls). If it's anything like the Salarma I've had in Bucharest then that's a definite possibility

[Old Trafford]

Here you go-

Feasting Fox is on South Grand, you can walk to tTed Drewes after, though the area is not as nice as Grand S Grand about a mile north
http://www.feastingfox.com/

Rhinehaus is in the Central West End (west of Kingshighway) more of a bar atmosphere, bu they do have good Frickadellen
http://50.116.75.142/~rhaus/

URban Chestnut is a brewery with very limited food, but the beir garten is awesome! about as close to Bavaria as you will find in the midwest
http://urbanchestnut.com/home

Iron Barley has the best schnitzle I have had outside of Germany, but the menu is mostly American
http://www.ironbarley.com/

The Tap Room has pretty good German fare, but is not exclusively German
http://schlafly.com/tap-room/

Grbic Eastern European with a lot of German items,
http://www.grbicrestaurant.com/

Have only ate there once, but it was good, full German menu, you can walk around the St. Charles historic district
http://www.allmenus.com/mo/lindenwood/185091-st-charles-vintage-house/menu/

The Gasthaus is OK, not great, not bad, been about 5 years since the last time I was there. You could walk around Lafayette Sq.
http://www.stlgasthaus.com/1.html

Schneithorst use to be all German menu, now a few token items, probably not worth it
http://www.schneithorst.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&It emid=54

Have not been there in a long time, food was good, a bit out of the way in Waterloo
http://www.dreamlandpalace.net/

Really enjoyed my last visit to Romer Topf, reminds me of a country gasthaus, once again a bit out of the way
http://roemertopfllc.com/

Last time I check Bevo was not doingdinner, looks like they are doing a special Friday night deal, you might give them a call -
Welcome to TheBevoMill.com

[Caesarstl]

Originally Posted by Kassad

Don't ya hate it when you have to eat at a certain restaurant because it is your only option? That's kind of how I feel about the German restaurant in Mascoutah. That's probably the German restaurant you are talking about in IL. It is average, at best. The only time you should go there is if you live near there and you absolutely have to have something that might resemble german food. Maybe I'm exagerating, but I've spent time in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, and all the adorable little German towns in between and there just is no comparison *sigh*..

I think I'll plan on going to gast Haus, but not set my expectations too high, that way I won't get too dissappointed

On a side note I also came across an eastern european restaurant named Grbic that serves sarma (minced meat and rice wrapped in cabbage rolls). If it's anything like the Salarma I've had in Bucharest then that's a definite possibility

The one I went to was down by Waterloo, can't remember the name of it at the moment though...

[Kassad]

So I took the wife to Gast Haus last Friday. I was not impressed. Arriving just before 7:00pm on a Friday and seeing the place almost empty should have been a clue.

The food was average, at best. The ambience and decor below average; didn't look like a German restaurant in the least. I had the jagerschnitzel. I've had them a hundred times and this was not even close to what I'm used to.

The best part of the meal was that because we arrived as happy hour was ending I was still able to get a 1-qt glass of good german import beer for $5.

We won't be going back.

[W. Keller]

The best German food is at the Dreamland Palace, Foster Pond, IL, a 30 minute lovely drive (Fall leaf colors) south on Route 3 to Waterloo, right on route 156 to Foster Pond.

Excellent Sauerbraten made the old fashioned way (marinated for days in brine), not just sour gravy over beef. A full German menu, German beer, wine, (full bar) atmosphere, music. Reasonable prices.

Friday, Saturday evening suggest calling ahead for reservations.

I've been going here for 15 years and never disappointed.

[jo_mama]

i love grbic. my husband works for/with germans and they took us to grbic for dinner once. they stated it was not "real german" food, but pretty close. and the waiter we had was german speaking, which they thought was awesome. the goulash and cauliflower schnitzel were amazing.

many of the german restaurants in illinois have closed over the years. german food just doesn't have the wide appeal italian or french does. i've never heard anything good about dreamland palace in foster pond.

[chicagobear]

Originally Posted by jo_mama

german food just doesn't have the wide appeal italian or french does.

I joke that my ancestors left Germany and came to America because they didn't like the food.