Karl Ratzsch's Restaurant

It had been nearly 20 years since my last visit to this historic Milwaukee eatery, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is old Milwaukee. old ... more

My review is mixed. My wife and I learned about this restaurant from Living Social and decided to try it out. As most of the reviews stated, the food was great with relatively high price and the service was excellent. The server who was in her 50's and she was very helpful deciding what to order as this was our first time. Her service was excellent and we talked about coming back due to great food and service. That was the case until we asked for the check. We mentioned about having a Coupon from Living Social and her attitude changed drastically. She hurried up and said ""can I get a copy now?"" and before we said how wonderful the food was, she basically ingore and went to casher. I asked my wife was it me? or did her attitute suddenly changed right after mentioning Living Social Coupon, she felt the same way. We tried to have small conversation as there were no other customers, but she was almost like ""yea yea yea"" attitude. Regardless of having coupon, we gave her a beneift of doubt with 20% tip before discount. She should be happy that despite of her drastic attitude change, she still got paid well. \r \r We were the last ones to leave, but everybody working there was so busy chit chatting at the bar rather than greeting to say thank you or good night, except one person. First impression is not everthing, this restaurant screwed up and forgot last impression is more important. more

Beautiful German Decor and matching food. \r \r I haven't been in Ratzschs in some 7 years but they did not lose their touch in that time. Perfect environment for truly memorable dinner. My wife, who is of German descent had never been their before and was absolutely stunned by the beauty of the surroundings, the quality of the food, excellent attentive service and the wonderful background live piano treating us to traditional German waltz's and Gershwin classics. Fabulous. Pricy?? OK. YOu get what you pay for. It was worth every penny.\r \r One negative: THey were out of Goose Shank which is their signature meal. I will be back\r \r Bob Royko\r \r \r \r \r One negative more

I cannot explain the popularity of Ratzsche's. They try to dress up good German fare but only succeed in burying what would otherwise be decent food in fancy culinary constumes. The results -- for a German at least -- is just plain silliness (and at a high price too). The staff exudes phony friendliness and at least in my case, was inattentive. The waitress had learned her lines well, but a robot would have done just as good a job -- probably better, for a robot could probably correctly pronounce ""Spatzle."". Germans would find the decor a cariacature of a German restaurant, and by the way, if you speak German, you will find Ratzsche's German unusual and sometimes downright wrong (e.g., ""Hoxen"" instead of ""Haxen""). Maybe it's the beer (which I didn't sample) that brings the customers in. It certainly can't be the food. Or maybe some people just enjoy paying exorbitant prices for average fare. more

I have been going to Ratzsch's since the 70's. I have never had a bad meal or bad experience. The food has always been the correct temperature. Service has been great. I wish people would try and remember that McDonald's is not the criteria for judging service. There is a difference between fine dining and drive-thru. I would always recommend Ratzsch's to anyone. Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere more

Ordered Sauerbraten and Wiener Schnitzel = the restaurant specialty (per waitress). Wiener Schnitzel was paper thin, cold, meat must have been in fridge for months. Couldn't get over Sauerbraten's sauce bad taste. $29 for this dish!!! Stay away from KR or at least their specialty! Cons: Bad food, Expensive for quality more

For a real German smorgasbord, this is one of my favorite places to eat. The beer is excellent, and the food is stuffing. Really high quality traditional German fare. more

One of my favorite plkaes in the dining universe. Yes, it's kischy, yes, it's pricey but the whole thing is fun and the food is great. Especially if the string quartet is playing. Pros: weiner schnietzel more

Overpriced with mediocre food. It is a shame that a restaurant with a long standing positive image has sunk so low. The prices charged are insulting for what you get. You know things are bad when the only positive comments are about the beer. more

KR is my second favorite restaurant in the whole world (my first is Sama Sebo in P.C.Hooftstraat, Amsterdam, but that's another story). Raised in Milwaukee but now long departed, I look forward to dining at KR every time I visit. Gemutelichite! says it all. Milwaukee has many other fine German restaurants (e.g. Mader's) but KR tops the lot. A marvelous range of authentic draft beers, friendly service, and the Roast Goose is to die for. I often go there alone and am always warmly welcomed. Pros: Good Value for Money, Outstanding cuisine, Charming Waitresses Cons: Must Park on Street, A Bit Pricy, May Need Reservations more