Dreamland Palace German Restaurant

My wife and I just returned from a 100 mile round trip to Dreamland Palace German Restaurant in Foster Pond, IL. We arrived and were waited on in 10 minutes, which although there were only two other occupied tables was acceptable.
From the time, we ordered dinner to the time WE WALKED OUT was 55 minutes.
The waiter stopped by our table three times to ask us if everything was ok. I told the young man, just bring our dinner. Finally after 45 minutes of waiting, I asked to speak to the manager.
The manager never showed, but the waiter came out and said, «we ran out of potatoes,» and both of your dinners included potato pancakes, so it will be «awhile.»
I cannot believe that a restaurant with only 10 people in it runs out of food.
I certainly am not going to drive another 100 miles to be treated in such an unprofessional manner.

Let me begin by saying I’m of German descent, and I really wanted to like this place.
My definition of Dreamland Palace:
Bad German version of Denny’s that appeals mostly to customers 65+.
My advice about Dreamland Palace:
If you are under 65 years of age, or don’t live in the area, don’t bother with this place; it’s
not worth more than a 5 minute’s drive.
In this day and age, if you are going to do food old school style, by which I mean classic or old fashioned dishes that aren’t concerned with presentation, you should make certain your flavors and food shine. And unfortunately that is not the case here.
The Good:
1-​The Salad Bar was decent. It had a refreshing assortment of marinated salads, (no lettuce salads) which on the night we visited included 2 variations of sauerkraut slaw, marinated carrot salad, 3-​bean salad, and a marinated cucumber salad. The best were the cucumbers and the darker sauerkraut slaw.
2– The dessert display case had a variety of tasty-​looking options, however we did not order dessert, so I do not know if they tasted as good as they looked, or if they were homemade.
3-​The interesting décor items gave you something to look at while waiting for your food to arrive.
4-​The friendly, pleasant, competent waitstaff.
The Bad:
1-​Many of the food items are sub-​par.
The Applesauce, Sauerkraut and/​or Red Cabbage accompaniments came in condiment-​sized ramekins… perhaps a couple of tablespoons worth. My question is with meals almost twenty dollars, why so skimpy on the cheap cabbage dishes and jarred applesauce?
Just about every entrée came with Potato Pancakes and the most amazing thing about them was how they managed to be soggy despite being very thin and so darkly browned. They were about 1/​8″ thin, and only crispy on the very edges where they were paper thin. They were also rather greasy and easily the worst potato pancakes I have ever eaten.
The Sauerbraten which was touted as the house specialty was two small 1/​8″ slices of beef drowning in what appeared to be the thickened brine/​marinade, as half the plate was covered in the overwhelming marinade/​gravy making it impossible to taste the actual meat. The only plus is the meat, what little there was, was tender.
The Jaegerschnitzel, hmm… I don’t even know where to begin… There was basically nothing right about this meal, including the fact that it came with the aforementioned skimpy accompaniments. The meat was pounded to the ubiquitous 1/​8″ thickness that appears to be their standard here, and then breaded and fried. It was supposed to be veal, but barring a DNA test, there is no way to tell if that was the actual meat used or not because you couldn’t taste the meat under all the breading. Unfortunately it also seems as if it was deep fried because the overwhelming flavor was that of stale grease. It covered over half the plate with its edges curling up like a bowl which was filled with Mushroom Gravy. No clue if the gravy itself was homemade or not, however the mushrooms definitely came out of a can/​jar; they were pale; limp, chewy and tasteless. I don’t understand why fresh mushrooms are not used if you are serving mushroom gravy on so many of the dishes?
The Soup at the soup/​salad bar was tepid, tasteless and lacking texture. It was apparently vegetable soup, however if I had been blindfolded, I would have been at a loss to guess what it was other than mushy.
2-​Confusing entrance.
You enter the restaurant into a large room that if it were not for the salad bar near the back, you would think you were in a small antique shop. There is no sign to direct you, and no host/​hostess to help you either. It took us a minute or so to notice the narrow hallway to the seating area. At the far end of that hallway was the «wait to be seated» sign, where you stand until someone finally happens to notice you.
3-​Poor layout/​traffic flow.
Yes, I understand that this is an old historic building, but the way they are using the space only adds to the flow issues. While we were visiting the soup/​salad bar, about 6 customers arrived and were waiting in the hallway, making it impassible for others to get into the seating area until they were all seated. Meanwhile my not-​very-​hot-​to-​begin-​with soup grew colder by the minute while we were stuck in «traffic.»
4-​The owner talks at length (as in 15 minutes) with a few guests who perhaps he knows or are regulars, but totally ignores the rest of the patrons.
5-​The long drive for most everyone.
The Ugly:
1-​The smell.
Musty, dusty, old smell as you walked in and throughout the place. Guessing the owner and workers have become «nose-​blind» to the smell.
2– Being totally ignored by the seemingly chatty owner.
3-​The gross vinyl tablecloths that make you wonder how long those poor sticky/​tacky things have been in use.

This restaurant feels like a home. Everything is made from scratch. This is not the place where you can grab a quick bite to eat. A friend had been raving about this restaurant for a while so my husband and I took him for his 21^st birthday. From entrance to exit our meal took 3 hours and I loved every bit. Time flew by. This is a place to sit and relax, enjoy a beer, or two, and enjoy the company of friends and family. My only issue and it’s a very small one, it is a tad warm in the main dining hall.

Another great meal at Dreamland! Everyone that works there is excellent, but Nathan is a great waiter. The husband and wife that own this restaurant really have it designed perfectly, with red, black, and yellow tablecloths, amazing decorations and knickknacks, and awesome German cuisine.

I have no idea what the food is like, but the service was horrible! We were seated. Waited. We’re brought a glass of water. Waited. The waiter came to get our drink order, we asked what German beer was on tap, he kind of knew. We ordered a dunkel, which was wonderful. Our waiter stopped at a table to visit with guests, stayed for ten minutes. We waited. Other guests arrived and were seated. We waited. More guests arrived and were seated. We waited. We knew what we wanted to eat because we looked at the menu online. We waited. The guests that arrived after us had their orders taken and were heading to the salad bar. Forty minutes passed, we finished our beer and stood up. Our waiter finally came over. We asked for our check. He looked confused. We told him we only had a beer. He asked if we wanted to order food. We told him no. (Not now, earlier). We go out to pay for our beer, wait for a couple to finish up and step up to the register and our waiter appears to put another guest in front of us because that guest was in a hurry. I cannot imagine that we will return.

We had a groupon for this place. Which was why we went. And I’m so glad we went. The food was great. And the owner was so sweet. He came over and talked with us and got to know us. Who does that anymore. He made us feel like family. We loved talking to him and hearing the history of the place. We will definitely go back and next time we will bring more people. Spread the word. This place is great. Bring your family. The price is right and the food is yummmmmm. So get in your car and go for a little road trip. You won’t be disappointed.

Amazing food and atmosphere, authentic German cuisine and a friendly environment. The owners are very nice and fun and you can have a full conversation with the entire staff. The décor is very old school German and an overall awesome first experience. Will definitely be back to try out that outdoor patio. Did I mention the food is amazing?!

This dining experience would have to be the worst of all time. I purchased a groupon and was excited to try this restaurant for the first time. We arrived 30 minutes early and were seated promptly. The restaurant was packed with a lot of customers and the banquet room was even full. I had high hopes!!! The waiter took our drink order within ten minutes. Our drinks arrived and this is where the nightmare began. My wife and I both ordered the Roulade, a steak for my daughter and a hot dog for the three year old. After eating from a sub par salad bar with two choices of beets, cottage cheese and other various vinegar based salads we waited over two and half hours for our meals. Bread was brought to our table one time during the two and half hour wait. Our drinks were filled once and the wait staff was not attentive at all. The food arrived and was not pleasing to the eye. The rouladen, covered in gravy looked like a frozen meal and tasted about the same. The potato pancakes were very thin, super thin and tasted like they were from a box. My daughters steak was grey in color. She had one bite and spit it out into her napkin. My three year olds hot dog was the last to arrive and brought out about three-​five minutes after the other meals. Nothing was brought out at the same time. I immediately thought of Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares. The restaurant is outdated, dusty, and had a very stale smell in the air. From what I experienced I feel it’s my duty to warn people of this «Restaurant»!!!

Came here hoping for some good German food. My wife and I met in Germany and lived there for a few years, so we were excited when we saw this Groupon. What we got was one of the worst dining experiences in recent memory. Walked in and there was one table of three people. Stood by the «wait to be seated» sign for 10 minutes. Servers sat 5 feet from us rolling silverware and ignoring us. Finally seated by owner who was actually very nice. The first thing I noticed was the awful smell in the dining area. It was musty with more than a hint of decay. Okay, now I’m getting worried. Looked down on the floor and saw half a hotdog at my feet.
Ordered a nice Weizen beer, which was delivered in a bottle with a frosted mug. I asked the server for a non-​frosted Weizen glass which I could see on the bar. She brought it, and the beer was great — the only highlight of the evening really. The server was completely clueless, but I blame management for not training their staff. The food was awful and not at all authentic. In fact I’m pretty sure the entire meal came out of jars, cans and boxes. Nothing homemade here. I ordered the jaeger schnitzel. The mushrooms in the gravy were not fresh — slimy jar mushrooms. The gravy itself was runny, unseasoned powdered gravy mix (or at least tasted like it). The meat (veal? Pork? It was supposedly veal) was not pounded out enough, and appeared to be deep fried in oil that was in need of changing. Really dark in color and that weird oily taste of a weeks worth of deep fried food that comes from over used fry oil. The dish was barely edible. The potato pancakes looked perfectly cooked, but were extremely thin, room temperature, and completely tasteless. They tasted like they came out of a package — dehydrated potatoes? My wife made the mistake of ordering fish (fried cod). BAD IDEA! Posting a picture of the $ 14.95 frozen and fried cod brick that came complete with lunch room packets of tarter sauce! Is this a joke? It had the same look and flavor that accompanied my schnitzel. She also ordered the spaetzle as a side, which came out cold, watery and tasteless. Kids ordered brats on pretzel buns. These would have been good, but the buns had been microwaved, so they were really tough. Everyone knows you can’t microwave bread, no? The brats themselves were in fact edible for the low price of $ 9.00 each. The salad bar was a complete joke… a few cold salads (three bean, cole slaw, cottage cheese) and vegetable soup.
This place was so bad, that I find it hard to believe some of the positive reviews I see here. The owner told us that they had been voted best German restaurant last year. How in the world is that possible??! By whom exactly? This restaurant is ripe for an episode of Kitchen Nightmares… seriously, that’s what kept going through my mind.
I liked the atmosphere of the place (minus the stench) complete with lots of German memorabilia, and German fest music. I really wanted to like this place, but trust me… pass on this one.

This restaurant is a bit out of the ordinary in terms of location. However, if you choose to go — give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful drive to this hidden gem tucked away in the middle of gorgeous Southern Illinois. We planned to visit this restaurant in the evening and we used our gps to find it. The roads are windy so be careful and then your eyes fixate upon the quaintest house sitting alongside the road. The indoor lights sparkle and the atmosphere of a roadside German gathering place overflows from the large windows. Yes, I was so intrigued that we passed it the first time. Nothing a quick U-​turn can’t fix.
The restaurant décor is not fancy but authentic and welcoming. I felt as if I had strolled into a family home. Don’t expect fancy, expect homey. The place is full of incredible antiques and artifacts. The waiter sat us down at rather simple tables, the hand embroidered doilies reminded me of the small German town I grew up in.
Now to the FOOD!!! I had told my children that while I spent my college work study in Germany, I was afraid to try the food because I didn’t know what it was. The waiter took our drink and appetizer order. he suggested the bratwurst slices and potato pancakes. They were delicious.
We were a table of five which was fabulous because we could all try something different. My husband had the smoked pork chop! I actually took half of his second chop. It was delicious — I would say like a smoked ham. The salad bar hosts authentic German salads — so don’t expect lettuce and cucumbers. There is a wide selection of slaw, sauerkraut slaw that is over the top and these tasty sweet and sour diced carrots to name a few. YUM! The soup was homemade and vegetarian — it was okay.
Okay, so I’m embarrassed to admit that I forgot what my dish was called BUT it was incredible and I ate the WHOLE thing which is extremely rare. It was a chicken schnitzel, with potato pancake and German potato salad. We also had a Dreamland platter at the table which was a selection of Knockwurst, bratwurst and another wurst. Again — YUM, YUM, YUM!
There was more — so much more food, Nothing disappointed, And then there was dessert. My one suggestion would be if your going — go early. The locals know about this place and they go early. They were out of streudel, black forest cake and German chocolate cake. But we enjoyed Coconut Crème Pie and Lemon Pie.
Prices can vary. I had the lighter fare which is half of the original size so the price was half. The average full size meal is $ 15 and made to satisfy the big eater. Nobody finished their full size platters. For 5 people, with no alcohol, we hit $ 90. It was worth it and we overate and over ordered.
Take a drive out to Dreamland Palace. It’s worth it if you like authentic German food.

We drive 55 miles one way to eat here a few times a year. It’s always very good, I get the beef rouladan which is always tender and tasty. My husband likes the sausage platters or the pork chops, each one very good. The salad bar is always fresh and the vegetable soup is delicious. My only complaint is the stale crackers on the soup bar. The service is usually pretty good. The young man named dillon is very nice and attentive, there’s another young man with blond hair that really isn’t that attentive, but he’s a nice guy and tries to make up for his unattentiveness. Worth the drive for us only if we have a Groupon, otherwise with the price of the food and the gas, it really isn’t worth it.

Dreamland palace was a nightmare salad bar was a joke soup was cold food was average at best even with a Groupon it is over priced
Wouldn’t recommend

Wow! Don’t let the scary decorations run you off. Try to make sure you sit in the front, as I have been seated in the back and was a bit overwhelmed by the decorations and crafts that are for sale. Whether sitting in the front or rear, the food is good, authentic, German food. My wife had the sauerbraten, which was tasty, but not enough food for a bigger fella (a real man type). I was glad I had the Weinerschnitzel Von Holstein (a fried egg on top of pork schnitzel) which was a generous serving and was awesome! The potato pancakes were also to die for. Worth the trip to Foster Pond. Give it a try!

This was our first visit to Dreamland Palace and we were quote pleased with the visit. The staff is extremely friendly. The food was excellent. We most definitely will return.

Our family went to Bavaria last month and I was craving more German food. So 10 of us went there for my birthday. We walk in and it seemed like we were back in Germany, beautiful décor! We were seated and the owner came over to talk to us. He told my daughter that if she drew him a picture he would buy it for her. Once she finished he gave her $ 5.00 for the drawing, very nice of him. Everyone found something they would eat (very picky family) and loved every dish. I had the dreamland platter, highly recommend! The food was incredible and the service was top notch. Well worth the drive and already have a date set to go back!

Went to Dreamland quite a few years back, food took forever to come out and it was all cold. Prices too high for what it is. Owners were very rude when we confronted them about the cold tasteless food, they pretty much told us to never come back and to head home. Worst restaurant experience I have ever had by far. I could add to this negative experience, but I am keeping it simple for my review. Stay FAR AWAY from this rude establishment. If I could give negative stars, I would do so.

Food was terrible and high priced! Service was okay. Wanted the stuffed peppers they didn’t have any. Potatoe pancakes tasted like they were left over from yesterday! Would not recommend!

Not good. We used a Groupon to try out the food, it was extremely bland! My husband is full blooded German and he hated it. We ordered cake for dessert, still frozen, yuck. The place was empty and I see why now. AND every week they do Groupons, that should be a clue that they don’t get business.

I having been wanting to try this place for years. The recent Group-​On coupon got us to finally go. A great relaxing Sunday afternoon experience. The atmophere, food, and value was excellent. Very authentic German experience. The owner is very friendly as well as the waiter we had. We will be back soon… coupon or not! I

I guess a couple of things might run through your mind when you see a German restaurant in a rural town. The glass-​half-​full crowd would think it’s quaint; they’re proud of their heritage and the history of their town, etc. For us cynics, it’s hard not to wonder if a bunch of nazi war criminals found a refuge right here in Illinois farm country. I saw a collection of old Mercedes by the garage.
Such is life in post-​911 America, I guess. Any chance to be suspicious, I jump on it.
The people at Dreamland Palace were very nice, and this place definitely reminded me of some of the restaurants I visited in Germany. The soundtrack was probably «Live From the Hofbrau Haus» and really made the scene complete. The other thing we loved here was the beer — huge glasses of hefeweisen on draft and a nice selection of bottle beer, too. Our favorite was the Paulaner Dubbel Bock.
For an appetizer, we had something called brat bites, or something like that. They were deep fried pieces of bratwurst and came with some brown mustard. They were good, but please don’t tell my doctor I had them. For entrees we ordered Jaegerschnitzel, breaded veal with a mushroom gravy and something called Black Forest Schnitzel, which I don’t recall seeing in Germany; chicken with ham and swiss on top. For sides, we had potato pancakes, German potato salad, green beans and red cabbage. You got to go through the salad bar before your meal, which reminded me very much of dishes you might find at the Hometown Buffet. Definitely no seconds. Probably the best things were the chicken and potato pancakes. The rest was just okay. The aren’t a lot of German restaurants in the St. Louis area, but I don’t think there’s really a need to drive way out here for a fix.
To summarize: Great beer, okay food, very authentic German atmosphere and friendly service.