Karl Ratzsch’s Restaurant

Giving this place a 3.5 star review. Being fans of german food, the wife and I ate dinner here on a recent visit to Milwaukee to see what all the hype was about north of the state line.
I will say that it’s a very nice looking place with an upscale vibe that I found a little different than my go to German restaurants in Chicago. The atmosphere was cozy but it didn’t have the gemütlichkeit that I was expecting for a place that has been around for almost a century.
Having said that the food was good although it was very expensive for german fare. We tried the Octoberfest strudel for an appetizer which was good. The spinach salad with hot bacon dressing was very tasty and the dressing was excellent. The liver dumpling soup was solid although the dumplings had too much breading for my taste. We split the pork shank for dinner which was quite good as was the red cabbage. Most entrees were north of $ 30.00 which is nearly twice as much as the same dishes at my favorite german places here in Chicago.
However, the biggest disappointment of the night was the beer selection on tap. We’re in Milwaukee (think beer) at a german restaurant (think beer) that’s been around for nearly a hundred years and they have two german beers on tap — both weiss beers at $ 8.00 a glass. A good german restaurant should have at least a half dozen beers on tap in three or four different styles (ie: weiss, pilsner, dunkel). Sorry Karl, but this alone will keep me away from future visits.

Our waiter Dennis is a great waiter, and an even better gentleman. We had a light lunch– the mermaid salad was perfect– not too much dressing, plenty of shrimp, and the walnuts were great! Mom got the schnitzel, and loved every bite. We will be back!!! A cozy gem in downtown.

Ratzsch’s was a cozy German restaurant that we stopped by for a couple of after dinner drinks. The décor is unique and charming and from my understanding has the look of a typical German restaurant. Since we visited in November it was beautifully decorated for the holidays with lights and garland as well. The service and staff at the bar were great. They were accommodating and extremely friendly and offered suggestions on drinks. I decided to try one of their famous Tom & Jerry’s, a traditional Christmastime cocktail, that included hot water, brandy, rum and their homemade batter. While I have never enjoyed eggnog the batter on this drink was very good! They also have a good selection of German and domestic beers. While I enjoyed the drinks and service (and would visit again) I felt that the $ 35 dollar bill was a bit steep for only three drinks.

I don’t know why this place has so many stars. The food is good. It is authentic and I do enjoy the beer selection. It is honestly one of few restaurants that make me think of Bavaria.
My issue is the prices are WAY overpriced! There is no need for plates to be 30 dollars for chicken and pork (cheap protein). The food is German comfort food… It is sushi or foodie food.
The service was terrible… Food came out luke warm…
Ambience was dark, heavy, and just old…

Simply outstanding. And our server, Dolores, even better.
Came in on a Tuesday night. Just about had the place to ourselves. Ordered the liver pâté and cheese dip for appetizers. Both were very good.
I had the special, a stuffed pork chop with spätzle and kraut. The damn thing just fell apart! I was only going to eat half, but that didn’t happen. Never had anything better.
My colleague had just a knockwurst off the small plate menu. It was smoked. It was AWSOME! I didn’t think you could get better than the pork chop, but it was crazy good!
Browsing the desert tray was a delight in its own right, but no room at all for anything on the platter.
Food came out quick. Dolores was very attentive and most helpful when ordering. 5 stars all the way. The décor is pretty ornate, except for the restrooms on the second floor, where the ghost of the 70’s lurks!

OMG this place is old school. And heavy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! The décor and muzak are Sound of Music. If you come from Chicago, I’d describe it as a cross between Edelweiss and Miller’s Tavern, with tons of kitschy Black Forest paintings on the wood paneled walls. The waitress was so friendly I wanted to invite her to sit down and have dinner (except she was busy). The busboys were mostly absent when plates needed to be cleared, but they’ll learn.
I’m sure the beer is great but I ordered a Manhattan and it was greater. For dinner I had roast duck. It’s the only reason I’m writing this review – it was the most delicious duck I’ve ever been served. Meaty, well seasoned, served with a tasty gravy, and the skin was perfect. I didn’t like the smoked meat flavor infused into the red cabbage, which however was crunchy – where I come from, a veg is supposed to taste like a veg and not like smoked meat. Also below par was the apple strudel which was cloyingly sweet, almost like candied fruit. I should have stuck to my Frangelico – they have a nice selection of after dinner liqueurs.
No matter, this place is a trip back in time – food and service. And that duck encourages me to come back and try other slow cooked meals in this Old World setting.

I want to see a Karl Ratzsch versus Mader’s RAP BATTLE. I came here on a weeknight around 6:30pm and the place was pretty empty. Inside it was all ornate German style. Because that is the thing here. I ordered the sausage sampler, which came with knackwurst, bratwurst, Hungarian sausage, red cabbage, fries (because that is German?) and a cheesy dippin sauce. The sausages were all Usinger’s obvi but the knackwurst was the best.
Before the meal I ate the entire bread bowl by myself. Almost. What a way to fill up. I also down two tasty dark beers like I was a hobbit or something.
The cheesy dippin sauce was a disappointment. AM I NOT IN WISCONSIN? Overall the place was pretty great (with Mader’s winning by a nose).

This is a small and cosy German restaurant. The décor is really old school, but I find this typical for German restaurants. They have tried very hard to maintain the history of the restaurant. Apparently, they have been open since 1904. The food definitely shows why they have been open for business for so long.
They offer a very diverse bread basket. My favorite was the crunchy small crutons. The service is very good, the staff was friendly and courteous.
I ordered the pork schnitzel which was amazing, I would totally recommend it.
The only bad part is that their tables are so close to each other that is impossible to maintain a private conversation.
Overall, a good place to have typical German food.

Schnitzel, spaetzle, bratwurst und bier, sehr gut!!!

Old school German restaurant.
Huge portions of delicious German food.
You will leave STUFFED…