Otto & Anita’s European Restaurant

I cannot say enough great things about Otto and Anita’s. Let’s start with the food– first of all you must try the dill pickle soup! What a unique and delicious item! Tangy, creamy, and packed with the flavor of a crisp dill pickle.
All of the dishes are authentic as it gets, and I have this on first hand from my German grandmother, or as we call her, Omi. I took her there for a pre-mother’s day meal and she was blown away. I have been eating her German cooking since I was little, and Otto’s food is very similar.
She got the special– the Beef Rouladen. It came with bright purple rott kraut, yellow spaetzle, orange carrots, and green spinach. The plate looked like a beautiful rainbow. Her beef was drowned in a rich gravy and she was able to cut it with a fork and butter knife it was so tender. She absolutely loved it
My son got a beautiful pretzel that we all got to try, and he also got a dish I can’t pronounce, which was basically a German potsticker sort of thing, filled with a mixture of meats and spices. You should have seen his face when he took the first bite! He was in heaven!
I got the bratwurst with kraut and potatoes. My understanding is that the brats are made in-​house, and it was absolutely delicious. The potatoes were a stand out, seasoned to perfection and pan fried to a crispy golden brown.
The service was amazing– they were so friendly and helpful to my Omi, who uses a walker. The manager (?) also made a point to tell us that next time we come we should just park right in front of the door to make it easier for her to get in.
We will be back soon. And when you go, make sure to take some strudel home with you from the baked goods section in the lobby. YUM!

Pretty good! The place looks a little divey, but the food was good and service was good. Price didn’t break the bank.

Had dinner last night and it was great. So happy to find a good local German restaurant.

The food and service are always fantastic! We took my in laws here last week and it’s all both of them can talk about now. My father in law can’t wait to go back and he’s usually picky about restaurants. The German chocolate cake and apple strudel are must haves!

Only been to this small out of the way German/​American café in Multnomah neighborhood in SW Portland once, but well worth finding. A little pricey for small restaurant, exceptional for quality and quantity in German food. The waiter gave excellent service letting us know of the daily specials which were quite a few to choose from. Loved the dill pickle soup, interesting taste, recipe online. Everything seems to be homemade, had the schnitzel my favorite Swiss choice with spaetzle, and daily vegetables, came with cup of soup. Hardy servings and hot tasty rolls with whipped butter shaped like a shell. Plan to return to try their escargot and trout. Many choices in menu hard to choose, can’t wait to dine there again.
The interior decorations are not set up for interesting atmosphere, nothing fancy, but clean n tidy.
Homemade desserts, which BTY is half priced on Saturday after 8:30pm. The parking lot is small, only for 3 cars, so expect to park nearby and walk short distance.

Guten Appetite… Noch ein Bier, bitte!
I have been coming here since living in the Pacific Northwest. When I was living overseas I would come home once a year and I always made sure to stop by Otto & Anita’s for my fix of German food. The greater Portland area has some good German restaurants but I prefer this restaurant to all of the rest. The interior is nothing special but there a few murals including a long one of a small German town that I think adds to the atmosphere.
The staff here are always polite and friendly and I think the last few times I have come we have had the male server. All of their staff are constantly good and do check on you even when they are busy. Our server filled our water glasses and brought more bread several times for us.
Before I go any further there is one item on the menu that you have to try. They make one of the best versions of a dill pickle soup that I have ever had. A cup is $ 3.00 and a bowl is $ 3.95. I have had similar soups in Europe but this is the best I have had in the USA. You might think it might be too acidic but it is not. Dill is one of the herbs that can overpower anything if not used properly but the soup has just the right amount of dill in it and the tiny pieces of pickle compliment the taste and texture.
I have had many of the entrees from the menu and I would have to say that my favorite is the Rahmschnitzel. It is pork loin, flamed in brandy, with a cream mushroom sauce. It is served with spatzle, carrots and spinach. The sauce is just perfect and there is just the right amount of brandy flavor in it. I would say I have probably ordered this item the most. I like spatzle so I am glad they have it on the menu as a side dish. Another one of my favorite dishes is the Zigeunerschnitzel. It is Pork Loin, topped in a «Gypsy style» sauce of red wine, paprika, peppers, mushrooms, and ham. It is also served with spätzle and the vegetables. The use of the paprika is not overpowering and I would say they use the mild paprika, not the spicy kind.
If you are not going to have the Shnitzels you might want to try the Wurst/​sausages. They have several types including Bratwurst (pork), Weisswurst (veal), Knackwurst (pork & beef) and Weisswurst (veal). They also have a curry wurst with is a Knackwurst with a spicy curry sauce. I have had all of them and liked them all. If I had to pick one I really liked the most I would have to say the Knachwurst was my favorite.
I have ordered appetizers here before but I usually fill up pretty easily from the food here. I like the large Bavarian pretzel appetizer which is freshly baked to order. It tastes fresh made and comes to the table warm. If you like fresh pretzels but don’t like the frozen taste, you have to give it a try.
For dessert my favorite is the coconut cake but the German chocolate and the Black Forest cakes are also good.
They are open Tuesday to Friday for lunch and Tuesday to Saturday for dinner. They are closed Sunday and Monday. Parking is always a bit of an issue so you may have to walk a block of two.
If you are in the Multnomah Village area give Otto & Anita’s a try. You won’t be disappointed. Prost!

Came here for a friend’s birthday and have been hooked ever since. You absolutely cannot skip on the dill pickle soup, trust me. The only thing I didn’t get to try is the fondue, so I’ll have to go back and update my review. The restaurant’s atmosphere was cool, too, and the owner was very personable.

It’s small, got-​not-​so great parking, and delicious, delicious food.
The servers are so nice (we mostly get the male employee, but the female one has helped me with take-​out; both seem to have great repertoire with customers). I haven’t met Otto or Anita in person, but if Anita is the one who takes the phone orders, I wish she was related to me because she is SO SWEET.
The dill pickle soup is a staple. I’m not a huge pickle fan myself, but if you like them at all, give it a chance. We dine in and get takeout both pretty regularly.
We actually tried this place because we were bummed by the change in management and food style at Gustav’s. We tried it a few more times before giving Otto & Anita’s a shot, and now I’m grateful! Better service, more intimate, and I love the paintings on the wall.

Amazing food! The dill pickle soup was delicious and I was so happy to finally eat their weinbergschnecken (escargot)! Had the special trout and some potent, but great garlic spätzle!
The service was wonderful and we felt very welcome.
It was a great experience and I cannot wait for the next repeat!

Had dinner there tonight. Place was packed but they found us a table. Note to self: On Fridays or Saturdays make reservations! Food was simply fantastic. I lived in Germany for 3 years and I’ve had some great German food. This was the best I’ve had in this country. My veal schnitzel was fork tender and delicious. The Maultauschen appetizer was wonderful as was the spaetzl. Despite the crowd there were only two servers. They worked their rears off but they were awesome. Very, very nice people. I will definitely be coming back soon. Highly recommended.

Wonderful if you’re lighter skinned than the a Sicilian or not apparently Jewish. Racist waiter in a dirty white t-​shirt casually flipped me off middle finger pressed to the side of his face and put a fly in my beer. Plan to return and poop hardily in the restroom.
Anita can cook but wonder if racist waiter applied additives.

I have never really had German food before, at least not a whole meal or at a restaurant, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was a wonderful experience!
Our waiter say us immediately, we had made a reservation just in case, but at 8 pm it had kind of cleared out. The place feels like you’re in someone’s home. He brought out bread for us and dill pickle soup. Only 3 of us had it come with our meal, but the waiter brought it for the 4^th person anyway, free of charge.
We had the combo special, Swiss cheese special and a few other things and everything was good. We purchased a strudel to go and it was amazing… And only 5 dollars! Definitely will be back.

Great authentic German food and even better service. We would definitely go back again soon! Yummy Famous Dill Soup

Having done some research on this restaurant on Unilocal prior to visiting the Portland metro area, I went here twice to eat… but they were closed both times. I was the idiot and didn’t pay attention to the days and times it was open; I had schnitzel on the brain and couldn’t think straight! However, I took a photo of the Pickle Soup recipe to try making at home; they had taped the recipe to their window next to their menu. I will try to eat here the next time I’m in the area. Note: They are closed Sunday and Monday!!! And NO lunch on Saturday either, when I came by the first time.: (

My son selected this place from a reviews site… and off we went. The place has very little parking, and it’s exterior, well, to be honest, and interior are not couture, but the food, oh the food is a delight.
I grew up in a family that ate a lot of German food, as my dad was an immigrant. I miss good German food. Spaetzle is a favorite, and I love a good sauce and a schnitzel. I was so impressed with all the dishes.
However, the dessert, oh my poor tummy, I am so sorry how I stretched you out, but I had to try the desserts. The eclairs are made there, and they are as close to heaven in chocolate as the earth has to offer.
By all means, try this place. They CARE if you like their food, and the service is wonderful. It’s a breath of fresh air in a market where restaurants seem to feel you owe them the experience of coming to dine with them, and yet deliver so little most of the time. This is old fashioned, good solid food. Yum!

I was honestly a little disappointed with my experience and Otto’s & Anita’s.
First off, the service was top notch. The waiter seemed to know a lot about German culture and made us feel extremely welcome.
The restaurant itself reminded me a little of my grandma’s house and so did their customer base. At 30 years old we were definitely the youngest family dining at this restaurant.
We started off by ordering the Dill Pickle soup, although not authentic it had amazing reviews and we were not disappointed. It tasted flavorful, fresh and delicious. Unfortunately it stopped there. Our main courses were bland and flavorless. I ordered a German bratwurst that may have looked like a legit bratwurst from Germany but tasted more like a Turkey dog without seasoning. Same goes for the Spätzle and Zigeunerschnitzel — no flavor.
The desserts were much better and fairly priced at $ 4.50 for a variety of Strudels. Also the Strawberry lemonade was huge, yummy and cheap — served in a German beer mug.
Honestly, I would not go back due to the food lacking flavor in my personal opinion but would definitely stop by during lunch to grab some lemonade and a bowl of Dill pickle soup.

If I woke up from a coma in Otto and Anita’s, I would think I were in Deutschland. The food was very authentic (with the exception of the dill soup which was AMAZING but definitely not German). Two in my party had the Rahmschnitzel, one had the combo plate, and one the Maultaschen. Every bit on every plate was completely cleaned off.
So for a German restaurant, this is the most authentic I’ve had in the USA. Thanks Otto and Anita and family for the great night!

There are not many German restaurants in Portland, but even if there were more, Otto & Anita’s would still be a standout. OK, so it’s not much for atmosphere and ambiance, and it is a little hard to find, but this is definitely a place to come for wonderfully prepared German food. The big attraction is a nice assortment of schnitzels and their extremely tasty dill pickle soup. Tonight, our waiter described to us their four «specials of the day» and they sounded really tempting. My friend and I decided to each have one of their specials which included a cup of the soup. My special was Swiss style chicken with Swiss cheese fondue sauce on top, spaetzle, carrots and spinach. The breaded chicken breast was tender and grilled perfectly, and the spaetzle was tasty with a good texture. Totally delicious! My friend’s special was a combination of half of a pork weinerschnitzel and a grilled bratwurst with spaetzle, sauerkraut and carrots. She thought it was perfection. Oh yeah, another big attraction here is their fabulous housemade desserts which includes several types of cakes and strudels. Since we were so impressed with the specials of the day for dinner, I got their special DESSERT of the day which was a slice of strawberry tart made with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Wow, Otto & Anita’s was terrific from the soup in the beginning, through the entrees, to the great dessert at the end.. .and all for a very reasonable price. My thoughts: Although I live in SE Portland quite a ways from Otto & Anita’s, I want to come here a lot!

I went into O&A’s for lunch and the place looked dark, and was completely empty. I was suspicious of trying a new restaurant that was completely empty, as I had to call the waitress out of the kitchen.
Once I was seated, the waitress was very attentive, even as the place got busier with other customers. And the food was wonderful. The dill pickle soup was tasty, and the schnitzel and bratwurst lunch combo special was very good. The dessert was good, but not excellent.
I will be back when I’m craving for German food.

I grew up eating at a lot of German restaurants so I’m pretty picky. I also prefer bavarian style so when they gave me German Potato salad here with a mayo base I was disappointed, as I like the vinegar bacon grease version only. That being said the pork schnitzel was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The dill pickle soup was funky pale green but surprisingly delicious. They only had a few German beers on tap so that was a little sad but what they had were good selections including Spaten (yes ZI know they are owned by Belgium people now but I don’t give a frack, it’s still one of the best German beers). The atmosphere is ok with a nice german village wall mural but it is sort of a basement style place with no windows in the main area so be prepared for that.
Overall I enjoyed it and if you have a hankering for German food you could do far worse.