Karlings Inn

Came here for dinner while visiting family in DeLand Florida. Loved this place, there is up front parking as well as spots around the side if you don’t find a spot out in front. The food is great. I loved the rolls, I think I ate about 4 of those, they were so fluffy and doughy. I got the soup and it was good, but a little spicy, so I traded my boyfriend and had his Cesar salad. I would go back and get the salad. I had the prime rib special and it was huge, but it was good, he got the schnitzel and that was good as well. For dessert we got the key lime baked alaska and the apple strudel, both were really good. I hope to come back next time we are in town. The lady that I believe owns this place is super sweet and nice.

Jimmy and Lily ARE the Karling Inn. He cooks – European home style chef; she greets, informs, personally assists like your favorite aunt and generally makes life worth living with her constant smile, a twinkle in her eye and a soft laugh always lingering in her demeanor, as well as a ready assurance about a menu choice or a suggestion that they can do something off the menu if you so desire.
Last night I had the roast duck of an entire lifetime (see photo posted by Regie), served with a baked black cherry dressing in the side and a compote of red cabbage, beets and onions that was melt (should I say «meld») in your mouth delicious. In not sure what the creamy grain served on the side was. Imagine a barley risotto with butter and cream. Whatever, it was an excellent complement.
Even their bread was baked from scratch on their European bakery next door – don’t miss their coffee and baked goods!
Finally, the warmly lit interior with lots of wood and interesting architectural features reminds me of nothing less than a fine countryside inn on Poland, and on a very authentic and believable kind of way, rather than the hokey «faux» European so often seen in places with original names like «Heidelberg Inn». This place doesn’t have to try. It’s just plain great.

5 stars is hard to come by for me and my husband. The best German restaurant, may take time to get food, but the food is fresh and very pleasant. The owner comes around frequently asking how we like it. Definitly will come back.

This is, without a doubt, the best restaurant & best kept secret in Central Florida. The food is European, perfectly prepared & served. My family has been celebrating here for 25 years – through several owners. The current iteration is perhaps the best ever. I always have the escargots & usually a schnitzel. His soups are to die for! As is the red cabbage! It’s worth a drive from anywhere you happen to be staying!
They have added a bakery which is open from 8 A-​2P. Out of this world! Jimmy bakes all the lovely pastries. The coffee is wonderful! A morning treat.

One of the best meals I have ever eaten. I can’t wait to go back. We had four different meals at the table and they were all amazing.

My husband, Bill, and I took his 92 year old mother for Sunday brunch, and it turned into the ugliest and strangest dining experience we have ever encountered. (Note: we love dining out, and we are all professional and polite people!) Lilly gave us brunch menus, and we noted that the price for brunch was $ 21.95, not the $ 11.95 price advertised in the newspaper. When we asked her about that, she told us that was a different menu. She frowned and told us the three of us would have to share the menu for the $ 11.95 brunch because she only had one. She was not happy. Of course, we should have left then; things only got worse.
My husband asked Lilly if there would be any problem eating there because he cannot eat dairy or sugar. She began to agressiviely quiz him and demanded to know if this was a medical condition or a whim, when it started, and how could he be sure about these allergies. She would not believe him, and finally Bill asked her to please stop asking him personal questions. She then assured us he would be fine because the chef made everything to order. So, Bill ordered salad and dinner without dairy products or sugar. I ordered salad and salmon, both with dressing on the side. Yes, it got worse.
Bill’s salad arrived with cheese. When he requested a new salad, the waitress took the salad away, and Lilly came out and demanded to know what was wrong with it! My salad arrived. The dressing on the side arrived long after the others finished their salad. My mother-in-law’s food was perfect!
Our main entrees arrived. Bill had one piece of salmon without the carrots he ordered. He asked for them three times, and they arrived with the dessert menu when we all had finished. My salmon arrived covered with sauce. I asked the waitress for salmon without sauce, as I had ordered. Lilly then again came out, demanding what was wrong, telling me the food was wonderful and asking what was the matter with me. I explained again I do not generally eat sauces, and I would like the salmon without sauce. The waitress brought the same piece of salmon with only some of the sauce scraped off. I asked her to take it away. Lilly again came out and became so argumentative I asked her to discuss this away from the table because my mother-​in-​law was ready to cry. I asked her to remove the salmon from my bill. She refused, so I asked her the name of the owner. She refused to tell me. I told her all right, just forget about it, and I asked her not to come to our table again because she was upsetting my mother-​in-​law.
Lilly came again and brought the bill; all of the entrees were on the bill. We said nothing and gave her our credit card. When we returned the card, she said she removed my entrée, but she only removed the price of Bill’s mother’s drink. We said, «Thank you» to our nice waitress and left, relieved to exit that strange and hostile place!

Karlings has been my husband’s and my favorite place to celebrate our special occasions, so to celebrate my birthday this week we made our reservations there. I’m pretty certain that other people celebrate their special days there also, as there was a lovely couple celebrating their 53^rd anniversary there the same night.
We were lovingly greeted by Lily, Chef Jim’s adorable wife, and the excellent service continued with our sweet waitress (in her German costume — so cute!), and with Lily also making sure that everyone was happy.
My husband and I know to order the specials when we go, and they are always a delight (although I have to fight with myself to not order the duck every time, which I have had on a couple of occasions, and just love). This time, I ordered the stuffed lobster tail en croute, and not only was it delicious sitting on the pool of spicy red pepper sauce, but the presentation was beautiful, too. The ample side dish choices were all fresh and flavorful.
We also shared the escargot appetizer and a bottle of chilled white wine from their wine list. When it came time for dessert, we were certain that we could not eat another bite more… until Chef Jim brought out an incredible baked Alaska with a birthday candle on top! We finished every bite of that too.
Just as fine as the food and service are, the ambiance is equally fine, decorated so that you feel that you are in an European Inn. The customers usually seem to form a camaraderie that you don’t find in most gourmet restaurants, greeting each other, and sharing laughs while almost drooling over each other’s dinners as they come out of the kitchen.
So, yes, definitly plan to have dinner, lunch or Sunday brunch if you are going to be in the neighborhood, but, believe me, it is well worth the drive for those special occasions.

We dropped in here by accident on a sunday afternoon, kind of lost and very hungry. Well to our amazement we stepped into a gourmet German restaurant that was spectacular. All the dishes appeared to be homemade, we tried schnitzel and a chicken dish. the cucumber salad was delicous, as was the red cabbage side dish. The desserts are homemade as well, we had a creampuff that was to die for. If you are in the area try this place.