Rathskeller

It’s under construction. But you can still get drinks, popcorn and food next door.
Friday is pizza night so we got 2 flat bread pizzas to try for only 6 bucks each!
tried the fully loaded nachos, worth getting to share with the group while everyone catches up!
Grilled cheese with chicken, tasty but spicy. With tomato soup which was quite smoky, not to my liking.
Great place to catch up, need a Caltech member to go there, but Twas nice with my Nerdy boyfriend. Next time we hope the renovation will be complete so I can check out the place in all its glory. Dan was talking about how nice the long bar is.

Wow! I had no idea the Rathskellar was closing! I’m almost in tears after reading this article
and I’ve never shed any type of emotion about a business closing before. Maybe it’s because the family that owned this business treated you like a family member when you arrived, gave you an experience and showed you a bit of their culture. I hope they find a new location, because my October will never be the same without visiting their tavern.

*revising previous review to comment on its closing, which I found out today after trying to go there.
I can only hope they relocate somewhere closer to Irvine. I think Tustin would be a great area for them (and me). I really miss being able to get currywurst and a cold kostritzer.

WTF the Rathskeller is closed down. Plz someone tell me this isn’t true.

This place is great to grab a drink when you’re in the area. They have several good Belgium beers on tap. My choice is the black and I always get the larger glass. I still have yet to try the food here but I bet it is amazing.
Just remember to bring some cash since this place is cash only. They do however have some ATM machines inside but beware they have some charge to it.
The environment is pretty relaxed and most of the people that come here are locals.
Overall it is a great place to enjoy a beer and just hang out.
There is plenty of parking in the area unless it is October.

Cool place, permanent aroma of sauerkraut and some smoke, but great beer, and usually fun regulars «an der Theke» :)
Hurry up to visit, because their lease expires at the end of March 2013, and the new location is still unknown.

German Guzzlin’
So, it was almost Oktoberfest when we decided to drive up to Old World to check out their bars. We located a parking lot, bypassed a bumpin’ bar (if we wanted trendy we wouldn’t be here), and found ourselves looking at the Rathskeller sign. It can’t get any more authentic then this… so we walked on down.
Dark, a little dank, festive décor, and a German feel. I’m no prude, so this place was pretty chill! The bartender was nice. We chatted with her for a good amount of time. We were here strictly for the German brews. I’m not sure why we didn’t grab a bite but it was all good because we had a lovely time. We ogled at the mugs and glasses that engulf the bar. Oh, how we wished to be a regular with a cup saved for us. We even witnessed one being used. Pretty sweet, if you ask me.
Welcoming and pure German awesomness! I’d love to make another trip back. I have to admit, I’ve never been to an Oktoberfest before but I envision it being super cool & filled with German brew, bratw’s & babes!

Rathskeller is an interesting little German dive bar hidden in Old World Village. Half liters of beer are priced at $ 8, which is a pretty good deal, considering you can order items such as Hofbrauhaus Dunkel. The curry wurst was decent (curry taste like Heinz A57 sauce with a little bit of curry powder) and the Strammer Maxx is basically a thick slice of fried homemade bologna… legit!
It was pretty dead on a friday night, but if you like a nice quiet dive where you can chillax (or watch the Laker game) with your friends, this isn’t a bad spot to be at.
3 solid stars. Zum Wohl!

Remember that scene in «Inglorious Basterds» where Bradd Pitt talking about the bar in a basement? This place is like that!!!
This is a bar located in the basement of Old World. Drinks here are reasonably priced. You can get a half liter of hef for $ 8 out the door. Pretty good deal!
The food here is pretty good, but a tad overpriced and the portions are kinda small. I’d probably recommend coming here to grab a drink and maybe some small munchies. I had the curry wurst ($ 9), comes w/​fried potatoes & a single sausage. While the quality of the meat was good I still left a tad hungry.
Tips:
+Cash only

I REALLY like this bar. REALLY!!! Charming and quaint — nice atmosphere and nice people hanging out here. Some fun music videos — German — when no live music.
When Octoberfest gets weary and dull — THIS is the place to escape to.
It’s a good thing I have kids — I might spend too much time in bars like this.

Lively and fun atmosphere. in an underground German tavern! Everyone was having a good buzz at 4PM on a Saturday afternoon.
What you can do here:
— — — — — — — — — –
* Bring ca$h! — probably for this reason, no open tabs, so you pay upfront
* 0.5L (=16.9 oz) beers on tap $ 8
* Enjoy live Polka music
* Order from an abridged Old World Restaurant menu — There are still wursts and bar food you can enjoy here… the only downside is that you have to pay with cash (thus I would rather eat upstairs and pay with card, with a full selection of food & desserts, but a narrower selection of German beers)
What to skip here:
— — — — — — — —
* Using the ATM here — I was charged the $ 2.25 service fee, plus another $ 2 fee… bleh
This seemed like a popular congregation spot for many regulars. I wish there were more places like this closer to home, so I could be one of those regulars. :)

Wow, does this place bring back memories of a Rathskeller up in Euerka, CA. I love the fact that this little German pub is subterreanan, and while I understand why it may fit into the ‘Old World’ mall around it, it really needs to be located next to a college.
The atmosphere is great. A throwback from decades past… you’ll find a homey little bar, and great vinyl booths, random eclectic humorous signage, and of course, all to wall sunken trophy cases. It just screams ‘college’ to me, so if you are looking for a very low-​key, casual, good olé’ time throwing back some awesome German brews, then this place is a hidden treasure in it’s «kitchiness» factor alone.
A large screen TV plays recorded German shows, and you can find a couple of good Euro soccer matches as well.
Bartender Axel is very friendly and a hoot to speak with.
All the fun factor and décor aside, I have to knock it for it’s some what ‘generic’ food. Oh, the menu is a cheap-​date dream, and you’ll get a taste of the Mother land, albeit, a tad on the vanilla side. My brat ($ 6.50), was just that… a plain brat on a plain bun served with a dallop of plain yellow mustard. I so wanted some exciting stone ground, or authentic beer infused mustard, but all I got was French’s…bummer.
My friend had the Strammer Max (open face ham sandwich witha fried egg on top, $ 8.75) served with potato salad, and it was exactly that. Wasn’t bad, but there was nothing about it that made it stand out for $ 9. Potato salad was ‘okay’, and while it may be homemade, it tasted like pre-​packaged supermarket variety.
One last thing to be aware of… it’s a CASH only bar. No CC or debit cards accepted. Live music on the weekend.
But even though the food may not be be up to par, this place IS F.U.N…fun. I will be back with friends in tow, just to sit back with some good German brew and b.s.-ing.

Seriously one of my favorite, favorite bars in So Cal. The Rathskeller makes you feel like you’re in a quaint bar in some little German town. Unless you go during Oktoberfest, you can be sure that this place will be mostly empty, besides the bartender and maybe one or two other people.
There are usually German music videos playing on the television. If not, there’s an old man that plays an accordion, which is their idea of «live music». It’s hilariously awesome. The bartenders are great as well. They’re REAL Germans. They don’t kiss your ass — they tell it how it is, which is so refreshing.
My husband loves the bratwurst. Oh, and make sure you order an Underberg, which is a German drink that comes in a little tiny bottle. It’s basically one shot, that’s super strong. I make sure to take pictures of people right after they take it because the expression on their faces is always priceless.

LOL – I don’t for a minute believe some of the bashing reviews — not for a second.
I moved from Huntington Beach and this was a fun place to eat and drink. also during the «Weiner Dog Races»…really!
This is a German Pub and you feel like you are in an old part of Europe. The Bratwurst is truly wonderful and the selection of beer is awesome.
Too bad the «shopping» experience in Old World has gone downhill. I remember when it opened and the shop keepers lived above their establishments, much as they would in Germany. Those days are gone, along with their wonderful crafts. There even used to be a «white» witch there.

I sooo Miss this place.
Moved from Orange County …
Open since the 60’s, Family owned. Reviewing recent Unilocal reviews. I feel I have to step up…
Seems the last few Unilocal were from the same party trying to bash this place.
DON’T Listen!
It’s really a wonderful experience!
The father sings Old German Music on the weekends. So fun.
Beer on tap you can only (If your lucky) find in bottles. ON TAP!
You go down stairs and see feet walking, Like Lavern & Shirley. HA!
Old School Local Germans…
Really a unique experience.
Go, Enjoy…
You won’t be disappointed. :)
I feel the need to go soon!

Rathskeller hat das beste Bier in der ganzen Welt!

The owner here was actually very nice to us as we sat down & tried some the dark German beers that they have here ;) he’s an old German guy that likes to chat about sports & beer (great attitude)
The beer that they have here is good =) some you can get @ certain beer stores & some you can’t…
The ambiance here is chill & nice good to just hang out enjoy beer & relax… the bar & area is pretty small it’s more of a mom & pop kinda bar ;)
Lots of peeps come here to watch the World Soccer & football games…
It’s a nice chill place to hang out with friends & the guys…
it’s NOT one of those trendy loud places 2 come & pick up & chicks… if you come here, don’t come with a DUCHY/​loud/​obnoxious attitude. =)
Its cash only so if you dont want to pay the extra stupid fees at the ATM that they have here, stop by 1 of your banks’ ATMS before you come here…
Prices for food & beer is much more reasonable compared to the restaurant in the Old World Village plaza. =)

Without a doubt, the worst bar I have ever been to.
So after having a great time at the old world Oktoberfest, we made the poor decision to stop by this shithole.
Two incidents occurred within the time span of 1 minute of us being there:
#1) We asked for one bratwurst. The old goober bartender disdainfully looked at us and said «Just one bratwurst for the 4 of you??» Ha. Very funny. We thought.
#2) Being new to German beers, I asked if I could have a taste of one of their darker beers. That’s when the douche bag bartender gave me a disgusted look as if I asked if I could touch his daughter, and said «IF YOU NEED A SAMPLE, YOU DON’T BELONG HERE. JUST DRINK AT HOME!»
Uh, what? We decided to get the hell outta there. The only reason why I went back downstairs to this piece of shit place was because I had to go look for my friend that was in the bathroom while that sad incident took place. This is when the ridiculousness continued — one of the workers that looked like he was still going thru puberty came up to me and said «YOU GUYS ARE NO LONGER WELCOME HERE. GET OUT.»
So I just said «I have no interest in staying, I’m just looking for my friend so we can leave.» Once again in his prepubescent crackling voice, he said «WE DON’T WANT YOU GUYS TO COME BACK. GET OUT! YOU’RE NO LONGER WELCOME HERE.»
Clearly, this pathetic establishment and its set of low-​life employees had an agenda against people like us. Just to make it clear, we received this hostile treatment within seconds of entering this dump — we didn’t even have a chance to say or do something that might have potentially been perceived as negative on our part to warrant their shitty behavior.
A 4 star average with 45 reviews? Come ON Unilocal,get the FUCK OUT OF HERE with that shit. Unilocal’s slogan is «Real people. Real reviews.» So Unilocal,why don’t you get «real» and unfilter the 5 honest reviews that share the same exact story as mine?
Cliff Notes: Avoid by any means necessary.

4 stars for the late night hilarity alone. Add in the German «locals», a few gas chamber jokes, a black beer or two and well, you can plan on having pretty rad night. Maybe.
If you don’t know by now THIS is THE place to hit up before, after and in between the Oktoberfest festivities across the way.

First time visit two nights ago and I enjoyed myself greatly. This subterranean pub makes you think you descended the stairs into Germany… I’ve spent two summers in Germany/​Austria and it’s authentic, right down to the German speakers, German music, and handwritten bill on a small, rectangular piece of paper. The menu is small, the pub takes only cash, and the proprietor is friendly. When we went, we were the only patrons there, so we got a lot of personalized attention from the owner. The Tour de France was on the telly, which provided us with some fodder for conversation. My husband ordered a schwarz («black») beer and the currywurst (sausage in a yummy red currry sauce) and I had a ham sandwich (4 pieces of delicious bread topped with some mayo and ham). Both entrees came with a side (potato salad or fries, or sauerkraut). We heartily enjoyed our simple but tasty fare; hubby thoroughly enjoyed his beer and wished he could have more!
If you’re in the area and want to experience some German flavour, check this place out. Bring cash! (There is an ATM inside the pub for those who forget to bring actual money.) :)

Wanted to try something different, I went to this German pub for some sausage fest. Ordered Currywurst and leberkase.
Currywurst: Veal sausage with spicy curry sauce.
Leberkase: Grilled veal and pork loaf with fried egg on top. Served with potato salad.
The leberkase is slightly better than currywurst. Not my kind of thing. I prefer wurstkuche at downtown LA or Joe’s at Fullerton.
Cash only but they do have ATM on site. $ 2.25 service charge plus whatever your bank charges you.
2 stars!
Rathskeller is kinda yummylicious!