The Bavarian Lodge

I went here last weekend with the boo. My initial reaction to the place was «it’s huge!» I was so worried we’d miss our on the way in but once I saw it I realized that would not be possible. The lot was packed. Which I expected. It was Saturday night. And bonus, they had an overflow lot. Awesome!
The wait was 45 minutes. Unfortunate but ok. It was packed. And they must have done a good business that night because the place is indeed huge. It’s super charming too. Def a fun spot to go and just look around.
Our server was new so not really helpful with the beer selection but we made due. He was very sweet though so no complaints there. I guess my only complaint was the food wasn’t as good as I expected.
I love German food but this was my boo’s first experience. So I was really hoping this place would blow the windows out and it just didn’t. It wasn’t nasty by any means. It was just ok. Very bland for German food and I’m pretty sure my salad came out of one of those mixed salad bags from the Jewel.
All in all 1 star for the parking, 1 star for the service and 1 star for the beer. Meh to everything else.

My boyfriend and I went to The Bavarian Lodge last weekend to celebrate my birthday. My pick on the place of course and I always wanted to try The Bavarian Lodge.
I started off with the duck liver soup which I’d never had before. It does have a liver flavor and a duck flavor and I’d have it again. Based on reviews and my own food instincts I selected the Hunters Schnitzel which I highly recommend. As my sides I chose sauerkraut and Spaetzle, both were good but they didn’t work well together, next time I’ll get the Spaetzle again but look into another side.
My boyfriend often surprises me with his food selections. He choose half baked duck. He wasn’t overly thrilled with the meal and later complained that it didn’t digest well. Next time he’s having the Schnitzel which he tasted and enjoyed.
The beer selection was just too big and different from what either of us is familiar with so we described what we liked and trusted the waitress. She made the perfect selection, wish I recall the name but they had it on tap. Our waitress did a wonderful job, she was attentive yet not overly so.
I’m looking forward to my next visit.

We’ve been here twice now, and absolutely loved it both times. Most recently we took my in-​laws, and they loved it too, which is really saying something! Lots of variety, especially with the beer selection. The staff has been friendly on both our visits, and the food is always delicious! Our first visit was a Friday night, and it was VERY crowded, but we waited less than half an hour for a table. My only complaint was that since we were seated next to the bar area, people who were waiting for tables were crowded all around us, and it was very intrusive. I don’t see that as the restaurant’s fault, so I won’t hold it against them. Our second visit was an early Sunday evening, and it did get quite crowded as we were leaving. They have overflow in the parking lot next door, but its a bit of a hike from there on a busy night, so I suggest going early before the crowds start.

Great place for authentic eastern european food. We had the stuffed cabbage, triple schnitzel platter, and goulash soup. All were fantastic. They also have over 100 beers to offer. Our waiter Zach was knowledgeable, friendly, efficient, and spot on with his service.
We will definitely be going back.

I’m not a big fan of German food as it tends to lack flavor. But the food is traditional. What’s really impressive is their craft beer selection. One time a server went digging through their back room and found a bottle of Founders Frangelic Brown for us. This was a limited release.

This place always seems to be packed. I came here for the first time with family and I was not disappointed. The waiter was very attentive and friendly. The food was delicious and they had a good selection of adult beverages. I would definitely go back again.

The Bavarian Lodge is a place to love for two entirely distinct reasons:
1) Excellent beer selection
2) Great German food
The beer menu is one of the finest in the Chicago area. You could come here every day and always find a good beer to drink. Very few duds on this menu.
The German food is some of the best I’ve had. For best value and experience, get the two entrée combo. Comes with salad/​soup and side veggie.

This place is my new favorite place! My wife and I went overseas a few years back and this place embodies everything we miss about being over there.
Tons of beers, not a bad dish in the whole place and a super warm atmosphere. There is a lot of formal seating, there are also some bar height tables and of course a bar with a couple TVs.
If you are looking for an authentic German experience in the burbs, this place MUST be your jam. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Go… now!

Loved this place! My guy and I went Friday night with another couple, and wow. Between our lovely and helpful waitress to the excellent beer list and amazing food there’s no complaints here. I swear I could drink their brown gravy out of a cup it’s so good. And the portions are huge. I ate way more than I should have and still had a decent-​sized lunch the next day. I literally called my parents on the way home to tell them we had to go there together. If you love German food you’ll leave here very happy.

It would have been easy 5-​star rating had we not ordered the roast pork as the third component in our ‘pick three’ combo set. The pork was so dry and tough that even a spoonful of gravy on top did not help. The Wiener Snitchzel (pork cutlet) and sausage was so good I could have ordered second. Combined with creamy mashed potato and warm Spatzle soup. Too bad the roast pork kills the meal. :(

Delicious food, great beer, warm & friendly atmosphere! I truly enjoyed our dining experience
Owner told me to «shove my phone up my ass» after trying to pay the bill with Samsung Pay. NEVER COMING BACK!
Too bad, food was great, but management ignorant to technology that protects the merchant and customer!

I will just keep this short and sweet.
When I am in the Chicagoland area this is my staple.
Full Deutschland? No, but Chicago is not Germany nor central Wisconsin.
With this said I have never received a bad meal, bad service, nor a bad beer selection.
If you enjoy a night out with German flare, a great beer list, and hey? Do you like Pork Wings then this is your place.
I enjoy the Bavarian Lodge!

What can I say — Bavarian Lodge delivers and is reliable and consistent. It’s simply a great place to catchup with pals over a few brews and some German and/​or American pub grub. It actually doesn’t matter too much about the food quality, which is a bonus, as the beer selection and cozy chill atmosphere (particularly on the bar side of restaurant) are what makes this place. I had the Maximillian or pork schnitzel sandwich and it was delightful with 2 – 3 brews. My pals ordered a Knackwurst sausage dinner and a Wiener Schnitzel dinner. As usual, the place was packed and the parking lot full by the time we left.

After hearing about Bavarian — and getting their ever so drool worthy emails for the last year — was very excited to finally have a moment to check them out.
it’s Oktoberfest — and their pig roast — and super enormous brews were calling my name. Rounding up the hubby prior for a yum cram prior to our son’s football game — we were pretty excited — and couldn’t wait to taste the succulent treats they had in store for us
Except that never happened.
Service was excellent. Although there was a good line starting to form — we hit the sweet spot on timing — and they got the 2 of us in right away. Our waitress was great — on the ball — offering us their specials on brews — so much on top of things — we were overwhelmed and needed another minute or two to look things over here
And food was brought out in a timely fashion. Not too quick — not too slow — everything cooked right then and there — liked that very much.
But it was the food itself that was below standard.
Being German — and from the city — just couldn’t get into it. Soup was the best part — and that wasn’t even over the top terrific.
We both ordered the piggy pig — hey — when in Rome! But knew that was a mistake once it came out. Understandably it’s cooked traditional — and not like our friends who have earned many trophies for their cooking — even in Vegas — which is an unfair comparison.
But it rang true.
Pig was a bit tough — really no flavor — as if everything was boiled out.
Again — grew up in a German household — my great grandfather originally migrating from Hungary — his son carrying on the traditional cooking run — and my father carrying it on.
Boiled everything — but there was still flavor — tasty eatings back then.
This being said — was very excited to eat here — have not had good authentic food in quite a while — but unfortunately wasn’t my cup of tea.
Perhaps we should’ve tried something other — with all the rave reviews it’s a shame that our experience didn’t match up — but I’d be back again — very cute décor and one hell of a monster beer menu. And we can all use some great beer this time of year — warm our gullets up

I am of German descent on one side of my family and grew up with homemade schnitzel, German potato salad, and apple wine. I’m pretty hard to please when it comes to this kind of food. I have to say, I came in pretty skeptical. I shouldn’t have been, because these guys know what they’re doing. First of all, their beer selection is awesome. I had several German beers and they were great.
Our appetizer was hot pretzels with Boursin cheese. The salt of the cheese overpowered the flavor, so we asked for, and received, an amazing spicy German mustard. Now we’re talkin’. That did it. Great appetizer!
Dinner was triple schnitzel (pork, chicken, and a pork/​beef combo) over homemade mashed potatoes and a side of some of the best sauerkraut I’ve had. The different schnitzels were all so good, but the beef/​pork was incredibly flavorful. Our party also had beef stroganoff and cabbage rolls with spaetzel. They were also very happy campers.
We somehow managed to put away dessert, which was crisp apple strudel (one of my favorite things). Only, it wasn’t so crisp. My one complaint about the meal. But, the filling was delicious.
The service was impeccable. Our drinks were never empty, our empty plates never sat on the table for more than a minute or two.
I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. We will be back!

This is an excellent place to go for beer. They seem to specialize in German and Belgium stuff, but have tons of other options. They have stuff to suit every taste — from people who love sour, funky beers (me) and hopheads (my husband). The food is also German. I wouldn’t say it’s the best ever, but it was pretty good. It helps soak up the beer :)
This place doesn’t take reservations and gets VERY, VERY crowded. I also think they won’t seat you unless your entire party is present (you’ll have to check that.) They also have kind of weird hours. We wanted to go a couple of weeks ago, but they were closed for «summer holiday» which seems really strange to me. Anyway, despite the quirks, I’d definitely go back.

This place is awesome.
The beer list is expansive and almost overwhelming. So many choices from overseas especially from Germany. They always have good craft brews on tap as well.
The food here is consistently great! I love to get the combo platter with some sausage and the tiroler schnitzel. The schnitzel is fantastic. I enjoy the pretzel with some cheese, the soups, and really everything.
Most of the food here is made from scratch and a lot of it is made the day of, only adding to greatness of their food.
So why 4 stars? Well, I normally only come here 4 or so times a year and I always seem to get the same waitress. Usually the place is slammed so I kind of understand her frankness and poor service skills. But the last time I was here, it was a little slow and she still had these issues. Don’t worry she’s not terrible enough to throw of your experience but she still shouldn’t be working here.
Another issue that’s sort of a positive… don’t come here on a Friday or Saturday evening and expect to get seated within 30 minutes.
Overall this is the best place to get German food around here and the amount of food you get for the price makes it a great deal!

My boyfriend and I dined here with his family on a Saturday night. When we arrived at 7pm, the restaurant was pretty busy, with many tables filled and a few patrons at the bar. We were seated at a long table near the front of the restaurant and enjoyed good service throughout our experience.
For our meal, we ordered the following for the table to share:
–Scotch egg — egg, homemade sausage, rustic breading, German mustard
–Breaded White Cheddar Curds — fresh curds, panko, red pepper garlic
I enjoyed both appetizers. The Scotch egg is seasoned well and cooked with a crisp. It was flavorful and delicious. I also loved the breaded white cheddar curds! Cheese curds by themselves are a treat to this Atlantan, but fried?! What an even more special concept! I love how they’re light and crispy on the outside and filled with a cheesy surprise on the inside.
For my main, I tried the quarter roast duck: crispy, slow-​roasted, with caraway & spices. Be warned that in ordering your meal, you’ll be met with a bunch of questions and you’ll have to make a few tough choices. Choose from three kinds of potatoes, a soup or salad, and an additional vegetable. Wow! To say this was a lot of food is an understatement. I liked the potatoes and my pickled red cabbage. The side salad is as basic as you could get, and the duck, although full of flavor, seemed a bit old or overcooked as parts of the bone marrow had leaked into the meat, ruining the texture. Overall, I’d like to come back to this place and give their other dishes a try.

I was SO excited to try out the Bavarian Lodge. I had driven past this place a hundred times, always saying that I wanted to try it out. My family emigrated from Germany originally, and I had never eaten at a truly authentic German restaurant before. So, it actually ended up being my choice for a birthday meetup with my friends. And I was SO disappointed with the experience.
I ordered the Pierogi Pomodoro, which was probably a bad move on my part. The description sounded like cheese ravioli (which I LOVE, but probably should not order outside of an Italian restaurant, ugh). What I got tasted almost exactly like the microwaved Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine cheese ravioli. Sauce, texture, everything — so much so that I actually wondered to my spouse if that was what was going on back in the kitchen. I did complain about the food and they offered to replace it, so kudos for that (though by that time, my friends were done eating).
I know that others rave about the beer available here, which is not something that I’m into, but it sounds like that is a pretty legitimate area where they excel. The meals though… well, let’s just say to stay away from the Pierogi Pomodoro! What a letdown.

Seeing as how I won’t be visiting family in Stuttgart anytime soon, this place is as close as I’ll come to to getting my fix for delicious German fare. I’ve been here many times in the past and I’m surprised it has taken me this long to get around to my review.
I love the interior: dark, big cozy booths, and tons of beer steins adorn shelves near the ceiling.
The Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are amazing. Maybe I’m a bit biased as M won’t allow me to make them at home (rightfully so, I suppose) but also because he doesn’t like them. So whenever I have a chance to get my cabbage roll fix, I do it.
Potato Pancakes– delicious. You get four, with sides of applesauce and sour cream.
The ‘kraut is fab, of course. Then again, I haven’t met a sauerkraut that I didn’t like… except the store bought stuff that comes in a bag. I won’t go there.
Sauerbraten– yes, yes, YES. Served with spätzle, you can’t go wrong (though I prefer my own homemade spätzle… BL’s are more doughy, whereas mine are a bit more cooked).
Chicken Paprikash– the hubs always gets this. ALWAYS. While damn good with the dumplings, it’s no where near as good as his momma’s.
Liver Dumpling soup — probably the only dish this German girl doesn’t care for. It’s M’s favorite though and he always looks forward to getting it with his entrée.
Great ambiance, substantial beer list, friendly and knowledgable waitstaff, and the food is usually brought out in a timely manner. No complaints there.
Minus one star for always, ALWAYS being seated by obnoxious young children and parents that don’t parent. Oh and for the parking lot being on the small side and sometimes it can be difficult to find parking.