Black Forest Inn

I have been wanting to try this place as it looks appealing from the outside. We decided to sit at the bar. I did not feel like this was my crowd. We got wine – there was a little bug in mine could not finish. We split stroganoff and the beef was not tender in the least. I thought the prices were high for the type of food. I hit it and quit it. Never going back again!

Huge disappointment! Dirty restaurant, lousy food, and poor service.
I had not been to the Black Forest in years. I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop for lunch. I recommended the Reuben to my companion because I remember it being very good. What a change! The sandwich cost almost $ 13.00, and there was very little meat and cheese. The server was very inattentive. This restaurant has been there for decades, yet they had done nothing to make any updates. The uncomfortable chairs are the same ones that they have had for decades. Don’t waste your money on this sub-​par restaurant.

I am deeply saddened as I write this review. I love German culture and cuisine and had previously had great experiences at this restaurant hailing it as one of the best in the area. I see that this place has started focusing more on selling beer (I promise there is more to German cuisine than that) and less on their fare. I am also willing to overlook some of the spelling mistakes on the menu (my advice is to have a German-​speaker proofread it before it goes to the printers). But this latest experience I had was a real disappointment.
When I came in a few weeks ago everything was perfect so I decided to come back this week for a nice meal. I ordered the Sunday special (cabbage rolls) and was disappointed to find that they were unlike what a cabbage roll should be with cabbage tomato sauce and a rice and meat filling — instead it was more like a meatloaf of leftover meat in a cabbage leaf with unseasoned tomato paste on top. I found a hair or something inside my mashed potatoes. Usually I like to believe that it was my own but this time I’m not entirely sure.
My evening ended abruptly, however, when I saw a mouse scurry across the floor from the kitchen to the dining room wall. Never in my life so far had I seen a rodent in a restaurant before and certainly would not expect to see one in a restaurant in this price range. I am pretty rodent-​phobic and see it as a sign of either poor sanitation issues, building maintenance issues or both. I am hugely disappointed and hope not to have this place — one of the (sadly) few German restaurants in the area lose mine or anyone else’s business — but rather, to have this matter promptly investigated and eradicated permanently. Mice on the floor of a restaurant is unacceptable. Will sadly not be returning anytime soon.

After visiting a family member in a nearby hospital for an emergency situation, we encountered a snotty, rude, bitchy waitress who clearly did not want to wait on us nor did she want to accommodate our party of six. First of all, she brought the wrong beer to my 77 year old father, who decided to accept the beer to not set off another tirade. The waitress would rather have frolicked and folded napkins with her co workers than wait on a party in the restaurant. As the night progressed, the waitress, did not come back to refill drinks, so we went to the bar to order for ourselves and were reprimanded by the same surly server who told us to flag her down and not go got the bar. We have been frequenting this restaurant annually for the last 20 years and have never had such a negative, cold experience. This server should find another profession where she doesn’t work with the public. How uncomfortable and unfortunate! We will not return.

Protip– if you provide an online reservation service (which they do), probably you should not be surprised when a party of nine who made a reservation a day ahead of time walks in. Secondly, if you are out of items on your menu, perhaps telling people at the time of seating and handing out menus would be good. We were frustrated with the wait between getting our beverages and finally flagging down someone to take our order, also dear waiter, taking the food order is kind of your job, acting as if we are imposing on you by wanting to order does not help your tip. That being said the food was up and down, M potato pancakes were delicious but the limp slice of wiener schnitzel with the dryish lemon slice on it was just not appealing. What happened, I used to love the Black Forest… the dishes years ago came out with beautifully done veggies, garnishes, gravy… this time not so much. The portion of veil in the jeager schnitzel was smaller that the wiener schnitzel served on more spaetzel than there was enough gravy for. We arrived at a reasonable dinner hour (5:45ish) and yet you were out of the dressing for the Sunday night special, the liver pâté which is my personal favorite and apple strudel, which I must say seems like a no brainer that it is going to be popular at a German Restaurant.

I went for lunch and they were not very busy.
Had the
LUNCH SAUERBRATEN
HAM AND SAUERKRAUT BALLS
FRIED CABBAGE
Everything was great with good service. I am not really sure what they are going for with the run down interior décor.

Came to BFI with 9 co workers for a work dinner we arrived at 4pm and were told we could not order from the dinner menu until 5pm. We were told that nothing was ready yet for the dinner menu
They were also out of:
Pretzel &
A few beers
Salad
Root beer
And some wines.
The food was actually amazing. Very heavy German fair but still delicious. But the service was absolutely awful. I would give the service 0 stars and the food 4.
The waitress was condescending, and she even told us that her shift was over so we should just close our tab.

Four stars for kitschy and wonderful décor. Food was okay. We had a huge group and there were no problems, no unusually long wait (although it wasn’t crowded, in fact pretty empty.) Those who had alcoholic beverages each needed a separate check for their drink and the server didn’t bat an eye. Wish I tried the veggie burger. Got the spätzle casserole. Total comfort food. Be forewarned though — the portion was huge. Three people could easily split this as their main dish. I took home literally a pound of spätzle and cheese. I was told the vegetable and spätzle casserole is just frozen vegetables, didn’t seem worth it. Every one of the brat eaters was very happy. My end of the table got three desserts that we shared– Sacher torte– very yummy, dense, not too sweet., Black Forest cake– also pretty yummy, maybe our favorite, and apple strudel. I liked that it wasn’t too sweet even with raisins and o liked the think crispy pastry. However I thought the filling was a bit too dry. I don’t like gooey apple pie but this filling didn’t hold together. Is it supposed to be like that, is it a German thing? Overall a fun experience.

Favorites: the spätzle and the atmosphere, especially the accordion player.
Least favorites: our server was unpleasant, service took way too long (over 30 minutes for two entrees), the beef stroganoff was overly salted and the beef wasn’t tender.
Came on a Friday night in a party of 2 with a reservation. We were seated promptly, but our server definitely wasn’t one for hospitality. She immediately informed us that the roasted chicken was out (on the 2 for $ 30 menu), however didn’t offer up the substitute. Our bread basket came before our pitcher of beer and it took over 30 minutes for us to get our entrees. Unfortunately since the food took so long, I had my card on the table ready to pay and we had to request to-​go boxes as soon as the food came out as we had after dinner plans.

I love this place, because this is *precisely* the kind of German food my German grandmother made. I almost thought she may have been head chef.
Luckily, BFI isn’t one of those German restaurants that throws bratwurst on American junk food and calls it a day like Hessen Haus in Des Moines. This is authentic and unsullied by American tastes. The warm potato salad was dreamy.
I thought the décor was charming, and the gated patio in back was nice and oasis-​y. I can barely stand Uptown anymore, so this is a nice break from faux hipsters and their gentrifying ways.

Two words: Hungarian Goulash! Best. Ever. (OK 4 words technically)
Having grown up on many of the dishes the Black Forest Inn offers, even if I’m Slovak and my fiancé is Czech, this is as good as it gets. While they’re considered a German restaurant, my family came to Minneapolis in the early 1900’s from what was then Austria-​Hungary. There is definitely a sense and appreciation of nearby Eastern European cuisine that’s dished out just like (or even better) than my family has for generations. I mean technically we all eat the same things. We just have different names for them.
Maybe they’ve changed the recipe or something but their Goulash was honestly the best I’ve ever had (hopefully my family isn’t reading this!) This is what Hungarian Goulash is supposed to be. I’ve tasted at least 30 different Hungarian Goulash dishes in my time and this has been the best hands down no questions asked. It had the perfect kick of spice along with the perfect ratio of stew to spaetzel. I never thought I’d describe Goulash in such detail (nerd alert!) but they deserve it. I’ll probably spend the next decade trying to recreate their recipe!
As for the other food, my fellow Slavs know just how difficult it is to make the perfect spaetzel. Mad props to the Black Forest Inn for perfecting this delicacy that can easily be ruined in a hot sec. It wasn’t clumpy or gooey and for that I am very thankful. Loved the ham and sauerkraut balls and that both spaetzel and sauerkraut are both side dish options. That’s hard to come by! Depending on the day they have specials so make sure to check that out before your visit. As a true Slovak I love the special shots/​libations menu and the variety of beer, including local brews.
The service was awesome and overall no complaints about a single thing. I am so pleased this isn’t a mere brat house. Even if I’m not German, thanks so very much to the Black Forest Inn for preserving the food our families brought to Minneapolis. You’re the real deal. If my grandfather and great grandfather were still alive they’d visit every week and the shots would be on them!

Where did my original review go? I’ve been going here since 1983 and it’s been consistently, well, consistent! Good German food. Fabulous brats and kraut and german potato salad made on site. The best I’ve had. The brat plate was my go-​to meal for 2 ½ decades, since I didn’t really come that often so it was always sort of nostalgic for me. But last month I decided to venture to other areas of the menu and settled on a delicious dish of spaetzle, pork and a delicious paprika, bacon, sourcream, onion sauce and oh myyy gourde was it tasty. How tasty? I went back the next day and had it again! Pork Paprika Schnitzel. The pretzels and mustard are perfect when you really just want a good beer. Yum.

The pork schnitzel and the beers are very good. The waitress is attentive and the service is up to the lar. I would certainly come visit again if I am in Minneapolis. Sat at the patio garden and it is very nicely decorated and there is a water fountain that makes water noise so it creates a feeling of tranquility.

I can’t wait to take my parents here because it’s the first time I’ve eaten at a German restaurant in America that isn’t a complete disgrace to German food. The rouladen was superb, though pricey, and I can imagine my mom will have a happy cry when she eats something in a restaurant that she doesn’t immediately send back.
This is the real freaking deal, y’all.
Also, no one in my family likes sauerbraten but my girlfriend got it and they kept it mild enough to be enjoyable, even desirable. So try that if you’re into that sort of thing.
Edit: I’ve found even better since, check out the Winzer Stube in Hudson if you want your socks knocked off.

I’ve been here a few times for their meals. I think the place has a pretty good Germanic feel to it. The menus and the walls have a lot of German words in them. The names of the meals are in German, mostly. Some of the titles can be hard to understand, but a few waiters there are more than happy to help out on clarifying anything.
My favorite plate there is the steak. I’ve always had good quality meals here. The waiters do a pretty good job at what they do. Their wine selection is excellent. The only thing I’d complain about is the wait time. It can get a little long at times. Besides that, the overall quality of the place is consistent.
I will continue to come back here for their delicious meals. Sometimes, it’s nice eating a good meal just to sit in the middle of their nice ambiance.

What a fun little place. We came here to try a few Oktoberfest beers and to get out of the house. They had a really nice selection of Oktoberfest beers, and they were doing a deal where if you ordered a Summit, you could get a pint glass for $ 1. Sweet.
We also got an order of the hand-​cut fries, which were very tasty. Service was quick despite being packed. We’ll go back.

My grandma is very proud of her Polish heritage. So, for her birthday we deemed it appropriate to go some place that specializes in sausages, sauerkraut, and good beer. After a surprise at the airport and special guest in tow, we ventured to Black Forest Inn at the tail end of the Friday dinner rush.
It was still warm out and they led us to an amazing patio. This is the type of patio dreams are made of. Fountains. Trees. Rope lights. The perfect ambiance for an 80 year old birthday.
Our waiter was a bit slow at first but he made up for it in friendliness. I got the Reuben sandwich, which they boast to be the best in town. It was great! I have had better but I am definitely not complaining! Grandma and my Aunt had the Deutschburger Casserole (although Gma’s pronunciation sounded more like douche-​burger) It was basically meat and mushrooms over spaetzel (noodles) covered in cheese. Yummy!
After dinner he asked if we needed dessert and we declined. He then went to get the birthday girl her «surprise.» Instead of a free dessert as the birthday special, they give out awesome little beer steins. That was so cool! I’m so excited that she has a keepsake from her night!

My family and I went there on a Thursday after a Guthrie show. We showed up at 11:30 PM and the waitress’ first words were «we close at midnight, the kitchen is closed, you need to order now». Terrible welcome and with two tables only occupied, the bartender brings water but doesn’t offer to take drink orders even though the waitress was busy sulking over how much she hates her job. We asked for a root-​beer float for my 17 year old and she said the kitchen is CLOSED — how hard is a scoop of ice cream.
All in all in pathetic service.

We ate dinner at Black Forest Inn last night to commemorate the year anniversary of my boyfriend’s mother’s passing. She was German and it was one of her favorite restaurants. Some of the reviews made me nervous about both the service and the food. At first, the reviews seemed to ring true. We stood at the hostess station for a couple minutes before being acknowledged. That always bothers me. Then after being seated, a perusal of the menu revealed that German fare may not be my thing. I don’t like onions, mushrooms, or cooked cabbage, and I rarely eat sausage. My choices were extremely limited.
Fortunately, both the service and the food proved to be better than I was expecting. I wish I could recall our server’s name, as she was great! She was friendly, attentive, and significantly — had knowledge and opinions about the menu. Including pork dishes — even though she doesn’t eat pork, and the Friday Night Special — even though she doesn’t work on Fridays! It irritates me when servers don’t know about the food, and everyone appreciated that she could answer all of our questions and make recommendations.
I didn’t eat the appetizers but the table started with some enormous (and highly recommended) onion rings and some sort of fried balls filled with ham and sauerkraut. I eventually took a chance and decided on an entrée that sounded odd: a lentil and spaetzel salad. The rest of the table went with more traditional German dishes: beef stroganoff, goulash, and jäger schnitzel (all served with spaetzel). My salad, served over greens and with a vinaigrette, was shockingly good. It was a large serving, and I had the rest for lunch today. I also had a side of potato salad. I found it odd, being served warm and liquidy, but my boyfriend finished it and said it was the traditional German preparation. No one else had leftovers so I’d say everyone else enjoyed their meals.
Many of the poor reviews also mention the dingy and outdated décor. Since we ate on the patio, I didn’t see much of the interior. I guess it did seem a bit shabby inside, but the patio was lovely. Overall, unless I develop a fondness for onions, mushrooms, cabbage, and sausage, I can’t really see myself coming back. But based on my experience I would recommend Black Forest Inn for the Germanophiles among us.

Why is this place so wonderful? Is it the massive, affordable German beers on tap? Is it the warm pretzels with homemade mustard? Is it the bullet holes in the wall?
This place makes me happy. Sitting at the bar, as I always do, I am surrounded by every type of person. The grungy hippies, the hipsters, the nerdy guy drawing comics in the corner, the business men, the old men sharing a pitcher, a couple on a date… This place is wonderful because it welcomes everyone.
Yes, the beers are wonderful, the appetizers and pretzels (yes, this is all I’ve tried) are super tasty, the patio is great– but its the feeling I get, sitting at the bar that I love the most.
Snuggle up to the bar for a couple hours– you’ll walk away with some new friends.