Kaiserhoff

Loved our visit to New Ulm. Looked forward to a good solid German meal and was referred to the Kaiserhoff. Walking in, I couldn’t smell anything resembling the German food I grew up eating. The place, as large as it is, was empty at dinner time and we should have followed our instincts and left.
Well, we were committed now, each of the four of us ordering something different to share, with no one really pleased.
Their «famous» salad was a disaster, limp greens overdressed in a heavy creamy dressing. The sauerkraut was cloyingly sweet and the wurst just so so. The waitress was friendly enough, but the meal was a huge disappointment. Not worthy of a repeat.

I’m not a fan of sauerkraut and general German food but since we’re road tripping and exploring New Ulm for the day, I went with it. We had a very nice server who accommodated our group which expanded from 4 to 6. The sampler platter was so so but I enjoyed the ribs. The sauerkraut soup was a good surprise. I’d order it again!

I will first caveat my review by saying that I was last in Germany 2 years ago and spent over 5 years there while in the military. We went to the Kaiserhof expecting decent (not fantastic — you can only find that in Germany) German food. After all, we were in a town that has a great German craft beer heritage and mostly descendants of 1^st generation Germans. We both got the Jagerschnitzel, which for those of you unfamiliar, is a «hunters» schnitzel, typically served with gravy containing mushrooms and sometimes other veggies. Their version came with spaezle and warm red cabbage, which is common for many German restaurants. Both the schnitzel and the gravy were way too salty. I suspect from the taste that the meat was brined somehow, not good, just salty. The gravy was obviously from a package mix of some kind. It was salty as the dickens. We both felt like we were in a fast food German place, and not a good one either. I was so hungry that I ate most of it but would likely have left most of it otherwise. On the plus side, the cabbage was decent, as was the spaezle. The service was excellent. Perhaps this restaurant should stick to American food and call it good, but I can’t comment on that. They say ribs are their specialty. My rating is based strictly on the purported «German» food we ate. I have definitely eaten much better German food elsewhere.

Had the lunch special of the braised short ribs and Ray’s salad. Salad was HUGE, fresh, and perfectly dressed. The meat fell off the bone, and was tasty.

Love this place! Got German sampler first visit, landjaeger today. Kraut and potato salad very tasty. Pleasant, attentive service. Very clean and welcoming throughout. The murals are great fun and give the feel of being in the old country.

Food was okay, but not as flavorful as I had anticipated. Would love to see a traditional place like this have knowledge about the foods on the menu to share the history with customers, but that wasn’t the case.

Wife didn’t care for hot potato salad, but we liked everything else. Breadsticks were really good as was the rye bread. I had the ribs which were good. Interesting sauce on the ribs — not the normal BBQ sauce, but good. We both had soups instead of salads and thought they were very good.

Kaiserhoff is where one’s referred to for German food in New Ulm, although by their banners and advertisements, they’d rather be known for their barbecue ribs.
The place is full of paintings and murals depicting scenes of Germany. The menu has a German section, so that’s what we ordered from. We were their only customers mid afternoon on a weekday, so service was attentive.
The first item on their menu is wiener schnitzel, and we both made it our choice, with a salad as the side. The salad was pretty plain — some lettuce with a cucumber slice and cherry tomato with oil and vinegar on the side. Dark rye bread also was brought, and this was the best part of the meal. There must be a bakery nearby that knows how to bake, as it was the freshest and most tasty rye bread I’ve ever had.
The wiener schnitzel was the real deal — as you cut into it, the juices ran out. The red cabbage was not too vinegary like a lot of others cook it; their’s was mellow. I didn’t like their style of spätzle though; too dumpling based.
If anything, just being here for the décor will make you feel a little like in Germany.

«Amazing Authentic German Food.»
We were in town visiting family and it just happened to be Oktoberfest weekend. We went late, nearly 8pm and were seated pretty fast considering how packed it was. The atmosphere was awesome, exposed beams, awesome old pictures.
The waitstaff and servers we saw were all very friendly and gave excellent service. Several stopped to make sure we were doing ok.
The food was beyond amazing! They were low on some menu items but given that it was Oktoberfest and late in the day that was understandable. They gladly substituted the item for us.
We ordered Sauerkraut balls as an appetizer and they were wonderful. Sauerkraut and Braised ribs and a special with sausage/​brat, hot german potato salad, and Sauerkraut. Warm rolls to go with it. The food was delicious and we will definitely go again.
Visited October 2014

Choosing the stars is difficult. The food was very good home cooking … 5 stars there!
The server we had was nice and good … 4 stars there.
The hostess/​manager was too busy to talk to me when I had a request, said she would get a server and then came back without a word with the drink that I had requested … 2 stars there.
I would go back. I loved the German food, and the dark old fashioned atmosphere was relaxed and felt like my grandparents rec. room.
The sauerkraut is made with chicken (?) The jaeger schnitzel with gravy and mushrooms was delicious! The spaetzle was so good!
If the hostess/​manager had been more courteous or ever smiled I would have given 5 stars.

Awesome! Thought I was back on Germany (Bavaria). Enjoyed it a ton… and now I weigh a ton more!

My friend that is German says tastes almost like his family’s home cooked meals. Had the sampler the chicken Kiev (AWESOME) and the ribs. Plus a couple of beers. Staff was friendly and pieces reasonable.

I wish I could give half stars so I could go 3.5. My meal was awesome. I had the Brat and hot German potato salad that came with kraut and rye bread and an appetizer breadstick. Best potato salad ever, and I’ve never liked a hot German potato salad before. Ever. My brat was delicious and the rye bread went perfectly with the potato salad.
Now for the negatives:
First, this is a German town with a brewery in town. You darn tootin’ better have some draft beer on tap. Oops. They were out today. Still got some o the local beer, but in a bottle. The husband was not particularly impressed with his food.

We keep coming back for the ribs and Ray’s salad, simply exceptional. But beware of the service.
Strike 1: Son ordered ribs, had to intervene at its conclusion because she didn’t ask if wanted large or small, assumed something, don’t know what.
Strike 2: No rib BBQ sauce brought.
Strike 3: when asked, brought pitcher from another recently vacated table with even a show of cleaning it. They prior occupant of the table could have been locking fingers etc.
Strike 4: No butter brought with baked potatoes.
Strike 5: Two thirds through salad and entrée arrives.
Strike 6: Son ordered white milk, brought chocolate. He was flexible on this.
Strike 7: Disappears after entrée, with empty glasses, no confirmation that things are satisfactory, or ability to respond to other requests. Not overly busy at all.
To mention her name would be indiscreet. Kelley.
But the ribs are so good.

Way over-​rated. Had a bratwurst platter – not very good german potato salad – not very good sauerkraut – I like German food. This place was not very good

I’ve been going to the Kaiserhoff since I was a little kid. The food is as excellent now as it was back then.
I highly recommend getting the Lewie Bensen special — a half rack of ribs and a Ray’s salad, with a breadstick.
The prices are excellent. The staff is always welcoming and attentive. The food is hot and tasty. And if for no other reason, it’s the one thing in New Ulm that will absolutely keep you coming back again and again.

Good food, nice atmosphere. Try the ribs. They are a little deceiving to the eye but believe me they are great. The reuben might have been the best ive ever had as well.

I use to live in New Ulm and can remember eating at then Kaiserhoff. It was as delicious as I remembered. I started with Ray’s salad and of course had the ribs with the famous Kaiserhoff sauce for my entrée. I washed it all down with a Premium Grain Belt beer.
If you are in Minnesota, anywhere in Minnesota, you need to drive to New Ulm and try the baby back ribs at the Kaiserhoff! As a bonus, you can buy the famous Kaiserhoff sauce by the bottle. I took amcase of it back to California with me.
I can’t wait to go back!

Haven’t experienced many German restaurants, I came to the conclusion on my own that this was at best an OK dining experience. By the way, if you visit New Ulm on a Sunday, many of the shops are closed. Go Saturday instead! And try Lola’s Larkspur across the street and down a block. It looked like a unique and comfortable place to hang out and the menu in the window looked tempting. It too, closed on Sunday.
First, I have to say that the service here was friendly, helpful and attentive. They’d easily get four stars for service. The interior is what you would expect when visiting a German restaurant. Decorated with dark wood, an interior that hadn’t been updated for some 30 or 40 years.
The seasonal Schell Oktoberfest brew-​perfect. The rye bread and butter from the local co-​op also very tasty. Homemade chicken spatzel soup, warmed me up on that breezy fall afternoon. I liked the red cabbage, the perfect amount of tangy-​ness. My dining experience had peaked at this point, had this been where I stopped, all would have been well.
On the downside, the famous Sauerkraut Balls were determined to be undercooked. The first thing that came to mind was, State Fair food! They could put these on a stick, properly cook them and I think they’d be a hit. The combination of flavors were good, think sauerkraut and German sausage meets hush puppy. Wiener Schnitzel had a strange after taste, the best I can tell is it was something with the oil it was fried in. The Apple Strudel was microwaved to a warm, rubbery and hard to cut with a fork texture. It seemed to contain the canned variety of apple pie filling, and sadly finished with that very well known non-​dairy topping.

If you want a truly authentic German atmosphere this side of the pond, its hard to find more authentic than New Ulm, MN. As a result its hard to find better German food than Kaiserhoff. If I hadn’t been hired by and subsequently gone to train for a company in Minnesota, I would never have known this place existed. And if not for some knowledgeable Twin Cities residents, I never would’ve made the drive to this distant Minnesota town. Well thank you all for sending me here. I cherish it to this day.
I actually tried this place back in 2004 when I lived in MN, but just went back a week ago during my business trip. It hasn’t changed. And thats a good thing. For my money, it doesn’t get any better than the German Sampler. Two kinds of sausage, boiled ribs, german potatoes, and cabbage. It’ll fill you up, it takes amazing, and it goes down beautifully with a good german style beer. And whatdayaknow, there just happen’s to be a local german inspired brewery named Schell. The winter blend was a perfect pairing with the sampler platter.
The ambience of the place is as authentic German as you’d expect. The owner greets you cheerfully as you come in and gleefully wishes you well as you leave. The wait staff looks the part and is extremely friendly. You feel every bit of that warm small town hospitality from start to finish. This place is perfect for small groups, and people drive over from towns miles away to join in. They also have a bar area which is pretty busy after work and stocked full of Schell’s brews on tap among many others. I really could spend hours just hanging out here (and some do).
I may not be able to convince most of you to make the trip to MN anytime soon, but if you should ever find yourself there. Grab a map, take about an hour drive southwest of the Twin Cities and stop by New Ulm for a couple hours and take in the authentic german atmosphere. Then stop into Kaiserhoff and immerse yourself in what a great German restaurant is all about.