Whenever I'm in Frankenmuth, the family-style all-you-can-eat chicken dinner at Bavarian Inn is a must. It's a fantastic value considering how much food you get, and everything is consistently delicious. My favorite part of the meal is the buttered noodles, I could honestly make a meal out of those alone! The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive during our visit, and they went out of their way to make my dad's birthday feel extra special, which we really appreciated. The warm hospitality definitely adds to the experience. My only small disappointment is that the pre-meal bread basket doesn't seem to have as many options as it did years ago. That said, it's still a nice addition to the meal and a tradition I'm always happy to see. Great food, generous portions, and wonderful service. We'll definitely be back the next time we're in Frankenmuth. read more

AC refuge from the intense sun/heat! From the moment we entered, we let out a sigh of relief! The check in counter lady told us it was quite a wait but she ended up seating us right away (maybe because we had a baby? Or because she was referring to the wait for food). Our server was Anita and she was HILARIOUS and soo friendly!! She def made our experience great there! They don't allow strollers in because it's a fire hazard so they provide these "slings" that the baby's car seat rests on. However, we did not know this beforehand and only had the stroller but thankfully the seat pops out so we just propped it on a chair. We ordered schnitzel, the fried chicken, and a good ol' fashion German beer in a hefty mug! They provide fruit and plain bread with butter when you first sit down. I just wish the bread was warm because unmelted butter on bread is not good. My husband loved the schnitzel and I enjoyed the fried chicken (it was perfectly crispy but not hard because the skin is thin). My chicken also came with a soup that was globby but tasted like chicken noodle soup. I also had mashed potato like texture that was flavored too strongly with saffron (we asked the waitress what it was). My husband's schnitzel came with the most delicious cheese puff bread! It was soft with mashed potato texture, breaded, and tasted amazing! Overall, we had a great experience and I loved the decor and also agree with the review below where it reminds me of Disneyland! I also enjoyed walking around their shops below after eating. The only downside was if you had to use the bathroom, you have to walk pretty far downstairs (unless there is an upstairs one that I missed). read more

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Ok so being totally honest, you have to try this because it's supposed to be one of the best chickens out there. However, flavor is NOT great at all ( pretty average according to my husband who is the one that tried it) I had a pork dish since I really don't love fried chicken. BUT the decoration of the place is pretty on point to make you feel at a German/ local place ( I guess ) seems like a Disney restaurant lol Service was good ( even though our food took WAY too long - our server came to apologize literally a minimum of 4 times so imagine how late it was ) Dishes come with a LOT of sides ( again, average flavor) but overall it was good to stop by and give it a try read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - Soft serve included with the dinner and it was so good - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

Stopped in with my wife and family for lunch Sunday. We dined inside. Natalie was our waitress. Though it was somewhat evident that she was new, Natalie did a really good job taking care of us. We did not order any starters, but we did order adult beverages to start. Bloody Mary, two different beers, and a glass of wine. Natalie took our orders. Three piece chicken, two piece chicken, sauerbraten, and duo sausages all lunch orders. My meals were terrific and well presented! We thought about a dessert but decided against. This is a terrific place to have some great German food! All the staff are in full regalia and the end itself couldn't be more German! What a terrific day! read more

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There is something about sitting outside at the Fischer Platz at the FBI on a warm summer day that is just simply great. From the children dancing to the polka band to the cold German beer and tasty bratwurst combined the glockenspiel chimes and sound of horse drawn buggies that speaks pure Michigan! We have been visiting Frankenmuth for more years than we care to admit but it's always a good time. Depending on the time you go be prepared for massive crowds, or visit during the week and have the place all to yourself, it's a worthwhile visit! read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - Beer & Brat! - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

My wife and I visited Frankenmuth for the first time last week. Just a quick three-day mini vacation with the pups to see this gorgeous town. On Friday, June 26th, we spoke to a local lady who highly recommended the Bavarian Inn for dinner, so we made reservations early in the afternoon. We arrived at the restaurant around 6:30 for a 7 PM reservation, and were immediately seated. The hostess and the young lady who showed us to our table were polite. Once we were seated, we were greeted by our waitress, "Leah," who welcomed us with a big smile and asked us if we had ever been there before. We told her it was our first time, so she told us everything we needed to know. The food was phenomenal, and reminded me of being in my grandmother's kitchen as a boy. The aromas, sights, and sounds brought back memories I had forgotten. Leah was an INCREDIBLE server! She was quick and courteous and made us feel welcome at every point in the night. We loved her personality and sense of humor. Once she had brought us the bill, I paid and realized I had forgotten to include the tip. I found another waitress and asked her to have Leah come back to the table to make sure she got the cash. Leah was a big part of making our evening so enjoyable. We will definitely return to Frankenmuth, and we will most definitely be returning to the Bavarian. Thank you for a wonderful evening and meal. K.M. Ziegler, and Dr. M. DeCastro-Ziegler PS. Please give Leah a most deserved raise!!! read more

We were on our way up to Mackinac Island and drove right past Frankenmuth so I said "why the heck not!" and stopped in for an early dinner at Bavarian Inn! I've heard ALLLL about the Frankenmuth Chicken dinners of course. Apparently between Zehnder's and Bavarian Inn, they serve more than two million chicken dinners per year. The vibe here is like...old school Disneyland meets Metzger's (in Ann Arbor) and the servers have fun Bavarian-inspired outfits. Nichole, our server, was absolutely slammed with a kid's birthday party and other tables but she was sweet and cool as a cucumber the entire time! Honestly the food is just a-OK but you go here for the value and vibes! You truly get SO many sides haha. We had the: *Chicken Dinner (3pc) - it is pretty unique BUT I'd rather have thicc, cronchy breaded fried chicken (like Korean Fried Chicken) BUT this was very juicy and flavorful. *Soft Pretzel: it was a soft pretzel! so no complaints. served with cheese and a honey mustard (the honey mustard was way too sweet) *Weiner Schnitzel - we picked the veal one. not too breaded and not dry which is a plus. read more

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A must visit in Frankenmuth! Great experience at Bavarian Inn, there's a reason why the restaurant is always packed. Got lucky and managed to get a reservation spot that opened up within the hour or so. Highly recommend getting a reservation in advance since it's quite busy during peak dinner hours. Bavarian family style dinner: We got the family style dinner which lets you try out different meat dishes such as sauerbraten (roast beef), chicken schnitzel, kasseler rippchen (pork loin), and the famous Frankenmuth fried chicken. Out of all the meats, I enjoyed the chicken schnitzel and the sauerbraten the most. The famous fried chicken was average fried chicken (nothing too special) and the pork loin was too tough to eat. A plus was that the meats you can request for more servings as they are refillable. This set also came with a bunch of side dishes which were delicious such as the cheese balls and the stuffing. The price is more on the pricier side but was worth the one-time experience. You couldn't go to Frankenmuth without having the Bavarian style dinner! The service here is quite quick despite how busy it was during the holiday season, our server Elizabeth was great. Overall, I had a great experience at Bavarian Inn and recommend coming if you are in town. read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - Bavarian Family Style Frankenmuth Dinner - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

We stopped into the Bavarian Inn Restaurant and honestly... I liked this place way more than Zehnder's l, even though the two are very similar in both vibe and menu. Same style, same iconic chicken recipe, but Bavarian Inn just hit better for me. I ordered The Frankenmuth and it was awesome. You get a tender schnitzel, their classic fried chicken, and a juicy slice of roast beef with a delicious glaze on top. The potato cheese puffs were ridiculously good; crispy, cheesy, addicting, and even better when dipped in buttermilk ranch (shoutout to our amazing server, Nicole, for the pro tip). The "fixins" were great too. Big standout: the butter noodles with crushed Ritz crackers on top... insanely good. Unfortunately, my wife didn't love her Whitefish. It was pretty bland, and the baked potato came plain, definitely could have used some butter or seasoning. She did enjoy the noodles and other sides, though! Overall? A solid classic Frankenmuth meal with great service and some big highlights. And as always, if you love travel and food reviews, make sure to check out our YouTube channel, A&M Roam! read more

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If you like a ridiculous amount of food, this is your place. The problem is it's a ridiculous amount of a mediocre replica of German food. I would stick with the fried chicken, though I've never seen it in a German restaurant before. The actual German dishes are a poor substitute for real German food, which happens to be one of my favorites. read more

We were visiting Frankenmuth for a quick day trip, and after reading reviews about the Bavarian Inn we decided to give it a try. Our server, Ella, was absolutely delightful. She was friendly, kind, and had a great sense of humor for all of the questions we had. The Inn is lovely and obviously an important part of the town of Frankenmuth. The food was good. We aren't savvy to German cuisine, so we tried a lot of new things. We really enjoyed the pretzel, chicken, potatoes, carrot salad, and cranberry salad. The cost seemed to be more about the experience than the food. Know that if you are there at lunch but you are only given the dinner menu, you can still order the lunch portion and get the price...which we didn't know! Bonus: we loved the strolling accordion player! read more

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We came here for lunch on a Tuesday and it wasn't too crowded. We have been many times in the past since I was a young child. It gets crowded on the weekends so just be aware of that. We were first led to a table that would not work with my son's high chair and we asked to switch. They were very kind and accommodating and got us to another table that worked for us. Our server was amazing! He had great timing for the courses and explained the seasonal dishes. We absolutely loved the seasonal carrot salad. The server brought us as much food as we wanted and then carry out containers. With only two of us eating food we had a lot of food to take home and only asked for refills of a couple of our top favorite dishes. We then had ice cream with the iconic little plastic figures in them. Overall we always enjoy our visit here and we will be back to share the experience with my son again. read more

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Actual rating: 3 1/2 stars. It was a lot of food, but a lot of filler to be honest. We got signed up for the ultimate family style Bavarian dinner, which - at the time - sounded like a nice variety, but ended up being way too much food. Our tour guide did warn us... Our Bavarian dinner included: fried chicken, smoked pork loin, marinated roast beef, smoked sausage, and breaded pork loin. For the included sides, we had the white bread, noodle soup, coleslaw, pasta salad, cranberry relish, pickled cucumbers, mixed veggies, baked stuffing dressing, buttered noodles, and potato and cheese puffs. Did I say "carbs, carbs, carbs"? Out of all the dishes, the fried chicken and the pasta salad were the standouts for me. Everything else was okay. I mean, I know people say "more is better", but it just seemed so wasteful as neither of our parties (our group got split into two tables) were able to finish it all. On top of all that, they had a traditional slice of Black Forest cake waiting for us. And we all know that dessert occupies a separate stomach, so of course I ate it all. No regrets. Would totally order it again. Service was courteous and on top of it. My SO ordered some Vernor's (Michigan's ginger ale and the oldest in the U.S.) and they refilled it without asking. I should make a note that the German wine sampler, which includes four 4-ounce pours of their German wines, was also quite good, and I would recommend it. We didn't expect much from German wines, but we were impressed! If I ever find myself in Frankenmuth again, I would order just the chicken dinner and add on sides of my choosing. Oh, and some more of that wine, please! read more

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I have to say the past cpl times I been here to eat lunch or Dinner the Service had been slower but yesterdays Lunch was ridiculous. I thought it might be the Waitress but I think it was the lack of Staff as well. My Parents and I waited almost 15 min before the waitress came to our table for the first time. After we ordered Lunches It took 1 hr & 10 minutes to get our food. What normally is a 45-60 minutes Lunch there in the Past took 2 hrs & 20 minutes.... NEVER AGAIN Go to Zehnder's read more

Three stars because our server, Jeanne, was awesome and saved this from being two stars. For this price, I don't care about the novelty of the restaurant or the staff dressed up, the food should be decent. It's....not. The best things in our meal were the spaetzle and red cabbage. Chicken, which is the claim to fame -- bland and stingy breading. Noodles? Taste like nothing so you have to use the proprietary chicken seasoning on the table. Stuffing was good, apparently. Stollen? Gross. Pasta salad. Okay. Noodle soup? Whatever. It's a tourist trap, but this is equal to or worse than hotel banquet food. How has this place been around this long gouging families these prices for BLAND "German" food? Best thing I can say is, for the money, you get a CRAPTON of food. Like, more than you expect because so many of the sides are apparently complimentary. read more

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The restaurant is massive but well-staffed. The service was good and the ambiance charming. The food was disappointing. Large portions (except for chicken pot pie which came in child's portion small bowl) and family style service but the food was lacking in flavor and consistency.The chicken was meh at best. The sauerbraten was overly sweet. The chicken noodle soup and sides might have come from cans. We so wanted to love this. Growing up in a German household, I was looking for comfort food and walked away disappointed. read more

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This review is for the Take Out only. We ate on the patio and the Bavarian mustard on our food was incredible. I asked the waitress if they sell it and she said they make alll their sauces in house and sell them. After dinner I went to the shop but they told me I would need to go to the take out and ask them to buy it. I went to the take out area of the restaurant and asked about the sweet mustard. The young woman working was having difficulty with the register and seemed overwhelmed. The gentleman waiting told me he and his wife were told it would be a 55 minute wait when they ordered. I was a little worried but the girl said she could get me the mustard so I paid the $5.30 for the pint and waited. It was 10-15 minutes until she came back with the gentlemans food and handed him the bags. Then as he was leaving, she told him the last bag was actually mine. It wasn't the best experience but the worst part was that when I got it back to my hotel and took my first dip, it was like a mouthful of wasabi. I am not good with hot stuff but I clearly got hot mustard instead of sweet. So ask my why I'm sitting here, my eyes welling up and my nose starting to run, still dipping everything in this mustard. It's that good. read more

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Food was okay, not really a huge fan but it was very authentic. Their service was mediocre as they prioritized mostly the bigger parties and my family and I felt neglected. The establishment is very nicely decorated with their German theme. read more

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Always a tradition. The all you can eat meal is now over $30 a person but we still get it, my kids preferred chicken strips and grilled cheese. We will be back again. read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - The salads they give you. - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

How has it been more than a decade since I've been here and yet every word of my 2012 review still rings true? Everything I said then is still accurate, except sadly in my old age, I cannot stuff myself silly the way I used to. Making a note for my future self - DON'T EAT the Stollen bread with dinner. Enjoy the rest of the meal and buy a loaf downstairs to take home. read more

When you go to Frankenmuth, at least for the first time, I recommend having a meal at either Zehnders or Bavarian Inn. I rarely say this, but it's tradition. This time around, my friend and I chose Bavarian Inn. We had both previously had meals at Zehnders, so it made sense to try this place now. Others shared this opinion. When we got to the restaurant before noon, a line was snaking through the space. It was long, but we waited 15 minutes--enough time to continue our conversation but not enough time to get upset. We had also tried to place a reservation while in line, but it just did not take. I was impressed by how quickly guests were seated, though; neither large tables of 8+ nor small tables of 2 experienced long waits. The menu at Bavarian Inn is varied. There is, of course, the chicken lunch/dinner, German specialties, sandwiches, and a small selection of salads. Both my friend and I had the chicken plate, which included mashed potatoes and dressing. We also added sides of coleslaw and noodles. The meals are supposedly all-you-can-eat, but I was stuffed and could barely have one piece of chicken, let alone more. I guess I shouldn't have filled up on the bread (it was Stollen bread, so you can at least understand why). Neither of us could fit in dessert, even though I usually reserve a corner of my tummy for apple pie. Service was fine. read more

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Chicken dinner is great with cheese and potatoes puffs. Also great sausage dish with sourkraut. Good service by the team. read more

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This is one of the 2 famous restaurants in Frankenmuth. You come here for the fried chicken, but the sides are actually the star. You can get the all-you-can-eat chicken, but I would actually eat more of the sides. read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - Stollen bread - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

We were to eat at the competitor across the street, but they were closed. Order the family chicken along with sodas. The appetizers were just okay. Soup was good, Cole slaw was good. Chicken pasta salad was just okay. The four appetizer was some kind carrots - not good. The main course was good. Chicken was tasty, butternut squash was great, and the mash potatoes, dressing, noodles, and gravy were good. The only problem was that the food was just warm. We didn't complain to our server, Brittany, who good. Just an okay meal. read more

LOTS of food - we both ordered off the dinner menu and were very surprised with how many sides the entrees came with. Had lots of leftovers to bring home. Not necessarily very authentic german food but was a solid dinner. The restaurant itself is decorated super cute with lots of painted murals and the staff were all friendly and attentive. read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - SAUSAGE DUO dinner with alllll the sides - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

I made reservations for Thanksgiving. There was a snow storm predicted and I started my cancelation 5 days before reservation date. I could not reach anyone for days! Sent to different departments, was then told someone would call back. Kept trying to call as I put up $120 for a deposit!!! There is no where to cancel on line. So my reservation date passed, took another week with me constantly calling to reach someone. Finally after 2 weeks I received a call stating there would be no refund as I didn't call to cancel! Then the agent apologized and said this happens a lot. Why not offer cancelation on line if they cant answer phones? I will never make a reservation again there and just show up. They are always busy and dont need the business. Maybe that is why they have no regard for the customer. Sad. read more

pros: staff was amazing when we came in as a big group without a reservation however, the food was lackluster. $19.20 for chicken tenders and fries is crazy. I ordered the spätzle thinking it would be something similar to what i had in Germany but it was covered in butter as its flavor. the other dishes did look hearty i'll give them that. But consensus was maybe trying somewhere else. Given the location this may be the only food option ? read more

We were here when the restaurant opened for lunch. Some establishments open slowly, but here the restaurant opened and was snapping and popping right away. The hostess and wait staff were right there and ready. Fantastic service, as always. For lunch, we had the housemade chicken salad on croissant, the hunter's schnitzel, and the Rueben sandwich were delicious. I highly recommend a side of chicken livers for added protein. They're delicious. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read more

In relation to the Friday Fish Fry in the bar. We have gone across the street for years and just heard about this one this month, so we thought we would try it out. We will stick to the one across the street thank you. Server claimed when asked that fish was Pollock, however if someone had asked us we would have said Swai, that cheap,dry, thin fish served in the low end establishments. Either way it was not Pollock, to thin and dry for Pollock. Slow serving and so-so fries. Was worth a try but not a return for the fish fry. Do check out the video beer menu that our server did not bother to mention, it is the extra large TV on the north wall of the dining room. Did not notice it was a draft beer menu until we were on the way out and as none of them were mentioned when we asked about beers, none were purchased. read more

The hostess sat us 15 minutes after our reservation, Mike was a fabulous waiter when he was able to help us. The manager Dave, assigned Mike us and 30 person party. Our four top never had a chance. Ordered the largest meal on menu and it took 45 minutes to get our food. At $38 a plate I would think we would have better service. Nope, not a chance. If you are celebrating 3 birthdays and an anniversary do yourself a solid, Do NOT COME HERE!!!! read more

Cute place, fun atmosphere but very touristy and the food was not very good. You're sure to find better German food in this Bavarian themed town. The server was nice and the restaurant is huge so seating wasn't a problem. I would go just to look around and see the gift shop but skip the food. read more

My family came here for the family style chicken dinners. It was delicious. The chicken was tasty, the sides were plentiful, and there was something for everyone. The servers were kind and working hard as it was very busy. We finished dinner with ice cream as part of the overall family dinner experience. Even though it was busy, the environment was fun and inviting. It was like you were having dinner with your family, but you were in a room with strangers! read more

Affordable drinks and delicious food! The cheesy potatoes were a family favorite and everyone seemed to enjoy the schnitzel. The lunch portions were a great size and affordable for what you get. Others who had the bone in chicken said it was a little dry but the included gravy made it good. Our server seemed a bit new, but he was confident and did his best to answer our questions. Our waters were filled when needed. We enjoyed that the servers were dressed in traditional German clothing and there was a man walking around playing an accordion. While tables were a bit close together, the seats were comfortable and clean. read more

I would give this a 3.5 if half we could do half stars but since we can't I will round up to 4 because it's more toward a 4 star than a 3. The food is good and staff is great read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - Chicken dinner - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan

The chicken here is hands down the best! The question everyone wants to know is Bavarian Inn or Zehnder's... I'd say they are very similar... though I prefer the chicken here and Bavarian Inn better, I liked all the other fixins at Zehnders better! Obviously the experience inside Bavarian Inn is awesome! With an accordion player walking around and the fun open atmosphere! read more

Came here for a late lunch on a Friday during peak Christmas season and were seated right away with no wait. The root beer was amazing! The seasonal sangria was extremely sweet, but good. We got a couple appetizers and they were good. The atmosphere was my favorite thing about the place though! So cozy and warm. Just a heads up though: there's absolutely NOTHING for a vegetarian to eat here besides a couple apps ! read more

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I really enjoyed my dinner. I couldn't figure out what to order. So I ordered all of it. It is served all you can eat as well. The sides were delicious as well. The meats were amazing. The reason for four stars. Of course. What is always the reason. The waiter. The place was not busy. There were not large parties. And the food came out immediately. The waiter was slow and didn't come back to talk to us and ask how everything went. read more

SO MUCH FOOD. First our server, Elise, brought stollen and regular bread to the table with small plates. I ordered chicken schnitzel and my husband the cordon bleu. Well before the entree came out we had FIVE bowls of appetizers: slaw, carrots&red peppers in a citrus vinaigrette, chicken noodle soup, tuna and shells, and a cranberry relish. THEN came the entrees. The meats portion was huge and OH there's more side dishes: sauerkraut, green beans and noodles. The only thing I didn't like was the white gravy on the schnitzel. I don't love white gravy at all. I hate that we wasted food, but we were getting full. Dessert thank goodness was lighter-soft service ice cream-and they had a creamsicle so yes, that was great! Enjoyed talking to Elise and she did a great job. read more

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We visited the largest Christmas store in the world Bronners( which is a must see) then went to the Bavarian restaurant in Frankenmuth, a short 5 minute drive away. The town is a quaint Bavarian village and the restaurant is at the entrance to the town. There are three dining rooms that were packed. Full bar available, try the Makers flight! The service is family style with courses server to all to share. I had the pork loin, roast beef and fried chicken. They are famous for their chicken! Came with soup, cold slaw, pickled carrots and raspberry compote. Service was excellent, large family history told by servers explained why the service was so dear to them! Highly recommend you try them and explore this quaint Bavarian town! read more

Very traditional style dinner mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, chicken everything is very decent. It's not good but it is a dinner that we have every year and that is a tradition to us and I do enjoy it every time that I am here. The service is always wonderful. Very clean and right when dessert rolls around you be happy again if the chicken in traditional mild, didn't do it for you read more

Bavarian Inn Restaurant - German Near Me - Frankenmuth, Michigan