Just tried this place out and am very happy I did. If you're like me and love a schnitzel or bratwurst, then this is only spot in the area that will feed you well. Not only is the food delicious (not to mention pretty reasonable) but the drink selection is good. The craft cocktails are strong and look stunning plus the beer is carefully selected to hit the major German styles just right. Lastly, if you're lucky enough to be served by Ryan during your visit then you will not be misled. read more

Catching up w my fraternity brothers (went to school @ JHU early 90s) and this was the perfect location and vibe.

My first time here but not my last. I had very limited experience with German food and drink, but our server, Ryan, was very helpful and had a great personality. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating. The drink menu is also very good. Who knew jägermeister could actually taste good. read more

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I appreciate that they have vegetarian options, but they were just not that flavorful except for the starter pizza. The eggplant (with mushroom gravy) and falafel (with white cream sauce) schnitzels were underwhelming, as were the red cabbage, broccoli, and french fry sides. On the plus side, the cocktail (forgot the name) and brandy we ordered were very good, as well as the service. Very nice and attentive folks. Perhaps the meat schnitzels are much better, but we won't be coming back to find out. Edit: I am disappointed in the owner's response to my original review. Customers aren't required to ask for different food if they are not 100% satisfied with their entrees and sides. Given that both our entrees and all our sides were just "okay", we ate as much as we could, got full, tipped ~20%, and left. We didn't want to waste more food getting prepped without much confidence (after 2 entrees and 4 sides) that they would be better. I would have appreciated some sort of reflection on the quality of the vegetarian entrees and sides, or just taken this balanced criticism (noting the other parts of our meal we liked) gracefully as a single customer party that just wasn't into the restaurant's food. Maybe we don't have complementary taste buds, or maybe the chef was off that day. Who knows. Just please be kinder to criticism and other considerations customers have about not wanting to be demanding or waste food. read more

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Great food, love the atmosphere and always have great service. We always look forward to coming here!

So very disappointed. My husband is from Germany and we're excited to see a German restaurant. We drive over 2 hours to get here. My husband, son and I all ordered the schnitzel. First of all, the schnitzel was really thick and not pounded thin. Then the spatzle ( or German egg noodles) I added a picture from their online ordering vs the actual. It was horrible and flavorless. Very sad and disappointing. read more

Rathskeller - Menu picture - German Near Me - Elkridge, Maryland

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Excellent service and food. We each had a different quest and a different side. All were VERY GOOD. Pretzel appetizer was large and good for 3 adults to split. Only downside to the meal was that the strudel was just okay. Be aware, smaller restaurant, so they fill up quickly! (We got the last table on a weeknight at 5:30pm.) read more

Rathskeller is awesome! The food is fresh, hot, and flavorful. You can tell they have a real chef in the kitchen cooking. The food isn't greasy or overly salty. Service is excellent, too. Every single server and host is super attentive and friendly! The patio area is small but nice. I've been here 3 times and plan on making Rathskeller a staple in my restaurant rotation! read more

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Really good German food and drinks. Just wish they had more selection on the menu. Environment is really cozy.

It's a small but mighty! Authentic German food, good selection of beers and wonderful atmosphere. The staff was enthusiastic and engaging. Several vegetarian selections who it's a place where everyone can find something to enjoy! read more

Bratwursts n schnitzels were all pretty good..we ordered for pickup. The only schnitzel that wasn't that great was the eggplant- didn't taste like it was fully cooked, eggplant still rubbery. Definitely will try more bratwursts. Sauces were varied n good--cheese, Apple cider, mustard, their house one Potato latkes were good too but tasted like they could have been from Costco --which we have bought before n liked. They have HH after 6:30/7pm there. read more

I liked the food there! I think the service was good, maybe a little slow at times, but overall everything was good, including the Ambience.

Delicious food, ordered the potato pancakes and the eggplant schnitzel. My parents had the bratwurst on pretzel buns and we all loved every bite. Ed was our server and was incredible. Highly recommend! read more

Just awful!!!! Not anything in the least worth eating. Won't be coming back EVER Just awful!!!! Not anything in the least worth eating. Won't be coming back EVER We ended up paying for food we didn't even eat! read more

Pssst! (Rathskeller means city hall cellar!) What a great find! It's a nice blend of old and new traditional German flavors and atmosphere. They've a nice beer selection, hearty meals, and great service. We'll definitely return! read more

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Truly enjoyed!! It definitely gave the ambiance of a small European pub. The was live music and food was amazing, flavorful, and hearty for sure. My favorite was the crispy chicken Schnitzel. My only negative would be service will sometimes forget about you (not sure why because it's a really small space) and the place was really cold, but it is ran in a basement so it makes sense. read more

What a great hidden gem off route one in Elk Ridge! Plenty of parking around the building, there is a beautiful outdoor patio seating, and often live music! In the basement it feels like a German pub. Love this spot to grab a few beers or their fancy cocktails and a few apps to split! THE PRETZELS! Are a must try, so fluffy yet buttery and crisp read more

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First time here. Cordon bleu was a little on the salty side but tolerable. Definitely worth the visit. read more

Rathskeller - Live music - German Near Me - Elkridge, Maryland

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Wife and I and our three kids came here, excited for some German food nearby that we didn't have to cook for ourselves. The location was great, and we enjoyed that it was (a portion, at least) in the cellar like a Ratskeller should be. Everyone there was friendly and accommodating, and we had a wonderful time. The food, though, is not traditional- more like an American idea of what German food might be based on second-hand info. The wine selections were outstanding, and took us back to our favorite countries in Europe - Germany and Austria. Can be tricky to find a nice dry Riesling in America, but there were options here. Beer selection looked good... although they'd have gotten me really excited if they'd found a way to get Allgäuer Büble on that beer list. Downsides - expected it'd have more German decor, but it was very sparsely decorated. Would've given it a better feel. Curry... Germans weirdly love curry and curry sauce on a lot of things, especially fries and Würste... but not on schnitzel. Both the pork and chicken schnitzel were flavored with it, and it wasn't right. Salt and pepper. Anything else (bacon, eggs, sauce, whatever) goes on top. Cook was perfect; flavor was wrong. Sadly the sauce options were all wrong for schnitzel; the most glaring omission was an option for Jägr sauce. The Spätzle was an odd American version; more like Mac and cheese. And the onion, while a regular ingredient, completely overwhelmed the other flavors. Oddly smoky, and smoke doesn't belong in that. The potato cakes (Kartoffelpuffer) weren't quite in the regular fashion, either, although the taste on those was great. The kids were a little disappointed, though, that they came with creme fraiche; apple sauce is the right side for those. I really think this was a nice place, with good service, reasonable pricing, excellent alcoholic drink options, and well cooked food. But it's not traditional German and you'll be disappointed if that's what you go there for. read more

Amazing place and great beer list. They also had a lot of nice food options and the bauernwurst was amazing. Nice outdoor beer garden area. I happened upon this place by surprise and I would highly recommend it. read more

We had the best experience here! The drinks and food were amazing! Loved the atmosphere and live music. I wish we had known about this place sooner. Highly recommend! read more

Rathskeller - Golden pear - German Near Me - Elkridge, Maryland

Outstanding food and staff. Had the jagerschnitzel and it was the best I have had in years. Huge portion with excellent mushroom gravy. Felt like I was back in Germany. Good selection of beer. Service was outstanding! Will be going back whenever I am in the BWI area. read more

Excellent friendly service, good food, well run cash bar for a surprise 80th birthday party of about 50 people. Music with private DJ and audio visual set up for continuously running slide show of family pictures was a nice touch. 80 Year old "birthday kid" was absolutely surprised and thrilled. Great event! read more

New favorite spot!! We cannot get enough. The staff is so wonderful and the food is amazing! For fried carbs, it's not greasy and very fresh! Also the drinks are great every time ! read more

Rathskeller - Peach Tea and Old Fashioned - German Near Me - Elkridge, Maryland

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Five of us visited for dinner on 8/27/2022. The weather was nice, so we sat outside in the covered area. We ordered: Bucket of Schnitzel; Party Platter; German Fries; Roasted Broccoli; Hank's Butter Pretzel; Potato Cakes; German Potato Salad; Spaetzle and Cheese; and Apple Strudel. As I read this list it looks like we ordered every food on the menu, and I think we almost did. I did not eat the sausage so I cannot personally vouch for them. The rest of the group seemed to like them. My favorite things though were the roasted broccoli and the fries. Both amazing. I had a half of a Chicken Schnitzel. It was fine. I thought the potato cakes were way overly fried. I also had the potato salad which had a nice flavor but was a bit dry. Maybe the last of the batch for the day? I was going to have some spaetzle, but it had mushrooms instead of onions, so I didn't. Actually, no one in my group had more than a taste but I didn't question why. The fries were demolished as was the pretzel. All of the cocktails and beers the group had were really good. I had a German coffee, and it was potent and good. The Apple Strudel and ice cream were very good. I think that maybe the strudel could have been baked a bit longer. Aside from a couple of minor glitches, service was very good. Our server was friendly and accommodating. I recommend The Rathskeller and look forward to visiting the owner's soon to open new place in Arbutus. read more

Like this place, some interesting food there, like straight out of Germany. Currywurst, schnitzel, bratwurst. Everything were perfect, juicy, crunchy, fresh and hot. A lot of meat. Service - great. read more

Five of us ate on the patio last night, and from beginning to end the food and service were A+. The patio was lovely, with tables far apart. The servers cleaned each table with disinfectant before and after clients, wore gloves and masks, and in general were very safety conscious. No menus, but everyone has a phone. The online food and beer list were up to date. Beer selection isn't vast, but well chosen, and prices are fair. The food is more of the snack/small meal variety, but the prices are low and the quality was excellent. The weisswurst, pork schnitzel, red cabbage and spaetzle passed muster with the two friends who've lived in Germany, as well as the rest of us. Minor quibbles: no good German mustard, no German potato salad. (The only potatoes are French fries.) The chef/owner, Will, came out to chat with us, and outlined his plans to expand the menu. (The coronavirus has slowed that process, understandably.) He's searching for the right mustards to complement the food. Danielle and Selena were our hostesses/servers, and both were excellent: friendly, professional, very knowledgable about the menu. The setting is reasonably quiet for being so close to Route 1, and nicely secluded. Five of us had beers and dinner for under $100, which was reasonable. We'll be back. read more

We've just finished dining at this restaurant for the first time and our waitress (tip pool 1 at 7pm, heavyset waitress) was extremely rude & borderline offensive. When taking our order & being asked questions about the menu items, she responded very shortly as if she was being bothered by serving us. I've traveled extensively in Germany & am very familiar with german food, but she took it upon herself to tell us there was "no bun" with the "debreziner" sausage (which we did not ask or assume). Then when we were confused by her statement, she said "Jesus!" loudly & audibly under her breath, as if we were stupid & that serving us was a huge bother to her. The food was simply okay, nothing spectacular. I will say that the other waitstaff were courteous & pleasant, which accounts for them having at least 1 star in this review. I have never written a negative review for a restaurant before, but the customer service with this particular waitress was simply unacceptable. We will not be back and do NOT recommend this establishment. read more

The schnitzel was amazing. Well seasoned and still moist. We ate in the cellar which had a good vibe.

Happy hour is no bargain. They run out of special intentionally and dont offer a second choice - manager says you saved a lot paying $14 for 2 beers! Dont be fooled, food is American just tagged with German label. Overcooked, over spiced. Spaetzle shouldnt be mac and cheese. Too bad because outdoor patio is nice but not worth it. read more

Excellent German food. Pretzel and wurst were good. Potato pancakes were spot on even tho they were out of apple sauce to dip in. Definitely will be back here again. read more

The Rathskeller is a really nice new German place hidden off the beaten path in Elkridge. It is just off US1 on Main Street, but there is just not much to beat there. Until now. This is a nice little destination unto itself. There is a small parking lot and street parking for overflow, but parking is only really an issue during busy weekend dinner times. The downstairs dining room is dimly lit but beautifully decorated, as if you're dining in an alpine lodge of some sort. There is a small stone bar, and hanging out there is just as enjoyable as any of the tables. They have an outdoor area on ground level, with heaters so it just as enjoyable to enjoy the rustic old building as backdrop even in winter. They have a great selection of draft beers with a German bent, I really enjoy the Kellerbier and Hefeweizens and my friend has always been able to find an IPA he enjoys. They don't fall short on German wines, either, and their cocktails have proven interesting. The food is really good, but it's also where they fall short. They are clearly aiming to make this place a drinking destination, so all the food is served small plate style, even though the menu is divided into Appetizers and Entrees sections, even though everything is a la carte including the French Fries. It does not help that their food descriptions are pretty limited as well. For instance, the "Hamburg Sandwich" is a hamburger. A tender house-made burger with two patties, but I still think they get a little too fancy for their own good. They also have a Bratwurst, which comes so piled high with sauerkraut, mustard, and curry ketchup it can get pretty messy to eat. The Chicken Schnitzel is fried and tender, and the best version of tat dish I've had at any German restaurant in Maryland. The Donner Kabob, pieces of curried lamb in a pita pocket, is tender and unctuous. The Curry Wings are cooked very well and the Flatbread is a very nice personal pizza. Frankly, all the food is great, but it's all pub grub. That's just not what they're selling it as. read more

Amazing German comfort food. We got the combo plate with pork and chicken schnitzel, a couple of wursts, the cheesy spätzle, and roasted broccoli with apple cider vinegar. Everything was on point, and perfectly cooked. The butter pretzel was undoubtedly the best pretzel we've ever tasted. Highly recommended! read more

Good food. Rathskeller atmosphere. Near BWI. Had time before checking in so enjoyed some great beers and lunch.

The only German restaurant in Howard County. I like German food. stationed in southern Germany. The food is fine. I'm not sure it's 100% traditional and it runs a little pricey. But it's local the staff is always nice the food tastes good and there are a variety of dishes. Bienkert's sausages to assorted schnitzels to spaetzle, German. Staples like red cabbage, German potato salad, and potato pancakes. It might not be for everyone but I like it. read more

Was close to my hotel and I love German so I gave it a try. I was not disappointed. Great food and a good German beer selection. The place is small and the main dining room was full so we sat in another room where it would've been easy to ignore us but that didn't happen, quite the opposite, the server was excellent and we did not want for anything. Next time I am in town, I will make it a point to eat here. read more

The food was super good and large portions of the sides. The only downfall was the space we had to sit upstairs by ourselves in the other area because the downstairs was too busy but the food made up for it! read more

It's not German food. It's more look-alike, but drinks and beers are OK. Servers are good.

Four of us just dined there last night - 02/01/2024. Thought we'd sample some German fare as we plan our trip there in April. Food was great ( we all had Schnitzel of one type or another and a tasty dessert cake) and service was tremendous. Look forward to returning and sampling some other food. read more

The food was OK and the drinks were actually over priced. The service was good to above average.