The service is great. There was a discrepancy between the menu and the printout of the bill, and they pretty much fixed it. I don't know if this is a Christmas-only event, but someone is playing the accordion and singing Christmas songs in German. I find it charming. They have a video montage on one of the TVs, and what I noticed is that the older gentleman is featured, which is why I'm not positive that he's only there seasonally. We went to try the buffet dinner instead of the menu, and I think we got a good deal for not being well-versed in German food and letting us taste the most German food according to our comfort level. I pretty much had my favorites including the sausage and some other German dish I can't even begin to pronounce or spell, it's like a beef dish in brown gravy. They do have a salad bar, and because it is really simple, it was crazy good. People in our group ordering off the menu were extremely happy, and the alcohol drinkers were happy with their drinks as if they were getting a large beer in an oversized pint glass that looked comical. They had every hot tea you could think of, which is what I ordered on that cold night. I don't know if I'm a fan of German food, but I did enjoy my meal, the ambiance, and, most of all, the service was on point. If you're going to explore German food, this is the best place to start. read more

The atmosphere was nice and a new experience. The entertainment was a man playing an accordion and yodeling. Was an experience to see. The service was attentive and also entertaining. The salad bar was a nice little touch. While I have never experienced German food, the chicken schnitzels I what I ordered. Everything was cooked perfectly but in my opinion had no seasoning or flavor but I understand the history behind the food so I can respect it. Other people in our group orders other dishes And comments were the same about flavor with their dishes. I just threw some hot sauce on the chicken and was good to go. Did not enjoy the mushroom sauce. Overall was a great experience. Very family friendly as well. read more

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This place is a ghost of its previous self. They are certainly relying on the goodwill and history from days gone by. I haven't been here in at least a dozen years and won't be back unless someone who can takeover and has a heart for authentic German cuisine. I called ahead of the reservation to order the Pork Shank and they said they were out. Off to a less than stellar start. The Spatzle was a weird, horribly bland tasting, odd texture that looked as orange as a pumpkin. It came out cold, like they boiled it and forgot to complete the recipe. Macaroni from a box would be like caviar compared to this concoction. The Reuben sandwich came out ok but overkill on the dressing. Oddly enough, the dish came out with lettuce, onion, and sliced tomato/pickles as an add on. The Jager schnitzel was tough and chewy. They didn't serve the mushroom sauce on the side and chose to serve it drowned in it. No doubt to hide the imperfections. The patty was probably a reheated instead of cooked fresh. Ordered some beets but a few of the draft options were unavailable. How can you be out of 50% of your German beer selections? The Bratwurst was hardly anything more than you can get from a package and the sauerkraut was no different. If you want real German cuisine, walk yourself somewhere else. If you are good with no better than average food go on and drink a few more beers to help you drink it down. read more

Not really surprised Rudi's closed. The food quality had been diminishing since the new ownership. Other than the sausage the meat entrees and buffet were usually on the dry side. Sauerkraut and red cabbage so so. The waitstaff were always friendly and never felt rushed. Enjoyed the entertainment and the bier! Chronicle article mentioned they may remodel and reopen. Hopefully as a true German restaurant. To the owner, have you ever thought of moving Rudi's to a new location? Say Katy or Cypress areas. We could use a GOOD German restaurant out this way! read more

It had been almost 3 years since I went here and really missed it. I always order my favorites here being the Hungarian Goulash and Chicken Schnitzel (once in awhile veal too since that's the authentic version). Last Tuesday night, I ordered the Goulash with spaetzel and red cabbage for dine-in and got a takeout of the Chicken Schnitzel with mashed potatoes n red cabbage. The beef chunks in the goulash were so tasty, fatty and meaty with a hearty taste in a really good brownish sauce. The meat was also really soft and practically melt in mouth tender. The spaetzle was like a simple, buttery macaroni and just great along with the sweet n sour, juicy cabbage holding a little cinnamon in profile too. I am not big on fried chicken and prefer it barbecued, baked and roasted. However, one major exception is chicken schnitzel being my favorite fried chicken of all as I have said for many years. Maybe bc I am part German myself, who knows. The meat was moist and very well-seasoned. You could taste some rosemary in it, which was great. The crust was crispy, but definitely not too crispy or thick to where u don't taste the chicken. It had a great taste and texture all the way through. The mashed potatoes were creamy, seasoned and fresh. The brown gravy n crispy onions were a plus and the red cabbage as already mentioned were obviously great n refreshing. I hope to save room for the carrot cake or black forest cake next time. I remember both being very good in 2017 or 2018 when I had them here, so hopefully they didn't change. Gotta love that addictive zucchini bread here, which tastes like a spiced cake or sweeter soda bread. It's almost like a dessert imo. My server was very efficient and friendly on this visit. read more

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Why 4 stars? Because I've had German food I've enjoyed more, but this was a solid experience. --- --- --- My brother and his kids just came from an outing for the kiddos and wanted to grab an early dinner before going our separate ways. I've had Rudi Lechner's bookmarked for a while now, so I was excited to finally try it. We started off with Currywurst for an appetizer, and then each got a Schnitzel with two sides. Me: Jager Schnitzel + spaetzle and Austrian Potatoes. My brother: Beer Schnitzel with cabbage and mashed potatoes. Between all 7 of those items, I'd rate them all between 3 and 4 stars each. Everything seemed to have just a tick of a different flavor to it than what I'm accustomed to. My brother has not had really any German restaurant experience, and he was really impressed. read more

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I am a huge fan of German food, and unfortunately, Houston doesn't have that many German restaurants. Fortunately, this one is excellent! My wife and I took my parents there for lunch, and we ordered several things to share: the Heritage Platter, kaesespaetzle, and Hungarian goulash. Also, a dunkel and a black lager. The wait staff were quite pleasant and attentive, the food arrived quickly, and the restaurant has an Oktoberfest decor. Definitely my favorite German restaurant in the Houston area! read more

Don't bother coming. It's closed and they didn't advertise this anywhere else but their front door. Not on google or yelp, nothing. THEY DID NOT EVEN ADVERTISE THIS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE. It will be closed for months. All these people showing up including ourselves wasted our time. I seem to be the only person sharing that they are closed when they couldn't even do it themselves. This is scummy. read more

Rudi Lechner's German Restaurant - German Near Me - Houston, Texas

I'm going to have to knock my rating down a bit. Tonight for the first time we were served stale French onions on our mashed potatoes. We will be back since we Rudis for life (#polka Fridays) but it's also not perfect since that schnitzel plate was like $16+. Luckily, once food gets soggy with gravy the stale-ness matters less and my fiancé and I still had a great date night together. I don't think there's another restaurant that does Friday night music with brews better. They don't hate us if we linger but service is attentive. read more

Rudi Lechner's German Restaurant - Something in the schnitzel keeps my hot date around - German Near Me - Houston, Texas

I have to start with I'm not the biggest fan of German food. I've now visited here a couple of times. The decor feels a bit homey, a bit outdated even? Either way, a bit of a makeover is overdue, though I suppose the decor is enjoyed by the regular clientele... mostly older folks and a few families. As for the food, it's a bit overpriced for what you get. Taste was fine. The complimentary fresh zucchini and sourdough breads were tasty at least? read more

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Food was disappointing, though I will give them another chance. Music was great! Service was OK. Ambiance was good, but not great. I've had much better German food elsewhere. read more

I had a long day and ended up ordering this into my hotel. I tried the sampler because I couldn't make up my mind. Every bite I took was better than the last. I highly recommend this place. Next time I will have to make a trip to their location. read more

I'm probably the wurst person to review a German restaurant. Most German food I hate. "Why?" You may ask. I had too much as a kid and was burned out on it as a kid. My parents were not German, but for whatever reason, loved German food. I hate sauerkraut and red cabbage. Bratwurst and knockwurst I don't care for. Of course, hamburgers and hotdogs are of German origin (I think). Let's go ahead and say they are. And, who doesn't like burgers and dogs? They're awesome. That puts German food near the top. Let's begin the the beers. Warsteiner is a fantastic lager. Weinstephaner lager is also an excellent brew. St Pauli Girl was also delicious. Paulaner was also quite good. Better stop there. I have to drive home. Beers were nice and cold. Served in proper chilled glasses. Chicken wiener schnitzel with mixed veggies was delicious and of large portion. Also of note, pretzel with sweet mustard was a good start. Kaesespaetzle was very similar to mac 'n cheese. Can't go wrong with that. They also make a good zucchini bread. Everything was wonderful. Great service. Nice atmosphere. I'll be going back soon. read more

Had reservations for 20 people on May 16, 2025 for a lunch meeting. The group has been meeting there for almost 20 years. I called and confirmed, we all showed up and the front door was locked up with a chain. It would have been nice if someone had contacted me that they were going to be closed. Around the corner, a Mexican Restaurant took us all in and it saved our meeting. Very disappointed in Rudis and the way they are doing or not doing business. read more

They were actually out of almost all their menu items when we tried to dine there on a Saturday night and tried to bring us our second round of drinks after they told us they couldn't serve us. read more

It was closed! Very disappointed after driving over an hour to get there. It's been closed since 2022!

There are not very many German places around and I wanted to try this one and was hoping for the best. Overall, I was not disappointed. I had the combination meal and everything was very good. There was a lot of food and I did not eat it all. I would recommend it and am looking forward to going back. I also loved the German look and feel. It helps to make it feel like the real thing. read more

Rudi Lechner's German Restaurant - Combination meal - German Near Me - Houston, Texas

Great neighborhood place. Good service Makes you feel welcome. Reliably good food. Fun to go during Oktoberfest read more

Service was exceptional and the food was excellent. Pork schnitzel, red cabbage and Austrian potatoes were delicious. Cannot wait to return.

We went to Rudy Lecter's tonight on a Saturday and found out that they only have a buffet. After looking at it, everything looked like it was small servings and just did not look appetizing. I ordered an appetizer plate and it was sausages. They took the cut up sausages right off of the buffet, put it on sauerkraut and served it to me very Overdone. They were out of the first three beers. My husband tried to order and he had Currywurst and it was served. Cut up almost in a stew sauce not the way you find curry. Worse in most places. I understand this under new ownership. I will not go back, but you might want to give it a try in a couple of weeks. They may have their act together, I'll let you decide read more

Great Octoberfest. On Wednesday evening at the start of this fest, at Rudy's, they tap the keg. First it is carried in and paraded around. Then it gets ceremonial tapped with the live music. This band is wonderful, the food is wonderful, and the ambiance is wonderful! Best if all, after the keg is tapped, everyone gets to stand in line and get a free cup,of German beer! read more

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Oktoberfest is the best time of the year to visit this famous German restaurant. On Wednesday during the Oktoberfest, a great buffet is served with eight meats and many sides. The buffet is only $16.95 and includes: - Cabbage Rolls - Pork Weiner Schnitzel - Various sausages - Pork Loin - Goulash - Beef Stroganoff - Curry Chicken - Sauerbraten - plus do many delish sides The buffet is a bargain at only $16.95, and it's not a typical buffet where the food sits a while. It is put out hot and fresh. But, aside from the buffet special, if ordering from the menu, it is pricey. A great special this night, .3L of Paulaner beer for only $4.00, or a nice flight of three beers on special. We are ready to return next October, actually earlier. read more

What a great German restaurant. The service is very attentive and always on point. We loved the food. It was very delicious and authentic. We will come back often. read more

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This is a restaurant that I have eaten at since 1976 and ever since Rudy sold it the food has gone downhill they have taken some of their best dishes off the menu and what they kept was absolutely flavorless, I have been recommending this restaurant to people for over 40 years and I hate to say it but I just had my last meal there, I can't believe how they have destroyed this once amazing restaurant read more

Rudi Lechner's German Restaurant - German Near Me - Houston, Texas

I recently had a brunch here with my family after my last visit over 10 years ago. The place looked empty as we arrived as first table. As I walked in the vibe seemed the same dark and rustic. We ordered a dish for each one of us. I opted for a sausage combination plate. My mom got a salmon omelette. I forgot what my wife order.LOL. My sausage plate was alright. The sausages were great. I just wished that it came with their Austrian Patties besides the offering of sauerkraut. My mom omelet was good and it came with potato Patties. The omelette may be under-seasoned a little bit. Besides the food, everything else was fine. We feel the place was clean with good ambiance. The service was good. Overall I had a 3-star experience at Rudi Lechner's read more

A really nice German restaurant with a great menu and fun occasional live music. Would go again (B)

It's been quite a few years since our last visit, glad my wife thought of it today. She enjoyed most of her chicken schnitzel with a mound of mashed taters and red cabbage.....that's right, I helped her....that's my job, I liked my Hungarian goulash with noodles and tasty red cabbage kraut. The beef was tasty but slightly dry...not my favorite. The service provided by Tiffany was even better than the food. I don't need the complimentary bread, two kinds, one of which is their zucchini bread, with two types of spreads, one sweet, one with chives, I didn't need but the Zucchini disappeared along with a slice of the other kind. read more

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Surly staff in bar, no smiles, no eye contact,, no welcoming vibes, and very slow to take our order, although only one other table was occupied. Slow and surly waiter for dinner, same waiter who apparently was trying to serve entire restaurant and a private party. NO manager apparent. Very surprising to have this experience in Houston's highly competitive food scene. Give food a 3.5... read more

I've been to Germany twice, and Austria(its pretty much Germany), and I honestly can say the German food here is just as good as anything I've had in Europe! During lunch they have some ridiculous deals in which I can't grasp how they could possibly making a profit. Inside is some fun German decor supported by a friendly and German efficient staff. I got the three meat daily lunch special...for a mere $12 I got three sizeable pieces of pork: wiener schnitzel, roast pork with gravy, and chicken schnitzel...all meaty German goodness! This all came with a nice side of spätzle and green salad to start. What a deal! Not sure when I'll be back in Houston, but if I ever am I'll definitely be back here. read more

I was soo excited to move near a german food restaurant! We were immediately greeted with a sweet lady with a thick german accent and that made my heart happy I shared the heritage plate with a co worker. Pork loin was super moist, i loved the red cabbage and sauerkraut. My favorite on the plate was the cabbage rolls and weiner schnitzel. Ambiance and service was great and so was the music. read more

Rudi Lechner's German Restaurant - Heritage Sampler Plate for 2 - German Near Me - Houston, Texas

Came here on a recent trip to Houston. We wanted to try something a bit different and were not disappointed. Got the goulash and beer. The meal came with two types of bread and two types of flavored butter. The service was good and food was authentic and delicious. Would come again to try the schnitzel or some sausage next time. read more

Rudi Lechner's German Restaurant - Goulash - German Near Me - Houston, Texas

Will definitely be back! The food is amazing and the beer is good. I got the beer flight and really enjoyed it. The serving per beer was also more than I expected. We also loved the vibe of the place, and there was a man playing live music. We greatly enjoyed it! read more

Rudi Lechner's German Restaurant - Hungarian Goulash - German Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I'm not one to leave a bad review unless well earned, especially a one star review, but this place deserves zero stars after what we witnessed today. For lunch today, both of our plates of sausages were served cold in the middle. We notified the server who took the food plates to the back to fix it, only to return with our previously consumed food reheated. The waiter stated he didn't remember who's plate was who's and placed the previously eaten food back in front of us without being able to confirm who's plate was which. I wouldn't eat it, and instead opted to give my food to my coworker who was also bothered by the situation but still ate his food. I will never return to this establishment, that was disgusting and I reported this to the health department for this incident. Reheating previously consumed food on the same surface as fresh food is repulsive. Their quality was also poor with everything being pre-made including the pre-packaged fried potatoes (no longer homemade german potatoes), pre-packaged frozen sausages (served cold in the middle) and pre-packaged kraut (mushy). Don't waste your time with this place unless you like intestinal discomfort, they've really slipped in their quality and made some extremely questionable kitchen decisions with re-serving previously eaten food. read more