Without a doubt the best German food you will find in Illinois and possibly the United States. Between the feel of your surroundings and the excellence of the food , you wont be disappointed. I've been eating here for years and have NEVER had a bad meal. Pricing is fair and service is off the charts. I don't know how they do it. To keep up this level of service and quality is a rare thing to experience. read more

Quaint little place with some awesome German food!!! The inside was cute and charming. Hours are short but I'm guessing that may be because of covid. Highly recommend and I will definitely be back. read more

See all

Excellent German food and excellent service. Great bier und kaffe. I feel like I'm turning German it was so good.

The food is authentic German food! My family enjoyed the giant pretzel, it was super soft and delicious. The server we had was super friendly and gave great suggestions for first timers! The restaurant reminds me of eating at grandma's with live music! Going to go and eat there again read more

Oktoberfest lasts two month long at Schnitzel Platz! My husband and I had the pleasure of dining here during their Oktoberfest celebration. Friday night and the place was packed. They accept reservations and with a group of 10 of us, reservations was certainly the way to go. The atmosphere was quite lively, there was live music, beer games and everyone was in a friendly mood. For Oktoberfest, they set up and indoor tent and line the tables up beer hall style. You're packed in elbow to elbow in seating but it's worth it. Pretty soon strangers become friends and are offering you some samples from their meals or hot peppers someone brought in. True story. Ask Osi V or Angela P, they were there and may or may not have been part of that pepper action. Anyway, we ordered a lot of appetizers to share around the table--soft pretzels, potato pancakes, bratwurst and other sausages and spatzle. The menu is traditional German and everything is hearty and large portioned. Everything we ordered was delicious. I can eat a whole stack of their potato pancakes--those were definitely my fave. Crispy soft, just perfect. Of course tons of German beer options but they also offer a full bar. I haven't tried a lot of German beer so I appreciated the beer sampler--5 different small pours to sample. Lots of Das Boots (2 litre boots) of beer at our table and around the restaurant. Lively atmosphere indeed! As mentioned earlier, it was quite packed the evening we visited. Our food order got lost in the shuffle so we waited a LONG time to finally eat more than the complimentary bread. Our waiter had no idea our food wasn't brought out to us (he was the emcee for one of the games) so he quickly amended that error. They brought out sauerkraut balls on the house and provided dessert on the house too. I think they comped a bit of our meal as well. I know errors can happen in restaurants, especially when they are busy, but it's how they react to those mistakes that is important. And Schnitzel Platz was a class act about everything. This won't deter me from visiting in the future. read more

Schnitzel Platz - Beer sampler - German Near Me - Glendale Heights, Illinois

OMG!!! I surprised my boyfriend and my dad for father's day. We each had a different schnitzel and shared. Everybody was raving about the food. We also each had different soups and salads. The german salad did not disappoint. So refreshing to get something different to eat. The creamy carrot coins were awesome, pickled beets and then cucumber salad and red cabbage is perfect for a hot day. Before I go, I have to tell you the remarkable young man who was our server. Michael 18 years old was so attentive and personable. He definitely is in the right career. never once did we wonder where are drinks or food was. great service!!! Then the manager came by asking us how we were doing, cleaned some dishes off the table and made us feel so welcome. Now to tell you, we drove a little over an hour to come here. We will DEFINITELY be back. Keep up the good work!!!!! PS. they also had a one man show for music entertainment that kept all the customers engaged. GREAT JOB SCHNITZEL PLATZ!!!! read more

Good experience and even with their Covid safety guidelines, it was still enjoyable! Definitely recommend their camenbert and potato pancakes! So delicious. read more

In short - the Disney version of Germany. Harmless fun for the family! Granny will love it! Stay for the beer. If you want to experience a bit of the circus and celebration of a Munich brauhaus, Schnitzel Platz is your place on a Saturday night or during Oktoberfest. The place is festive, the beer is good and the food is marginal. With enough of the former, you won't care about the latter. Having been to Germany/Austria, walking into the Schnitzel Platz brings back some good memories. At first blush, the place is cozy, there is a small bar - big enough to relax at while you wait for a table - a bit of a gift shop with German knick knacks and the sound of Germanic / European tunes being hammered out by two old guys (Bob and Hank) on accordion/glockenspiel/upright bass - with the patrons singing along while guzzling beer out of glass boots ala Beerfest. It is a hoot! The heavyset, limping chef named "Wolfgang" (what else?) waddles about in full chef garb checking on diners, bantering, kissing the girls, and having fun (he should probably be in the kitchen). Clientele on a Saturday night is mostly families with several generations represented at many tables - singing, laughing and dancing up at the band area - all which adds to the German atmosphere. On Saturday - the place is a party on wheels and the atmosphere is 5 stars hands down !! The dining area itself is small (looks like a converted Sizzler) and the tables are cramped. Servers are rushed on the weekends and service is prompt when you have their attention, but getting their attention amid the buzz can be a problem. Their selection of beers from the Motherland is outstanding but not particularly extensive - all in all, you have to try the Weihenstephan Weiss - both light and dark. Goes down good! (too good according to wifey). The limited wine list leans toward the typical German, fruity Liebfraumilch with a couple surprises thrown in the mix for kicks. The menu looks great with what is simply an unwieldy selection of the signature "Schnitzel" in its various embodiments along with several interesting "Wursts" and "Braten" and side dishes typical to the Slavic palate. This is where the problems begin.... When I read reviews that claim "Authentic German Food" (or "authentic" any kind of food for that matter), I have to confess that I really don't know what the hell that means, but it seems to carry the connotation that the food which is being reviewed is something special. The fact is that Germany or any country for that matter has many different local variations of signature or national dishes so no matter what the theme of the restaurant you are dining in - "authentic" is a misleading, overused term. If the food in a restaurant is "good", tasty and interesting, I don't give a rat's ass if it is authentic. Sometimes a variation on a theme is better than the original. Take the bratwurst...... there are many kinds of bratwurst in Germany - born of local custom. The bratwurst served here is similar to a Kulmbacher Bratwurst (from the city of Kulmbach in Bavaria) which is mainly finely ground veal. It is white and it looks and tastes like the supermarket pre-cooked type of bratwurst. Bland. Good thing they give you horseradish to douse it in. Give me a good Wisconsin brat with flavor, crunch and maybe some spicy bite instead anyday - not "authentic", but authentically good! The schnitzel is passable if not enjoyable (since you can't get it everywhere), but the portions are a bit on the small side for the price and the meat itself had been pounded (tenderized) to cracker thick(thin)ness - the spatzle (dumpling noodles) are very good but could not make up for the schnitzel shortcomings (say THAT five times after a pint of HB). The sauerkraut and red cabbage sides are very good and the liver dumpling soup is thumbs up. Desert strudel is ok but I have had much better in my local Greek coffee shop. We will certainly be back again for the fun (and the beer) and I would recommend the joint as a themed restaurant for families. Not really a date joint unless your hottie is named Geertruida. There you have it. I must give it 5 stars for the experience, 3 for the food, 4 for the beer for an average of - 4 stars. read more

Schnitzel Platz - German Near Me - Glendale Heights, Illinois

See all

We LOVE Schnitzel Platz! It's our family's favorite place to celebrate special occasions and to bring out of town guests. We have tried a few other German restaurants and this place is the best! Everything is absolutely delicious! We've tried a number of items and our favorites are the Jaeger/Hunter Schnitzel (pork schnitzel with a yummy mushroom sauce) and the sausage sampler plate. Meals come with either a cup of the soup of the day or the German salad plate (a variety of cold German salads). And there is a nice big basket of pretzels rolls, rye bread and crackers brought to the table. The servings are very large and we always bring leftovers home. You can share a meal for a small fee. And they might seem pricey but they are in line with pricing at other German places and you do get ALOT of food. Now I'm not a beer fan but my husband and father-in-law do enjoy their large beer selection. You can even have a litre of beer in a glass boot! They also have a number of wines and after dinner cordials which are quite good. And don't forget dessert! I believe the dessert menu might be smaller during Oktoberfest but normally they have a huge selection of tempting cakes and strudels. Your server might go over the tray of them pretty fast but don't worry, they are happy to repeat or answer any of your questions. A few notes about their hours- they are closed on Tuesdays. They also are closed for a few weeks in Autumn each year to return to Germany (the owners and some of the staff are from there) so be sure to check. If you go during Oktoberfest(Sept-Oct) the center of the restaurant has rows of picnic tables with table cloths lined up to accommodate the crowds. They do have booths along the outer walls of the resturaunt though. And if you come on a Fri, Sat or Sun make reservations. They are typically packed on these nights year round. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the two-man German band who entertains on the weekends. They are fabulous and will have the whole crowd singing along. Everyone has a little German in them at Schnitzel Platz! read more

I came here on the Friday night after Christmas with a group of 8. We had a reservation and were seated without issue, but that's where the good service ended. We all ordered a drink plus a water, as our waiter was very knowledgeable about the beer and wine options. A separate server came back with the water tray. As he was handing the waters out, he spilled half a glass of ice water on one of my friends-- stared awkwardly at her for a second and then walked away. Ummm... really??? We were all shocked at that. When the waiter came back with our adult beverages, we were ready to order. A few people got an app with a meal, a few just got a meal, and two of us (me included) just got the German pretzels with bier cheese dip. The couple who ordered apps and a meal got their app within 15 minutes. The person who got a soup with his meal got that about 10 minutes after that. The rest of us sat and waited for AN HOUR or more for our food. Yes, the place was busy, but seriously?! The place was emptying out at that point too. Some of us were considering another drink and dessert but the wait for food scared us into thinking we might be trapped there all night if we ordered anything else!! They lost some good business that way. My pretzel was "holy hell" salty... I scraped off a ton of the salt and had a decent pile on the edge of my plate. The bier cheese sauce had no flavor besides also salt, and probably came from a can. I wouldn't order it again. I was totally unimpressed with my experience and wouldn't hesitate to go elsewhere for German food. read more

Schnitzel Platz - One hour to get a pretzel. Better be worth it - German Near Me - Glendale Heights, Illinois

Over priced and paprika schnitzel shouldn't be just sprinkled w the powder. It should have real red peppers in it and a red pepper sauce.

Called to get a reservation and a woman answered the phone by saying I'm not dealing with this" and hung up. I called back and told the woman I just got hung up on. (1st red flag) She apologized and I asked about a reservation for two people at 6pm. As she was telling me what times were available, somebody picked up the line and started to dial out as the woman yelled that she was on the phone. (2nd red flag) She then asked how many people in our party. I once again, told her two people. She asked what time. I then told her, once again, 6pm. She then put me on hold. Once she came back, she said she could give me a reservation for 7:30. I told her that was toolate and then she said she would give e me something earlier. Again she asked, what time were you looking for? Again, I told her 6pm. (Red flag #3) She gave me a four digit code for our reso. We arrived and stood in line while people were sat. The couple in front of us did not have a reso but they sat them in a booth. We were next and they sat us at a long communal table fir 12 ppl. I told them that's I'm not sitting at a table where others are sitting next to us. (Red flag #4) The male server that attempted to seat us went back to the host area and told the host and another server that we didn't want to sit there. He started to laugh as they talked about it. We didn't understand how a walk-in party of two, with no reservation, was getting a booth and we could not?!? They told us that the only way to seat us was at the communal table, even though there were 4 open booths. They handled this situation so poorly by the staff. Laughing at a guest? Wow. Will never come back. read more

My husband and I have been going to the Schnitzel Platz for quite a few years, and I used to love having my birthday dinners there. Last night we had a group of ten, we all ordered food and drinks, ate, and enjoyed ourselves- we rang up about a $500 tab and left a good tip. It was really busy. Our table ordered 4 boots of beer and the server took IDs for them (my two sisters shared one boot and 3 of the guys each had one). By the end of our dinner, the restaurant had lost track of one of the boots and accused us of stealing it and refused to give my sister in law's ID back. We were planning on going to the GH Oktoberfest tent afterward and really just wanted to leave. We certainly did NOT steal their boot glass but offered to pay for it just so we could leave; this ordeal had already put us about 45 minutes behind schedule for the evening's plans. The manager that was working last night- (Saturday Sept 17) proceeded to tell us how "bad" and "suspicious" it looked that we were trying to give them money for a boot they lost track of and caused a huge scene, indicating that since we were offering to pay for it, that we must have stolen it. We're all adults in our 40s, can buy our own boot glasses if we wanted them, etc. It was absolutely HUMILIATING. He eventually gave her her ID back but was unbelievably condescending and rude. I LOVED this place for years, it was my go-to for German comfort food, but will NEVER go back. I am just floored at how nasty and rude the manager was. I was about ready to get police involved. Maybe the restaurant should have a better protocol in place for their boot glasses vs wrongly harassing and accusing customers of stealing them. read more

Great place you'd never expect off north Ave. Good beer, good food, & nice people. Old school feel

Schnitzel was great! Fun atmosphere, lots of seating, great beer selection, fun German music! Great for dates, families, friends, or even traveling alone on business. Highly recommend the beer sampler and schnitzel. (Spaetzle wasn't my favorite here but my husband liked it) read more

The best potato pancakes ever! Consistently yummy, crisp, hot off the frying pan , the size of your head pancakes! I would give this place 5 stars but I am vegetarian so don't eat schnitzel sausage or anything of the kind. But sauerkraut was tasty and potatoes pretty yummy! Try it you will love it! Cute band playing every weekend October Fest 2016 and Here we are again! I added a star for consistency. Pancakes, sauerkraut , schnitzels as delicious as ever. Not to mention beers . Wolfgang we hope you stay here and cook for us forever. Prost! read more

Schnitzel Platz - October Fest 2016 - German Near Me - Glendale Heights, Illinois

First of all , I am of German heritage and have been in many German restaurants. My first time here was Saturday, yesterday. From the outside it looks like a German restaurant. From the inside too more or less. I ordered the basic pork schnitzel. They brought me 2 almost perfectly round schnitzel about 5-6 inches in diameter. Have never seen this before. They looked like pre- made schnitzel from Aldi, like ground pork pounded together. Surely not from a fresh cut of meat. The spaetzle were short egg noodles, but again no spaetzle. And the musician was a good accordian player, but, didn't play hardly any German songs and could not speak the language or sing it. Edelweiss, played often, is NOT a German song. I don't think I'll ever go back. read more

I had the Jager/hunters schnitzel and it was the most delicious German food I've ever had! Our first time here! Liver dumpling soup was amazing, spaetzel was perfect, nice tangy purple cabbage! Our server Rocky was quirky and nice. Minus one star only because my partner didn't care for his meal at all. It was the veal wiener and it was bland and dried out, but his tomato soup was surprisingly bright and rich. Edit: Just ate my leftovers from lunch. Omg, heaven. Just heaven. Snitzel has a wonderful smoky meaty flavor, like it was cooked with bacon grease and schmaltz. Omg. So good. read more

First off, the food here is amazing and would definitely recommend this place for people who like real German food. The best part was THE MUSICIAN. My GOD he is amazing. He can play guitar, harmonica, TWO TRUMPETS AT ONCE, xylophone and a whole lot more. EVEN BELLS AND BEER BOTTLES. Beat that kid rock. The portions were generous and the food was really wonderful. All 4 of us enjoyed our meal. The only negative thing I can say is the service. The service is as slow as my sister when she gets ready for school in the morning. But everything else blew the negatives away. Food was really good and would come back. read more

Well, hubby wanted German food for his B-Day so I have been wanting to try this for a while. I will base the food judgements on his comments, as I am just not a big German food fan. DH was in LOVE with the beer menu, he is a home brewer and loved the obscure German imports. For dinner we had the chef's choice sausage platter for a starter, and he loved them. I thought they were very good, although again, not a big fan. The he had Wiener Schnitzel with red cabbage and spaetzel and he was in LOVE. He swears the German food is as good as he has had in this area. I had a whole Rainbow trout and although a bit salty, very good and nicely presented. Someone who knew what they were doing de-boned and fileted that fish. And of course, a warm apple strudel with ice cream to put the candle in. It is a very family friendly place, they had a couple of musicians playing all the "German" favorites. Although cute, a bit cheesy for my taste. But we will definitely return, if it were up to hubby, it would be tomorrow... read more

Recently went this past Tuesday, staff, food, music, everything was just amazing!! I plan to go back ASAP!

Don't judge a meal by its looks! Schnitzel was hot, red cabbage warm and potatoes cold and inedible. When the server returned and asked how everything was, I was honest and said just that. She said she'd tell Chef Wolfgang. That was it. A fresh order of potatoes would have made all the difference. Then we were overcharged for the soup upgrade. Not to mention the more limited and pricier 'Oktoberfest Menu' at 2pm on a slow Sunday. Disappointing! read more

Schnitzel Platz - German Near Me - Glendale Heights, Illinois

Wonderful food and atmosphere. Terrible manager, we wont be coming back. Which is a shame we have come several times and really enjoyed it. He has a terrible personality for the restaurant business. If you don't want to take groupon anymore at least offer an apology instead of being argumentative and defensive with your customers. Your wrong about you only needing business in the winter you need customers all year wrong. You lost our family of 5 for winter, spring, summer and fall. I give 2 stars for the terrible experience. read more

I went there last year after returning from living in Germany for years. I thought this place was the closest to German food. I went here today and I was disappointed, nothing was cooked even remotely like it was before. I hope they go back to cooking it fresh again. read more

Inexcusably bad German food. To be fair, I grew up in Germany and learned how to cook authentic German/Austrian cuisine from the best of the best but have for the most part been able to find passable, enjoyable stand-ins outside of Europe. This is not one of those places. The salad plate was as if they plated them early that morning and let them sit uncovered in the fridge....oxidized and virtually inedible. Sauerkraut, knoedel, and cheese sauce were all noticeably old with the sauerkraut tasting recognizably moldy. Seriously unappetizing. Wiener Schnitzel was mushy without any crisp to it at all and unseasoned. The Rahm sauce was delicious and the only thing that came out hot only because I ordered it after the fact to try to help choke down the cold, mushy schnitzel. Wine and Beer were good and representative of German/Austrian varietals which I found nice. Our waitress was lovely and very friendly and made an otherwise disappointing meal pleasant. It was nicely decorated for Christmas which was nice. But, we dropped $150 on a meal that will guarantee our not returning. Off night or not, it's not worth the risk. read more

By far the BEST German restaurant around My husband is a Army brat and says they have the meals that remind him of Germany read more

Server had an attitude and seemed to be bother to serve us even though the place was practically empty and we were his only table. My schnitzel was decent but not worth $20 a plate. Kinda had the atmosphere of a cafeteria at a retirement home. read more

Stop what you are doing now and go there. Now. Whatever you order get the dumplings on the side and get a giant weise beer to wash it down. DO get appfelcorn shots and tell Bob and Hank to play "bear down"......ahhhh what a place! My "Check, Please" review. http://www.wttw.com/main.taf?p=1%2C49%2C1 read more

If you've never tasted authentic German food, this might be ok as an introduction, just don't take your vegetarian/vegan friends here. If you have been to Germany and dined in Munich or Frankfurt, I would pass. The good. The best thing about this place was the beer, homemade pretzel, and barley soup. The homemade apple tort was good. The atmosphere was nice and bathrooms were clean. This place is popular and had a one-man show playing the accordion. The not so good. The dinner was ok. The pot roast was vinegary with ginger which tasted off. The pork schnitzel was too dry and mushroom gravy sauce like off the shelf store bought. The cakes looked amazing, but tasted about 2 weeks old, very dry. The whipped cream frosting was similar to Jewel, tasted like crisco. Paid way too much for the quality received. I would not go back, unless I'm craving a pretzel. read more

Just not good. Food was bland. Service just okay. Maybe we just don't like German food.

Went on a very busy day, but they seated us right away. The staff was really nice and the live music was cool. I really loved the Hausgemachte Gulaschsuppe and soft pretzels. There was a bit of a wait to get the food, but like I said it was really busy. read more

HUGE portions and worth every bite! Loved the German salad plate! New management is doing good!

My daughter and son-in-law recently moved to the area and took us here for dinner. When we were seated a basket of fresh rye bread and pretzel rolls was promptly delivered to our table. We chose the breaded baked camembert with raspberry sauce appetizer, which we spread on the pretzel rolls-delicious! I had gulasch soup that was a treat for the taste buds. My main course was the Deutsche Haus Platte as I wanted a sampler, three different sausages, schnitzel, chopped steak, red cabbage and sauerkraut which were all excellent. The schnitzel was so tender I cut it with a fork. My wife and I split a full order of potato pancakes, four huge pancakes; the best I've ever had. We should have gotten a half order as we took two pancakes home. They have a huge selection of beer and a full bar, though I had iced tea. Excellent, authentic German food at reasonable prices, generous helpings and great service. They even have live entertainment on Fridays! We'll definitely be back. read more

Most recent visit was less then pleasant. Slow and indifferent service. A more detailed review was posted after but establishment reacts Quickly & Harshly to less then positive reviews. Forced to Delete True experience. Keep that in mind if you read reviews of this Restaurant. read more

Fabulous. Amazing. Authentic My little family is learning about a new country every week this summer and last week was Germany. I found this authentic German restaurant and I am so glad we did. I believe it's a husband and wife that own this little restaurant. The food was amazing holy cow. Even my 4 year old daughter loved the food!! The German cider that I had was delicious As well as my lachs on toast!! My hubby ordered the goulash and said it was amazing!!! Check this local place out, you won't be disappointed !!!!! read more

Came for Father's Day and so glad we did. The food was delicious, the service helpful and on point,but Amazing Mike was nothing short of amazing. He is a one man musical show! He's not only an amazing musician he is having so much fun, you can't help but have fun too. Make sure and visit when he is there, he turns a good meal into a great experience. We enjoyed all of our entrees, and the strudel was scrumptious read more

Really good German food, and I have had German food in Germany. The entertainment is fun too. The wait staff is very accommodating.

Nothing comes close to the authenticity of the food, atmosphere, and general like-ability of this place. Wolfgang, his wife, and staff are all top-notch. Octoberfest celebrations are over-the-top. We also visit when we need a solid meal made with care and traditional skill. read more

See all

Food has declined since Covid. I use to live their German food. Not anymore! Would not return there!

This is the most authentic German food in the area. I've been to octoberfest in Munich and they have the food and beer down perfectly. Great placr read more