Dining in a private Amish home is an incredible experience that ought to be on everyone's bucket…read morelist. This place was recommended to us not by a tourist but by a friendly relative of the Amish owner, Brenda Slabaugh (everyone in this settlement is close-knit). Like other in-home dining venues, the spacious room also serves as a social gathering and worship place for the Amish. Nearly everything in the huge kitchen is prepared from scratch and served family-style. The fixed menu includes bread, salad, chicken, roast beef, noodles, mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, and assorted pies. Everything we tasted was phenomenal. Homemade peanut butter and jam, spread on fresh-baked bread, were ethereal. The 'colorific' salad was colorful indeed and tossed in a savory vinaigrette. White meat chicken fingers and dark meat were breaded and baked (not fried) to perfection. The beef (pot roast, perhaps) was fork-tender and juicy. All of the side dishes and pies were just as wonderful. Brenda and family members who helped her prepare and serve the meal were friendly and attentive to our needs, and happy to answer questions about Amish lifestyle and customs. Of course, a 'modern' restroom is available. This business is aimed at large parties and tour groups, but it's available to smaller parties on Wednesday evenings. Advance reservations are required

Great homemade food from wonderful people! Amazing hospitality. Also bought bread to take home.read more

This was a great find. You could almost say a restaurant out in a cornfield. Reservations…read morerequired but you can sit out on their nice patio which we did. Husband had prime rib and I had pizza. Very large piece of prime rib which husband said was delicious. Owner came by to check if everything was ok and waitress was very attentive and nice. We will return!!!

Walked in expecting a small Town pub feel and got exactly…read morethat!!! I loved the feel and vibe and the food was yummmmyyyyyyy.... Our server was amazing and super friendly!! Definitely a spot for us to come back and visit!

A neighbor recommended Essenhaus to me and said it was a local favorite, so I had to try it out…read more Honestly really glad I did! While waiting to be seated there was a bunch of stuff to look at like the little shops and bakery, so it didn't even feel like a wait. I tried the buffet and my favorites were definitely the chicken and roast beef. Both were super good and tasted homemade. The whole place just has a really cozy vibe and everyone was really friendly. I can see why people around here love this place!

I love Das Dutchman Essenhaus and routine eat there every 1-2 years when we visit Shipshewana. We…read moreusually have a great meal and pleasant experience. Last week was different. The non-buffet restaurant was crowded, so we took a seat at the counter. The server was busy managing multiple tables along with the counter, and seldom came by to check on us. She would also forget requests and fail to bring things we requested until we asked twice. I ordered the Dutchman Burger and immediately experienced buyer's regret. The burger tasted off--like it was a day away from his expiration date. The initial taste each bite was okay, but always end with a gamey, off-putting taste. We will definitely be visiting Shipshewana again and will each at DDE. However, I won't get that burger again and hope we don't come at a time when the servers are overworked and distracted.

They've closed unfortunately before the season. Was great! It's now called something new. Tipsy…read moreturtle I believe haven't been yet.

Awesome ambiance! This is right on the water. If you go downstairs you can sit outside in the…read morescreened section looking right at the lake. Or you can choose to sit inside. The food was good! For our appetizer, We got the Prop Bites (Cheese Curds) they were good but quite salty. My husband and I both got the Grouper strips. They were really good. The breading was a little thicker than we like but it was good, as were their chips and coleslaw. Anna was great! The service was very quick! We had our apps within 5 minutes! Our meals came shortly after! Our server was very attentive too!

Fabulous service. Great food. Ribs, frog legs, shrimp. The river provides the ambiance. Love…read morewatching the ice float down the river.

For my first time here I am so disappointed. My husband hyped me up for this place as his first…read moretime here he was more than stellar. I was torn between getting the Mottville Cheeseburger or the Breaded Tenderloin I asked our waitress if the tenderloin was a prefab patty. She just said that it comes pre-bredded. She didnt really anwser... so...I still am not sure. We shared a sampler platter, and hubs had the whitefish (lemon pepper flavor) with loaded baked potato, and unsweet tea, I had the Mottville cheeseburger and fries with a coke. Our waitress seemed rushed when taking our order. (We were there during the dinner hour so I completely understand being busy and the weekend and needing to turn tables) She didnt ask me how I wanted my burger cooked and she didnt ask what cheese I wanted, I didnt know what cheese even came with it as it did not state on the menu. Our sampler arrived, it contained onion rings, greenbeans, mushrooms and mozzarella sticks. It came with 2 dipping sauces. Both of our sauces were ranch. (Wish I would not have had to ask for marinaria by the time our waitress brought it our the cheese sticks were already cold and past their prime) When my food arrived she sat it on the table and left just as quickly as she came. Did not ask me if my burger was to my liking or anything. However, I did hear her ask the table behind us how everyone wanted their steak and their fish cooked. (Not sure why my hurger would have been any different) For my liking my burger was way more pink than I would have liked. I did not complain and I did not say anything as we also were not asked how our meal was. The resturant seems clean at the surface however it did feel a bit claustrophobic. Dark and low celings. There is a nice section of the resturant that looks outward toward the river and has a nice view. The mirrored wall on the other side is something left to be desired for my taste. For the price... the portion size seemed a bit off... perhaps one more filet for the fish and maybe a few more fries or a smaller portion of fries and a second side would be nicer. I'm not sure with what we recieved if $63.00 was worth it, and unfortunately our server was not as helpful as she could have been. The food was just mediocre at best and nothing to really write home about. Will I be back... Most likely as my husband likes this place. I just hope that next time it won't be during dinner service and I hope that our waitress could be a little more accommodating and anwser questions about the menu when asked.

Always a favorite spot and a sure thing for a good quality meal…read more Not sure if they have a new cook, if they're cheapening their ingredients or if their supplier is cheapening things. Meal was good but we're accustomed to greatness from this restaurant. New Orleans cavatappi pasta has always pushed the limits on spicy but today it fell short. Le sigh Generous portion of walleye as usual but the sauce just came up flat. Added table salt which helps but adds a layer of unrefined flavor teasing the mind and leaving us to wonder why do we have to salt our food today? Sweet potato comes with cinnamon brown sugar butter didn't let the server tell you it's just brown sugar butter. Featured soup was Hungarian mushroom. Not sure what makes it Hungarian and the server didn't know either. ‍ We liked our meal but we didn't LOVE it like we usually do. Perhaps it was just an off day. We'll try again. Please don't let this restaurant slide down past return. It's one of the few we know we can get a high quality meal out of.

This place. This is such a lovely restaurant. Server was very attentive, food was fantastic! I had…read morewhite meat only chicken, so good. The side salad was amazing, egg in a side salad?! Awesome! Tip- get there early as they fill up quick.

Food is delicious and service is great! Highly recommend the short stack. Prices are reasonable!read more

A half and half ..(two little biscuits and a little gravy…read more.with half cooked hash browns is not worth $9 !! Forget that crap !!