Tried this place on a recent camping trip near New Ulm and I can only describe it with one word: joy. The second you enter and walk down a flight of stairs to the dining hall, you feel how cozy and traditional this restaurant is. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. A variety of sausage options, schnitzel with different gravy styles, spatzle, sauerkraut, creamy soups, they have it all for an authentic German meal. Service was wonderful and the ladies will treat you like a regular even if this your first time visiting. read more

See all

What a cute spot to celebrate the German Heritage of New Ulm. All of the food was hearty, the restaurant gave the feeling of a cozy small town bar, and the service was a delight. You can tell the locals love this gem too. We tried the potato soup, Schnitzel, and Spaetzle. It was basically a meat and potatoes meal and warmed our hearts. It felt perfect on a cool fall evening. read more

See all

Excellent service and food for a fair price. Had the chicken Alfredo special. Highly recommend!

The food is always A plus ! The ribs, Ruben sandwich , salads , onion rings, everything is good ! Service with a smile & fast! Plus it's the oldest restaurant/bar in New Ulm , 1872! A must stop for tourists & locals ! read more

Excellent food, service, and ambiance. We were there on a Thursday so they were $3 off. I had the Turner burger with corned beef and sauerkraut. Hubby had the 3 Napkin Burger with onion rings. Delicious! read more

I went to check out the "oldest bar" in MN and it was okay. I found it suffocating and that's probably due to how old the bar is (which is probably the main reason out of town guests go) and minimal natural light exposure. The cook hung out at the bar when not in the kitchen and was pretty annoying talking loud and lounging/hanging on the bar. Could be that it's super casual in rural MN and I'm not used to it. Bartender was nice . Went somewhere else for dinner. read more

Drinks from Eli at the bar were great! I loved sitting at the bar and hearing from all the locals. They clearly love this place. Adam was helpful with getting the menus and checking with the kitchen on what vegetables were in the "mix" for the day. My partner loved the brat and fries. I'm vegetarian but wasn't in the mood for a black bean burger so I got the Alfredo. It definitely left me wanting more flavor! Probably should've just gotten the burger. Extra garlic bread is only 25 cents though which was a delight! I got an extra to soak up the sauce. read more

Turner Hall - Alfredo, vegetable medley, garlic breadstick - American Near Me - New Ulm, Minnesota

See all

The service was great. The gentleman who greeted, and served us was phenominal. We ordered the german meal for two. Unfortunately, it was very disappointing. The ribs lacked flavor, although theyvwere fall off the bone tender. The pork chop was tough and a bit dry. The kraut lacked flavor. It wasn't even sour. The spaetzle was ok, but my mom makes better at home. The 1800's architecture and wood work was amazing. So much wonderful history. Just get some older german ladies to cook and it will be wonderful again. read more

Ok, I'm appreciative that this is the state's oldest bar but as someone with Austrian parents who has eaten many schnitzels, this was rough. Spouse had an oddly regularly shaped schnitzel that took a lot of effort to cut through. No moistness whatsoever. I had ribs- I have no idea what the blaze-orange sauce was but definitely not any barbecue sauce. And the side veggies (below) were the sort of steamed frozen vegetables that bad school cafeterias serve. The Schell's firebrick was an excellent beer. read more

Turner Hall - Steamed veggies and the plastic tube of sour cream... - American Near Me - New Ulm, Minnesota

Good ambiance, fun vibes and rustic German charm! I ordered the Spätzle and Pork Schnitzel! Was very good, tasted just like how it does in Bavaria! The Schnitzel was very tender, juicy and flavorful. The service could have been quicker/better but it's tough to find good help, only one person working and tending to 6 large tables. Will definitely come back again! 7.8/10 Cheers! read more

Turner Hall - a plate of food on a table - American Near Me - New Ulm, Minnesota

Great atmosphere, love the paintings on the walls. Enjoyed our Reubens very much. Reserved a table Google Assistant and it worked great.

Wonderful service in the Rathskeller of this historic New Ulm building. There is a choice of both German and regular menu items. Fun German decor including lyrics to happy hour drinking songs should you be so inclined. read more

The food was food. One of the members of the group liked the chicken strips and rated them 7 out of 10 which is high for this individual. We brought someone from Turkey with us and the buffalo wrap was ok but a little wet. The atmosphere was the best part of this place. There are cribbage boards all over to use. It was a fun time. The old ball and chain got the fish and chips and she liked them. The kids came a long and we were able to show a kids menu item on this. We asked for the chocolate pretzels the kids get but unfortunately I think she thought I was joking. Service was good, she had a lot of tables and did a good job! read more

See all

Stopped in during Oktoberfest, as it seemed appropriate. I ordered the Jaeger schnitzel with spatzle (upcharge) & it automatically comes with veggies. I wanted to sub the veggies for german potato salad (happy to pay extra) but was advised that wasn't an option. I then regretted getting the spatzle instead of the potato salad, simply because my husband got the same - so, I didn't get to try it. Everything was great & portions were huge. Neither of us finished our meal & we took it to the camper for the next day - 2 meals for the price of 1! Speaking of prices, they were a bit higher than the other option in town, too, again, serving sizes were also larger. Really, both are solid choices! read more

This is just one of the great gems in New Ulm! Had lunch on a Thursday while in town for work and if you love German culture, food and a cozy place to eat...then this is your space! Love the fireplace, German paintings and the basement eatery! The menu has a lot of American fare with a German spin! I got the Bock burger which is fantastic! The beer cheese sauce and grilled onions (lots) and the thick cut bacon make this burger mouth watering and absolutely messy! But damn it's worth it! The fresh cut sweet potato fries are a home run as well! Kelly was our waitress and she's is fantastic! She recommended the burger and when I go back I'm listening to her again! Thanks for a great first experience! read more

Turner Hall - Bock burger with sweet potato fries - American Near Me - New Ulm, Minnesota

Three of us had the feast for two and had enough for another meal at home. Hard to find a place where we could get five German delicacies in one meal. Juicy ribs, perfect bratwurst. Worth the 90 minute drive from The Cities. Only complaint...not warm enough for 83 year old granny Barb. Now on to the Schell Brewery for a fresh beer. read more

Turner Hall - Ribs, pork chops, bratwurst, spatzel - American Near Me - New Ulm, Minnesota

My wife and I visited New Ulm just for a a night away from home. We started our day with lunch at Turner Hall. Very good food and excellent service. Highly recommend checking this place out if you are in the area. read more

My husband and I went to eat dinner at Turner Hall. We shared a sampler platter that had Rueben balls with thousand island dressing for dipping, two soft pretzel sticks with a thin cheese sauce, and square-shaped cheese curds with a tomato dipping sauce. We did like all the appetizers on the platter. Then my husband had a burger and fries, which he said were both very good. I had a delicious Philly chicken sandwich on a toasted bun, along with spaetzle. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere could use some updating, but we would go back! read more

See all

I have no explanation why this restaurant is not jammed packed every night! The staff is super attentive. The ambiance is old German and is inspired by the alps. The food is delicious! Great service and descent prices. The Herman's platter is to die on. You absolutely should talk about politics at the dinner table you know I think we don't talk enough I think that's part of the problem. Thank you for! The cheese curds and Bavarian warm pretzels are mouthwatering!!!! I had the shaved roast beef and cheese on a Vienna bun which was equally delicious. The staff were amazing, not enough kudos could be given to them! read more

Ruben. Fantastic. One of the better ones I've ever had. Thick cut corned beef. Wonderful house-made kraut. Nice tangy sauce. Yum yum yum. Great, friendly service. Cool ambience. Don't hesitate. Do it. read more

Went to Turner Hall for dinner, the place is really cool, the staff is friendly, but the Fish Basket was horrible! Two pieces of beer battered cod which were served extremely flattened out, waaaaaay overcooked, tough & chewy. The first piece I was able to eat (hesitantly) but the second piece, I couldn't even cut with a knife. I showed it to the waitress, and she asked if I wanted a different piece. Fifteen minutes later I got a replacement piece of fish which honestly, wasn't much better than the one I sent back. Not sure if the chef is inexperienced or the quality of the fish they get is just that poor. Either way, it never, ever should have been served to a guest! Was also a little disappointed that I didn't get an apology or offered a free desert or beer or something. Thought this might have been a bad night for the fish but my sister had been at Turner Hall the night before and had a similar experience with the Fish Basket. Lesson learned I guess! read more

Pretty good German food, lots of art and history in this place. Service was knowledgeable and served a huge group in a timely manner.

This place is a must if you're visiting new alm! I tried the Reuben sandwich and it was fantastic.

The food is so freaking good! Placed a to go order and it was ready in a timely manner. The bar tender was super nice as well! We will be going back. read more

This place is awesome. The history and beauty of the building and Turner Hall is so cool. The food is really good and the service is great. Caleigh was so nice and told us a lot of the info there and is a great server. Thank you so much for everything. Hope to be able to stop by here again. read more

See all

Soak up rich German-American history and sample Americanized German cuisine in New Ulm's historic Turner Hall. The hall - and the accompanying local society - was founded over 150 years ago by the turners. The turners aren't a family - they're actually a gymnastics organization (the German word "turnen" is actually a verb which means "to practice gymnastics"). The turners established halls and societies such as these to promote physical fitness (via gymnastics), community (via eating and drinking together), and political engagement. Turner Hall has been around for over a century, and until just about a decade ago, it was still a private, members-only gymnastics club. Today, the club still has members and still practices gymnastics, but the restaurant is open to the public. So when you eat here, you're not just enjoying some random German restaurant - you're partaking in generations of German-American history! How do I know this all? There was actually a historian at the restaurant who joined our table (at our permission) and taught this all to us. This was easily the highlight of the experience here. I'm not sure if people like him are around to explain local history all the time or only during special occasions (we came during Oktoberfest). But if there aren't any historians around when you visit, you can still learn a lot from the pictures and writing on the walls and from exploring the historic building after your meal. Unfortunately, the meal itself was a bit disappointing. I ordered the sauerbraten - roast beef with spätzle and red cabbage (one of my favorite traditional German dishes). The spätzle and red cabbage were fairly standard, but the roast beef wasn't as good or as authentic as sauerbraten I've had elsewhere - the meat was dry, and the gravy and vegetables were reminiscent more of a midwestern pot roast versus true German-style sauerbraten. My friend's meals were also more midwestern than authentically German. So if you're looking for the best German cuisine, then this might not be your best option. But if you enjoy midwestern comfort food, then Turner Hall will be right up your alley. And if you love history, then you'll have an unforgettable time. read more

Turner Hall - The sauerbraten was just ok - it felt more Americanized versus other sauerbraten I've had - American Near Me - New Ulm, Minnesota

It was not all what I expected. The food I had was very good. The place how ever is in need of some deep cleaning and appears to need some maintenance work done. The people were extremely friendly. read more

It's not German food. Sad selection of wine. The space is pretty cool. Service was attentive.

Fun place to drink and hang out. Be warned it has a VERY old feel. This is to be expected as the older bar in MN. I got the wallet and was disappointed, bland, sides were not very fresh and portions were on the small side. read more

Great local location. The food was excellent and the menu had some authentic German choices.

This is a review for the Rathskeller only, New Ulm's oldest bar. It's tucked away in the basement (hence the name) of Turner Hall and as the sign above the door says, "Tourists welcome". There's a welcoming old world feel here. Since the bar looked to be mostly locals, my friend and I grabbed a table after a long and stressful day. We ordered up some fried cheese curds and, of course, a couple Schell's. I dug the place and the murals painted on each wall. Beer was cold and refreshing and just what I needed before we headed back to our hotel. I could see myself potentially working my way up to the bar or stopping by for lunch now and again if I lived in New Ulm. I probably would only give the Rathskeller 3 stars because it was good but not great in my opinion. But then again our server was nice and I may have just been exhausted from our day. However I had to add that 4th star because since our visit my friend has brought this place up in several conversations. A lasting impression for someone who barely remembers yesterday is definitely worth a 4th star. read more

Must say I really hate to give a negative review. Locals were all very nice and welcome. But, Food was absolutely terrible. Pro tip: avoid any "german" food. Stick to beer and beer alone. Bartender was nice and welcoming, great prices on beer, great to see them support local brewery. Food was incredibly overpriced and absolutely terrible. $23 for schnitzel, dry chewy pork no flavor, nothing special at all. Save your time and money, I left frustrated I even paid for this. Also had a brat, bet that's pretty hard to f up right? One would think.... but they found a way. If you like hotdogs and hate brats you'll love it. If you like brats stay the f away. The fries were good, the salad was good. Seriously if you're going to New Ulm. Hard pass. It's a cool place and history etc etc... but feel like this bar should respect itself more than what we were presented. Not good. Hope they will taste their food and do some serious inward reflection. read more

We stopped in here for a late lunch after visiting Schells. The service was great as the staff was really nice and personable. Granted it was 3pm, I would hope this to be the case. The food was mediocre. I ordered the sampler and selected the Ruben balls, chicken drummies and chips. The Reuben balls were great, as were the dummies but the chips were not that great. The boyfriend ordered the beef sandwich and it needed a sauce...bad! The fries were good that came with his meal as well. We ordered a beer each and it was super cheap! I couldn't believe it! They do have a 2 price point system, where if you are a member (pay $85 a year) you pay the lower price and if not you pay the higher price...a little strange but it wasn't too bad. read more

What a fun place to have dinner! We enjoyed the selection of locally brewed beers, the historic atmosphere and the authentic German food. My curry bratwurst was delicious and my son loved his pork schnitzel. While I'd give four stars for the food I bumped it up to an overall five, mostly because our server Angela was such a delight. She really made it a fun evening for us, helping us choose our entrees and making sure we had a beer we loved. She was great with our kids and made sure we had everything we needed. We'll be back next time we pass through New Ulm!! read more

Great to visit a little piece of Minnesota history. You can really tell this has been a staple for a century+. Had a weinerschnitzel sandwich which was very good. As always, I need to taste the spaetzle and gravy and it was superb. Everyone enjoyed their meals. read more

Always amazing food, however the service seems pretty slow. If you are in a hurry, I wouldn't recommend eating here. However, if you have the time, the food the some of the best in New Ulm read more

Most homiest, comfortable bar in New Ulm. Great historical venue with good food and great beer. read more

Turner Hall - American Near Me - New Ulm, Minnesota

See all

We got there at a slightly off time for lunch but it started to fill up after we were there a while. The waitress was very friendly and helpful. We got the Reuben Balls and Herman Balls for an appetizer, then had the brats. The brats were good. The appetizer was good but we preferred the Reuben Balls. The place itself is like a trip back in time with the murals, etc. It's worth going just to see it but the food is OK, too. read more

Great place to eat or drink in New Ulm. Only difficult thing is finding the right door! Interesting location with great charm on the inside. My wife had the pulled pork sandwich which had cole slaw and their signature turner sauce, it was really tasty. The monster onion rings had great breading and flavor! I enjoyed the philly steak sandwich (it was on special) with the fries, it was a superb sandwich that paired great with my nordeast. We also enjoyed some popcorn (make sure you put some money in the donation jar). Some of the best popcorn I've had in a bar. After dinner my wife had a Minnesota bulldog at the bar, we enjoyed good conversation with the bartender and other patrons. Go on the schells tour then make sure you grab a bite at historic Turner Hall, the oldest bar in Minnesota! read more

Excellent burgers and a great atmosphere. Couple that with Schell's beer on tap and you have an excellent combination. Reasonable prices and they also have a new rear entrance. My wife and I are considering becoming members mainly because we were so happy with the food. Try their mozzarella sticks, very flakey and light. read more