Karl Ratzsch, Misses Mark Despite Big Name

Karl Ratzsch

320 E Mason St, Milwaukee, WI 53233

(414) 276-2720

Dinner
Mon – Thurs: 5-10pm
Fri & Sat: 5-11pm
Sun: Closed

Lunch
Monday – Friday: 11:30 – 2:00 pm

When Chef Thomas Hauck of C.1880 purchased Karl Ratzsch in January, Milwaukee residents began counting down the days until its grand re-opening; post a much needed remodel.

Karl Ratzsch’s originally opened in 1904, making it one of the oldest restaurants in the Milwaukee. Karl Ratzsch Sr. arrived in Milwaukee from Germany in order to capitalize off the high German population by selling classic German dishes according to his family recipes. Generations of families (including my own) have celebrated Christmas, birthdays, graduations and other events by dining in the high class spot.

I was excited to stop by and check out the newly opened “Karl Ratzsch”; dropping the “S” miffed a couple of regulars at the table next to me.

But that’s not the only thing that people were upset about that night. The close table quarters allowed me to hear another table complaining about how long they had been waiting for drinks. Not a good sign off the bat, but I was more than willing to let it go and give new Karl an unbiased try. Other than the cramped table spacing, the remodeled dining room looked nice. A fresh update from an interior design that teleported you straight to Christmas at Grandmas house, no matter what time of year. Light wood floors and bright lighting bring a contemporary feel, while some tasteful German décor remains; perhaps to please the previous regulars.

The hostess looked upset to see me. Even though I had a reservation for two people, and the dining room was half empty, the hostess was completely stressed out and shot nervous looks at a woman in the corner whom I later discovered is the manager. Our waiter arrived promptly to the table, but couldn’t answer my simple question to relay the tap beers. After several awkward trips, he was finally able to state all the beer to choose from. Which is a lot. Don’t expect to order a Miller Lite either, only German style beers are served. I ordered a hefewiezen from Weihenstephaner (Munich), which boasts to be the world’s oldest brewery. It was delicious, but not for $9.

The waiter made it obvious that he was annoyed that we didn’t want to order any appetizers. It was more for financial sake than anything else. One of the least expensive appetizers is the meatballs, which comes with only four. The tiny beef rouladen appetizer, that we saw on another table, is a whopping $13. I decided to have the Salmon and my friend decided to have the Wienerschnitzel- a traditional German dish of breaded and deep fried veal.

The food took just over an hour. It would have been completely okay despite the fact that our server only came back to check on us one time while we were waiting. During the wait, I went on a journey to find the restroom, only to find a group of around seven or eight servers hanging out and shooting the shit. It was decently unprofessional considering the price of the food.

When our food finally arrived, the schnitzel was cold so another 15 minutes passed. Our server could tell that we were rightly frustrated, but never offered a sincere apology. At this point, the woman who had the hostess all freaked out came by and introduced herself as the manager. We explained how the service had been so far, and she seemed apologetic but offered nothing to make the situation better except going to check on our food.

By the time the re-fired schnitzel was finally on the table, we were definitely ready to eat.

Both dishes were cooked perfectly. The salmon ($24) came with a beet and sour cream sauce and horseradish. It was moist and the flavor was on point. The Wienerschnitzel was good, but pretty plain for $21. It came with red cabbage, parsley and a lemon which helped a bit with the plain flavor.

Karl Ratzsch was always considered to be a nicer version of their cross-town rival, Maders Restaurant. However, now the opposite is true. The food was good, but just as good as it had been before. Technically the prices are reasonable, but not for how awful the service is. It’s sad to see an important piece of Milwaukee’s history carried on by a crew of people that seem apathetic to its meaning.

Cuisine Type: German

Price per Entrée: $20-$45

Attire: Formal. Business casual is acceptable.

Reservations: Yes

Payment: Credit cards accepted