Black Forest Inn

We went for lunch to this restaurant on a very sunny day and found a table outside in the beer garden. The chairs were a bit uncomfortable and the tables wobbly, but the place had a garden atmosphere. There wasn't any nice decoration, but at least it was a private space outside. The service was okay, not very friendly, and the waiter almost did not talk to us—no interaction with the customers. We've been to German restaurants in the U.S. where the waiters and waitresses were fun and quirky, wearing dirndls and nice dresses, but here it was a very boring atmosphere. They also played radio music instead of German traditional music, which was lame. The food was good. We had schnitzel, bratwurst, and heringsalat, which were good. The sauerkraut was a bit slimy, and the mustard with sesame seeds was something we, as Germans, didn't know. Overall, it was good and did not disappoint. Inside the restaurant, the decoration is very cute. The prices were okay, and the toilets were clean. Overall I will give 4 stars.. only because the food was really good. Thanks!

We thought this might be a nice place to go for some Oktoberfest meal on a Saturday night. We did come at about 8 (they close at 9) and this place wasn't as hip and happening as I thought. The clientele seems to skew older. To be fair, there was nothing emblazoned outside that told me there was a fun, vibey Oktoberfest gig happening. I just _assumed_ there might be something since it's a German restaurant and it's October. My fault. Anyway, I already knew I might not like German food having tried it before but I'm always up to trying again. I ordered Rabbit this time, and my bf ordered beef. They came with spatzle and red cabbage. I actually liked the Rabbit, even with the little bones. It was tender and really quite neutral in flavor, doused in some brown sauce. It's just such a heavy dish that I wish there were more green veggies available as well. Maybe that's not a thing in Germany because we did get a plate of liver pate and pickeled vegetables as an appetizer but I don't recall other fresh vegetables on the menu. I think it is a restaurant worth going to, especially if it's nice enough to go to the courtyard.

We had mixed reviews of the experience here. Portions were reasonable, except maybe the side spaetzal which was okay, but $8 for equivalent to a small cup of soup. The only other positive taste stand outs were the German potato salad and liver and onions. Schnitzel was too heavily breaded. Brats and pretzels were just okay. I enjoyed the creaminess of sauerkraut, but the rest of my party did not. Service was just sufficient

This place is a classic featured in many foodie lists, it is a must try! The Bratwurst and sauerkraut are very differentfrom aome other German spots I have tried. Great beer and good beer prices! The beer garden outside is a must on a warm and sunny day~~

Decent! We stopped in on a whim while walking by and were pleasantly surprised by the charming interior and tasty German dishes. My favorite was the lentil stew with sausages which was hearty and hit the spot. The sausage was smoky and filling. The pretzel tasted freshly baked and came with an earthy mustard and cheese sauce. The mushrooms were a bit on the salty side but deliciously savory, especially when balanced with the tender, warm sauerkraut and the more mild sausage. Very reasonable prices and decent service on a Thursday evening. I’m curious to try more of their menu. Glad to have this staple of Eat Street!

Can’t believe I haven’t been here before. Such a cool atmosphere. The patio looks amazing. Great to stop by for October fest. We came for my friend’s birthday and the accordion player sang to her. Such a fun unique experience.

German food perfection - veal shank, schnitzel, Black Forest torte, great atmosphere, charming murals and decor, reasonable prices, friendly folks, Value for $ = 100%, we will return asap; We love German food and this is the best we have enjoyed in Minnesota besides Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit.

We went on a thursday night and were happy they had their own parking lot, the building was old but had character I suppose. Our server was very friendly and extremely helpful with my girlfriend's gluten allergy, as well as provided us with some great gluten free places around the area. The veal and sausage sampler were both incredible! If you're looking for good German food, I'd recommend you come here! I would also recommend the owner of the building do a little bit of upkeep.

We were there a few weeks ago for a special occasion and had a delightful experience. I hope to go again but it is rather far from where we live so it probably won't happen again until next year. One thing I esp. like is that there is no noise clutter. Sweet peace! The bar was quiet as a bar should be, not like most popular spots where there are flat screens around every corner and a hubbub loud enough to drown out any potential for conversation or clear thinking. Thank goodness there are still places you can go for a few beers or drinks without having your senses assaulted by noise noise noise. The food and service were wonderful. You can't go wrong by going to this place. And with a patio like they have, you can't afford to miss it.

On a quest for the food of my heritage (either Polish or German; I wasn't fussy), I went to the Black Forest Inn. Very authentic interior design; the bar area looked like many of the pubs we'd recently been to in German and Austria. The bartender came over quickly and got my glass of halbtrocken (half-sweet) Riesling. If you're only familiar with the American-style syrup they market as Riesling, you need to check out some German wines. "Trocken" is dry, "halbtrocken" is half-sweet, "FineHerb" (a relatively new designation) means off-dry and "süß" or suss, is sweet. On to the potato pancake appetizer. It arrived quickly, nice and hot, and served with both applesauce and sour cream. However, it wasn't the coarsely shredded potatoes I am used to getting in Germany; more of a fine shred, which gave it a different mouth-feel. From there, on to the beef rouladen. It takes a little longer but also came out hot, with sides of red cabbage, a roll, and a ton of spaetzle. Tasty, though the gravy was a little saltier than I'd have preferred. And if I'd eaten all that starch, I'd still be sleeping it off in one of their booths. Their menu also includes sausage samplers and other traditional items. Why only a three? Service and food were both good but not great. I thought the food was a little pricey: $26 for ONE rouladen with sides, and $6 for a single potato pancake. Three-and-a-half stars would be more fair but Yelp! doesn't give half stars. Finally (and I'm not really deducting points for this), no one on the staff that I encountered spoke ANY German. Even my basic, "Guten tag!" when sidling up to the bar was met with a blank stare. So... authentic? The atmosphere: definitely. The food: mostly. Final verdict: OK, leaning toward good.

Excellent authentic German food - 5 stars! Believe it or not, the last time I was at the Black Forest Inn was in 1980, with my high school German class and our German teacher, Frau Zeska. I know, I'm old. But the restaurant is old too. They opened in 1965. I'm totally amazed - and thrilled - that they're still around. It's about what you'd expect...lots of dark wood, hand-made wood carvings, European style hand painted decor, deer & hunting designs throughout, beer, krauts, sausages, veal, rabbit, many other meats, and of course, many wonderful German desserts. We got a nice variety of food. I started things off with a side of kraut and some fried walnuts. Yum! For dinner I got the sausage sampler dinner with red cabbage & potato salad. My cousin got beef stroganoff. Unfortunately, we didn't get any German desserts or any German beers because we're both low-carb dudes. On the other hand, it was super easy (and tasty) to eat keto style at the Black Forest Inn. If you like German food or if you want to try it for the first time, I recommend that you check them out soon. Authentic German restaurants are disappearing one by one with only a couple left in the Twin Cities. Thanks, Black Forest Inn! Thumbs up! -Maxx

Incredible My brother and sister in law came to MSP from Omaha and we treated them to Black Forest Inn Super cool ambiance outdoor seating when the weather allows Great German beers and the food was exceptional!

I've passed this spot so many times but never been in - until now! Our family decided to end September with a slice of Oktoberfest: German food and pints of beer. SPACE: 4/5 We opted for their patio though it was toasty out, and it has some nice shade with a top covering and greenery. The inside has a very traditional authentic German feel and would be cozy in the winter. For a Sunday afternoon, it was pretty quiet. SERVICE: 3/5 Service was pretty slow and not the friendliest - in all, our group of 7 was there for nearly 3 hours. Our server warmed up a bit but did put a bit of a damper on our experience. FOOD: 4/5 The food was classic German food, which doesn't always have the most powerful flavors - meat and potatoes, baby! We really liked the potato pancake bits and the stroganoff was a hit around the table. COST: 3/5 Prices are pretty steep considering the simplicity of some of the menu items. I'm not sure I'd return for this reason, but if you're looking for that German food experience, this is the spot.

We were in Minneapolis doing some house hunting as we're moving there. We were looking for something different than what we normally do for dinner and ended up checking out the Black Forest Inn. We sat in the bar area and enjoyed the atmosphere and energy. Gina was our server and bartender. We started with the sauerkraut and ham balls. We enjoyed them, but hoped for a stronger sauerkraut flavor. Would we order them again? Yes. For our entrees we had the sausage sampler and the cabbage rolls. The sausage sampler was good, I especially enjoyed the hot German potato salad. Which surprised me as I typically am not a fan. The cabbage rolls were amazing!! The sauce on them had so much flavor. I'm looking forward to ordering them again! All in all, great food, great atmosphere and friendly staff.

The Wiener schnitzel was very tough, hard to cut even with a steak knife. The latkes were either burned or cooked in old oil or both. Both were very flavorless. The red cabbage was good. Service was friendly but not super attentive. I won't return.

My wife and I decided to try this place while we were here for the weekend. Since it is prominently featured as part of East Street and we love German food we decided to eat here. We ordered the Sausage plate with 2 Bratwurst, Hot German Potato salad and sauerkraut. The second item was the Wienerschnitzel with the organic veal and a potato pancake. The Bratwurst was hot and fresh and had a wonderful taste to the meat and the sides. The Wiernerschnitzel did not meet those standards. It was warm but not hot. Potato pancake was not fluffy but hard. The Veal is usually very tender but it seems the cook overdid this a bit and left it frying in pan way too long. Not much flavor and very dry. I was disappointed as my 2 piece meal for $34 was not good. I put some applesauce on it to give it some life but there was no resuscitating the veal. A waste of time and money. We should've gone to black Sheep Pizza instead. I heard that was delicious tonight. Waitress was so slow and inattentive. We won't be back.

A group of friends and I wanted a little Oktoberfest... so we headed there due to a Facebook ad we saw. We went on dumpling night. I was expecting some gravy? Some tasty dumplings? Spaetzle? The atmosphere fabulous! Accordion music wonderful! Service? .... Wait for it! And we waited! We ordered drinks... took a good 15 min, and there were only 3-4 other tables. We got the large pretzel and the dumpling special. Good thing the pretzel was good... cuz a liver dumpling? Other dumplings.. nobody told us which was which... butter? Potato? Etc. I got the 1/2 Reuben w/fries. Nice! But on a weird bread. I actually only ate 1/2 of it! It was huge! If you're feeling nostalgic for Deutschland... go! If you're looking for a quick bite/drink... maybe hit up some place down the road?

I only went for a beer, and we had a delicious pretzel. The dinner menu looked good with plenty of traditional German dishes, but I'll have to wait another time to get my schnitzel! They have a great selection of German beers on tap. Nice decor. A lot of stained glass. Biergarten for the nice weather

It turned from a rainy day to a sunny day so we were looking for a cute patio. Black Forest Inn was the first place I thought of. I love their cozy and inviting garden area. It happened to be Spargelfest, so they had a whole menu dedicated to asparagus! I took advantage of the unique opportunity to have an entire asparagus meal. I didn't mind the spargel-tini but probably wouldn't order it again. If you don't like regular dry martinis I would steer clear. The asparagus taste was more of a smell, than a flavor. All the other asparagus inspired food I would order again, yum!

So close to 5 stars. Soooo close. But not quite. The food was outstanding. I love German food, but it can be done really really wrong. The saurbraten was perfect and so was the spaetzle. Their sauerkraut was maybe a little on the mushy side but the flavor was spot on and just the way I like it (VERY tangy). My friend loved the potato pancake and pork schnitzel. We also split the big pretzel. So fluffy and salty with a spicy cheese and sweet grainy mustard. It hit the spot. Our server was really sweet and they did a great job. Very attentive and polite. The ambiance was cute but it needs to be tidied up/cleaned. The bathroom was DISGUSTING. Like, frat house bathroom disgusting. I thought their food, although delicious, was overpriced. They need to work on cleanliness and sprucing up the place but the food and service were stellar. I'd love to go back when it's clean!

I've been here years ago and more recently for a Scotch and cheese tasting event hosted by the Black Forest Inn. We didn't have any food from the kitchen as it closed early by the time our tasting ended. However we were able to have a beer in the bar earlier in the evening. The ambiance is very nice and comfortable, and excellent place to come for some excellent German beer!! I'll reserve the fifth start for next time when we can try some of their German entrees.

The bread is really well done, on the appetizer rolls as well as on the veal burger (which even without the bread is a treat). They have a really impressive and diverse menu of German foods that you'd be hard pressed to find all in one place. This includes their beer selection. Finally, their Black Forest cherry fort was a grand way to finish off the meal. All of this is a patio setting that was excellent for a mild summer evening. The Somali festival may have been going on a few blocks away, but this cultural excursion really hit the spot for me.

Ordered veal shank and the jaegerschnitzel for dinner and some beers to wash them down. Being German, the meal was an expected hearty stick to your ribs affair. Very wholesome as the weather cools. The sauce was rich, but the schnitzel seemed a little smaller portion for the price point. It's a convenient location being in Uptown.

Odd experience. Loved the ambience. Their outdoor seating had some cover and luckily we didn't feel the rain too bad. We liked each other's meals better than our own. Potato pancake was mushy under the crisp and wasn't super tasty. The paprika pork schnitzel had a spicy bite to the sauce and the spatzle was fine. Nothing amazing. The Bavarian pork sandwich was amazing! The sauce is thick, rich and delightful. Full of onions. Fries were a 5 star. The bread roll was fine but hard on the bottom. Our waiter had no personality.

We went with our youngest on the way to launch her back to college. We've been to the Black Forest inn a few times over many years. It's always a special experience. I had a potato pancake with apple sauce and sour cream and a side of bratwurst. The pancake seemed deep fried so different than Perkins where it's cooked more lightly. The bratwurst was great with a bed of intense sauerkraut. The mustard sauce was surprisingly mild. I shared apple Strudle. It was perfect, but if you like big desserts, don't share as it's not huge. A big shout out to our server Julie. She was so helpful and energetic. I recommend this timeless classic restaurant for special occasions or just a great meal.

As soon as we booked our trip to Minneapolis my husband started looking into German restaurants. So glad he found this place. For starters, there outdoor area is beautiful, with plants and a water feature. Perfect place to enjoy the beautiful weather. We started with the pretzel appetizer, which comes with mustard and cheese dips. Amazing! The pretzel was warm and soft and the dips were spicy. Then the husband ordered the Wiener schnitzel for dinner, which came with a potato pancake. The pork was perfectly prepared, with perfect breading that didn't overwhelm it. The daughter ordered the sausage sampler plate, which had polish sausage, curry sausage and bratwurst. They were all fantastic, with the polish being everyone's favorite. Her side was potato salad, which I admit to eating the majority of. It was sooo good. Honestly, probably my favorite part of meal. I ordered one rouladen roll and one cabbage roll. Both perfectly prepared but my preference was cabbage roll. Great sauce. My side was spatzel which was great with the rouladen gravy. It is actually a little upsetting how good the food was as it caused us to eat like 75% of it (and 100% of the potato salad), leaving us no room for dessert. If I had seen the Black Forest torte sooner I would have boxed up half of meal to have dessert. Make sure to spend time looking over the drinks too. We ended evening with a honey liquor that was amazing. We will be visiting the liquor store here to see if can find.

We got to the Black Forest @ 6pm. No one in the place to greet or seat. Finally I asked the "bartender" if we just seated ourselves? She said sure and to take a 4 top on the patio which we did. Same staff (bartender/waitress?) brought out menus and we ordered 2 cheeseburger kid meals w/ chocolate milk, and an order of spaetzle w/ butter. My husband ordered a beer and I asked for more time to look over the menu. Our server said she would check back. We asked twice about service and getting our adult meal order in. Finally at 7pm, we got up and walked out. RECAP: no water on the table, no food served, no beer served, no drinks for kids served. My kids were HUNGRY. Apparently there was a large group on the patio of older patrons dressed in traditional German costumes. The two servers (the only TWO staff that we saw on the floor) spent A LOT of time at this table (I am sure in pursuit of a big tip). Sad experience. This place was part of my childhood growing up. Now it is a big, sad, lonely, understaffed, hollow remain of what it once was.

The beer garden looks like a lot of fun, but we went for the food, and it was excellent German fare served in a charming, lived-in space with real character. The Sauerbraten and Spätzle were both outstanding, and even when I ordered the Hasenpfeffer 45 minutes before closing on a weeknight, it came out well-prepared and delicious. The Apfelstrudel and their version of Schwarzwälder Kirsch Torte were both perfect ending to the meal. German restaurants are a dying breed outside the Midwest, but it was delightful to find an old-school spot that still cares and delivers.

I've been back a few times since my previous review. We also had a large family event here. We've been treated pretty well on these visits. The only complaint I have, is on our last visit we had made a reservation for 6 and were seated at a booth meant for 4. They pulled up a chair and stuck it on the end but we were still squashed in there. And they put us right next to a loud party of 9. With the same server for both tables. Needless to say, service was really slow. Here's the thing though, there were plenty of other large tables open. We would have been much more comfortable at any of those tables. It seems that we were really seated where we were for server convenience, not our own. Maybe they are short staffed?

Sadly, I suspect this historic restaurant will be out of business within five years. Sometimes these iconic places don't survive when handed down a generation. A missed opportunity too, I think, given that the excellent Gasthof in NE succumbed to the pandemic. Essentially no options for German food in the cities anymore (other than Stillwater which is a trek for many of us). Went on Friday night and there were only a few tables seated during dinner rush. There was no music on the house system. The atmosphere was like being in a stranger's living room. Bathroom was also in disrepair. The entire front of the house seemed more interested in getting off work than providing a quality experience. We had a 7pm reservation so it wasn't like we came in right before close either. Reservation turned out to be unnecessary. Probably should've turned around right there. Our table had the bratwurst appetizer. It was served with the house creamy sauerkraut. Sausage was good. Sauerkraut was fine but not a great execution of the creamy style. Wouldn't get again. For dinner, the table had pork schnitzel and Jägerschnitzel. The pork was served in the classic style, breaded and fried with a lemon wedge. It was slightly overcooked and a bit dry- as was the accompanying potato pancake. Not bad but disappointing. The Jägerschnitzel was veal and not breaded. Only coated lightly in flour and fried. It was tough but edible. The mushroom gravy was quite good- probably the high point of the dish. Spätzle was plain. Wasn't finished with the typical butter and had no seasoning. Fine but disappointing as well. There didn't appear to be any management on site. Kind of running as a zombie restaurant. German food is not really in vogue now so you need to nail the quality or people won't come back. I know we won't.

Solid, but I think a little expensive for what you get, in part because they are in an expensively gentrifying area. We came with two kids and two adults on a Friday night. Pretzel appetizer disappeared pretty quick. They did not like the potato pancake; the grown ups did, and felt it was a pretty classic shredded potato and onion kind of deal. The kids had spaetzle and cheese, which got eaten; the adults enjoyed wurst and beef roulade, with more spaetzle and cabbage. It's German food -- it was not a symphony of flavor. But on a cold windy night, it was stick to your ribs good, and very filling, we had leftovers aplenty. Service was pretty quick. I loved the opportunity to try German beers I just won't find anywhere else (especially at the tail end of Oktoberfest) and the kids liked the slice of Black Forest torte at the end. But, it is also the case that we walked out of there with an over $100 tab for two adult and two kids meals with beverages, and that's a pretty large chunk of change for a fairly basic cuisine. So we did like it, but I'm not sure we'll rush back. That said, we might order takeout again. One of the secret things I happen to know about this place because we've ordered it from them -- they are the only place in Minneapolis that can bake a Dobos Torte, a particular kind of seven-layer chocolate cake that I happen to love for my birthday. It's never on the menu, but it's darn good.

This place is a historical reference, an institution in its own right! The food was authentic and very German, a classic. The costumer were most interesting: poets, music and theatre personalities.

I expected much more from Black Forest. I expected much more regarding the food and the cleanliness. I was at the BF many years ago and after being there I though that I travelled back in time. Nothing has changed. On the contrary, expected nicer table covers, cleaner and without holes. I don't think it was cleaned in all those years. The toilets? Better I do no describe the filthiness. From floors to everywhere. The Schnitzel was hard to chew. How come it is pork! The sauce too heavy. The Black Forest Torte, too dry and heavy. I hope it will improve.

Neat old Mpls joint. Very cozy. Great food and fun surroundings. Pretzels and schnitzel were great.

I would recommend this place, the atmosphere is as you would expect, the food is good service is a bit slow, I am sure everyone is a bit different than me so try it and judge for yourself.

Was absolutely the worst German food that my husband and I have ever had. The sauerkraut balls were just mush on the inside, reminded me of potted meat and kind of tasted like it, too. We both got pork schnitzels and they were tough and super chewy. Couldn't cut it with a fork. My husband's schnitzel was drowning in gravy, so much so that the breading came off and was just mixing in with the gravy. The potato pancakes were weird, kinda like a hockey puck and didn't taste like any potato pancake we've ever had. I think it was mixed with carrot then ground up into a mush. Sauerkraut was mushy as well. I gave 2 stars because the ambience is amazing! The Biergarten was so nice and really felt like we were in Germany. If we go back, it would be for beers on the patio.

Everything was perfect at the Black Forest Inn on May 15, as my wife and I celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary. It is also the anniversary of the Black Forest's opening. Same day, same year - 1965. Also one of the only days in history that Minneapolis and St. Paul were in different time zones. Our wedding was in St. Paul and most of my friends were Minneapolitans so many missed the ceremony. We have been going there ever since. We brought our four kids as they grew up and were always pleased with the food, service and atmosphere, even when the radiators were hanging off the walls by the pipes. It really has a great German decor and feel. The food is fantastic! I had the Szezgedeuner Goulash and mama had sauerbraten - both were delicious. If you've never been there, go. I'm sure that Erich, his family and crew will treat you well and feed you the best German food in town (now that my mother's gone). And be sure to inquire about the hole in the picture of the "Grand Dames of the Revolution" :-)

Place has gone down hill2 of us had stroganoff and we both thought it was reheated/microwaved?!! The beef used had an odd funky flavor and $31 per plate too. Our friend was back in town and we always meet at Black Forest when he is back in town..One of our old favorite hunts from back in the day but maybe not anymore.

Best German restaurant I've ever been to in the US. My friend has a beef stroganoff, which was served with red cabbage, which is absolutely dish delicious I had a little bit of spice to it. I had a side of spaetzle with gravy and a side of red cabbage. Of course I also loved. We enjoyed the raspberry torte dessert, which was wonderful, had a crust of walnuts filled with raspberries. We absolutely loved it. We also had fruit soaked in rum for several months topped with the cream.

What a fun German restaurant! We ate outside in the Biergarten, as did almost all of the diners on this nice spring evening. They have a nice selection of German beers on tap and I got a dark beer which tasted just fine. I ordered the sausage sampler, which was one bratwurst, one chicken curry, and one Polish sausage. Good homemade sauerkraut and potato salad. The brat and polish sausages were great! Side of curry wurst sauce German mustard and rye bread. Everyone had a fun time . Good service and great atmosphere.

Food was good and we dug the ambiance as usual. Prices have gone way up since last time we were there but that's everywhere. Odd to play jazz music in a German restaurant, that killed the vibe a bit. They did not have either of their two ciders available and you'd think you would have all hands on deck during October since it's their month to shine. The thing that got me was that the wait staff were talking extremely loudly to each other and very close to our table about personal things. It was disruptive and not professional. We were the only people there for a while (got there right when it opened at 3pm) so they could have gone somewhere a little ways away and chatted easily. We will likely still go back when we feel the pull on another dreary fall day.

Excited for some good German food - SO DISAPPOINTED! We had a reservation & waitress showed us to a large picnic table.When I explained I needed a regular chair -;that I have back problems - we were shown a very cramped table in the corner. When I said why can't we sit at a different table we were told that it was a table for 4 & we had to sit at a 2 person table. Really? The picnic table could easily seat 8! The place was empty so we sat at a different table for 4 where they could separate the tables if necessary. No need-;stayed empty. Food was mediocre at best & portions very scant on meat. Full dinner size of Hungarian Goulash had 6 chunks of beef Sautbraten had 3 small slices of beef. Both dinners did come with plenty of spatzl. 1 dinner roll came with each dinner. Goulash was strange- a tomato sauce with chunks of tomato & peppers. Hungarian Goulash in Hungary & Germany always is in a beef gravy. Would not recommend this place- expensive & lousy food.

Eaten here many times, only had one thing that was off (a very strangely shaped burger). The food is always good, the beers are good. The staff is like any neighborhood place, they know their stuff and are authentic in their manner. I especially enjoy the all-you-can-eat bratwurst night and drain-the-kegs night during Oktoberfest. Sitting in the bar area is enjoyable, and of course the beer garden is very fun. While Minnesota is most known for it's Scandinavian heritage, the fact of the matter is that German is the most common ethnicity in Minneapolis and in the state. Try the Alsatian Casserole.

The food is so so. We had the German Bratwurst plate on Sunday afternoon. The sausages were very dry and we thought that they were reheated Saturday nights fare. Normally when you cut into a sausage, you get a little juice as you prick the skin. Well, not this one. Service was ok. Not much enthusiasm and not sure how extensive the knowledge of the menu. Hate to pay for a glass of soda or shall I say a glass full of ice, never get asked if I would like a refill. It's not that the waiter is visible in order to get his attention for a refill. Let me tell you, if you want German atmosphere, this isn't your place. I felt like having walked into a piano bar. Jazz music playing and not a sound of any German music. Even made a mention of it to the waiter with a shrug, like; lady what do you want? The outing was disappointing and probably won't make the effort to come back. It's unfortunate, as many years ago this was a different "place".

We came on a Saturday night (call for reservations). Every dish had great flavor and good portions. I ordered an extra potato salad to go! Ribs and kraut, deutschberger casserole, and veal roulade were great. The apple strudel was warm and flaky! Service was excellent, and there was a stolling accordion player. Will come back!

Wednesday 12/14/2022. four of us went to the restaurant for dinner and got right in - good start. Downhill from there. The server did a nice job. My order of 1/2 goulash & 1/2 SAUERBRATEN was not good. In fact the sauerbraten was so overdone (as in crispy, not in a good way) it was hard to cut. Awful.

I have eaten plenty of German food in my life and this meal was not even close to what my grandmother or mother have made for meals. I will say the Spaetzle was the only good thing. Our waiter forgot to bring our pretzel by the time our food came so we said not to bring it. The pork schnitzel was dry, almost as thin as a piece of paper and lacked flavor. The weekend special of the veal kidneys were over cooked and mushy. The beer tasted like the machines and tubes needed to be cleaned. The beer had a sour taste. The most disappointing part of the meal was the potato pancake. It came out flatter than a hockey puck but almost the same color. It was mushy and crumbly at the same time and tasted nothing like potato. I read previous reviews (from several months ago and years) where others complained and assumed the owners and the chef would have changed the recipe after all the bad reviews. No such luck! The rolls were good. It's sad to say I don't see a return visit in our future! Very disappointing since we wanted to celebrate my mother's birthday with a special meal! I would tell people think twice before making a reservation.

If gravy is your thing, this is the place to be. We both got a cup of delicious New England clam chowder on a Friday night to start. I got the beef stroganoff. Generous portion on homemade spatzel. I love the sauerbraten and it both entrees come with the red cabbage and it is sweet and has a strong spice in it. Tempted to get the cake, but Glam doll is right next door. Sometimes there can be a draft, but it was nice and warm tonight. We got there before 5 and the bar was rowdy already. By the time we left, the parking lot was full.

A family favorite for years that continues to provide amazing food at good prices. Great staff also.

If a restaurant survives 50+ years in the same location is it considered an "institution"? If that qualifies then add Black Forest Inn to the list. It's a great compliment of variety to the eat street area and has good food. There are a decent number of German restaurants in the metro, and of all the ones I've tried I like BFI's food the most. Like others have mentioned the portions are big and the menu has a good selection of different Bavarian cuisine. I've had schnitzel, pork, sauerbraten, brats and goulash and I can't think of anything I wouldn't get again. If you want to try something a little different get the potato pancakes, basically onion/patato mixture deep fried and served with apple sauce...good. Of course as any good German Restaurant should, the beer selection is spectacular. There is always a good variety of local brews and European options. The bar area is great, the restaurant space is good and the patio is awesome. Also, the banquet hall across the patio looks pretty neat too.

Beautiful interior, delicious food (especially the pretzel appetizer) and generous portions. Will definitely come again!

This was one of my worst restaurant experiences ever. We used to come here several years ago & decided to try again. Terrible mistake! The food was awful and the service was poor also. I understand the slow service due to lack of workers, but not the terrible food quality. We both ordered Veal schnitzel, potato pancakes and red cabbage. The schnitzel and the potato pancakes were deep fried! I have never seen schnitzel deep fried - it should always be the traditional pan fried. The veal was tough, I tried to take off the disgusting breading , but that didn't even help. The potato pancake was like ground mush in a deep fried patty that looked like a hockey puck. The food tasted like it was fried in old oil also. The red cabbage was an itty bitty portion, as a side for either $7 or $ 8. It also was awful. We have eaten in many German restaurants in the US and in Germany and Austria and this was nothing like authentic German food. Many years ago it was very good, but no more! I have also included a photo of the filthy window next to our table. I'm sure it hasn't been cleaned in years. So much for COVID cleaning. Our meal was $80 plus. We did tip 20% because the poor quality and food prep is not the servers fault. But what a waste of $100 plus for an awful dinner.

I've always liked this restaurant. Nice atmosphere and great patio. I always get the bratwurst dinner. Yum!

The food was great, the beer was great, the decor was great. All ethnically German as was sought after when choosing the restaurant. That said the background music was hip hop? And the homeless person talking to himself at a table without ordering food was sad for all (for him, for the paying customers, and for the city of Minneapolis). Great food, great service, great decor, dumb music, out of place mentally disturbed disruption.

My husband never passes up the opportunity to try a German Restaurant, being of German heritage. I go along with this as it is something we can experience together. For starters we shared the lentil soup with sausage. It was very tasty. For my entree I went with the deutschburger casserole. The Deutschburger is made with ground beef, onions and mushroom sauce served over spaetzel, rice or mashed potatoes and topped with mozzarella cheese. Served with a Brötchen. I of course had it the best way which is over spaetzel for $12.25 The portion was large and I enjoyed it. Hubby went with the Braised Pork Shank This large shank is served with mashed potatoes and a brown gravy. Meat and potato lover's food for $14.00. Sadly this was tough and chewy and my husband didn't enjoy it at all and wished he had gone with a different entree. For dessert I went with the Black forest torte: Our version of Schwartzwalder Kirschtorte is four layers of chocolate cake with cream cheese filling & kirsch-flavored cherries between the layers, topped with fresh whipped cream. $6.95 Hubby went with the strudel: Apple Strudel Our best-selling dessert! Sugared & spiced fresh apples, raisins, & sliced almonds are rolled in a crisp, handmade flaky strudel dough. Served with fresh Pride of Main Street whipped cream. A Black Forest Inn tradition. $6.95 The desserts were good but hubby definitely felt they were not made in house, and he felt also they tasted store bought. We asked our waiter and he states they are made in house, but hubby didn't feel he was being truthful. All in all parts decent, parts not so good. If we are ever in the area again we might try something else there, but then again maybe not.

Disappointed. We used to love the black Forrest inn. For 4 people the meal cost about $200 and was worth way less. The pretzels were frozen, the veal was tough and the sausage was blah. My husband has spent time in Germany and he was the most disappointed among us. Not sure why they decided to put no effort in the food and just drive the restaurant into the grown before it ultimately closes. Depressing.

Wonderful German food! The Sauerbraten was amazingly tender and flavorful! In warm weather, the patio is delightful. And the selection of German beers on tap is great. It's a Minneapolis institution!