Vonia P.
Yelp
What a fun evening here overall! Alas, there was definitely lost potential.
Reasons this place is a winner? Readers will want to come for the ambiance, scrumptious German fare, and crafty drinks (pun intended). Sadly, in glaring contrast was the paltry service we received, as well as some higher than expected prices without the food quality to match.
Not a big drinker when it comes to alcohol, but the sips sampled were good. The drink connoisseurs with me, though, did give me their approval and recommendations! They seem to have rotating drinks and specials on tap, as well as wine options.
Food was well prepared and ranged from average to excellent. Minor complaints only as far as taste, but some pricing was a little on the expensive side, especially for a gastropub setting, meant to be casual dining. We had the Spaetzle Macaroni and Cheese, not as cheesy as it could be but the spaetzle was tasty. Relatively easy dish done competently! Shrimp Roll on a pretzel bun was fine. Maybe $10 fine, not $18. Pretzel roll was a tad dry, shrimps seemed likewise dry even though they were dipped in a mayonnaise sauce. It came with toasty fries that weren't soggy and had a crisp texture, so that was nice. In contrast, the Schnitzel was impressive, glad the aptly named Künstler knows how to do German cuisine! Lightly breaded, the pork meat was succulent and tender, infused with the orange and their special sauce. Last but not least, The Big Haus from their specials board. Definitely big. But ultimately, really it was a huge pot of cabbage, potatoes, and sauerkraut, with some pork cheek pieces and the 3 large bratwurst. With a large bread roll on the side, nicely toasted. Readers want to know, was it good? The vegetables were roasted in some tasty seasoning and sauces, and the pork cheek pieces, although buried in there, were flavorful. Bottom line, yes, good. But not almost $40 good. Probably would have preferred getting the single bratwurst, on the regular menu, because those were the highlights.
Ambiance. One of the few places I can say without much hesitation that outside dining is actually better than inside. The inside was pretty dark, relatively small with open kitchen and a small area displaying Künstler merchandise. Nice to see they try to be involved in the community. There were some brochures out for other local breweries, plus the city's Fiesta celebration medals. Outside includes the large patio as well as the beer garden complete with a playground to distract the children and a stage for live performances!
This brings us to the largest disappointment. We walked in and out took almost five minutes before anyone even came to greet us, despite not being extremely busy on a weekday night. Patrons were mostly outside, where you can actually order online through their application. Eventually, we were told we could seat ourselves if we wanted to dine on the patio and that someone would come out shortly with menus. Ten minutes later, had to go in and get menus ourselves. Another five minutes later, someone came out to see whether we had been assisted. Waitress was friendly, took our orders. Drinks came out in a reasonable amount of time. For the food, we had to wait another twenty five minutes for some, almost forty for the rest. My description for the service provided here: cordial, but only the minimum required.
Are we return patrons? Although it would be a pity to lose such a great hang out ambiance, as tasty and welcoming gastropub locales are not easy to find, one must consider their expectations. An exemplary dining experience with superior food and drinks, as well as ambiance and service, in a timely manner? Probably not. A return visit would probably require expecting a mostly selfserve dining experience, perfectly fine for some. To each their own. Now, Prost!
