Zehnder's of Frankenmuth

Couldn’t have asked for a better meal experience in the Frankenmuth area 🍽️😋. Food: 10/10. I went for lunch and the portion sizes are huge. We got the chicken pot pie 🥧 , the chicken schnitzel sandwich, and the chicken snack 🍗. Loved the pot pie and the chicken snack, I would recommend trying their chicken seasoning, and the schnitzel sandwich was good but had a lot of slaw. Their creamy cabbage slaw is really good (I’m not even a Cole slaw person) and their french fries are surprisingly great! Service: 11/10. I love how all of the servers have similar outfits to really set the theme. Our server was kind, quick, and knowledgeable. Bet part is they always let you know if things will be an upcharge and I am a huge fan of transparency. Atmosphere: 10/10. I didn’t snag a great photo of the interior but you walk in to a grand waiting area with plenty of seating (although it does get busy at times). With a reservation it didn’t take long to get a seat at all. The interior of the dining area itself is grand and the large booths make for a great dining experience. Overall I would definitely recommend this dining area to anyone in the Frankenmuth area looking for a tasty meal!

Absolutely the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. Service is top notch! The chicken gravy could be soup of the day! Generous delicious portions! The slaw is great, the preserves were delicious! Highly recommended! The chicken was crispy and juicy but not greasy! Well seasoned, but a light sprinkle of the Zenders chicken seasoning kicks it up another notch! You can’t be close to this are without stopping in to see for yourself! It’s nestled in a beautiful little town with amazing scenery!!

I’d heard so much about the famous chicken dinners in Frankenmuth—and now I understand the hype! The unlimited chicken dinner tasted like a comforting homemade meal, full of nostalgic flavors. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and juicy, and every bite reminded me of something mom would make. We enjoyed nearly every side dish, with the exception of the stuffing. The cranberry sauce was a standout—bright, refreshing, and infused with notes of apple and orange. The cottage cheese was fresh and creamy, and the corn tasted sweet and crisp—not canned. The fresh bread paired beautifully with the chicken pâté, and the other cheese and vegetable spreads were rich, flavorful, and clearly made with quality ingredients. Every dish was well-balanced, never overly salty, and full of flavor. For just $30 per person, the quality and value were exceptional. My only regret? Not having more room to enjoy it all!

The service was great, the food was bland and expensive! The family style meal is $31.99, extra Bavarian sausage w/sauerkraut was $4.00. While you get a LOT of food it's just not worth the money. We ordered the family style chicken dinner and it came with appetizers: cole slaw, cranberry salad... both were excellent; a plate with bread, cheese spreads and a chicken liver pate; strawberry jam: bread plate; cottage cheese and chicken noodle soup. The chicken was served with noodles, mashed potatoes w/gravy, corn, and stuffing... all very bland. Aside from the cost the biggest disappointment was the chicken... it was extremely salty and very dry. We were given four pieces of chicken and we each only ate about a half a piece of chicken. This is a very busy tourist area so everything is more expensive and you feel like you need to try the local food and drink. Our two meals with two drinks and the extra sausages came to $80.45 before tip.

Lunch has cheaper options. The experience is unique. The food was good, and the wait staff was attentive. Reservations are helpful but not always necessary. Definitely worth visiting just know you are paying for an experience.

We had a terrific dinner at Zehnders, everything we tried on the family feast was delicious and homemade, but the chicken we all agreed was phenomenal. $40 per person but we left with enough leftovers for two more meals. Our service was fast and attentive and the atmosphere was really cozy and friendly.

I am a previous restaurant owner, and I do call myself a food critic, so I do know a bit more about food. This place is known for its famous chicken. And i'm here to confirm that it has one of the most mediocre chicken cuisines I have ever tasted. The fried chicken was old, with no taste. The batter was really bad. Not crispy, not juicy. The gravy was good. Their prices are reasonable the baked chicken mediocre, absolutely no taste. The vegetables are underneath it. Oily and also no taste. 3 things that I liked about this Place the service gravy and the french fries that said nothing else.

Great big chicken dinners and fine German goods are available at Zehnder's of Frankenmuth! Located in Frankenmuth, MI just north of Flint, MI! Big neon sign and a distinctive white building make Zehnder's easy to spot from the roadside! Stop by and check out their bakery or have a delicious chicken dinner!

The sides were good but the chicken was below average. Broasting instead of frying would be better!

Had an absolute blast at the waterpark! The staff were amazing and the photo booth was so much fun! #ZFun #buzzybooth

My family and I had a blast! We hadn't been in about 17 years so it was great to come back to see they expanded. The food was really good and the hotel was immaculate.We will definitely be back.#ZFun #buzzybooth

My dining partner and I had a fantastic dining experience at Zhender's today. I'll start with a confession: I wasn't expecting a great experience because...well...it's touristy. The person who greeted us near the entrance, the hostesses, the bar tender, and our waitress were all friendly and provided excellent service. Our table was full of foods. We sampled all of it but there was enough to be a meal for each of us. My partner ordered the traditional chicken dinner and I ordered the Bavarian sausage dinner. We split them. Both of us liked both entrees. Everything was good. We had a great time. Highly recommended.

Love coming here when visiting frankemuth. Their family style all you can eat is great for $32 a person you get unlimited refills on your chicken (dark or white, both) and sides. The fried chicken is always so crispy and juicy. Staff is always friendly and attentive. Food comes out fresh and hot. They also have buffets which basically the same as the dinners plus dessert and one or 2 other options but honestly the family style dinners the way to go.

Overall the food is good, environment is good, service is good, price is high for what you get, but the biggest downside about this place in general is the chicken is sooooo dry. I have to cover it in cranberries just to make it manageable to eat. Noodles, veggies, dressing, potatoes, soup, all good. Chicken not good at all. Soooo dry. It's basically dinner at Grandmas house except at Grandmas house the chicken is not dry like this. If the chicken were prepared better this would be a great place to eat. Still not worth $50 a person.

All the hoopla is true! The chicken dinner is amazing. The cranberry relish superb. The buttered noodles. Cole slaw special. Chicken pate appetizer and desert included. Don't rush thru this pleasant dining experience. Jamison out server was great too.

Our first trip to Zehnder's of Frankenmuth and we definitely recommend you stop in to give them a try. The portions were plentiful and flavorful. Good service with a bavarian vibe.

We had dinner at the buffet at Zehnder's of Frankenmuth last night. Overall, the food was just okay, not terrible, but not worth the $42 per person. The fried chicken was overly salty, though the fried shrimp was quite good. The desserts were average, with the ice cream being the best choice. The noodles lacked flavor and were rather bland. On the plus side, the service was attentive and friendly. It had been many years since our last visit, and we remember the food being much better in the past. Unfortunately, this experience didn't live up to those earlier memories.

I ate at this restaurant more than 36 years ago. I remembered it as being good. So on a visit back to town we went to Frankenmuth and stopped there for lunch. The place is clean and service is good. But the coating on the chicken is salty and not at all seasoned with a variety of savory spices. (The coating is salt and garlic salt.) The mashed potatoes are mediocre and the "dressing" is bits of bread mushed together with no flavor. The gravy helps it all. The plain bread is a bit dry but better with butter. The stollen was decent but could use a lot more fruit in it. We also had a rotisserie chicken meal and a chicken croissant sandwich at the table. Both were deemed decent. So was the onion soup. And the Cole slaw was dubbed as "good." The coffee was not hot and water was served at the beginning of the meal and not offered again until the end. I definitely have grown as a foodie over the past 30 years. I am now a proficient cook and experienced restaurant reviewer. And frankly, the food here is not something I would go out of my way to eat again.

I had fried chicken for lunch today with mashed potatoes and dressing and coleslaw on the side. Portioned for very good for a lunch and the service was excellent. The menu look great and there were so many options available.

Let's start by saying this place is huge lol, it's so big in here. It's gives off an historic Victorian feel. There was a lot of people in here. The food was homemade and fresh, the fried chicken and noodles were bland, but the rotisserie chicken was delicious. The stuffing, and mashed potatoes were also pretty good. I just love that food was homemade. The service was great even though it was extremely busy I would try them out whenever I'm in the area. Great experience

Food was amazing as always!! Service great!!! I love the atmosphere of the restaurant Totally recommend!!!

We ate at the cafe downstairs in the basement instead of the restaurant because the wait time was too long to dine! We grabbed a plate of fried chicken with cranberry relish, some noodles, and a side of dumplings. I didn't care for the food because it was bland to our taste and liking. But the cranberry relish was outstanding! Not sure what the hype is about.

We had a group of 25-people in the basement banquet room. It was for a family members wedding anniversary celebration. The service was excellent, BUT the food was subpar. The fried chicken wasn't very crispy & a little too salty. The butter noodle was overcooked. The only item I loved was the cherry slaw, which was tangy & sweet. My husband liked their stuffing too. The restaurant is huge, since it's connected to the bakery. There is also a elevator to get around. Two gift shops as well.

We were able to enjoy the famous chicken of Michigan. I had the all dark two pieces of chicken with mash potatoes and dressing. The food was delicious. Our waitress name was Patti and she was very kind. She made sure we had everything we needed. The place was clean. They even have a bakery on the bottom floor. We got a turtle pecan brownie from the bakery and it was delicious. If you ever visit Frankenmuth make sure you visit this restaurant.

If you are considering Zehnder's restaurant vs the Bavarian Inn across the street, I recommend Zehnder's. Pretty much everything was notably better at Zehnders. They have all you can eat fried chicken dinner. The chicken and the mashed potatoes were delicious imo. I'm from Chicago so I know good food lol. we went for Sunday dinner at 7 PM, The service was pretty quick.

Fried chicken 2/5, everything else is 5/5. We came for their famous chicken however felt a little disappointed the chicken was overcooked. Seasoning is good but meat is dry. We got all dark meats and the edge of the meat is hard to chew. I almost choked swallowing it. I think the chicken is overrated. I like their sauerkraut as it's not too sour and perfect to enjoy it with their sausage. Dinner roll is buttery, soft and fresh. Buttered noodle is delicious, buttery and the toppings add some crunchy and flavors. Staff is nice and welcoming.

Very popular place if you are visiting Frankenmuth we stopped in for lunch. Great service and friendly staff they also have a shop downstairs with all kinds of goodies spices and pastries and breads and all kinds of other things. I had a Ruben Sandwich and my husband had the Chicken dinner.

This is the whole experience! From the unique old world German decor, the legacy of Zehnders and Frankenmuth, this is just so enjoyable! I like both Bavarian Inn and Zehnders, but Zehnders is my favorite. On this day, we were seated in the Tap room. It has a large bar and lots of open seating with windows that bring in some nice lighting. The service was fantastic and Lexi made us feel very comfortable! We started with the appetizers, the most pleasant noodle soup, tasty cole slaw, stollen bread, regular white bread, preserves, little toasts and cheeses. For the people who like it, they also have liver pate'. Its not for me, but I thinks it's cool that they serve it. They also served delicious cranberry dressing. The meal consisted of their world famous juicy chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes, the best buttered noodles, and a vegetable. For this visit, it was squash and it was so good! Even if one is full, you can always get seconds and even thirds! On this day, we ordered the feast and it came with succulent fried shrimp and super tender prime rib with a deep au jus! Wow! What a meal! it was topped off with a choice of sherbet, ice cream and homemade strudel. I love the seasonings at the table, chicken seasoning and BBQ, they previously had all-purpose seasoning. It's still available if you ask. The meal turns into a special occasion, enjoying a feast of delicious food, savoring time spent with family! I have been coming to Frankenmuth since my childhood and I look forward to visiting each time. The store downstairs is so much fun too. We picked up a lot of treats to take home. Zehnders is consistently wonderful! Every part of the meal totally hit!

Best coleslaw we've ever tasted! Everything was delicious. After you eat go to the bakery and buy a cherry strudel for later. OMG all caps!!! Get the whole one, you will eat the whole thing. lol

It's busy, which might contradict my maybe recommendation. We waited for a party of 6 for around 20 minutes or so. The staff was friendly and polite which is always appreciated. The place is like it's been for years. It was nostalgic to see some of the old memorabilia and decorations. That being said, the place was clean. The restaurant has multiple levels and we sat and eight in the lower level which was a first. It seems like a normal dining hall. You would see anywhere else with seats fairly close to each other. Most people probably go there for the chicken, however, I've had very experiences with that so I tried the chicken pot pie. The chicken pot pie did not have a crust on it, which was slightly unusual, but still good. The pie is very large, so I would take your appetite. The only downside I felt was that it lacked chicken in the chicken pot pie. I believe I got maybe two or three decent size pieces of chicken and the rest was filling and vegetables. The bottom crust of the chicken pot pie is fairly thick, so if you're looking to cut carbs this is not your choice. I also got the buttered noodles, which were fabulous the first time going down, however, I think it might've been too much butter for me, which affected me later on. I also got a small sampling of their squash, which I would highly recommend! It was delicious and was almost like a dessert. Overall, if you're in the area, this is a go to place for many and if you've never gone, it's worth a try.

We were excited to finally get to try this restaurant. Our family had the family style chicken dinner and enjoyed every bite. I thought the bread and little dips were interesting- chicken liver pate, garden veggie cream cheese, and cheddar. I didn't feel that the soup had much flavor but it was nice for a cold day. The mashed potatoes and gravy, squash, and butter noodles were amazing. I liked the garlicky crunchy topping on the soft noodles. Loved the cranberry relish- I think it had apples, cranberry, and raspberry in it. The chicken had nice seasoning too! We finished the meal off with different ice creams- peppermint, orange sherbet, chocolate, or vanilla. It was very pretty for the holidays and we enjoyed tasting this historical chicken dinner that has been tried and true for many generations.

This is one of those old-fashioned, all-you-can-eat, full-meal restaurants where you can order something off the menu or have the family dinner ... hint, have the family dinner. Boy, does this place get crowded ... so make reservations and/or come in early because they pack them in here and it is not unusual for the crowd to be out the door waiting. But that aside, the place is very large with a number of rooms ... they have the service staff to handle crowds, and they have the kitchen to put out food for crowds. Now the food is not 5-star stuff across the board, but the amount and selections you have in the family dinner are worth the rating. Let's call it 4-star food that gets rated up for ambiance and service and experience. Appetizers (cottage cheese, pate, cranberry sauce, a selection of breads, etc.), soups, salads, chicken, mashed, and the complete meal includes desserts choices. There is more food than one can eat, and you can take home what you don't. One very nice thing here is that their all-you-can-eat means just that ... they don't slow down refilling what you have ... and they are generous with the food. All in all, this is a tradition kind of place in Frankenmuth that has been operating for decades. If your in town, this is a must stop on your adventure.

Fantastic fun!! Clean. Relaxing. #ZFun #buzzybooth #ZehndersSplashPark My husband and I go for the half day at the water park here which cost about $50 per person. And you can either go from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. there's really no discounts. Their food at the water park is also. But the drinks are good. The hot tubs are super relaxing. And the lazy river is very relaxing! Since we live nearby this is the third time that we have visited in a month! Our favorite place to go right now. Since most hotel Hot tubs are broken since COVID and don't seem to be ever coming back!

Loved this restaurant! All you can eat for $31. Appetizers (selection of bread, preserve, cottage cheese, liver pate, butter), chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, squash, coleslaw, noodles with cheese, fresh cranberry sauce, ice cream, and more!! Everything was delicious. The wait was only 15 minutes for a busy place. The waiters and waitresses were dress like the old fashioned butlers and maids. Very cool place. Downstairs there are lots of shops. We had a great time. Highly recommended.

The food is the best, always rich and tasty. Everyone is happy and friendly. The atmosphere is great and enjoyable.

This has to be the nastiest food I've ever had. The fried chicken was dried in bland less and weird crumble batter, the sides were also disgusting. Just avoid this place. I have no other words but disgusting.

I wouldn't consider us regulars at Frankenmuth but we do show up every couple of years or when we have visitors from out of town. And we have always gone to Bavarian Inn; so this was our first time at Zehnders. We were told that both places were run by members of the same family using the same or similar family recipes. We have had the all-you-can-eat family style chicken dinners and also ordered the standard chicken dinner with many side dishes. It kind of depends on how hungry you are. For this visit I ordered the three piece Chicken dinner and my wife had the two piece. Right away my wife got a bite that was way over salted and that killed her impression of food at Zehnders. We never had that type of experience at Bavarian Inn! The rest of her meal was normal as was my meal. The service was great with just the right amount of attention. I enjoyed my meal and we both were full and had some packed to go home.

So bland. No taste at all. I am not sure what the rave is about. We got the all you can eat meals for six people. If not for our waiter and the historic ambience, I would give it 1/2 star. The all-you-can eat is like having Thanksgiving dinner at a hospital cafeteria without love. So we had bread, butter, soup, appetizers, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranbmain course of

We have been visiting Frankenmuth at Christmastime for years as a family. We have never made a reservation at Zehnder's until this year. We were extremely happy with the service, the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant and will definitely be back- even during the off season! We also love visiting the cafe downstairs and never leave without several delicious pastries!

Wonderful, must try restaurant in Frankenmuth, MI. Served family style, a mountain of food! Precedding the chicken, you are served a number of "appetizers", including cottage cheese , Cole slaw, a cherry mixture and more, all delicious! Then comes the main course of mashed potatoes (delicious and creamy) buttered noodles, dressing and of course the lightly battered chicken. Fantastic! The servers are very attentive, filling drinks regularly and asking if "you need more? Come hungry as it's a mountain of food , well with the price. Very attentive servers, a delightful experience!

Zehnder's is campy and perhaps should not be your prime reason to go to Frankenmuth, but if you're already in the area it should certainly be on your itinerary. There's a lot of history behind Zehnder's and the ambiance of the place is designed to transport you to 19th century Bavaria - the waitstaff even wear colonial uniforms. I hadn't been to Frankenmuth in 20+ years until a recent visit with my mom, and while we enjoyed having dinner at Zehnder's I realized that my memories of dining there as a child were perhaps somewhat grandiose. It's such a niche experience that it's easy to recall it fondly, but as an adult you see that it's kind of just a touristy shtick. That being said, Zehnder's is nonetheless enjoyable and worth experiencing. Most people order the all-you-can-eat chicken dinner at Zehnder's, which includes fried chicken and several side dishes that are all served family-style. You are able to take leftovers home, which is nice. I am a picky eater and really only ate the soup, carby sides (potatoes, noodles, etc.) and dessert (soft serve ice cream). Everything that I tried was good; my favorite was probably the soup or the noodles. Our server was nice and remarkably efficient, and she explained everything about the menu thoroughly. Our bill was about $80. The place is huge and very well-staffed, so we got in and out in about an hour.

The restaurant is nice and seating is comfortable. The staff are very friendly and attentive but the food was less than I expected or remembered it to be. The traditional chicken was dry, however, the sides were adequat. The chicken schnitzel was totally dried out, like biting into a shingle and the spatzle had a weird texture. The good meal at our table was the sausage plate, no complaints on that meal. There was a large meeting/luncheon going on that day so maybe all the good chicken went to that room. Hard to justify the 90 mile drive for this meal/experience.

Classic Zehnder's chicken, served cafeteria style, great to be near my childhood home. Since the cafeteria style ambiance forces us not have a server, I don't have review of that. Still nice to go back in time.

It was very crowded during the weekend when I visited. We only ordered a few dishes rather than trying there or you can eat. - Pan fried chicken liver: this is my favorite dish of everything we got. It has a slight irony taste that I liked, and the texture is slightly grainy but easy to chew. Definitely would recommend giving this a try! - Plain Fried chicken wings: chicken wings were just okay in my experience. The outer skin wasn't as crispy as I thought it would be, it is a very thin batter layer. And the inside of the chicken is kind of dry. Overall the friend chicken wings doesn't taste quite like something that came right out of the deep fryer - Chicken pot pie: this was not bad, but the only big problem was how salty it was. I couldn't eat the chicken pot pie alone as it was just too salty, had to dip chicken liver or the fried wings in to neutralize how salty it was

This place looks old school with the wait staff dressed in traditional outfits. They gave us a buffet style meal. All the chicken, steak, and shrimp you can eat!!! Lots of side too the stuffing was to dream for. The salad wasn't bad either. This is a Military friendly location.

There's not much to not like about this iconic restaurant/ market in the heart of downtown Frankenmuth. There's just not many places to enjoy a true "family style" meal remaining in the USA like Zehnders I'm afraid. If you choose the "all you can eat" option you can take home the remaining items in the table that's enough for another snack or meal. Besides possibly the best fried chicken you could find anywhere, the side dishes that accompany the chicken are all outstanding: Egg noodles, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, and cranberry dressing. This is like having the best Thanksgiving dinner except substitute the turkey with fried chicken. Our waitress (Kim)was also very good. If you're looking for an exceptional dinner experience, you can't go wrong coming here.

We went to Frankenmuth over Memorial Day weekend and hey, when you're in a tourist town, you do the touristy stuff. Zehnder's chicken was first on the list. We booked a reservation at noon and when we checked in, we were directed to a small waiting/seating area. It only took around 5 minutes for the hostess to take us to our table. At this point, it looked like there were plenty of seats open and people without reservations were also getting in quickly. Even thought it was lunch, the waitress only brought us the dinner menu - I guess they were trying to upsell for a busy weekend? We weren't nearly hungry enough for a buffet and asked if we could get the lunch menu, which they obliged. 3 Piece Dark ($17.95) - Let's start with the sides. The waitress first brings out a plate of bread, with four slices of house baked white bread, and three pieces of stollen, along with whipped butter-substitute to spread. The white bread is a good quality white bread; soft and fluffy. The stollen essentially takes that white bread and turns it into a semi-fruitcake. It's retains the white bread fluffiness, but mixes in small pieces of candied fruit, raisins, and nuts in a slightly richer and sweeter dough. Next comes a bowl of cabbage salad - this being a mix of red and green shredded cabbage (green being predominant), carrots, and bell peppers in a somewhat runny and watery dressing. The dressing is quite sweet and has a bit of a tang. The slaw has too much dressing on it - there is so much, it forms essentially a soup at the bottom of the bowl. I guess they don't use slotted spoons to scoop the slaw out? The fresh taste of the cabbage does come out and it remains crunchy and fresh even fully soaked in the dressing. (3/5) Finally, the plate of chicken comes out. On the side is a scoop of dressing and a scoop of mashed potatoes. The dressing is very moist and soft. There's no need to chew it at all before swallowing; it's the perfect food for people afraid of texture. The taste is pretty normal for a stuffing/dressing - vegetal from celery, onion, and herbal from the sage/parsley notes (3/5). The mashed potatoes seem like pureed waxy red potatoes, with some skin mixed in. It's are salted appropriately and creamed quite well into a homogeneous smooth texture (4/5). They also bring out a large bowl of chicken gravy. It's quite a thick gravy, on the verge of being goopy, and tastes strongly of chicken bouillon rather than pan drippings (I am sure they add drippings; I wonder if they use bouillon as an enhancer). Still, gravy is gravy, and it works perfectly on the potatoes/dressing and even for dipping the fried chicken (4/5). The three piece dark consists of one drum and two thighs. The chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender with the fat and skin rendered well. The meat is moist and soft, making it very easy to eat. I don't believe it's brined, but rather the natural chicken flavors come out. The breading here is a problem. Firstly, the texture is just okay - the crisp is quite light and could stand to be a bit more heavily breaded. But the main problem is the seasoning. To compensate for the unseasoned interior, they absolutely douse some parts of the exterior with their famous chicken seasoning, of which the first ingredient is salt. I say "parts" above because the seasoning is very inconsistently applied, with some parts of the chicken being palatable and others inedible. Those heavily salted portions are so salty that we ended up pulling most of the breading off the chicken and only eating the meat. That's not something we typically have to do (in fact, we normally love breading). (3/5). Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich ($16.95) - This is a pretty simply constructed sandwich - a nice fluffy toasted brioche bun baked in the bakery downstairs, a couple of tangy pickle rounds, then a giant schnitzel topped with cabbage slaw. Per the menu description, it's also dressed with buffalo aioli, but I could neither taste it nor visually identify it. The schnitzel is easily double the size of the bun. It's a giant piece of white meat chicken, pounded flat, fried to a light crisp, with the breading embedded with herbs. The breading mainly consists of breadcrumbs which adds a good texture. For the sandwich, they actually drain the dressing so the sandwich doesn't become a sopping mess - that's pretty well appreciated (4/5). The sandwich comes with homemade chips that are fried to a hard crisp and lightly salted. The chips are quite good and the perfect accompaniment, along with a pickle spear. (5/5) Yes, Zehnder's is a tourist trap and much of the food is pretty mediocre, but I think the experience was worth it and I do recommend visiting if you're in Frankenmuth. Even if you decide not to eat in, Zehnder's is still worth a visit just for the marketplace shops downstairs. Bathrooms - This restaurant is gigantic and there are multiple bathrooms throughout the building. Overall rating of the food this visit: 3.71/5

For us Zehnder's is a place that we grew up with as kids with our parents. Going here was a special treat and always fun. We stopped in on a Tuesday heading back from Northern Michigan. For a weekday even in December they were packed, however we only waited about 15 minutes. The ambiance of the restaurant is nostalgic to Frankenmuth's History and Christmas time. The Chicken is always good, moist and we love the light batter they use, not heavy, but tasty and flavorful. If you do the Family Style, you get all the sides and more food than anyone can eat. We chose to order the luncheon portion this time, which still gives you plenty of options: mashed potatoes, dressing, coleslaw, bread and butter. If your on a budget, this is a little less expensive and you will not leave hungry! All of the staff and servers here work very hard. We have never had a bad experience. Recommend giving them a try if you are in Frankenmuth.

The atmosphere he is old fashioned elegance. It very clean and bright. I ordered the All you can eat Chicken dinner ($31) and added Breaded Jumbo Shrimp ($6). It starts with a fruit & nut bread and a white bread served with a scoop of butter and Strawberry jam. Then comes the noodle soup, which I upgraded to the Vidalia Onion Soup Au Gratin ($6). This is followed by the creamy cabbage salad, cottage cheese, and cranberry relish. Also thin sliced toasted garlic bread served with cheese spread and chicken liver pate. Served with the Chicken course is mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, buttered noodles, and a veggie bowl. The breads were good and I appreciated the generous butter and jam for it. The soup was very good, but not $6 upgrade from the included noodle soup good. The cabbage salad is excellent, I'm picky about coleslaw and I loved this one. Cottage cheese and cranberry relish aren't for me so no opinion. The sliced garlic toast was a little too hard. Not a fan of Chicken liver pate. The Chicken was Fantastic, the best thing I've eaten this weekend. The spices are yummy and interesting, however warning it is salty. The Shrimp was amazing, the second best thing I've had today. The cocktail sauce is excellent. I enjoyed the mashed potatoes, though I've had better. I didn't enjoy the dressing, however I'm extremely picky about dressing. I dislike most, so not a negative on it. The butter noodles were very average and plain. I didn't have the veggie so no comment. Lastly you can choose soft serve vanilla, Chocolate, or Orange Sherbet, also a twist of 2. I got the Orange Sherbet and it was delicious. A really nice nightcap. The service was excellent. Very friendly and chatty. A few hiccups, made it less efficient than what it probably is normally. Overall a home run 5 star review. Would I return? Heck yes. Frankenmuth has a plethora of fantastic options. The Boston Cream Tarte from the bakery was excellent also.

Definitely a step up in elegance and service from the barbarian Inn. We truly enjoyed our stop with family. Our chicken lunches were delicious!

Such a wholesome and delicious dining experience every time you come here. The chicken is moist and good flavor and who can resist all of the delicious side dishes. Just like being in your mother's kitchen.

I went there on a Monday evening just on a spur of the moment little trip to Frankenmuth and found out that is a perfect evening to go, if you want to avoid crowds. We definitely wanted to eat chicken since we were in Frankenmuth, but didn't feel like stuffing ourselves with the all you can eat family dinner. That was $29.95. I thought about getting the 1/4 rotisserie chicken dinner that came with 2 sides, but it was the same price. So then the dilemma is, should I get the full chicken dinner for that price or get a smaller dinner for the same price? The waitress realized that we were overwhelmed with the selections and asked if we wanted to see the lunch menu. That was a great idea because it had smaller chicken options. In fact, my friend got a three piece that came with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and coleslaw. I tried to get the rotisserie chicken, but they were out of rotisserie chicken, so I asked what other item on the menu wasn't fried chicken and she said the hot chicken sandwich. So my dinner came on white bread with pulled chicken, not breaded, smothered in gravy, including stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, coleslaw, and bread. We both finished our meals and weren't stuffed. It was the perfect amount of food. Our waitress was so sweet and so helpful and we really enjoyed her and we would definitely go back here again.

It should be known that I am a connoisseur of stuffing. Thanksgiving is pure glee to me. When I had the lunch version of the fried chicken dinner... that stuffing destroyed me. With just a little gravy, it was stuffing perfection. The chicken, potatoes, and coke slaw were amazing as well! The restaurant goes all in on the Little Bavaria atmosphere, and the staff were friendly, attentive, and helpful. I definitely recommend!

Best chicken ever! The sides are great too and the food is always good. Never been a time I've been here and was disappointed, always satisfied with their food!

First time at Zehnders. It is a well known restaurant in Frankenmuth. They can be very busy, so plan ahead! We had a group of 5 and they got us in relatively quickly though. The building is large and pretty neat. It is an older building, so lots of history! They also have a bakery and market in the lower level. They are known for their chicken dinners. I did the two piece chicken dinner. Portions were large. Everything was delicious! Definitely worth a stop if you are in the area!

We sat outdoors and had decent service. Plenty of food. Chicken was tasty. Waiter was very friendly - just the restaurant is always busy.

Meh. If you'd ask me to describe this place in one word, I would say "meh." The good: - the buffet option included everything - soooo many types of breads on a platter, with smears, "chicken soup" (doesn't include chicken, just broth and noodles), main entrees, sides, and desserts - all included! *But buyer beware - I'm fairly certain they give you "included soup & bread platter" prior to the main entree so that you fill your belly up with cheap soup and bread, thus leaving less room for the hearty foods like the star of the restaurant, the chicken. -Servers were kind. -Chicken was good, so at least what they are known for is very edible -Cool little decorative plastic animals on icecream and desserts, even for the adults (see photos for context.) The bad: -Wait times were kept hidden upon entry. -Hostesses were all frazzled. -There was a queue for the official dining queue... it seemed like never ending lines. They should have had the texting wait service. It is 2024. It was Christmas time and I anticipated a delay, but the lines were gnarly. -The food just wasn't that great. It was okay. But it Couldn't compete with my mom and her fire yams. -The food was quite pricy, and not worth it, in my mind. I should have just went to a stakehouse instead and could have had a nice sit down candle-light dinner for the same cost. (We went here as we were told "it's the thing to do.) -main dining room was very packed, and tight to maneuver in. It Was also loud. You basically sit at the same table as the people next to you, so if you are scared of strangers, this isn't the place for you. -Expensive. Oh my goodness, I swear on my life, the website was advertising the budget as $30.95 per person. So you can imagine when I got my check and was charged over $86 for two people to eat in a "funeral home" (see below for context) I was astounded. The atmosphere deserves its own mention: -the main dinning area felt like a mix of a funeral home and an Amish kitchen. So much so, my visiting guest and I were trying to determine where they might put the casket(s) during visiting hours. If you've been, you know what I'm talking about - the wallpaper, the curtains, the drapes, the carpet, the color scheme, the lighting. It screams funeral home, and there's even a basement that they call "the downstairs." Am I glad I came here? Sure. It was a unique experience I will cherish. Would I visit again? Probably not.