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    Black Forest Cafe

    3.9 (59 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Black Forest Cafe Photos

    BLACK FOREST CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Black Forest Cafe

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    Menu
    Jim E.

    I'm not gunna lie, it's a little weird being on the German American Festival grounds when it's not the end of August. But where else would you go to have good German food?! The Black Forest Cafe is open year round (but NOT during the GAF), but check the hours as it varies. If you've got some German heritage in you, you'll feel right at home. The carved wooden bar and the giant coo-coo clock are IG-worthy. Likewise the giant Nutcracker. The menu is pretty vast with lots of traditional German dishes to chose from. And even some American fare for those less adventuresome in your group.

    Fireplace
    Irina G.

    If you're looking for ambience and atmosphere- this is definitely the place to visit. Located in the forest, great in the summer time since they do have a patio and ambience inside is pretty cool. Staff is very friendly and the portions are large. However, the food was very blah...dry schnitzels and barely any flavor. Didn't really taste the difference between chicken and veal. Pretzel was big but nothing spectacular.

    Gen.and Tim
    Genevieve K.

    The food was authentic, tasty and piping hot. The serving sizes were huge. We left with enough leftovers for another meal and the prices were reasonable. We love the back patio with comfy chairs. The sun was shining and the beer was quenching our thirst. Highly recommend doe family get togethers and meet ups with friends. Huhnerschnitzel

    Black Forest Cake
    Brooke M.

    What a great find! If you want authentic German food this is a must. Both adult and kid friendly. The kids chose the hot dogs and fries which they both enjoyed. We started with the shareable pretzel which is huge. It's very soft and was perfectly cooked. You get four dips which allow for lots of great combos. For dinners we enjoyed the jagerschnitzel and huhnerschnitzel. Both were perfectly cooked and super flavorful. The German potato salad was spot on. For dessert, we had both the carrot cake and Black Forest cake. While both were delicious, the carrot cake was the favorite (no nuts).

    Stuffed Green Pepper Soup

    The staff was excellent! The food was wonderful I just wish I would have walked or taken an Uber so that I could have enjoyed my drink.

    Walkway to entrance.
    Rene M.

    I sure hate to rate this place so low as the service was great and the ambiance was super, but I can't justify a higher rating due to the lackluster food. The schnitzel was crisp and tasty, but the gravy was cold and the spaetzel was so bland I couldn't eat it. The sauerkraut was ok, but nothing that stood out as homemade or authentic German. The beer was good and the outdoor seating area was a nice option, but nothing special. The interior reminded me of an inviting hunting lodge (minus animal heads) or a German-like pub. A brick fireplace highlights one end of the room and a giant cuckoo clock is at the other. I'm sure the clock is loud, but I would have loved to have heard it. A small bar area is within the main seating area. The location is a bit hard to find. It's within a park at the rear. Follow the signs. Parking is expansive. There is a decent walking distance to the main entrance but it's flat and handicapped can use walker or scooter without too much trouble. Hours on Yelp differ from posted hours. Currently they are open w-f 11a-9p. Based on location I doubt it gets very busy. We were the only people there at 2:30. Sure wish the food had been better as I live the quaintness and uniqueness of this place.

    Erin E.

    Ok, so I would have given this place 3-4 stars if it hadn't been for the drunken labile owner ruining the entire dining experience. Food: Better than average. Our potato pancakes were a tad soggy (needed strained better), and our pork shank lacked the delicious crispy skin, but overall it's good German food, exactly what you'd expect with a great and I mean GREAT beer selection. Staff: Top notch, especially our waiter Garrett. He was fast, funny, polite, informative and attentive. He KNEW that menu and made great food and drink recommendations. Our bartender was a peach! Ambience: DUSTY, like a THICK sneeze your way through dinner crust of dust. You could see LAYERS of dust on the "roof" over the bar and the coocoo clock was encloaked with the same. The whole place needs a good scrub. The music was LOUD and weird... thriller, then top gun sound track, eye of the tiger, then oasis. Forget conversation. Now for the "fun" part: There was a drunken LOUD disruptive man in a hawiian shirt at the bar, still being served. Now it started off funny- dancing to thriller, "sucking brains" out of small children, loud laughter, and then it escalated to intrusive and slightly creepy dancing as he gyrated his way around the room slurring and stumbling, dancing with uncomfortable guests. I couldn't believe he was still being served, and said as much to the bartender. Come to find out he's an OWNER!!! As we were sitting having a drink and finishing dinner we hear a string of explotives coming from the men's bathroom. And with that comes the real fun. It was a Jeckyl and Hyde situation. Into the bathroom a jovial drunk, out of the bathroom an A$$HOLE. He was SWEARING at staff, who from what we had observed had done nothing to provoke said a$$hole. As he continued reaming them for seemingly nothing, we hurredly paid our check and bolted. I was mortified for the staff who were clearly doing their best to accomodate guests while being berrated and belittled. Over all sad, we love the GAF and German food/drink. It's hard to support a business that treats staff so poorly and treats their business like a frat house.

    Black Forest Cafe Burger!!!

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    13 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Authentic German cuisine in a wonderful atmosphere. The service is top notch. I highly recommend.

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    5 years ago

    Best German food in town. Can be hard to find. Not open on weekends but worth the wiggles.

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    Wölfies Bierhaus - Fried bologna

    Wölfies Bierhaus

    (19 reviews)

    I If you want some good german food, go elsewhere. I…read moreordered The Blitzkrieg, which had a little bit of everything...schintzel, spaetzel, perogies, german potato salad...all bad. My friend ordered the Reuben with a side of potato pancakes. The Reuben was average at best and the potato pancakes were inedible. On a positive note...we both enjoyed the Hofbrau Hefeweisse Bier. The atmosphere was pleasant, the wait staff was adequate, and the place was clean. Bill with tip was $85!

    I'd give zero stars if possible. The manager with the white hair and beard was uncaring and the…read moreserver seemed clueless. We arrived at 7:00 pm there were several seats available and plenty of staff bustling about. We ordered drinks and food at 7:15. We also observed several tables ordering after us. Those tables received their food, ate and were cleared within an hour. 8:10 we are still waiting for food. I asked for the manager. He looked up our food order , still had no estimated time and agreed waiting an hour wasn't acceptable. I said I wanted to pay for our drinks and was leaving. He didn't seem to care, ask us to stay or anything charged us full price for the drinks and that was that. Another customer had also walked in and was constantly vaping and blowing it at my kids. Vaping which is illegal in Ohio bars and restaurants. I had mentioned it to the waitstaff who chose to not do anything. I mentioned it to the customer and he didn't want to stop. I didn't want to get in a fight as he seemed confrontational. So when I was settling my bill, I also mentioned it to the manager. He too seemed to not care. All in all the service was so bad and we never got to try the food. I walked in assuming the Fourth of July would have low staffing or other issues so initially we were super patient, but after seeing that other tables were being attentively served and food was coming out of the kitchen normally, I knew something was wrong and we were having a poor experience. There were no updates from the waitress while we waited either. The only good deed I did was while waiting for my check, another young family came in, thought I was waiting for a table, I told them no, and my story of waiting for food and the vaper. They turned around and immediately left. Hopefully others see this review and patronize other businesses instead. Wolfies should be on the Never go to list. Zero stars.

    The Dakota Inn Rathskeller

    The Dakota Inn Rathskeller

    (185 reviews)

    $$

    Horrible! We are in town visiting family and my 90 year old uncle was so excited to bring us here…read more From the moment we walked in, the staff were extremely rude. My Uncle made the reservation in person with one of the managers. He requested the main room and was never told we wouldn't be able to sit there. He paid a cover charge to reserve our table and was a little upset we weren't in the main area. The servers and staff were extremely rude. I've never seen such rudeness. Luckily our server was new and not yet corrupted by her rude coworkers. The food was just ok. What a shame, this was supposed to be a Detroit treat/experience for a few in our group visiting for the first time.

    I've been wanting to try The Dakota Inn forever, and we finally had an opening to go. You know…read moreyou're in for something different when you pull into the guarded lot. The building has been there a long time, and you enter a different world when you walk in the front door. First off, you need a reservation. No big deal. We scheduled around the time of the piano player, that added to the atmosphere. There is something cool to look at everywhere. They were a bit short-staffed this night, according to our waitress, who mentioned it a few times. You could tell, things were moving really slowly. We got a few drinks and some St Clair punch (water), and waited to put in our order. We split some entrees, and while the sides are of decent size, the entrees themselves were on the small size. I've been to some other German restaurants, their entree sizes are significantly larger in the same price range. The separate sides of spaetzel were decent size, but kind of dry. We should have tried the cheese version. Things were decent tasting, but not amazing. The carrot apple slaw was a lot better than we expected. I'm glad we finally came and had the experience, it's really a historical gem.

    Jacoby's German Biergarten - Pretzel perfection

    Jacoby's German Biergarten

    (380 reviews)

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    I would go back here in a heartbeat. The food was tasty and fresh and exceptional portions for the…read moreprices (especially considering proximity to the sports venues). We stopped in on a Thursday night in January and the kitchen was open late, which was a huge relief. Service was quick and friendly, though a little snarky. I love any place that serves German beer and especially if the beer is clean and the bartenders are knowledgeable. Highly recommend Jacoby's for a late night stop. I'd like to visit during the warmer months now!

    Over fifty years ago my father brought me here for lessons on fashionable socializing. Complete…read morewith food we made three trips in one month's time. Before that we just had soda and brats, in the 1960's. What a treat for clients to meet us here tonight. One of the great German Biergartens, I've tried every beer in the place and could easily do seconds on them all. Pro Tip: For individuals or couples, bar seating/service is exceptional, as well as, a truly wonderful experience you must try at least once. Service everywhere is top notch. A very classy operation. Always has been. The atmosphere is legendary. No spoilers. Go and expose yourself. German fare is very deliberate. I can't guide you other than to say, this is the bench mark others strive to achieve. My favourites include the German Sausage soup, Rindfleisch Rouladen and the Rahm Schnitzel. I plan to make it back here 2-3 times a year from now on. 11/25

    Black Forest Cafe - german - Updated May 2026

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