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    Black Forest Cafe

    3.9 (60 reviews)

    Black Forest Cafe Photos

    BLACK FOREST CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Black Forest Cafe

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    Currywurst and the German sampler
    Lisa W.

    Great service, delicious food, friendly and helpful wait staff, in a cozy setting! The menu offers all of the traditional German favorites and other dishes too.

    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).

    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.

    Black Forest Cafe Burger!!!
    Dustin H.

    GOOD LORD! Friday night dinners at the Black Forest Cafe are worth the effort. It's less than 10 miles from Toledo, though it does feel worlds apart. But GOOD LORD... the food is really really good. God almighty! It's also very very white. The Black Forest Cafe Burger is unreal. Seasoned 1/3 lb Hamburger (seems smaller) with your choice of sausage (I chose German Bratwurst) 2 pieces of bacon (good stuff) cheese (I rightly chose pepperjack) and 1 egg all awkwardly placed between a toasted lovely Pretzel Bun! Served with AMAZING German Potato Salad and Sauerkraut. Seriously. People.... the potato salad alone is worth another visit. Warm... porky... perfectly soft and smooth. I want more. A lot more. The whole dish is perfect. No store bought anything. The kraut was insane. Home style... rough... perfect. The burger is nuts. Impossible to eat but the challenge is wonderful. My wife was hoping to order the Weiner Schnitzel. But we showed up late... and it was sold out. THAT'S A GOOD THING. They make a limited amount of food, and sell out. That's awesome. It means it's fresh. So instead, my wife orders the Vollgestopftes Eichelsquash AKA Stuffed Acorn Squash. Goodness gracious great balls of fire! It's unbelieveable. A 1/2 a squash filled with a grapefruit sized sphere of sausage/beef/rice that is wonderfully seasoned and covered in a sweet glaze. It's so so so good. Everything is expertly seasoned. The dinner portions are HUGE. The service is lovely. The atmosphere is killer, and the drinks are strong. We had two huge entrees, sauerkraut ball entrees and 5 drinks. Dinner with a ten dollar tip was just shy of $50. That's an incredible deal for the quality of food. It's wonderful and worth twice the price. BFC is absolutely one of the best restaurants in NW Ohio.

    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.

    Stuffed Green Pepper Soup

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    2 months ago

    This restaurant is now closed. They had really good food. The community is sorry to lose them.

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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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    6 years ago

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

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    Ask the Community - Black Forest Cafe

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    The Dakota Inn Rathskeller

    The Dakota Inn Rathskeller

    3.8(186 reviews)
    56.3 mi
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    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.

    The Piano Player was awesome. We went to celebrate my boyfriend's Father's birthday. We sang and…read morereally enjoyed the music. We each tried something different off the menu. I would go back for the Pork Chops again and again. My boyfriend's Mom ordered them and shared them with me. It was delicious. Everyone really liked the Potato Salad. I would skip dessert next time and go down the street to The Little Dutch Girl Donuts. We were all so full. It was a great celebration and I hope to go back to this restaurant again.

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    Jacoby's German Biergarten - Pretzel perfection

    Jacoby's German Biergarten

    4.0(381 reviews)
    51.8 miBricktown, Downtown Detroit
    $$

    We stopped at Jacoby's after the Lions game yesterday, partly because I remembered having an…read moreawesome Belgian ale there years ago and was curious if they still carried it. They didn't, but they had another similar Belgian ale that was great, so no complaints there! Our table started with the hand-battered chicken tenders and fried pickles. I really liked the light batter on both, and you could actually taste the beer in the batter, which was awesome. Three of the four of us ordered the Reuben, and the other ordered the Big Ed Burger. First off, all four of us commented on how good the sides were. The fries came out piping hot and crispy, and the house-made chips were honestly some of the best I've ever had. The burger itself had good flavor, but the bun was pretty dry and unappealing. With a better bun, I think it could go from good to great. As for the Reuben--the house specialty--I enjoyed it overall, but there were a couple things holding it back for me. The corned beef itself was 10/10. Super tender, flavorful, and absolutely the star of the sandwich. The bread, however, was very dry and crisp, but it had almost no color or toasted flavor to it. My other issue was the sauerkraut. This is definitely personal preference, but I like kraut with more tang and a little chew--almost "al dente," if we were talking pasta. This was extremely soft and mushy, to the point that there really wasn't any texture left to it. With that corned beef, a tangier kraut with a little bite and better bread would make this a fantastic Reuben. That said, I don't want those critiques to overshadow the experience. We enjoyed our food, and the service was great. Nichole (according to our receipt) was super friendly and took great care of us. I also really love the history and character of Jacoby's. In fact, I just recommended it to a family member today. I'd absolutely come back, and I already have my eye on trying the schnitzel next time!

    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!

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    Black Forest Cafe - german - Updated September 2026

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