We had stopped in for dinner after a day of fun in Helen GA. The staff checked our temperature and sanitized our hands. The atmosphere as cozy while everything was clean. The food here was absolutely delicious. Definitely worth going back to. read more

At best, this place was average. I find myself once again wondering what the majority of folks saw in Bodensee that I didn't. The German food was mediocre. I had the House Platter, and one of the sausages was over cooked, and the pork chop was tough. The German potato salad was nothing but boiled potatoes with a little seasoning. The service was atrocious. The server asked if I would like a refill of tea, and 15 minutes later, I got it. We all sat there for at least 15 minutes after we finished eating waiting for the check. In addition, we were seated in what appeared to be an unfinished patio area that was started years ago...very spartan. read more

Awesome meal. Split a lunch portion with my husband. And a pretzel...but not the desserts! Very good food. Wonderful service, Amanda was friendly and attentive. read more

Beer was phenomenal-- got a pitcher and it was fresh and delicious. Food was underwhelming though. Goulash was good but heavy with paprika although the red cabbage is delicious that goes with it. Garlicwurst was quite plain without mustard to accompany it. Sauerkraut was a little too soggy for my taste. Potato salad was good but I would have preferred a nice warm German potato salad and less dill heavy. The shnitzel w onion gravy was good but next time will ask for sauce on side... it was too much. read more

This was our favorite place to eat in Helen. Giant beers and lots of German food choices.

If I could give 0 stars I would. My beer glass was dirty with obvious food on the inside. I also tried to order Spätzle without the bacon (which is not traditionally included in Germany) and they would not do it. I was offered the Spätzle gratin...???? It was covered in mozzarella and baked...mozzarella??? What the actual f@$! Is Spätzle Gratin?!? Käse Spätzle should have Emmentaler or Berg Käse. What a waste of time. This place is a sad, gross disappointment. read more

Great place, temperature check at the door and free hand sanitizer. The Food and Beer was authentic German and delicious. The staff was fast, friendly and awesome. Recommend this place to anyone for German Food and Beer. read more

Very much looked forward to dining here, but our visit was ruined by average food and very sub-average service. Our server, Donovan, delivered our menus to our table like he was conducting a drive-by shooting. He forgot about the appetizer we ordered, and never came back to see about refilling drinks, etc. The bill was delivered just like the menus. All in all a very bad experience. read more

Fantastic German meal - likely the best in Helen. Authentic potato cakes, real sausages and great beer - what more could you want? Plan for a crowd and be patient, it will be worth it! read more

We've only eaten here once but it sure won't be our last time. Fantastic service. Delicious food. Haus Finle was delicious.

This piece of paper/plastic/wax paper was in my French onion soup. Unacceptable that manager did not come to our table and offer some sort of compensation on the meal. They only offered to take soup off the bill! Unacceptable customer service. You just can't treat customers that way. read more

Bodensee Restaurant - German Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Service was great! Food was ok but nothing to rave about and I have no desire to go back. Food was either over cooked or undercooked. I wasn't impressed, especially considering the prices. read more

Are here on a Sunday night, after Christmas. Had to wait an hour to get a table but it was well worth the wait. They don't take reservations so get there early. They had accordion player and tuba player which added to the atmosphere. Food was great and the owner came around to table and was really funny and very nice. Place was packed. Waitress could use a little instruction and they charged our card three times, but good food. read more

I loved it, although my wife was not as crazy about it and thought it was too much meat...

Food is very good, great veal schnitzel and delicious sausages, unfortunately they didn't have any bread left and it was only 7pm!! Service was just ok, glass of wine selection was poor and wine quality was in the border line Restaurant decor very simple, they could improve it with some LTC read more

Veal schnitzel was a little too thin but delicious. The mushroom gravy on spaetzel was yummy. Definitely recommend.

Can't even tell you how their food is, bc I never got mine. All the tables around us got food. After 1 hours and 45 minutes watching everyone around us eat and leave, we asked our server about our food. She's like idk, I have to check. A manager comes and said I think they're working on your food. The owner comes and said and I quote "IT IS WHAT IT IS". I am literally baffled. The absolute worst. It is what it is. read more

Let me preface this with, I gave this place a second chance. My SO and I had come here two years ago and don't remember being impressed with the food. Granted, I grew up in Germany and know what german food actually tastes like. This time, I brought my sister up for her birthday and this "German" restaurant had one of the best reviews in the town so she REALLY wanted to try it. I told her my hesitation and so we agreed to get something we've never tried before just to taste the quality of the cooking and be less biased. We ordered out bc..well covid, service ordering and paying was fine. My sister got hauspfaennle which she thought was good but very salty. The goulash we shared tasted like canned Campbell soup. I got the bauernpfaennle which was terrible. Literally, I'm pretty positive they just squirted KETCHUP all over some pork loin and melted some cheese on top to "make it more appealing". It did not work. Led me to actually writing a review on how not only unimpressed I am but honestly disgusted. No one wants to eat globs of ketchup, yet that's what happened.... go at your risk to your pallet and wallet for overpriced NOT authentic German food. Service was fine, hence the two stars. Honestly, it's pretty disappointing since we're from out of state and were excited to splurge on a yummy dish from Germany :/ guess we'll just have to cook it ourselves at home. Oh I forgot to mention, the phone person claimed the bauernKETCHUP was his favorite dish, be skeptical. read more

Bodensee Restaurant - Bauernpfaennle, do not get unless you REALLY like ketchup. - German Near Me - Helen, Georgia

This was not my jam. I really love my food to have a lot of flavor so with German food I have to be a bit picky but this was tough. We went with a mighty group of 22. The service was excellent and they handled are huge group nicely. The salad that came out at first was really good. It all went downhill from there. I really love sour foods and got the sauerbraten when the waitress described as braised beef medallions (3) is a sour vinegar based sauce. It came with a potato dumpling and sour red cabbage. The sauce was a BBQ style sauce that was bland and sweet. It tasted like a sweet brown gravy packet. The dumpling was a glue ball and my food remained untouched. My husband who had the chicken also did not finish his meal. We all went in on my sisters mountain trout. From the looks of it, it was probably the best dish ordered from the entire group. The roasted potatoes on the side were. Really good. In all their cream sauces win over their others hands down. The prices are inexplicably high for the amount of food you get and the taste. The meals ranged $17-35. Not worth it. They did bring out some desserts for the bdays in the group but I didn't get to try it... wait how was there chocolate and I missed it?! Haha. The extra star is for the trout and service. read more

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My girlfriend and I shared the Jaeger Schnitzel with a side of potato pancake with applesauce. Helen being a tourist town, I expected slightly higher prices for the food. However, I think the prices at Bodensee are unreasonable. The portions or slightly bigger, but they have a "plate sharing" charge - which they didn't tell us about when we ordered one dish. The food was decent. The salad was surprisingly good, and our overall order was pretty tasty. The food just doesn't justify the price. Next time I visit Helen for its touristy glory, I'll just stick to fast food. read more

Bodensee is a German restaurant located behind Wendy's in Helen, I like the homely family feel of the restaurant. They were really nice and accommodated our hiking group of a little over 20 and we occupied most of the space in the front of the restaurant. Now take into consideration that our group didn't all arrive at the same time but never once did they bother to ask are we ready to order anything. We sat patiently and still nothing. A few of us finally said we were ready to order. Since we came around dinner time, and it's a Saturday, I realized that food prices were expensive, more than I would like to spend. For me, I love anything chicken and there was a only a few options to choose from. I went for the grilled chicken breast with mushroom creme sauce (gegrillte hanhchenbrust mit champignon rahmsobe), not because it was the cheaper of the three choices but because I wanted something grilled. So all entrees comes with salad and a side dish. I went the unhealthy route and got fries. It took a while for the food to come out. The salad came out, We didn't know it was a bowl for the table. Presentation wise, it looked yummy, taste wise, it lacked flavor and was so bland. Complimentary bread came out too. I overhead the guys saying that the garlic butter was good. I didn't try any since I don't eat bread anymore unless I know it's paleo. When my dish finally came out. I was so famish and ready to eat. The fries were typical, nothing spectacular. Although I didn't need any condiments for my fries, no sauce or anything came with it nor did the waitress ask if I needed anything. As for the chicken, it is flavorless. Without the sauce, it would not be edible. I took a couple of bites and couldn't finish anymore. I lost my appetite already. I did eat the fries since I was hungry but just not satisfied. I drink a lot of water when I eat and I finished my water for a while. Never once did the waitress cared to fill up my water. It is my number one pet peeve when I'm at any restaurant when I do not get water refills. I don't think I have to beg for water. I was annoyed since there was another table in the room with another waitress, she didn't care to look our way and refill our water, she only went to her ONE table ignoring the other 8 tables. Fine, I understand, not YOUR table but damn, you could've at least told the other waitress. At our long table, a friend noticed I was agitated that I didn't get my water refilled so he tells our waitress that I needed water. Of course, she didn't refill it right away. She goes and refill those who didn't have water first. Then when she finally got the water pitcher, she walks passed me and refill others first. I didn't even say thank you cause I was so pissed already and ready to go. Gimme my bill. She didn't even pick up my card and bill. Because I had to go to the bathroom, I walked over to her while she was sliding credit cards through and handed her my card and bill. When I got back to the table, I saw that there was a service charge and then a line below for tip?? I knew having a big group, most likely there would be a mandatory tip but damn, don't call it service fee and have an extra line for tip. No extra tip for you. Sorry but not sorry, I mean you already added 20% gratuity. I have to say she was sweet enough to take our group picture outside. I think in general, she IS nice. In all fairness, we had a large group, she had a lot to do. I just feel that the food, price, and everything else combined could've been better and I will not return back. 47/2017 read more

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We enjoyed our meals very much. Wife's Jaeger Schnitzel with mushroom cream sauce and potato pancakes was authentically prepared and very good. I had the Schweinebraten with spaetzle and sauerkraut which was also excellent. Family style salad was a nice stater. Topped off with a nice draft German brew... who could complain? Very nice. read more

Excellent experience!!! Good food and friendly staff. The owner welcomed us and spoke to us several times. An accordion player provided live entertainment. Our waiter Joseph did such a great job. He recommended one of his favorite dishes, the pork with bacon and mushroom cream sauce. I got it with spaetzle and it was delicious! I paired it with their draft German lager that was also tasty. They checked temperatures the door, spritzed our hands with sanitizer and sat us socially distanced tables. I would definitely return to this restaurant. Also come early to avoid a wait! read more

Bodensee Restaurant - German Near Me - Helen, Georgia

The food was fantastic and the service was even better. James was super attentive. I wish we had room for dessert!

The food was great and the service from the server was as good as one could expect. What ruined the experience was the owner who hovered above all like a drill sergeant barking orders to her workers and directing seating arrangements. To top it off, she ordered my teenage daughter to put a piece of candy back that she had taken from the free candy bowl when she came in. I was already in when this happened and was already at the table. Had I been next to my daughter, I would have told her to wait until we were leaving to take one but this lady took it upon herself to embarrass her by reprimanded her in front of other guests. It shows a lack of tact in treating your paying customers--all due to a worthless piece of candy. I would suggest that she lighten up with staff and treat costumers more gracefully. Someone in her position should act with more class although I'm sure that she possesses a high moral standard. read more

The food here is so good! My fiancé and I each got the hauspfaennle and the bauernpfaennle which were grilled pork dishes recommended to us by our waiter. They were both amazing and very flavorful. I also highly recommend the spaetzle. I just ate it plain because it was so good but you could also eat it with the sauce from your entree to add more flavor. We are planning to go back again before we leave Helen. I definitely recommend this restaurant for trying authentic German food. read more

Absolutely amazing. I couldn't pronounce what I ate but it was fantastic. The staff was super nice and attentive! Covid precautions were taken very seriously, as well! read more

Bodensee Restaurant - I couldn't spell what this is - German Near Me - Helen, Georgia

This restaurant is unsuspecting from the outside, a bit off the main tourist drag of Main Street in Helen, but boy am I glad we wandered over to it! My husband wanted authentic German food and he was not disappointed in the least! He ordered the wurst sampler (veal wurst, beef wurst and house garlic wurst with sauerkraut and potatoes) and I ordered a lunch portion of bacon onion cheese spaetzle (which is like German baked mac n cheese). The We were served a delish house salad before the meals and we each sipped a house amber draught beer. When our dishes arrived we were floored at the generous portions right away! Now I mean no offense when I say this, but anyone who has eaten German food before may agree, it's just not the most attractive looking cuisine out there. But fortunately looks were not indicative of taste in this case at all. The spaetzle was divine; rich baked pasta with cheese, bacon and sweet browned onion. It was so large a portion I could hardly eat half! And my husbands wurst sampler was killer! The kraut was homemade and mild, the potatoes were flavorful and cooked perfectly...but the WURSTS!!! They should honestly go ahead and start calling them BESTS instead ;) haha. Honestly though, the homemade wursts were exceptional in flavor and uniquely smooth and velvety in texture. We ate as much as we possibly could and then even ordered 2 slices of cake to go because the homemade cakes looked too good to pass up! The total price for 2 large entrees, 2 beers, a side of fries for my toddler and 2 orders of dessert was just over $60 (before gratuity) and worth every penny! We will wholeheartedly recommended this restaurant to any and everyone who listens, and we plan to stop in for another meal before we venture home from the area! OH! And I have to mention that our server Laura was extremely attentive and super knowledgeable on the menu and area! A+++ from us read more

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Great authentic food! So good we visited twice during our trip. Outdoor seating area and everything was very fresh !

This place is a half a block from the main strip/ area where all the shops and things are happening. Food was fresh and hot but the beer was the best thing going on this night. The place was packed at 5:00 pm. We did get seated as soon as we walked in but no one checked on us for 20 minutes even though we were seated 8 feet from the kitchen. The lady who took our order was not dressed as the others were ( just in jeans and tee shirt). Never gave her name just said "So you ready to order". She brought us the pitcher of beer about 3-4 minutes after and the food 1-2 minutes after that. Never came back to check on anything till the end when she asked if we wanted desert ( the deserts didn't look made in house, we sat right next to the Display case/ refrigerator.) I did ask about cheese cake but she said they were all out and gave us our bill. We sat and finished our beers and she came back and said she found another cheese cake if we wanted some. She could not remember who asked her about some she said. This was not even 5 minutes after she cashed us out. We may return when it's not so busy and we will make sure we get someone else to waitress for us. The others were a lot nicer! We could have gone next door to Windy's and saved $65 for 2 people. read more

Honestly was really disappointed with this place. I wish I could remember the dish my wife got, it was room temperature and the meat was dry and plain. We got some potato pancakes, they were hot and crunchy but also plain. I got the Pork Schnitzel with German Potato Salad, it was good overall. Staff was nice, although slow. read more

We tried several dishes and none of them were worth even considering again. This review is short because the only thing to say is that its not worth even writing about never mind wasting your time or money. read more

Bodensee Restaurant - German Near Me - Helen, Georgia

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Highly enjoyable German/Czech restaurant in Helen. I loved the escargot the most. Good beer, yummy food in a lively atmosphere. A good choice on your next trip. read more

Came here with very high expectations and left here very disappointed. There's a reason they give you cheeper beer refills than any other restaurant in town. They want to get you drunk in hopes that you will except poor quality food. Our food came out after everybody else's food that arrived after us. And the Wiener schnitzel was totally swimming in grease. They expect us to pay for a meal that was sent back! Then they called the police on us for our bill issue!!!!! The owner could not be more rude. Don't waist your time. I was expecting more by all the positive Yelp reviews. I would like to thank the Helen police department for being professional and sending us to a restaurant we could get some eatable food!!! I would have given this place a zero but this is not a option. read more

Food was very good But the place is fly infested the zapper was killing them as we ate and we had to keep waving hands to keep them off the plates. read more

The food here is good-great. Very authentic. My husband loved his pork with a stroganoff like sauce and noodles. I am gluten free and they had plenty to choose from. My meal was ok. The pork was a bit dry but the mushroom, bacon, garlic medley on top was tasty. The garlic was a bit much for my taste but it was still good. I got the red cabbage for a side. I love vinegar but this too was a bit strong in vinegar for me.. We had potato pancakes for an appetizer which were good but lacking flavor. Overall, we really enjoyed the food. I would have given it 5 stars but the fact that they charge $2 for water is disappointing. Most people ordered beer or wine with their already pricey meals so not having free water just seems like a money making scheme to me. Maybe their water pipes are rusty as the building is old but even so, mountain spring water should be readily available as they as located in the mountains. read more

When I have time during my visit to Helen, Bodensee has never disappointed me. Large portions and delicious food. We had the smoked river trout for an appetizer, which was pretty delicious! Then my husband and I had the viener schnitzel, and that was yummy! The waitress was very nice and helpful. read more

Bodensee Restaurant - Viener schnitzel with spaetzle and red cabbage. - German Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Yum! Best authentic German restaurant in Helen. Wouldn't have wasted meals at the other places we ate had we known how delicious this would be! Alles geschmeckte! read more

The food was ok. Not a lot of flavor. The atmosphere was a bit rough around the edges. It's trying to give a German vibe, but ultimately it felt like a cafeteria at a trailer park. The server was very nice and accommodating. read more

If you like garlic this restaurant is for you. From the butter to the sausage (Wurst) there was so much garlic a Vampire would be in trouble in this restaurant. That being said it was pretty good, not the best I've had. The pork and veal spitzel was very good (not overly garlic in these) ask for the mushroom sauce to put over it. Don't get the mushroom appetizer, it is just sliced white mushrooms in garlic butter. I can do better at home. The waitress was really good. She made sure not to bring onions to the table as my husband is allergic I think it was a little over priced. read more