If you have a burning desire to drink beer while listening to polka and being served by lederhosen-clad bartenders, Essen Haus is is the place for YOU! As for myself, well...it wasn't quite my scene. A lot of yelling, "WHAT?" to my S.O., unpleasant stickiness on the bar, and what-not. The pretzels are the perfect foil for the beer--well worth it for 50 cents. But overall? Meh. read more

I really enjoyed the crowd here -- it was a nice mix of undergrads, graduate students, professionals and older couples. Service was prompt and friendly. Also, polka is -- dare I admit -- a bit of a "guilty pleasure" of mine so the music hit the sweet spot as much the giant boots full of beer. read more

I cannot comment on the food, but the ambiance on a Friday night was great. There was a fun polka band, fun polka dancing, many boots of beer. A good time was had by all. read more

One would expect extraordinary German food in Wisconsin, and Essen Haus disappoints. The food was good but not excellent. There was a live performer who demonstrated a breadth of capabilities across clarinet, saxaphone, and trumpet, but impressed on none. Eh. read more

Went to Essen Haus for the first time and I was disappointed. The food was average- nothing special. The environment is dark and dated. Service was good. read more

The Essen Haus is THE place to be on a Thursday night with a group of friends. Why, you ask? Because it is BOOT NIGHT!!!! 2L boots, 1L mugs, and the epic undertaking of the 5L mug! All of these comes at incredibly reduced prices and high quality German beers (this ain't no Heineken!) The drinking of the boots comes with certain traditions and techniques such as never setting it down on the table and always turn the boot sideways when it starts to bubble (important!). Also on Thursdays is a live Polka band, accordion and all! After 10 the bar also has a late night menu of different burgers and fries for only $3.00! So the next time you are in Madison, give the Essen Haus a go! read more

Took my daughter and a friend for an early dinner. Service was good, but the food was not what we had hoped - while the sausage was fairly good, the schnitzel was soggy, tough and tasteless. read more

Beer, beer, beer! Beer is top notch. Everything else...food, service, liquor is second. Come here expecting to drink a beer out of a giant boot, not for any other experience. Inconveniences can be overlooked due to the general ambiance of the place. They REALLY could use some improvement with their servers, however. read more

Giant boots filled with beer, giant pretzels with cheese, live Polka music, college servers in dirndls? I can't think of a better place to act like a Deutschbag. read more

First, I rarely write reviews and felt after my visit I needed to vent my experience. Well, its been a couple years since I've eaten at the Essen Haus and I was excited and really looking forward to the visit and the food since we had a great time last visit. My wife and I went last Wednesday night and we ended up unfortunately disappointed. First, the atmosphere- overall, it felt run down. We were seated by the front windows, slight a level step up area, and the carpet was filthy with crumbs and food bits. No one from the restaurant didn't care. The serving station, next to us (in visable sight) had a door tore off and it just looked very disorganized for being out in sight of customers. Sloppy. The food was mediocre. The pretzels in the basket brought to the table tasted old and dry. Not like you would expect them to taste. The sampler appetizer of sausages was ok. We both had Wiener Schnitzel which was very good (pan fried), but the potatoes that came were extremely dry with some seasoning added. It did not compliment the schnitzel at all. Passed on dessert. The service was good and friendly. Our server was also training a new server during our visit. Felt like a restaurant that Chef Gordon Ramsay needs to visit! I doubt I will be back which is sad. Im a huge fan of German food, love to eat German food, and go out of my way to find German restaurants when we travel. Not what I would expect! read more

Last year I was looking for a great place to have a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with my wife. I asked co-workers if they recommended Essen Haus and many of them gave the place high marks. When we arrived the hostess was upset and was making some unappreciated remarks. The entire meal was cold. As a rule whenever I eat at a restaurant I never have the waitress take the food back to the kitchen but in this case I had no choice. I will never be back especially for Thanksgiving dinner. read more

What a disappointment. My husband and my in-laws went to the Essen house on Friday evening. The food was not good at all....I love German food and was really looking forward to a German meal. Looks like this is a place to have a drink....not a meal. The potato pancakes were awful German potato salad seemed like it came out of a can, the bread was stale. Our waitress was very kind and attentive, but the food was not good. We will not return. read more

Gimmie the boot! Gimmie the boot! Biggie woulda been singing his praises of the Essen Haus' big 'ol boot fulla beer if he were still here. Reasonably priced, das boot can be filled with one of the Haus' wide variety of German Weiss, I sprang for the Manolo Alligator boot (aka the best): Hacker Pschorr. I felt nice and warm by the time my warm kraut and knockwurst arrived. Good texture and flavor are key in any German dish, and there was no disappointment here. The not-too-vinegar-y kraut was crispy and conformed to the knock nicely. With such an upbeat, lively atmosphere and staff, how could I not give it a 5 star? Dieses Boot ist für sie, Biggie! read more

Would have been 5 stars but the potato pancakes were overdone and liver dumpling soup was too salty.

About 10 years ago, the Essen Haus was a lot nicer bar and restaurant than it is today. Back then, it was a great place to eat German food and drink beer with your friends. On weekend nights, the place was packed. I used to go there a lot. But, I don't have many positive things to say about it anymore. The last time I went there was about a year ago. On my last visit, the beer was luke warm. The food was overpriced and the service was slow. The restaurant was dirty and poorly maintained. It was a Friday night and they had about a third as many people in the restaurant and bar as they would have had 10 years ago. What happened to the restaurant management? What Madison needs is a really good German restaurant and the Essen Haus isn't it. read more

Get a boot and prepare yourself for a good night. Very cool environment for drinking, talking, and dancing once the band got going!

I wish I could pronounce the beers here ... This place was aite... your average beers with some german names .. Its def a to do when you come to Madison .. but it was really weird .. When I walked in I felt like I was lost in some Disneyland ride ... I must have came here on a off night there was a weird man who I think was homeless not sure was sitting there and just talking to himself... I came with some coworkers ... We finished our beers as fast as we could and left read more

Great selection of flavorful German beers. OK German food, but I've had better sauerbraten--tasted like it had been in a crock pot a bit too long, sort of dried out. My dining companions said the same thing about their wurst plates--OK, but not great. Big, busy place, but they found a place for eight of us. Waitress was friendly and willing to accommodate separate checks. read more

Essen Haus- Just as I remembered it over 20 years ago when I was a student. Okay, I memories of the Essen Haus are all fuzzy with boots and pretzels. Back in town for a reunion, this was one of the 'must have' stops for us. We decided to go with the 1 liter boot because we are old and lame and the sight of the 2 liter boot gave me chills. Well, my two old friends and I managed to get through three 1 liter boots before heading out to a formal dinner. The pretzels right out of the oven were fantastic paired with the housemade mustard and horseradish. It was so nice on the patio that we decided to come back the next day for breakfast with a larger group. This time we sat on the Essen Haus porch but ordered off the Come On In menu. Bloody Mary and BLT bagel hit the spot before heading to the airport. I often think if my days in Madison over 20 years ago. Things change in life but it's nice to see that some things stay the same. read more

Where else in Madison can you chug down a full boot of beer as people in kilts egg you on while pounding furiously on the tables?

Planning a trip to germany? Don't bother! Essen Haus is everything germany has to offer, and more! Upon arrival the german decor made me feel as though I should have worn lederhosen- and believe me I will be next time! The delightful waitstaff patiently tolerated my terrible german and surprisingly did not make fun of me. Our waiter complimented the exquisite cuisine with even more exquisite conversation. I perhaps got too carried away when ordering and bought a plethora of dishes. I ate german food until I had a heart attack, developed type 2 diabetes, and my pants burst off my body. I then threw the remainder in a doggy bag and could not help but finish that sh*t the second I got home. If I was sentenced to the death penalty my final meal request would be essen haus wienerschnitzel. I will be baptizing all of my children in their sauerkraut. Also, drinking bier out of a glass boot? I think YES! Thank you germany. read more

The chicken snitchel was the best! We got a combo to try weiner chicken and the pork chop, next time I will get just the chicken snitchel as the flavors were amazing we wanted to lick the plate!! We also started with the beef vegetable soup which took me back to my youth in England, very authentic. The service and atmosphere was great too the servers wear German outfits. Good luck if you order Das Boot, I thought I was going to die drinking that much beer and 3 of us were sharing it!! read more

As a fun place to meet a large group of friends and drink good beer the Essen House is hard to beat. If polka is not your thing, the music can get a bit old but after a boot of drink and a few pretzels with mustard even the musically hardened can have a great time. Also where else can you go and enjoy liederhosen any day of the week? It can tend to be a bit overcrowded but that is every bar on or near campus. read more

This is an awesome authentic bar and restaurant. Offering fun nightlife and tall flavorful beers! I would recommend this place to anyone new or old to the Madison area. Live polka music really adds a lot to the nighttime activities. read more

When the Octoberfest's bands are here it's like a scene from a Cohen brothers movie -bar 3/4 full, dining room 7/8 empty. But you can't go wrong with their Octoberfest beers and the quirky regulars (patrons that is). Just come in and have a beer. read more

I actually insisted on going here because my husband spent some time in Germany and I wanted to have a little German experience of my own. He recommended the Jaeger Schnitzel, which I went nuts over. I'm not a huge beer fan so I didn't get a boot but I had fun watching every other table enjoy theirs. The environment was really neat. Watching people polka dance was quite an experience as well. read more

I went with some friends to the joint Essenhaus-Come Back In New Year's Eve party and was seriously impressed. The buffet food ranged from good to excellent (the Jägerschnitzel was real veal medallions in a mushroom sauce, and people were raving about the bread pudding), while their wings -- both fried and in a sweet-tangy barbecue sauce, were among the best I've ever had. Their selection of local and other beers is, of course, impressive. It was also great watching the Millennials polka-ing their hearts out to the German band. All in all, a great way to welcome the New Year. I also have to compliment the staff. Since it was an entirely prepaid evening, the staff were getting few tips. Nonetheless they were incredibly polite, friendly, efficient, and considerate. I hope that the management rewarded them appropriately for their yeoman's service all evening. Looking forward to visiting on my next trip to Madison. read more

Place just isn't like it used to be. Mostly because the staff seems to not care, sloppy uniforms and a dirty bar

Two words. Boot Game. My bladder and kidneys are permanantly damaged from the amount of beer we consumed during these games. And lord only knows how many carbs I took in eating those fabulous soft pretzels they have there. I didn't appreciate this place enough when I was living in Madison. read more

This place was a disappointment. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. Nothing to write home about, especially for 15+ per entree. Some highlights do include the relaxed atmosphere, live music, and free pretzels. I also do not like lagers, so that may have not been the best choice, in terms of beer, for me. read more

They have Hoegaarden on tap! Aside from the amazing beer selection, everyone is super friendly and the atmosphere is amazing. Don't forget about the boots! If your party drinks 3, you get a free Come Back In t-shirt! The late night menu is superb as well (Burgers+Fries or other snacks for only $3!) read more

1 Liter Steins and 2 Liter Boots of several good German beers. Seasonals were all Octoberfests. Had the Hofbrau and it was fantastic. Food is a mix of traditional German and American (think steaks and Prime Rib). The Prime Rib was very good, cooked perfectly, and in typical German Restaurant fashion, lacked in overall seasoning. The warm pretzels with mustard served to your table when you sit down are a nice touch. They try real hard, but for me the food just falls a bit short on flavor, largely due to under seasoning. The beer, on the other hand, is awesome! read more

Yuck! Went there last night for dinner, the smell of mold was overwhelming. The hostess never cracked a smile seemed like she was pissed off at everyone. More concerned with the fake eyelashes and the pristine shape of her hair. The German costumes or Dirndl's looked over used. Overall food was mediocre atmosphere old and smelly, hostess should be fired! read more

Fun place to be, live entertainment most of the time, food pretty good for the most part. I've had better German but it's usually still real good. Great place to take a big group. Order up a boot and learn the rules of the game. read more

I'm reviewing based on experience of St.Patrick's Day festivities. It was probably about 10 pm and my husband wanted his final beer. Being that I don't drink, my choice beverage was a massive iced tea. As good as standard iced tea gets, but the lively polka music brought me back to my friend's very traditional Polish wedding. Their menu consists of meat, meat and more meat with a sighting of a Portabella burger. Meh. I was glad we ate before we came here 'cause the cuisine is not my scene. read more

Well, the beer list is hard to beat, and the great Germian food is fantastic.

Maybe it was because we didn't stay too late, but I found Essen Haus to be a lot classier than I expected. I should mention my expectations were low - generally selling beer in 2L containers does not bode well for a bar in my book. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that the beer was of good quality and the people generally friendly. There was some live music that seemed to run to the polka style and a couple who knew what they were doing on the dance floor. Add the complimentary delicious popcorn to the equation and I'm in! read more

Went there on a Friday night in March and had a blast. The band playing retro German music was the highlight. Good beer selection and kitchy waitstaff in "lederhosen" (used loosely here) were fun. Go for the atmosphere, not so much for the food... read more

One of my favorite places to eat when I visit Madison, great beer, great food and great service

Truth be told, I usually don't hang out at the Essen Haus. I try to go there, but it's so packed, I always end up next door at the Come Back Inn. No worries, though. They're basically the same. I mean there's a door connecting the two. Great selection of tap beers, questionable music, free peanuts, two pretzels for a buck and various glass footwear from which you can drink. read more