This review is strictly for the Rat Cellar, er Rathskellar, downstairs at the Heidelberg. It really is the perfect place to drink. Old, but not derelict. Cozy but not cloying. It has the best jukebox in Ann Arbor. There are both long tables and booths to sit at -- perfect for small or large groups. Get the Warsteiner Dunkel on draft and you will not be disappointed. It's an eminently drinkable beer and it is always fresh because they go through so many kegs of it. They have lovely German and bar snacks as well. The sausage and cheese plate is definitely a must-have. They would normally get 4 stars, but their service has gone a bit downhill in the last few years. They were kind of dicks to me when I left my wallet there, but at least they had it and kept it safe for me until I could pick it up. It's always a good stop on a pub crawl, and sometimes the crawls don't make it past there because it's such a good place to go drinking with friends. read more

The basement's not a terrible dive. Fun to drink beer from a boot and get in a few games of darts. On short notice it's a decent stop for a night out in Ann Arbor. Beyond that this place is nothing special. They're usually understaffed, and cleanliness isn't a strength. Don't expect too much. read more

I came here in the evening and the place was in a dark alley. underground and empty. It kind of gave me weird vibes. I sat at the bar and ordered a boot - which was a decent price but the server seemed pre-occupied. This place is good for a big drink, they have large tables that can sit a party of 6-8 and I think there is pool. I would not call this a girls night out place. read more

After living in Germany for a couple of years, I came back to find the Heidelberg. I was pleasantly surprised when I took the first bite... not bad at all. It's pretty hard to make everything just exactly the same, because of ingredients, but the general idea is pretty much there. Good food, not too expensive, and it's on THIS side of the transatlantic flight. not bad. I can't speak for the rude barkeep downstairs, but I used to enjoy heading down there. Great beer, too! read more

This place is my new hang out in A2... not that I come here to eat or drink but to play Poker... they have a charity room upstairs and even though I have lost a bunch of money here ( for which I take some responsibility and rest of it blame on arses who come to play without having a clear clue of what Poker and Bingo is ... :D ), I would have good things to say about it... they always have good service with good beers and alcohol at the bar... I have not tried a lot of food here, but they have good food selection along with some awesome deals of $3 late night burgers etc... I usually see a bunch of people hang out in the restaurant no matter what day of the week... so my gauge would be that the service and food downstairs must be good enough for people return... overall, it is a cool place to hang out... read more

Ah, das Heildelberg, how I love you. I've never been to the restaurant or the club upstairs, just the infamous Rathskeller downstairs, which is one of my most favorite dive bars ever. It gets the award for worst-smelling bar in Ann Arbor - the lingering food smells are what pushes it past the Eight Ball. Cheap beer (local brews, too!), darts, a hilarious jukebox with lots of Billy Joel and Journey, and a surprisingly clean woman's bathroom all add up to a delightful later-night bar. They also offer "Das Boot", a two foot-high glass boot filled with beer, for $20, and hookahs for about $10 (what's with the hookahs in Ann Arbor?). The bartenders are generally pretty friendly, but beware, as we have dealt with the surliest woman in Ann Arbor on occasion (classic line after getting money from a patron who didn't grab their beer fast enough: "Do you want me to drink it for you, too?"). read more

The Heidelberg's original owner - Fritz Kochendorfer - had Nazi ties. Around 1970 there was a series of letters to the editor in the local paper about this matter, started by my uncle who was outraged by the band playing a Nazi march during his visit there. It has since changed owners several times, but as a Jew I personally will never dine there. They used to have parties in the back room on Hitler's birthday, until a local radio personality threatened to play a recording of one of these parties over the airwaves during his show. Again, this was 40 years ago, but it still leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth. read more

Came here with friends..... Food is pretty deplorable here. Probably some of the wurst in AA. Bound to make your stomach hurt and taste buds cry. Staff is inattentive and impersonal. However, they have a pretty good selection of beer, and the environment is conducive to drinking. Also, you can get beer in a big ass glass boot, which is kinda cool. meh. read more

The most god awful food. Went during restaurant week and had their three courses. My Caesar salad was the only thing that I could stomach. The cheese and meat platter was next and It looked/tasted disgusting. Next was the meat roast and it was luke warm. I'm pretty sure everything was made the day before and microwaved as we ordered.. At least that's what it tasted like. They had a nice beer selection but the waitress had no idea about any of the beers. One other thing that annoyed me as a server myself, the manager came up and asked how everything was mid way through and we asked for another round of beers. His response: oh I can't take that order I'll get your server. -_- We left at a somewhat later hour (11?) and the crowd was arriving for some upstairs bar they have. The crowd was very rough and we were harassed about some rap show that was going on and why we weren't going to attend; just put the cherry right on top of my already annoying night. Steer clear. read more

Went here for restaurant week -- not sure if I would recommend. The food was average, but nothing amazing. We ordered the Sauerbraten and the Weiner Schnitzel (probably our favorite out of all the dishes), as well as the bread pudding for dessert, the wurst platter for the appetizer, and a whole bunch of sides. Honestly, nothing really stood out to me, and the prices on the entrees were hugely overpriced for the quality of the food that we got (though it was restaurant week, so I guess it was a fair deal). We had a very friendly server though, so that was a definite plus. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be back here for the food. read more

I can't say enough about this place. The Berg was our go-to spot in college... and it's the first place I hit up when I'm back in AA. The service is great, the beer is cheap, and the food is amazing. I can honestly say I've never had a bad experience here.. The spetzel is a must. read more

The Heidelberg is the one German restaurant still standing in Ann Arbor, but that's more a testament to its Rathskeller (downstairs) and the Club Above (upstairs) than the restaurant itself. It's a sort of cheesy Bavarian impostor with moderately Americanized versions of the food I came to love in Germany, although Metzgers (now located west of town near Dexter) is considerably better. I've never eaten their appetizers, but they offer tacos, nachos, wings, and other assorted snacks. The selection of German beers is their calling card, although a full bar is available on all three levels and patrons can freely carry drinks up and down the stairs. Local bands are showcased on the top-floor bar, which is my favorite of the three levels. I avoid Happy Hour because I don't like being forced to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with inebriated strangers. They should call it "letzte U-bahn nach Hause" hour. Instead, park at the upstairs bar where the matronly bartender is polite. read more

I went here for the first time yesterday for an after party and it was a nice place. I only went into the club part. My only complaint was how hot it was. You would think they would have the AC on especially when expecting a large crowd. Overall, it was a good time but also the event hosting the party & DJing could have played a large role in the experience. read more

The bartender did a great job of taking care of our table on the front sidewalk. Speedy and friendly service and good food. I've been coming to this restaurant for over 40 years and am still a happy customer. read more

The Heidelberg serves good beer in the basement bar and the German food is widely believed to be authentic. Although dinners are on the expensive side, for a downtown restaurant not-owned-by-Main-Street-Ventures, there's a lunch menu with special mostly ranging between $5 and $8. These include sandwiches, a hamburger, salads and soup. The first Tuesday of every month, the Heidelberg is home to the Ann Arbor Poetry Slam. The event starts at 7:30 and costs $5 for non-members. You can bring your own poetry to read during the open mike part of the show. read more

Came here with a bunch of coworkers to play free Tuesday night trivia. It was a blast! Lots of drink specials, half priced apps and a lively bunch of randos who just want to play trivia! I do think its important to note there is a dude (clearly a regular) who looks like Alan from The Hangover. He's SOOO into trivia (HE is the only one on his team), and its wonderful! If you want to hangout with friends and meet new people, def come out and play some free trivia! read more

Went here on a Saturday night. This place has three separate levels. On the top floor there is a card room. The main level is the restaurant with a bar as well. But downstairs is more like a traditional Hofbrau House style drinking hall. Many German beers on tap. And you can even try your hand at Das boot (32 or 64 oz.) There is a $30 deposit for the boot so you don't run off with it or break it. It was rather mellow when I was in there, but I could see it getting rather boisterous and funny in there. read more

This review is written after my long-awaited visit to the Heidelberg, as I've never dined there before and I've lived in A2 for 19 years. In a nutshell, I was disappointed. Even though the decor had a nice alpine feel, some of the food was mediocre and some just plain not good. We were there on a Friday evening, not too busy. We ordered: Appetizers (from weekly special menu)-- fried shrimp and pesto flatbread, both of which were not good, shrimp was fried in old oil or something, tasted 'stale,' and the flatbread tasted like it was from a frozen meal you'd buy at a grocery store. Entrees-- wiener schnitzel, probably fried in the same oil as our shrimp appetizer, again, it tasted stale. Potato pancakes did not taste fresh, and had no potato flavor. These came with a side of sour cream and applesauce, and the applesauce tasted like it was from a can. We also ordered the ribs, they were so dry and hard you could pick it up, hit the plate and it made a thud sound. The only good entree was the beef stroganoff, which was atop a good portion of spaetzle. We also ordered a house salad which came with an apple cider vinaigrette, which was decent. But I don't think it's worth going back just for a good salad, which I can get almost anywhere... A positive thing to say is that our waiter, Fritz, was very nice and helpful, but we just didn't feel like telling him how bad the food was. If we did, that would have been 3 out of 4 entrees taken back to the kitchen. We had 3 young kids with us, and didn't have time to wait for the chef to make it right or give us an alternative. Needless to say, I won't be going back to the Heidlberg for the food. I'd rather go to the other Ann Arbor German Restaurant counterpart, Metzger's, where we have dined there regularly for the last 10 years and have never been disappointed. read more

Great deal with my groupon. Cute guys working. We were in the restaurant - staff was kind, attentive. Food was ok, not great, menus were on ipads, mine was different from my friend's. read more

This place had a cool feel and atmosphere- we tried a few different options on the menu, nothing was worth talking about- this isn't the place to go if you are looking specifically for a meal- this place is about grabbing some drinks with just a few people or a lot, cool upstairs, basement was cool as heck too except for the sewage smell that permeates and you can't escape it, all in all fun place to have drinks read more

Had an amazing experience here! From a warm greeting by the bartender and our waitress to prompt service and then amazing food, this Yelper complaineth not! Ate on the restaurant level and had schnitzel and rouladen on a combo plate with potato pancakes. Food was fresh and cooked to order and I was stuffed by time I left. Even got a tour of the rest of the building as the other two levels were not open yet. Gem of a unique non chain spot well worth trying! read more

Heidelberg - German Near Me - Ann Arbor, Michigan

This is my spot to kick off bar night with the boys in AA. Great selection of beers and good bartenders who know their stuff. If your hungry I recommend the fried pickles or any schnitzel. Thumbs up... read more

I dig this place. I've only been to the downstairs portion of the bar. Great atmosphere especially since the smoking ban took effect. I recently quit smoking, but even when I was a smoker, I considered the amount of smoke offensive. The people here are really chill and are looking to have a good time. I've only had the appetizers so I can't testify to the authenticity of the German food, but the appetizers are what you would expect. The only downside is the price. I went here for my birthday and had 2 boots and 1 half-boot. I knew the prices of the boots ($20 for the big-boot, $10 for the half-boot) so that wasn't a surprise, but when the check came and I discovered each shot of Jaegermeister was $10 (!!!!!) I wasn't too happy. Thankfully, I was drunk enough that I forgot about that injustice by the time I walked out of the bar. All-in-all, this is a great place to go have fun with your friends. Enjoy the boots, avoid the Jaeger and make sure you ask for the price of a drink before you order. read more

A good place for some authentic German good, some good German beers, and one of the only places to drink from a glass boot. Happy hour doesn't include many discounts on drinks, but has free chips and cheese, and hot wings. Beer prices are generally very good, charging approximately $5 for a bottle of German beer. There are 3 floors, but I usually hit up the basement. Apparently there's some poker some nights too. read more

I would give this zero stars if I could for the food. All the great reviews at this place is what it was before the new owner came and changed the menu and ordering style. I had many wonderful dinner here and around mid 2019ish everything changed. They changed the menu and removed basically what makes them german. Food also takes way longer and comes out like warm on disposable paper plates! (Seriously what is going on here? What is the owner thinking?) don't bother wasting your time here. read more

First time here and it was amazing. Great beer, even better food, and the best service I've had in a long time. Highly recommend the sauerbraten, red cabbage and apple strudel. Not usually a fan of Ann Arbor but this place is a gem for sure. read more

I feel better after reading Marissa and Dan's reviews in that I am not alone in having a traumatic service experience here. A middle aged woman who was tending bar on the ground floor had a mini-melt-down freak out because I asked her what sizes of drafts were available. Makes me never want to go back which is too bad because they have great beer. On the other hand I have had a few good nights in the club above. read more

Sunday nights is 40% off for restaurant industry workers...sort of. If the bartender Vince, decides he doesn't want to give you the discount and instead charge you 2X the normal price and pour you half what you ordered, he will. If you try another bartender, they are his minions and will tell you "oh your liquor is not on the discount list"...your WALL liquor..not on the list . Strange. He literally gives the bar away to people he likes and makes up for it by treating the rest of his customers like dirt. Have fun, hope he decides he likes you. After note, the only reason I can think of for his hostility is I only tip him twenty percent on normal occasions.. He'd used to more, because his "in" customers pay for nothing . read more

They randomly charged my card 19.50 in addition to my order which was $9. it took me 3 days to get my money back due to incompetence over the phone, and they didn't even offer to refund the $9 which would have been considerate considering that they messed up big time. i mean seriously, how do you accidentally charge that much to someones card...in ADDITION to their order as a SEPARATE transaction? very shady. also i just don't like the vibe here. it's very dark, drab and depressing. read more

Affengeil! I have found heaven where delicious Weisswurst lives in Michigan. Okay I have not have Weisswurst this good since Munich. The beer is amazingly fresh and the servers are very friendly. I'm always amazed this place is not packed every night. read more

I went here on a thursday during their free taco day...I dont know about you all but I dont find getting cold and hot flashes up my spine while puking at 4 in the morning very exciting. Me and my friend got f*king food poisoning there! I didnt feel better until 5pm the next day. Tch...I am still mad at that...Damn taco meat must've been rat meat. I guess free food means free sh*t at their restaurant. I'll still go there for the two dollar beer special but the bartenders' attitude could be a little less b..chy, I dunno just a thought. read more

If you're into getting f'ed up on "das boot" then this is your spot. Otherwise, the service is spotty, at best, though the beer is refreshing. In this town, however, it take smore than that to succeed--and the Heidelberg doesn't step up to the plate. Especially when they accuse you of not paying enough and refuse your tip on principal. Oh dear! read more

We were in town for a conference and honestly was not impressed with the experience. Mind you it was late and we all ordered sliders, but there was virtually no seasoning in the burgers. After a few cups the water was not re-filled. And the nachos we ordered only had about 15 chips in the dish. We probably should have gone somewhere else and let them stick to what they do best, like German Food. But it was close and open. I would not recommend. read more

This has been one of my worst dining experiences in Ann Arbor to date. The food was cold the service extremely slow. You would think for restaurant week they would want to put their best foot forward to getting new clients like myself to come in a future time. One of my side dishes was delivered after I was completely done with my meal. The soup was cold the French fries were cold another side dish was jailed in grease. In the future if I want good German food I will rely on the reliable Metzgers out on Zeeb Riad. read more

If you are looking for a good time, look elsewhere. I have never received such unacceptable service in any venue I have ever been to. The waitstaff at Heidelberg is unbelievably rude, in particular the woman who runs the bar in the basement. After waiting for 15 minutes for a beer, she informed me that I stole her friends barstool, and asked me to leave. When I asked if I could still order a beer, she kept shaking her head and sighing like she was doing me a favor. In light of her rudeness I asked to speak with the manager, to which I was informed she was the manager. However she was promoted to this position is beyond me - it must be a family business. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT go to Heidelberg, at least until it receives a management change. read more

Sadly this place has lost what made it unique and satisfying. Tony the bartender is still great but the menu was pared down to bare bones and our food was served in paper boxes. So sad to say I won't be back. read more

This place is amazing, Anytime I am on a downtown Ann Arbor adventure, I always am sure to end my night at the Heidleberg. with "Slimmer" behind the bar, its always sure to be a good time. She is an amazing bartender/owner who loves what she does. The food is great and the atmosphere is always a good time. If you are in the mood for some live tunes, there is a club upstairs with bands and live music, or you can go downstairs and chill in more of a bar setting. read more

Wow !!! What a great dinner and evening had at The Heidelberg. Absolutely loved the food, service and atmosphere. I had the Copenhagen Weiner Schnitzel with potatoe pancakes and red cabbage on the side and it was to die for; could not stop saying yum the whole way through. I also had the Obernator beer (and I like good beer) and it was fabulous. Loved the painted pictures on the walls of Germany and really every thing about it (i.e. with look & feel). Very comforting, relaxing and easy to talk and enjoy a great meal. Our server took great care of us and she made sure we had a wonderful evening. It was our first time there and we listened to her suggestions and they were all "off the charts". Highly recommend this restaurant. Great food and value. We will be coming back for certain. Many thanks to everyone at The Heidelberg; a job well done. Namaste - CARL :-) read more

Came here for drinks. Came here with a girlfriend. Drinks - Great for beer. Boots are awesome. 2L is a crap load of beer. Food - Not a great conisseur of german food but I loved it, and i got something german! Atmosphere - Loved it. read more

Lots of beer options, legit delicious German food. Justin the waiter was awesome- super attentive, fast and knowledgable about the menu and drinks. read more