Well, disappointing would be an understatement after reading the reviews. We called just after they opened at 4:00 pm to make a reservation and was told that we could get a table before 5:00 or after 6:30. I made them for 4:45 and we got there on time. We walked in and there was just one other couple there almost finished with their meal. The place was empty. We ordered draft beers and they came quickly. What we didn't know is that they were $8 per pint (menu said $6). Food didn't take too long to arrive. I ordered the beef stroganoff with sides of spaetzle and a potato pancake ($3 extra!). It looked appetizing when it arrived but I counted 3 thin pieces of beef and the rest was spätzle and mushroom gravy. The potato pancake was the best part, perfectly crispy. But not worth the extra $3. You don't even get noodles with your stroganoff, unless you count that as one of your two sides. For $22! Plus $3 for the potato pancake. My gf felt bad there was next to no meat in mine so gave me half of her bland Wiener schnitzel. She ordered the aforementioned Wiener schnitzel immediately disappointed in the bland and too soft breading. She grew up in Germany and Austria and knows how it should be prepared. Her potato dumpling was very bland and equally disappointing. Service was mediocre at best. No eye contact, no real engagement. The German music playing over the intercom sounded authentic until a Geico commercial spoiled the "moment." Other important complaints: the carpeted floor was disgustingly dirty. Carpet is never a good idea in a restaurant and this looks decades old and completely grimy. The stained ceiling tiles weren't much better and should've been replaced ages ago. We used a Groupon (that's the only way we would've tried it), and the waitress Diana highlighted in pink that we should remember to tip on the original amount. Normally we would have but the overall experience precluded that. Won't be back. read more

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AWESOME! When on vacation, we try to eat food we can't readily get at home and also no chain restaurants. Just happened to search for German food within Yelp on our way back to the condo. This little place looks like nothing from the outside, but the inside is a small slice of Germany. If you like German food at all, this place is a must. Live polka music (we were there on a Wednesday early evening), great German beer and really good food. The pretzel bites and bacon wrapped sausage are really good. Service was person and friendly. read more

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First time here was a fun experience. Food was great and staff is exceptional. The owner/chef is extremely attentive and visits every table making sure all is well. O highly recommend going thete." read more

This restaurant serves authentic German food, which is very flavorful. I had some slow cooked pork, warm, German potato salad, and red cabbage, and they were all excellent. I certainly would go back again. read more

Outstanding. Feels like a trip to Germany. The food was totally delicious and the German beer good. Heidi is a fun host in her traditional drindl outfit. Noise level is not too loud and can have a conversation. Parking is an issue as usual in Sarasota read more

If I could give Schnitzel Kitchen 10 stars I would easily do it! This place is wonderful and deserves their star rating! My friend and I were looking for a local place for dinner on a Friday night and we stumbled across Schnitzel Kitchen on Yelp. The place looked good and I love German food, so we gave it a try. We arrived and there were a few other diners here. We were seated and our lovely waitress came over. You could tell she was German with her thick German accent. She and I talked about Germany a bit and she got our drink orders. They have Hofbräu Dunkel bottles which I knew we had to get, plus they had a house Dunkel which we wanted to try. We got the beers and ordered some pretzels and beer cheese. Y'all this was the Best beer cheese that I think I have ever had. The beer cheese was tart, sweet and tasted great. You could for sure taste the beer in the cheese and it was awesome. I told the waiter/waitress that I liked it so much they brought out a little extra. The main entrees came out. I got the Pork Schnitzel, which was served with 2 sides and a topping. For my topping I got Jäger which is a mushroom cream sauce with fresh parsley. For my sides I got Spätzle and Red Cabbage. The pork was cooked perfectly and you could cut it with a fork it was that tender. The graving on top was perfect and tasted amazing. The Spätzle was awesome and was something that I could not stop eating. I could have ate just the Spätzle and gravy and would have been happy. I also loved the red cabbage and it was a great addition to the plate. The friend I was with got the Sauerbraten and he loved. You can tell when someone loves a dish as they clean the plate and this friend did just that. He let me taste a little and the beef was super tender and it tasted delicious. The portion sizes are huge so not sure what others are saying. This has become my favorite German restaurant in Florida. I will for sure be back next time I am craving German food and in Sarasota. I would highly recommend this place! Great service, great food, everything was just wonderful! read more

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So glad we made a reservation here. The place was packed. We enjoyed the German food and all the decorations with lots of beer steins and knickknacks from Germany. What was really fun was the musician and it was so nice that Heidi came around to all the tables and asked if we had been there before. When we said "yes" she said that she thought she recognized us (and it was preCovid when we were there last.) read more

Schnitzel Kitchen - Musician - German Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Thanks to Yelp we found this great place! Our first encounter was the great server (don't remember her name). She was fun and a the banter was delightful! Her beer recommendations were spot on! We had the Kinder Sausage appetizer - very good! For dinner we ordered the Schweinhaxe and the Wiener Schnitel with Potato dumpling and red cabbage. It was all Awesome! The gentleman playing music was a lot of fun. Over all it was a great experience. Will definitely be back! read more

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Fantastic German Food! Visited on a Friday evening. The owner and her son are wonderful host's. This it authentic German dining. Reasonably priced, nice size portions. Highly recommend! Make a reservation. read more

Schnitzel Kitchen - Outside signage - German Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Small restaurant, great German food. Schnitzel was great. Good German beer on tap I, and my German friend loved it. Nice owner also.

A standout among the very few German eateries in the area. Good food served in generous portions and a selection of excellent beers poured the real way, i.e. with a proper head.. All this in an atmosphere resembling a very, very touristy souvenir shop in Germany. Above all, a fun experience, enjoying the contagious "gute Laune" of Heidi, the vivacious owner who engages in easy patter with just about every guest. The staff (shoutout to Penny!) is delightfully efficient. Suffice it to say that after dining here our group left with a smile on everyone's face. A keeper! read more

Authentic....it's like having dinner at a German Lodge. The ambience is superb. The best potato pancakes I've ever had. The food is outstanding. The chicken paprikash is as good as Grandma Julias'. Live entertainment too!! Service was excellent. We will be back again. read more

Yes! Yes! Yes! This is such a great place... The food was authentic and scrumptious! (The sauerkraut was hands-down the best I've ever had.) We just loved the quaint German decor, and enjoyed interacting with the staff. Next time we are in town, we will definitely be eating here again. read more

Food was ok. Service was good. Entertainment was very nice addition to the meal. The apple strudel was not good, a few hard apples in a tasteless dough, very disappointing. We enjoyed our friends and the music the rest was just ok. read more

Excellent and authentic German food! Great atmosphere and friendly waiters. We were there on a Friday night and there was an entertaining musician as well. read more

Service is outstanding!!! They are constantly checking up on you and making sure everything is perfect. When it comes to the food, I must say the pretzel is one of the best that I have ever had. I personally liked the cheese sauce, but I was not in love with it. For the schnitzel, I think that there was a ton more breading than I would have liked, but very tasty. Spaetzle is worth trying as well since the way they sauté it is perfection. Overall, the ambiance is great and highly recommended. The owners put their heart into each meal and interaction with their customers read more

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If you love German hospitality, Bier and food this place is off the charts. Owner Heidi welcomes you in like your at her home for dinner. Treats you like royalty. Encourages you and your table to participate in the music if you're fortunate to hit the nights with live music. Then there's the food! Oh My Gosh! The night was exactly what we needed on our date night. See you soon Heidi! read more

So cool Authentic food authentic live music. Owner is there and makes sure your enjoying everything. read more

We had a very good dinner at Schnitzel kitchen. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. The owner is a very gregarious woman who really shows personal attention to all her customers. I highly recommend the chocolate mousse for dessert! read more

Tucked into a nondescript storefront is Heidi's trip to Germany. The decor is Grandma's dining room if Grandma collected beer steins. Our table had several types of Schnitzel and Beef Stroganoff. All of the entrees, sauces and side dishes were perfect. The potato pancakes and spatezle were light and flavorful. There is a good selection of German beer and wine. Heidi is a gracious hostess and the servers are wonderful. read more

A hidden gem In Sarasota. Authentic German food. Very friendly and fun atmosphere. They make you feel like family. Small and quaint. Make sure to try the Plum cake!! read more

I was introduced to the beautiful restaurant though my wonderful friends, Julie and Russ, the German food served here is absolutely delicious!! The Beer selection is unbelievable!!! And the desserts, wish they had wheel barrow service to your car. An amazing evening!! Always a return customer!! Best to call ahead to make Reservations !! Always guaranteed a great meal with a beautiful atmosphere ENJOY read more

Original, fresh,fun. Great beer on tap Heidi is there to guide you with your food and adult beverage choices. The spatzel made fresh daily the pork and sourbratten were tender the deserts were delicious gets a thumbs up read more

Wanted to try out this little German restaurant located off of Gulf Gate Drive. Only open Wednesday thru Saturday. Decided to do take out and there is a Groupon available right now as well ($20 worth of food for $13) Inside is decorated in dark wood with German Music playing in the background. You can even get a copy of the German version of the Florida Times. Entrees come with your choice of two sides. We ordered pork schnitzel and bratwurst with sides of potato dumplings, spätzle, french fries, red cabbage, carrot and apple salad and cold potato salad. Taste of the schnitzel and brats was good. Your brat entree consists of two small sausages. The red cabbage was delicious. All other sides were acceptable. Dessert was Apple Strudel with ice cream cream - good Service for take out was friendly. I was just a bit disappointed with the size of the portions - very small and the price was a bit high. As such, while we enjoyed the meal, thought it was not worth $78.00. read more

Schnitzel Kitchen - Part of the main dining room - German Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Wonderful little place with great handcrafted real German goodies. Great special dinner out

From food to atmosphere to service, we would highly recommend! Loved it! Also we advise to make a reservation because limited space.

About three winters ago myself and two other friends entered the restaurant. It wasn't busy and we were waiting for a table to be cleaned. The owner (or female manager) was watching us and then suggested that we find another restaurant. We thought that was a good idea and left. This was the first time in our lifetimes that we were kicked out of this restaurant. The woman that kicked us out must have had a bad day. read more

So much fun and the food is so good. Live music, great beer and a fun atmosphere. The service was quick.

Great friendly place to eat, wonderful selection of German food and great entertainment on weekends!

I liked it We knew how to get a discount coupon, and that encouraged us to head to Schnitzel Kitchen tonight for dinner. While reservations are often needed, they were not needed on this off-season Wednesday evening. We made a reservation anyway, having learned our lesson months ago when we tried to walk in and were turned away. Places that are fully booked are usually excellent places, and this is an excellent place. Nice décor, German music, a friendly German greeting when we walked in. Service was very good throughout the meal, if not a little heavy on trying to convince us to come back often. I enjoyed our discussions with not only our server but others in the restaurant. This is a family restaurant and it is always good to support family businesses. As for the food, I tried their Sauerbraten. I was drawn in by the description of a tangy gravy, but didn't really know much about the dish. I was trying to branch out from getting a plate of sausages, which I know I would have loved. The gravy was good but not tangy. There was plenty of meat, a little dry, but there was that good gravy. For one of my sides I got red cabbage and that was tangy. There was my tang, and I was very happy. For dessert I abandoned my imagination and went with their Apple Strudel with ice cream. It seemed pretty standard. My wife ordered better than I. She went with one of their Schnitzels, and also got a potato dumpling as one of her sides. She raved about her food. For dessert she had their Plum Cake, an item they do not always have. I got to sample her cake and it was great. If my meal didn't quite hit the mark for me, I know her meal was five stars and then some for her. read more

Schnitzel Kitchen - Sauerbraten - German Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

20/10 recommend. Food - extremely tasty and incredible. Beer - the lager and pitcher were amazing. Music - fantastic vibes. Heidi - the best service you can imagine. But make sure you request "Alice" for song. read more

Tried this for a date night, the service was great. Owner was very helpful in picking out dishes to try and stopped by to check on us throughout the meal. I got the beef stroganoff, delicious! Servings are plentiful. We went on a Thursday and they had live music, it was a fun atmosphere! read more

Very friendly staff and decent German atmosphere, but the food is not very good and really overpriced. Beware - the prices on the menu do not match the price on the bill. I will not be coming back here again. We had just some classic German dishes and were disappointed with all of them - the only good part was the bottled German beer. When we were seated the Waitress said she would warm up the bread which I was all excited about but what came out was a single slice of rye toast, toasted well done into a crouton! Not what I expected in any restaurant, especially German!. Potato dumpling was bizarre, light but no potato flavor or much other flavor either. The red cabbage was so horribly sweet I couldn't eat it - just sugar. The Wiener schnitzel was NOT hand breaded and pan fried as stated in the menu but deep fried frozen cutlet with as much breading as veal. The jaeger sauce was okay but nothing special. This was listed as $27.95 on the menu but we were charged $28.75 - waitress never said anything about prices being higher. The dessert and chicken was also higher. The chicken paprika was made with small pieces of overcooked chicken breast in a light sauce and Spätzle. Not bad but I've had real chicken Paprikasch in Hungarian restaurants and this is not it, and at $22.75 (menu was lower price), way too expensive for a few small pieces of dry chicken. The strudel was just plain awful. It had no flavor and as bland an apple dish I have ever had with dry, tasteless, and mushy pastry for a whopping $11.50. (Menu said $11). The only good part was that the ice cream and whipped cream were good. I suggest you keep looking for another place. read more

Amazing food, service and great music. My husband and I love coming here. Great food that's so delicious. A must try if you haven't.

Excellent, authentic cuisine. Go early (M-Th) to avoid crowds. Save room for amazing desserts.

Great food and service. Everyone who works there is so friendly and the customers are too. I can't say enough about the food. The schnitzel and the potato pancakes and the desserts. Everything is just so good. And I love the way the place is decorated. I can't wait to go back. read more

Delicious food!! Fun atmosphere with Great staff and service. Can't wait to go back!! read more

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in a good location. great food and atmosphere. service was amazing and we loved the coo coo clocks.

What a gem of a restaurant, thanks to owner Heidi and attentive service. The food was absolutely delish; the Veal Wienerschnitzel, Beef Gulasch, Schweiwshaxe/Pork Knuckle, and Ruladen all were wonderfully prepared. Must not forget the theSchwarzwälder Kirschtorteand and Plum cake, YUM!!! Highly recommend!!! read more

Like everyone agrees....the portions are terribly small. The food was tasty but not the best German food. The sauerbraten was 2 small pieces, a tablespoon of red cabbage and a tasteless potato pancake. The chicken paprika had small pieces of chicken not more than a quarter of a cutlet. We got 2 sides of spitzel 1/2 cup each. Very disappointing. What's most disturbing is that many people have complained about the small portion size and they have not gotten better. It was also our anniversary and I was embarrassed for the owner when they brought out a dessert on the house for us to share. It was a small cup with 1/2 inch of moose and a squirt of whip cream from a can. It was a nice gesture but it was humorous to see. It could be a place to go to but based on my experience I won't go back. I left hungry. read more