Enjoy traditional German beers and a pretzel at the bar at the Winzer Stube. Photos: Tate Carlson
The fun of Oktoberfest never ends at these local, long-running German restaurants that celebrate German heritage year-round.
Find out where to grab a stein of beer during Oktoberfest here.
What’s Oktoberfest? It’s a Munich, Germany seasonal celebration that includes lots of tradition and lots of beer!
Of course, the fun of Oktoberfest doesn’t end in Munich. Here’s a look at two local, long-running German restaurants that celebrate German heritage year-round.
The Winzer Stube
A Winzer Stube is a “wine-makers room.” The restaurant by the same name is located in the lower level of the historic Opera House in Hudson. There is a full bar with German brews on tap.
We were honored to be served by the restaurant’s attentive and friendly owner Marie Schmidt who explained that the restaurant’s cuisine stems from her memory of her mother and grandmother’s cooking.
The Schlachtplatte features a variety of sausages (mettwurst, bratwurst, knockwurst) and a smoked pork chop, all complimented with bread dumplings, sauerkraut and a side of Bavarian course-ground mustard. It was all delicious. The sauerkraut was especially excellent.
The Zigeunerschnitzel consists of Gypsy-style strips of Black Forest ham served with red and green peppers in a light cream sauce. Succulent impact.
Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) is made in-house daily and features granny smith apples, filo dough, vanilla ice cream and cinnamon whipped cream. It’s a perfect way to end a meal.
Oktoberfest celebrations at Winzer Stube run October 11–19 and include strolling musicians and a special invitation to guests who are equipped to wear their dirndl or lederhosen.
516 Second St., Hudson, Wis.
715.381.5092
The Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter
Celebrating 53 years as a destination for German food and culture, the Bavarian Hunter Gasthaus (guest house) features food from Bavaria, but its innovative and fun menu makes for unique spins on old favorites.
The restaurant is located on the outskirts of Stillwater in a spacious, multilevel complex that includes generous indoor seating, patio seating and even a space for traditional lawn games. Once again, there is a full bar, with German brews aplenty.
Private rooms are available for special events and can host up to 100 guests.
When ordering, things get interesting with the Reuben kugel appetizer, which brings together the ingredients of a traditional Reuben sandwich, all rolled into a ball, breaded and deep fried for a crisp exterior and a softer, complexly flavorful inside.
The restaurant’s trademark Wiener schnitzel is served “Vienna style,” and consists of nicely breaded pork cutlets with mashed potatoes and fresh veggies. Great food.
Jager schnitzel is a house specialty. It’s a variation of the Wiener schnitzel in a mellow mushroom sauce, accompanied with mashed potatoes and red cabbage which offers a sweet compliment to this savory dish.
The Rahm putenschnitzel is a lighter dish featuring boneless chicken breast fillets, here served in a sour cream sauce with mashed potatoes and veggies.
We also enjoyed an order of knackwurst, a smoky beef sausage with garlic. It’s everything a sausage should be.
Apple strudel is served in a generous portion, a la mode and with whipped cream and powdered sugar. It’s not just dessert. It’s a reason to come back again.
Although by this printing, you may have missed the Gasthaus plans for Oktoberfest, as much of the celebration was scheduled for September, don’t be shy about getting your German groove on anytime.
8390 Lofton Ave., Stillwater, Minn.
651.439.7128
Here are a few things you probably didn’t know about Oktoberfest.
A few things you probably didn’t know about Oktoberfest that we found on the travel website edreams.com:
- The event started in 1810 and took place during one week of October, but over the years the celebration has been extended and the starting date as changed to September.
- Oktoberfest is, above all, a celebration of Bavarian traditions, so the only beer you’ll find during the festival is brewed within the city limits of Munich.
- The first Oktoberfest was held to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
