Schnithouse Hilton — Restaurant in Adelaide

Entering for a late lunch after 1pm on a Saturday, not one Customer. I should have taken this as a RED FLAG!

The quiet young female came straight to me as I entered. She did greet me with a smile and gave me Menus, indicating I could sit where I liked.

After reading the Menu I realised I had to go to the counter and order, pay first.

Being the Schnithouse of course I went for a Beef Snitzel. Big mistake!!!! I could smell the 'old oil' heating up. I should have just left then but I persevered. I waited for 20 minutes, no-one else to cook for, but clearly the oil was taking awhile to heat up! The female server brought my drink over but it was unopened and I had to call out for assistance.

When the meal arrived it was presented tidily. Not one speck of green on the plate - no parsley to be seen. Even though I had been watching the TV up on the wall showing me how they will prepare and present my meal. Plenty of parsley in the video!

The strong odour of stale oil was wafting from the plate as I proceeded to cut the Snitzel. I struggled, it was tough and the knife was for butter. The chips were okay but pasty and dry inside. The gravy although thick, had no depth of flavour. It was just thick brown gel. The coleslaw was wet but again WHERE WAS THE FLAVOUR??

Probably the worst meal I've paid for in over 20 years 🤔😒

At least the Bundaberg Guava drink was fresh, cold and washed it all down. I made an effort to eat.... I was hungry!

I looked at the Menu for Dessert but I had to spend another $17+ minimum for the pleasure. The small sweet offerings in the cabinet at the bar looked stale.

I used the public amenities - my shoes kept sticking to the floor!! Only 1 basin had taps to wash your hands and the auto hand dryer didn't work!! ????

I came to the Schnithouse to meet up with someone for coffee at 3pm. Being a bit of a drive from home I thought I would come earlier and have lunch. BIG MISTAKE!! Maybe the coffee was okay.... I didn't bother asking.

At least the music was okay 😂

The taste of old oil in my mouth didn't leave until my next meal, a few hours later. Even a butterscotch lolly on the way home didn't help. DO...

In a city where nearly 100,000 locals belong to an online “Schnitzel Review Group” and pubs routinely compete on ever-more-elaborate toppings and plate-spanning portions, Adelaide sets a daunting benchmark for any venue built around the schnitzel idea. Schnithouse Hilton therefore arrives with big expectations, yet it falls well short of delivering on them.

As any schnitzel devotee would, I skimmed past the plain-with-gravy “Lazy Schnitzel” page and went straight to the gourmet roster—past “Maple Bacon”, dripping with bacon, grilled mozzarella and a maple glaze; “Clive Parma”, the classic parmigiana; and the cheekily named “Dirty Gringo”, crowned with Mexican-spiced beef, corn chips and jalapeños. My curiosity snagged on “Zorba”, a Greek-themed schnitzel billed as “topped with Greek salad, sides of tzatziki, tarama & pita bread”—a line that conjured visions of kalamata olives and tangy feta brightening the crumb—so I ordered it.

Imagine my astonishment when the plate arrived: a completely naked schnitzel accompanied by a small side bowl of “Greek salad” containing two lonely cubes of feta, a few scraps of cucumber and capsicum, and not a single olive. Paying nearly thirty dollars for a so-called gourmet option, only to receive the plainest schnitzel in the house, was frankly disheartening.

The experience never quite recovered. The maple-bacon wings were tough and only half-coated in sauce; the kids’ mac-and-cheese and nuggets were adequate but forgettable. Throughout the meal an unexplained, piercing mechanical whirr from the kitchen cut through the otherwise middling Top-40 soundtrack. Staff were brisk and competent, offering side plates and clearing promptly, but understandably straight-faced amid the venue’s mediocrity.

With venues such as North Adelaide’s Café Palazzo or Parkside’s Earl of Leicester serving reliably generous, well-topped schnitzels, I see little reason to return to Schnithouse Hilton. Three stars for competent service and a decent crumb, but the kitchen and ambience both need...

Very mixed experience.

Went once for lunch on a week day. Was not full but quiet busy. Menu was large and a bit overwhelming but we got there in the end. Scnitzle was amazing, price was excellent for the huge amount of food we got.

However. I then went again on a Sunday at around 11am . It was very busy inside but we were the only ones sitting outside. Theenu was totally different. We were looking for the same but only had breakfast type food to choose from. Guessed this was due to Sunday brunch or something, but no-one had said anything went we arrived so we're a bit confused... So we chose a cooked breakfast and a game and cheese crossaint as well as some hot drinks... Food took an age to come, over 30minutes. Then cooked breakfast arrived alone and the eggs were not cooked (whites still clear) and the bacon was cold and hard. Then crossaint came about 10 minutes after that and the outside was burnt but the cheese was not melted and there was no ham on it at all. Plus our Hot drinks NEVER arrived. We asked for refund and left. Total shambles. Haven't been back. Too inconsistent. We were dissapointed because we thought it would be a great local place for a family dinner, as it has a playground etc...

To clarify we visits a while ago and I'm sure our was not a typical experience, as it seems quite popular so can't be all bad... But I don't think we will be back and it's something to consider to avoid...