Black Forest Steak & Schnitzel Haus — Restaurant in Area F (Columbia Lake/Windermere Lake)

• I sadly hate to do this but, I unfortunately have to change my review after what happened when my friend and I stopped by on Valentine’s Day. We arrived at the door at 4:33pm and there was a couple with their baby waiting and we asked if the restaurant was open yet and the couple replied that it was supposed to open at 4:30pm but the door was still locked. Just then a waitress unlocked the door and stood in the entrance and said “do you have reservations?” We all looked at each other and we all responded “no”. Still blocking the door she responded “no reservations then you can not come in as we are fully booked for Valentine’s Day”. So I said “ you are not taking any walk ins?” and again she responded “ we are fully booked it’s Valentine’s Day”. So then the man standing with us said “ can we order to go?” and she let out this big sigh like it was a huge inconvenience for her to respond to this question and she said “yes, you can order to go as she stepped out of the way to let the couple in”. So I looked at my friend and said “did you want to order to go?” to which my friend responded “ no, this is Invermere not Edmonton or Calgary.. is the whole city coming? I mean really you have hotels near by and you are not even going to start a wait list, you are not a Michelin star restaurant. Are all of these reservations at 4:30pm I don’t see them rushing to the door”. So I finally got my friend out of there and we ran into some people walking in and asked if they had reservations to which they all responded “no” and we informed them that there were no walk ins and they were also surprised stating that they had never made reservations. So going forward I really loved this restaurant but, honestly in this situation I think there should have been a sign posted letting customers know that reservations were required and that you were fully booked. We unfortunately we will not be returning to your restaurant ever again.

When I was starting to plan the girls weekend months ago and I was looking through the restaurants in the area, I immediately knew I had to try this restaurant and I was not disappointed at all. A couple of the ladies had been here before but, they had wonderful things to say and everything from the food, the service ( our waitress was Annika ) the atmosphere everything was exceptional. A couple of the ladies had the 3 course special, I had the steak Neptune and the final lady in the group had steak and lobster. I will honestly say that this had to be one of the best cooked steaks I have ever eaten in my life, I just wish I had not filled up on the delicious bread first because I could not finish my steak lol. Then to finish off the meal we had the most amazing raspberry mousse that I have ever had in my life… it was beyond words. So light and full of flavour, it was the perfect ending to the meal. Honestly you made these Alberta ladies feel right at home and believe me we WILL be back again…...

A fun place to see with the family! Albeit a little on the pricy side. I'm general, an overall pretty alright experience. The food was good but the portions were a little... "little" for the price.

In any case, after parking you head up a few stairs, past a water feature and flower garden. As you walk through the large wooden (possibly hand crafted!) door, you're immediately greeted by welcoming staff who take you to an open table. The staff all wear fun, German themed outfits/uniforms that really do help visitors enjoy the experience!

We tried a variety of things to make sure we covered the menu. The only item we didn't get to try was seafood, in particular the salmon soup. It was described to us as, "if you're a fan of salmon you'll love it! Otherwise, it's mighty strong." A nearby table had it and was quite impressed with it!

The majority (if not all of the menu items) are made locally in house, from the red cabbage to sauerkraut, the available soups to the Black Forest cake.

While on the topic of Black Forest cake... it looks lovely and tasted fine... however I had expected it to be THE Black Forest cake of all Black Forest cakes (the restaurant is ACTUALLY named "The Black Forest". Alas, it was not. The slice was fairly small for $10.50 and I'm not sure there was a single whole cherry anywhere. I was somewhat expecting a fifth of a full cake to be honest.

But, to be fair, it was very flavourful and the cherry sauce on the plate was a wonderfully delicious addition.

As for the building itself, there is plenty to see from the great artwork of Alfred Temmel to the taxidermised wildlife. There is even a room in the centre of the building with a hardwood "dance floor" that you can whisper up into then the sound bounces back and can be clearly heard by those underneath the dome! Dance it up while you're there. Great fun!

I'm glad we went but can't say we'd make an effort to go again, but don't take my...

Invermere is a small town nestled away amidst the mountains. So when I saw this bavarian style restaurant I was excited to try it. The exterior had real appeal and other reviews made it sound like it was a must. We walked up to the place around 630pm. Had a reservation though the place was half full and was seated as far away from everything as possible tucked away in a corner. I promptly asked to be moved to a more comfortable location with no problem, though the server who sat us seemed less than impressed at our moving. Our actual server came and was new to Canada. He was very cordial and kind. We started off with a soup. It seemed like cambells right out of the can. Very unimpressive. Our main courses were as well nothing to be desired and for the pricepoint your paying for what seemed to be the bavarian experience in atmosphere. Lets talk about the atmosphere actually. I understand what the owners perhaps had in mind when they started but it def. Seems very dated and feels more like an abandoned theme park than a restaurant at times. The colors are dark and lighting dim, and we noticed that none of the staff were smiling. They all appeared to be disgruntled at working there, or having to wear the costumes. The finishing on the wood and the carpet ....everything actually, right to the plates seem like the original ones for the first day. Seemed old, dated, and and for me at least, seemed like the owners feel they can continue the act and play on the theme park style without any investment in change or adaptation. Again, this may be the appeal for some customers, but not my cup of tea. We finished off with home made apple strudle. And that literally was the best food of the night. In my opinion, have a meal at other establishments and come here for the dessert. A...