Das Schnitzelhaus — Restaurant in Hamilton

Well, I must certainly disagree with L.A. West. My wife and I went on opening day around 5 pm and had the Schnitzel Hollandia (my favorite, and the Pusta (my wife's favorite) and will attest that both were at least as good, maybe better, than before and we will most certainly go back many, many times. We're certainly hoping that L.A. West's experience was an aberration and next time will be back to the usual high standards. Then again, in my opinion this food is meant to be eaten when it leaves the kitchen not after sitting in a warming pouch for 30 to 60 minutes. No wonder it was dry. I've never in my life ordered anything delivered and never will.

The worst thing was that there was no liquor license yet and we had to forego our usual Krombacher Dunkel but the salad was excellent as always. We didn't care for the soup selection that evening but will most definitely return on a Sunday for the meatball soup. Nice basket of fresh rye bread just like in the good old days (before the terrible decision to replace that with white buns - yuck).

A new addition to the menu, Kartoffelpuffer with apple sauce, is very much appreciated by these diners and very delicious and Hayley's over the top friendly and efficient service was a joy. It wasn't very busy yet so we had a very nice conversation. The manager also stopped by as we were finishing up to thank us for returning and we also had a nice chat.

My father did the interior finish and woodwork in the original restaurant section and I, as a much younger man, helped him with the two additions. My mother cooked for a while back in the day as well so I have a strong attachment to this Hamilton landmark and after I married and moved downtown we would dine here once or twice a week because it was so affordable. My father died 22 years ago and my mother is now "living" in a long-term care home not far from there. She still, despite declining memory, asks about the Black Forrest Inn. I tell her it's still going strong and she smiles. My wife and I wish das Schnitzelhaus a long and...

I'm happy that this place reopened because I was sad when the Black Forest Inn was closed. The decor still look similar, the waitresses still wear the traditional dirndl, which is a good thing as it differentiates from other restaurants, and the menu is still similar. Main entrée comes with bread and butter (2 slices of bread for one person) and a meatball soup or salad as an appetizer. The reasons for a 4 stars instead of 5 stars is mainly because the customer service and sauerkraut weren't as good as back then. Back then, it used to feel warm, welcoming, and the waitresses were very sociable and friendly (I used to have good conversations with the waitresses and they're happy to talk). On my latest visit, even though the waitress was nice enough, it feels more dismissive as they seem more focused on chatting among themselves than checking on customers, making sure customers are happy and hardly smile (they looked stressed out). When I got the entrée (the black forest plate), the waitress was very dry when she asked if I need anything, almost like she hates her job, and the main waitress didn't ask how my meal was, which is standard practice for the waiting staff. The sauerkraut tasted very sour (heavy in vinegar), but aside from that, the portions and prices are still good. I skipped dessert as I didn't feel like it after what happened (lackluster customer service was a turn off).

I would still like to return, but the experience was definitely not as good as back then.

There is paid parking and street parking, in case anyone...

We were severely disappointed with our visit. We had a reservation for 15 people, and when we got there they had squished us all into a small table. It would be understandable if they were busy at that time, but we were the ONLY people in the restaurant. When we offered to split up our group to multiple tables so it would be more comfortable, the Owner said “no, you agreed to one table on the phone”. The Owner was very rude and not accommodating at all.

The service was alright. The servers were much better than the Owner. The food was definitely not the same as it used to be. It was still good german food but the portions are smaller than they were with the previous owner.

The restaurant decor is the exact same as it used to be. This would normally be charming if there weren’t so many problems that needed fixing. There were so many patch jobs and things that looked unclean. The worst was the bathrooms. They look like a health hazard.

Overall a bad experience. The new owners need to learn how to be respectful and take care of their establishment.

As you can see, the response from the owner is unapologetic (reflection of his character). I hope that he can change the way he interacts with the customers that keep them...