Gunter Hans — Restaurant in Columbia Township

Günter Hans is a new CoMo hot spot specializing in continental European fare. I went alone to GH on a warm Friday night and wasn't surprised to find it busy. Being shy, I was a little unsure about how to order. I stood in front of the gelato bar and looked at the menu for several moments, but no one waited on me. Feeling a little sheepish, I sat down and watched other patrons to figure out how ordering works--turns out that you do in fact wait for someone behind the bar to take your order. Relieved, I ordered a bretzel, a pretzel made with bread dough, and a mustard dip. I also ordered a small cup of carrot cake gelato and hot tea (more about the tea later). While waiting for the bretzel, I ate my gelato. It was quite good and had a rich, deep carrot cake flavor. I suspect that all of the gelato flavors are good.

My bretzel took some time to get to me, so I observed the decor. GH is fairly small inside, although there are outdoor patios. I have no doubt that GH will be packed at peak times. I sat by the register at a small table and noticed that it took a fair amount of time to take and process orders. I also noticed that few indoor customers seemed to linger. After fifteen minutes, there was nearly a complete turnover of customers. That will probably change when it gets cooler.

After nearly twenty minutes, my bretzel still hadn't come. Alas, by the time I asked, they were out. To make up for it, the contrite and lovely server gave me a liege waffle with whipped topping and a coupon for a free bretzel. I was a bit disappointed and not in the mood for something sweet, but I tucked into my liege waffle as soon as I received it. Wow. The chewy texture of the waffle was amazing and not quite like the texture of anything within recent memory. The flavor was excellent as well, having notes of waffle cone, only sophisticated and deep.

Now, about the tea. GH's web page shows a can of loose Twinings tea, so I was hoping for a good cup of tea. However, the tea at GH comes in bags. That's not a bad thing, unless I'm given a glass of tepid water. I was given a glass of tepid water. Thus, the tea lacked any flavor, even after several minutes of steeping.

I should hasten to add that GH is a pub--but not being a drinker, I don't know what to say about its selection of beer and liquor. I suspect that it has a good selection of European and domestic beers.

I'm looking forward to trying a bretzel, and I'll do a mini-review when I finally get one. I enjoyed the liege waffle and gelato, but I will avoid the tea. GH is probably more for a bar crowd than a tea drinker, but I do want to return...

Disappointing Service

I can't say that I've ever had a great experience at Gunter Hans, but our experience last night merits a knock to their reviews. After placing an order, I paid by credit card. The bartender stated the total, rang it up, and spun the device on the counter so that I could approve and sign it. After signing, the receipt page immediately appeared and the total cost displayed on the device was 22% higher than what the bartender originally stated and there was no option to tip a custom amount. I asked the bartender why this was the case and he stated that they add a specific percentage tip to the bill automatically. I asked the bartender "don't you think that is something you should tell customers before charging them?" He became quite rude and basically blew me off.

I find this to be kind of underhanded and dishonest. The customer should be made aware of all the charges on their bill prior to approving it. It's not the amount that bothers me; it is that an additional charge was added to my bill without my knowledge or approval. Further, the staff were upset that I had the nerve to ask them such a question.

All in all, I like the atmosphere in Gunter Hans, but the bar staff are generally not polite. My wife and I have visited there a few times in the past because we enjoy the novelty of getting German beers in liter quantities, but the beer is overpriced compared to other similar venues in town. I don't think that I will be returning to Gunter Hans in the...

It was late afternoon/early evening during the winter break from school, so it was the perfect time to try something different in Columbia. There were four adults in our group. We tried the Christmas Cookie cocktail, which has vanilla vodka as it's base. It was delicious! We each got a bretzel and enjoyed them with the signature dip flight. Each dip was tasty with the warm, fresh soft pretzel. For the main meal two of us got the Signature Calzone with the German Mettwurst, and the other two got the German Calzone with the sauerkraut and bratwurst. All were piping hot when they were served to us and amazing. We wanted to try the Monte and the Liege Waffles, but we were satisfied with what we had ordered and didn't want to risk overdoing it. I don't drink beer but they seemed to have a nice selection with something for everyone, and they had your traditional cocktails plus a few others of their own. Because many were home during the holiday break much of Columbia was empty, so we actually only shared the small inside space with another small group and a patron at the bar. Staff was polite, attentive, and very friendly. I would love to come again, maybe in the summer and enjoy a snack or meal on the porch. Our per person price was a little higher only because of the drinks, so it is actually very affordable if you don't drink or prefer something...