Friedhelm's Bavarian Inn Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Fredericksburg

While I had initially awarded this restaurant a glowing 5-star review in the past, my recent experience left much to be desired. The paprika schnitzel, once a standout dish, and what I labeled "The best I've ever had" failed to meet my expectations this visit.

Having eagerly anticipated revisiting this establishment since its reopening, I made the journey from San Antonio to Fredericksburg specifically for another taste of their paprika schnitzel.

Upon being served the bread and soup, I found the soup to be decent but lacking in temperature. However, the true disappointment came with the main course.

The paprika schnitzel, accompanied by pan-fried potatoes, had undergone noticeable changes. The once-bold flavors seemed muted, and the sauce appeared thinner than before. Additionally, there were instances where the meat exhibited an off taste that may have been darker meat.

While most of the potatoes were satisfactory, some were overfried, nearing the consistency of potato chips and were dry. Despite my reservations, I opted not to send the dish back to the kitchen, choosing instead to eat the majority of my meal and voice my concerns to the waiter upon settling the bill.

Regrettably, the waiter initially proposed removing the item from my tab, which I felt was unfair to the restaurant. I didn't want them to bear the full cost of the meal as it wasn't horrible, but just wasn't as good as it used to be. The waiter went to ask what they could do, and returned to inform me that only a replacement meal could be offered, had it been done at the beginning of the meal, per the owner's directive.

As I waited for the waiter's return with that information, I overheard local patrons expressing similar dissatisfaction with the inconsistency of the restaurant's offerings. Some mentioned a recent switch from steaks to schnitzel due to previous disappointments with their steaks, but had said the steaks this particular night were very good.

Inquiring about potential changes within the kitchen or during the closure period, the waiter revealed a mix of new and old cooks, adding further uncertainty to the equation, as Im not sure the difference was due to the kitchen or the ingredients.

Despite my fond memories and high expectations, this recent experience, coupled with increased prices and apparent declines in food quality, leave me hesitant to make return trips anytime soon.

While the restaurant still holds a place among the better German dining options in Fredericksburg, it no longer stands out for me as it once did.

The Attached Photos are from both (Old & Current Visits) Menu Photos were...

I've been dining at Friedhelms since the early 80's and was thrilled when they reopened. My husband and I took my sister and nephew for dinner last Sunday night...we were in town for the funeral of our aunt. I used to work in a restaurant so I know what I'm talking about and have a great deal of sympathy for the folks who run one and work there. Dealing with the public, especially in a tourist town, can be a nightmare. That being said, no one was up front to greet incoming guests. When a young girl finally appeared, she said "Just a minute, we are comping a customer's bill." Well that should have been our first clue something was way off. We finally got seated and the flustered waitress went on and on about how the manager had left for the evening and there was no bartender so she'd be pulling double duty. Second clue. The bread which is normally like warm chocolate dough was super stale and hard, not even warm. The soup was cold. My schnitzel was good as always until I bit into a foreign object. The spaetzel was horrible and resembled spaghetti noodles that had been left out for days. The only edible food was the red cabbage which always tastes exactly how my Dad made it. He immigrated from Germany as a teenager so we know German food.

All in all, I still love my Friedhelms especially since it's on our side of town and away from all the drunk tourists walking around with a glass of wine which is tacky and just plain dangerous. But the restaurant needs to staff better and not serve cold stale food with the prices they charge. It's the most expensive schnitzel in town and the whole experience needs to be better on a consistent basis. Also, the cuckoo clocks should be working; otherwise, why have them? So disappointed and this is my first bad review but I'm upset. The bill was over $250 and our dining experience was not worth a...

When we arrived at the restaurant, the smell coming from the restaurant was amazing.....even appetite provoking! Unfortunately, the smell in the parking lot was the best thing about this place. The hostess was so unfriendly, almost rude, and acted like putting patrons on the waiting list and then sitting seating guests was an imposition. There were only 3 in our group. She took us to our table and began removing used placemats that were haphazardly laying on the table, never did any one wipe off the table or place more placemats silverware napkins on our table. When the food arrived and we realized we had no silverware, I had to take silverware off of another table because there were no wait staff/bus staff to get us silverware (after waiting for 10 minutes). The food was WAY TO over priced!!! And marginal at best. Definatly not something any of us ever want to eat again. One person in our party got shrimp that was tough and couldn't even eat shrimp. When she told the waitress, the waitress apologized and then just stood awkwardly by our table not saying anything and never offering to remake the shrimp or get something else for the person. I believe The waitress was doing the best she could do but seemed frazzled and over whelmed from the time we arrived. The waitress DID NOT seem to be properly trained, especially for a restaurant that charges at least $20.00 or more for a dinner. I feel like I wasted...