Ludwig's | German Restaurant — Restaurant in Leavenworth

My wife and I have come to Leavenworth every December for the six years we have been together. Even before we were married, we spent our first Christmas together in this charming town, and the very first place we ever dined in town was (King) Ludwig's. Drawn in by the savory chickens spinning on their Ferris wheel-esque rotisserie in the window out front, we knew back then that we were in for good things. And we were!

So it was surprising, even to us, that in the six years since that first visit, we realized that we had never returned to Ludwig's...and neither of us could really say why. Perhaps it was the overwhelming number of other dining options in town, and our adventurous desire to see (and taste) them all. Even so, that was doing Ludwig's a disservice. It was one of our first, and most charming memories of Leavenworth, and one worth revisiting.

It wasn't until we were looking for some spaetzle for lunch (moderately difficult to find in a German-town, although that is mostly due to the oppressive, overwhelming crowds of people clogging up all the restaurants). We inquired first at Andreas Keller, but their wait list was absurd. Baren Haus told us that they no longer served it; however, they recommended Ludwig's, just down the way. Immediately, both of us realized how long we had been neglecting this place, and happily made out way back to our "first date" spot in Leavenworth.

Despite a relatively large and cumbersome party (2 adults, 2 kids, and a toddler in a stroller), we were seated immediately, despite it being a (late) lunch hour. My wife locked in on the chicken schnitzel plate, slathered in mushroom gravy, and accompanied by a healthy side of the aforementioned desired spaetzle, as well as the required braised red cabbage.

Let me tell you, friends: I am not a fan of mushrooms. But that gravy, paired with the beautifully breaded breast of chicken schnitzel and savory spaetzle, is just heavenly. It was the perfect pairing of everything we love about German cuisine, and the necessary reminder of what we had been UN-necessarily depriving ourselves for the last six years...a mistake we will not be making again, on future visits!

Ludwig's is also one of the few restaurants in town that can handle a large crowd (the indoor beer garden at the back can accommodate 100+ people by itself) and, even rarer, one of the few restaurants to take reservations online, which is a HUGE plus, especially during the holiday surge. Andreas Keller doesn't (wait list only, sometimes 3+ hours). Munchen Haus doesn't either (obviously), and the line is often dozens long. Baren Haus is also waitlist only, and despite turning tables relatively quick, and also being delicious (the kohl rouladen is to die for!), it is lacking certain staples (such as spaetzle!), which is a bit of a tragedy.

Despite its prominent position on Front Street, Ludwig's somehow manages to blend into the background, and can easily be overlooked...making it the unsung underdog of the Leavenworth dining scene...but it shouldn't be. So if you're in the mood for some genuine German grub, look for the rotisserie chickens rotating in the glowing window...like the Bat Signal for Bavarian banqueting! You...

So delicious!! Leckeres Essen!! Our server Grace was extraordinary!!!!

Had a 12:30 opentable reservation, Sunday after Thanksgiving, and were sat immediately. Christmas decor tastefully done on top of decor that places you in Germany. I especially liked the 2 walls painted as a mountain range. Fireplace/tv's in the lower bar seating area.

Food served hot, and huge portions! Boy I can eat, but I had to get a box, because the extra jumbo metal platter was heavy! Poutine was a nice surprise to the apps, and being so close to Canada, why not? Superb. The Gasthaus platter for 1 with the schweinshaxe - good lord they created their own buffet on a plate! I didn't have to do it myself for once :) Where else can you get a pork knuckle (or ham hock) the size of your face that is crackly crispy chicharrone on the outside, steaming and super moist on the inside? It even comes with kitchen shears! The schnitzels were perfectly fried, the bratwursts were juicy, the sauerkraut & red cabbage (sweet and slightly tangy) great, and the cold German potato salad, the way its meant to be served, is a nice contrast on the plate. The smoked pork chop was flavorful, and better with the horseradish. My wife's chicken schnitzel was huge as well, and the mushroom gravy a nice balance of beef and mushroom. Prior to our reservation, I was reading the menu to her, and when she heard 'red cabbage', she made a yuck face. Lo and behold, it disappeared first from her plate! The only suggestion that I have is perhaps a simple lemon brown butter sauce, or something like that, on the spaetzle, just for a flavor upgrade.

Great job Ludwig crew, if we make it back to Leavenworth, we will visit you again.

*Ownership - please give praise to Grace - easily top 10 best servers I have had in all of my many years...

Honestly one of the worst experiences dining out we've ever had and I cannot believe this place is still in business considering all the other amazing dining options in this adorable little village. We were seated by the hostess and waited almost 10minutes before anyone came over. Started with a coffee and 1 beer. Both of us ordered the Bavarian sausage with fries. I asked if we could get the fries as poutine- as we saw a picture in a travel magazine and that's what brought us there. I offered to pay extra and the waitress said its not possible to do that- it only comes with fries. So we ordered the sausage with fries and then a poutine- like how many fries can one person get. We should have left at that point but did not. The coffee and beer didn't come for another 10 minutes *and at this point It wasn't busy at all. The coffee was awful and tasted like it had been sitting all day - The poutine came and we were so disappointed. The fries were cold and bland and I'm pretty sure they were frozen McCain French fries- the poutine was watery as well. The sausage came out on an old hot dog bun with a small saukeraut on the side. Not sure how you can make a hot dog and fries awful- but it was. Waitress came around once and then never again- we paid and as we were leaving told another woman looking a the menu outside not to go in. Each sausage and fries was $17 and the awful pouting was $14 so it was pretty expensive for what we got as well. The restaurant and bathrooms were dingy, baby change table was broken in the 1 bathroom they had. I wish we had complained but we just wanted to get out of there and go have some fun (and good food at literally every other spot). Take our word for it - ANY other option is...