The Bavarian Lodge — Restaurant in Lisle

Update 2/14/24

We came here spontaneously close to 8 pm. We had no issues finding parking in the lot, but the lines were hard to see. It would be nice if the lines were either more visible or more lighting. You guys do not need a reservation, believe it or not, not every restaurant has to have a reservation page. We walked in and were immediately seated. Service was amazing. The staff was very attentive and kind. This is a great place for grabbing drinks, they have an extensive beer selection. I wanted to try more of the menu vs the last time. We ordered a bunch of items.

-German potato pancakes 5/5 - incredibly moist and flavorful. I added the applesauce and sour cream to pancakes and it increased the flavor. -liver dumpling soup 5/5 - very hearty soup. The meat itself tasted great when paired with the broth. Dumpling was very meaty and juicy. Beef stock was flavorsome. -choose 3: meatloaf, tiroler schnitzel, thuringer, boiled potatoes, garlic buttered corn 5/5 - all 3 kinds of meat were terrific, no complaints. They were beautifully cooked, tender, savory, and filling. All of the sides were tasty. -roast duck: quarter, bread dumplings 5/5 - duck was very juicy on the inside and had a thin, crispy skin. Eat both together and dip in that gravy. -scotch egg 5/5 - first time having this. Hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage mixture. Interesting texture. It was good though. -Apple strudel 5/5 - fresh, warm apples with cinnamon. Pastry dough was soft and delicious. Honestly, once you take a bite you don’t want to put the fork down.

I came here a couple times but not recently. I’ll have to come back since I live a lot closer and I love German food. If you came on a weekend then it might be difficult to find a table immediately. However, on a weekday you will have a much shorter wait. I tried the almond crusted duck tenders, stuffed cabbage rolls, and Hunter’s schnitzel. The duck tenders were crunchy, could use more duck taste, but tastes good with the orange-horseradish marmalade. Stuffed cabbage rolls were superb. Cabbage was easy to slice and the meat was very tender. Hunter’s schnitzel was nicely breaded with succulent chicken. The gravy was very mouth watering and savory. Great service. Prices were good for the amount of...

I am a German from a good German family. I haven't eaten here for about ten years. It was good ten years ago. I don't know what happened in the meantime. There is nothing on the menu that is remotely German. It is only a pale, Americanized version of what someone thinks German food might be like. The sauerbraten was like thin lunchmeat with watered down gravy that someone might have waived a gingersnap over. It was definitely not a cut of roast of thick meat with proper gravy. I don't know how anyone could call this schnitzel. Schnitzel is a veal. We asked and veal is not even an option. There is no such thing as chicken schnitzel. What is wrong with you? Pork schnitzel is an American abomination of real meat. All the gravies were too thin and tasted like they came out of a can. They had little to know seasoning. The potatoes had no seasoning. The sauerkraut wasn't fermented. It tasted like shredded cabbage with too much vinegar. The meats were all overcooked and dry around the edges. The spaetzle was ok, unless you put the gravy on it. The latkes weren't horrible but how can you mess up apple sauce or sour cream? The atmosphere was questionable. The restaurant was packed, but I don't know why. Can there be this many people who are content to eat a bland Americanized version of what should have been good Deutsches essen? Apparently so. The restaurant was loud. Very loud. This isn't so horrible but there are large dividers between rows of booths which I think made it echo even more. By the way, a typical German restaurant wouldn't have divided booths. It should be a big open area with separate tables. All the booths/tables have art deco lamps over them. Those don't fit with German decor. The weird curly iron flourishes on the booths don't fit with German decor. It's just not cohesive. Really, the only good things I can say about it are that the service was excellent, our waiter was fast, helpful, diligent and quite nice, and the spaetzle wasn't horrible. I honestly can't recommend eating here ever again unless something big changes....

I really enjoy traditional German restaurants, but sadly they have been slowly dying off in this region for decades.

So my wife and her family decided that we should go here for fathers day.

Overall it was a decent experience although there were a few things that were a disappointment.

They take reservations. Which is really great. We only had a party of 6 but they easily accommodated. Although the place was busy it wasn't PACKED. Heck our section by the bar wasn't even full. The atmosphere was your average German bar/restaurant. For this type of restaurant that works in their favor.

The server seemed flustered throughout the evening as he was consistently forgetting our drinks or food. He was super nice but still...

They have a great beer menu with lots of great traditional German beers as well as local craft brews. Tons of beers on tap. The person who runs the bar and the beer list knows what they are doing. So major thumbs up for that.

Food was decent although the prices for some of the dishes are high for what you're getting. The patato pancakes are a H U G E disappointment as most German restaurants feature this and do it up with a nice presentation. These things come out dark brown and looking deflated. Almost like they are pre-made/frozen. Your Sour cream and Applesauce comes in tiny cups like 2 tbsp worth. 🤷‍♂️

Liver Dumpling soup was super good though. So I give them credit for that.

Spatzle was a little underwhelming..bland.

The sausages were good, but not the best I've ever had. Schnitzel was fairly good.

All in all I figure this place was decent enough to try to give them another chance in the future. But please FTLOG somone get that chef some help with the Potato...