Mader's Restaurant — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Big let down…..

I read the raves about Mader’s years ago and anticipated my visit one-day which recently came to fruition. My expectations were tempered by the multitude of 5-star google ratings and the impressive list of celebrity visitors displayed at the business entrance. I resided in Germany for 3 years and I yearned for that familiar food.

Mader’s is proud to boast about the long history of the restaurant having been established in 1910. I found the atmosphere accommodating and warm well outside of the typical American restaurant. But I dined in gasthauses in Germany more than 500 years old that carry on with little fanfare and found Mader’s perhaps less elaborate than the “typical” German restaurant.

The menu was fairly extensive and unreasonably expensive, which elevated my expectations. However, there were some inconsistencies. One of their featured dishes is Wiener Schnitzel which is indisputably a veal dish. What is offered as Wiener Schnitzel is actually a pork schnitzel. However, you can “upgrade” to veal for a $9 sir charge. I found that a little misleading for a German restaurant.

My family of four all ordered something different. I selected Mader’s signature dish the pork shank, which is SCHWEINSHAXEN in Germany.

We waited a reasonable amount of time for our food to arrive. My disappointment arose immediately when I saw the waiter emerge from the kitchen at the other side of the dining room.

A SCHWEINSHAXEN is supposed to be monolith. It' represents man's conquest of fire and his dominion over and husbandry of animals. It is also an invitation to a coronary. I have consumed them all over Germany and they have all been consistent: a large shank of pork, embraced in its' natural fat roasted to the point that the outside fat is crispy and caramelized with the underlying meat tender and moist.

What was presented to me was a reduced portion by German standards and perhaps a sanitized version by American standards as the shank was devoid of any fat. It had been trimmed off. Before or after cooking I know not. But the presentation was a huge disappointment. It was certainly edible but I get the same experience when I throw pork hocks in the crock-pot. It was the least satisfying SCHWEINSHAXEN I have ever had at 3-4 times the price of what I would pay in Germany.

The pork schnitzel was equally disappointing. In Germany an individual serving is served on a platter with the schnitzel occupying 2/3 of the platter. The portion size didn't present much bigger than a 1/4 lb hamburger. Again, it was certainly edible, and to an unaccustomed pallet it could have been satisfying.

I shared my disappointment with the manager. I related my expectations based on my previous Germany residency and learned that she had never been to Germany. She did make an adjustment to the bill which was a kind gesture.

I don't know if the cooking staff learned the art of German cooking in Europe. Most Americans will continue to rave about the food at Mader's. I don't want to spoil anyone's experience, mileage may vary. There is no incentive for Mader's to change anything as customers appear to be consistently and overwhelmingly satisfied. But, anyone with a more continental palate may as I did find the food lacking.

I read one review reflecting that the food didn't appear very healthy. Be advised: traditional German food is not for the...

Was really looking forward to a nice hearty meal after a long day. My companion and I were somewhat let down. The descriptions were great, what we got, not so much. At first it was a little hard to decide, the menu has a lot of offerings. We tried the potato pancakes. I wish it was 2 or 4 Why 3? Anyway, they are shown covered with sour cream, Wisconsin maple syrup, and apple sauce. I ordered with all that on the side, would like to enjoy the texture of the pancakes. They come out loaded, returned. The cakes had a nice crust, nicely textured body, they were good. Not outstanding, but good. We only used a little sour cream and some of the applesauce. We thought we'd not waste the maple syrup and I poured it into the small empty beer can I had so we'd put it on our oatmeal in the morning. I then tasted what was left in the dish - Mrs. Butterworth's NOT real maple syrup. I guess the first clue should've been they gave us about 1/2 a cup. So when you get this, you wonder if the apple sauce is really homemade or something commercial they tweak? Do they really think customers don't know what maple syrup tastes like?

Main course - companion had the German sampler. She said the sauerbraten was good but the schnitzel was thick and dry. The ham was thickly sliced and tender, but to me just tasted like a thicker slice of Honey roasted, though much less salty. The potato dumpling was a hard, dry and unseasoned ball of potato with some bread crumbs on top. Really underwhelming. Just a lump sitting there; no gravy no butter, nothing to make it palatable. Not seasoned.

I had the pork shank that is supposed to be the most famous dish. It was a nice hunk of pork, and yes, it was tender, but also not seasoned. They mention some demi glaze on it, but I don't know about that. I opted for the red cabbage which was very mushy and the shank was sitting in a semi-gelatinous mass of cabbage and maybe the demi-glaze? There were two red potatoes, small, cut in half and plopped on the cabbage.

Service was average, waiter pleasant. When I mentioned the maple syrup was not maple syrup, he just shrugged. We had two beers, they were reasonably priced. Nevertheless, we parted with $120. I would not return, nor would I recommend. I joke about not going to places where the wait staff is in costume, this is the second time I've been right. The place is decorated nicely with interesting weapons, stained glass and the like.

I have some photos of the meals, but for some reason, I am unable to upload them.

I am first generation Hungarian and have had and prepared this kind of European food, so I think I can make a...

This is a review that hurts to write…. I have fond memories of coming here as a boy and having fantastic German food with equally impressive service. What the hell happened..? I stopped in with the girlfriend for lunch. We opted for the bar as I’ve never been here as a legal drinking age adult and nobody even manned the host station for the 6-7 minutes we waited. We waited 10 if not more minutes for someone to acknowledge us at the bar. In that time, we watched who I presume to be a regular patron not only dispose of his food in the caddy behind where guests are allowed, but also wash his hands in the bar station before returning to his seat at the bar. Is that not odd? It gets weirder. The person who did greet us was a tattooed waiter who I could tell immediately was drunk. Not tipsy, not buzzing, but absolutely blitzed.. This was confirmed when he told the bartender how he grabbed a half pint of Jim Beam at a liquor store prior to riding the bus to work. He also expressed his concern that he wouldn’t have enough booze left for the ride home. He was kind enough to get us menus though lol. When the bartender did appear (had an Italian maybe? Name. Vincenzo?) he was really cool and attentive as well as knowledgeable on food and beverage. Truthfully the bartender was the only thing keeping this review from heading to 2 stars. Reuben rolls rocked, liver dumpling was good, maybe salty but still plenty edible, and the beer was cold. The bar stools need new upholstery bad and they’re mismatched and will vary in height. My schnitzel was way over cooked but the spatzel and kraut were good. It may sound like the experience turned a corner and went positive.. until a new female bartender/waitress had to smell the bars milk jug in front of us to be sure her banana concoction wasn’t going to be rancid. That made our stomachs turn. Overall, it’s worth a stop for a beer and appetizer at most. I couldn’t justify their dinner prices based off of what I saw today. It kills me to know what this once great landmark has become. They’re banking on their legacy of catering to the worlds elite to keep a subpar business afloat. Yeah, JFK and Jimmy Stewart liked the place in the 60’s, but what good is that...