Kaiserhof Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

As a German (born, raised, and still being a citizen) living in the U.S. for 10 years I am always happy to hear of a place to eat out supposedly authentic German food. When visiting last Sunday we were very excited reading over the menu and seeing some of our favorite German dishes listed. My friend stepped in first to inquire if it was ok to bring the dog into the Biergarten (as is perfectly fine and legal all over Germany). This was not the case in this supposedly authentic place. After being seated we had a male waiter approach our table. No greetings, no introduction, no smile. We ordered out drinks and an appetizer. Originating from the southern region of Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg) we ordered the Maultaschen and awaited with mouthwatering exhilaration the familiar culinary treat. To our disappointment the dish delivered were not authentical Maultaschen. The dough was not a Nudeldough, the shape was not the correct squarely shape, the filling was off, and the dish came in gravy (correct would be in a broth or 'geschmelzt'). It was not bad tasting for some triangularly shaped, filled pocket dish - but a clear misrepresentation of the genuine dish. The rest of our order - Zigeunerschnitzel und Sauerbraten - left a bit to be desired as well. The meat was great: very tender and tasty! However, the Spaetzle were very greasy, which would have been ok if it had been butter. This was oil though. The cabbage looked and tasted like the stuff you can buy in the glass at Stater Bros. But what truly made this a disappointing experience was the absolutely arrogant and unfriendly waiting staff. I'm aware that us Germans have a reputation of being rude. And yet, these allegedly rude folk felt offended by the waiter's impoliteness. Overall, I'd suggest they proof the authenticity of their recipes a bit - Dirndl-wearing staff does NOT make a restaurant and its food genuine! Also, with probably 90% of their customers being American: don't be even ruder than the real deal....it's not giving your place of business, nor your alleged heritage a very...

UPDATE: the new renovations are beautiful! Is got its same German charm with a hint of modernity. I do kinda miss the paintings they had in the main dining room prior to the remodel though. The food was better than ever. We had our baked camembert, like always. Im addicted to it and order it everytime we go(read my original post for more info) Then I had the venison special. Wow talk about flavor. The venison cut like butter and the sauce...oh the sauce... all I can say is NOM NOM NOM. I could have drank that sauce! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. My only disappointment was that they ran out of black forest cake. We "settled" for German chocolate cake. It was light, flavorful and moist. I highly recommend if you like coconut.

Original post: My husband is from Germany and he fondly remembers coming here as a child and says it's still as good and authentic today as it was 30 years ago. It was my first time but it won't be my last! The ox tail soup was to die for! I have never eaten a soup so flavorful, rich and balanced. If you have the opportunity to try it, DO IT! You won't regret it. Next we had a baked camembert and lingonberry jam on toast for an appetizer which was a close second after the ox tail soup. My husband's Roulade of beef was succulent and flavorful and my wiener schnitzel was so tender and delicious(I do wish there was some sort of sauce to go with it though I think that's my American palette). We got dessert and brought them home. I preferred the princess cake to the chocolate cake, my husband was the opposite. I think there is only one draw back about Kaiserhof's and even this one is a small one, is the price. It's a touch on the pricier side. However quality and authenticity make up for that. Next time I go I'm gonna be more adventurous. There is so many things on the menu that sounded good. I wish I wouldn't have played it safe however the veal was...

I’m originally from Germany and have been going to Kaiserhof since 2006. This place has noticably been going downhill over the years. i’m not one to leave reviews for restaurants, even when they’re bad, but this last visit prompted me to do so. Prices have risen drastically over the years and portions are being cut in half. Few years back when you ordered the Rouladen for example, you would get two Rouladens and the price was around $20. Now you pay $35 and you get one Rouladen only. I understand prices of goods rise and there’s inflation to account for also, but cutting the portions in half if you’re already nearly doubling the prices? This last visit was extra disappointing. Both, my brother (who was visiting from Germany) and I both ordered the Käsespätzle and they were bone-dry and hard, and there was barely any cheese on it. We also ordered the Schweizer Wurstsalat. They add salad leaves supposedly „as garnish“, but they literally filled the plate with large thick leaves of iceberg lettuce across the whole plate and then lay a tiny amount of Wurstsalat over it to evoke the feeling that you’re getting a normal portion when you’re not. You’re basically paying $16 for mostly iceberg lettuce and a couple tomato slices with a tiny amount of Wurstsalad laid atop. When I order a Wurstsalat, then that’s what I want …not a plate full of iceberg lettuce. I ate this dish there many times in the past and this didn’t used to be this way, not sure what happened. Something has definitely changed in quality and quantity and I’m probably not going back. However and in all fairness, the waitress/service was alright. Also, my son ordered the Sauerbraten sandwich which looked like a decent-sized portion and tasted fine...