Driving through the outskirts of nowhere we didn't expect to find a German restaurant, let alone a good one, but-- BAM! There it is. The food is great. The menu looked pricy but it turned out to be a good value. The entrees are generously sized and they'll serve refills on the side dishes. Next time we might split an entree so we can sample an appetizer and a dessert.
The beer choices here are pretty good, as you'd expect from a German restaurant. Lots of rare imports on tap. They also have Bud Light in bottles. Two people at the table next to us ordered them. I just about walked over and slapped them. What kind of ass-clowns order Bud Light with German food? They probably order cheeseburgers at fine steak houses, too.
Ambiance is very old world-y. We sat upstairs in an area that felt like the top level of an old lodge.
The one minus at Bavarian Chef is the service. This was a big problem that significantly reduced my enjoyment of the experience. If the service had been in line with everything else about the restaurant I'd be writing a 5-star review instead of 3.
Service problems started with the overly formal hostess at the front door. The folks in front of us had a reservation, yet she asked them numerous questions and made very careful notes in her ledger. It seemed like she was making them interview for a job, not welcoming them as paying customers.
We didn't have a reservation, so after our Q&A we were sent to the worst table at the back of the room where there was so little light my wife couldn't read the menu without having to get out of her chair. "Okay," I though, "All the other tables are reserved." But when we left an hour later the room wasn't even half full. They could have given us a nicer table.
Visits from the waiter were infrequent. I understand going 20 minutes between seeing the waiter is common in Germany, but it's nonsense to duplicate that bit of the culture in the US. At these prices I expect prompter service.
Our third visit to this wonderful German restaurant. The food is better than ever. The red pepper soup was excellent , and the waitress even split the appetizer in two since we were sharing. The sausage platter and rosted pork with dumpling special were as expected. Â Can't wait to go back. The best.
Review Source:German is the hubby's favorite food...we were both stationed in Germany so they bring back good memories for us. We hadn't tried The Bavarian Chef yet so we made a reservation for this evening. I was most pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere and the pleasantness of the staff. Many German restaurants have a rather surly wait staff and I'll be damned if its not part of the charm.
I thought the decor was nice and the ambience the best for German restaurants I've tried.
Hubby has a favorite, and nothing so far has lived up to Das Waldcafe in Newport News Va. Â Tonight was no exception. One time he was eating at Das Waldcafe alone and the old German waitress came up and said "That's just so sad." He said, defensively, "I have a girlfriend but she couldn't make it!" Haha. That's the attitude we're used to!
So, back to the food. I ordered the pretzel appetizer because I'm always in search of the fest pretzel. This was the first that didn't disappoint. It was HUGE and came with both cheese sauce and mustard. Not sure it was worth $9.00 but I loved it anyway. Didn't eat it all because I had to save room for dinner.
I was super impressed that they had a vegetarian entree on the menu! That's a first. Unfortunately, it wasn't so impressive tasting but I'm still happy for the effort. It was portabella schnitzel over spaetzle with a Gouda cheese melted on top of tomatoes. I think I would have really enjoyed it if it had a mushroom sauce on top instead of the cheese. Please change it, please! I was so excited to have an entree in my genre. I noticed someone else said it wasn't so good with the cheese either. But a mushroom sauce? Could have been epic.
Hubby ordered the cordon bleu and he ate about half and brought the rest home. He said it was good but not exceptional. The spaetzle were much drier and chewier than Das Waldcafe.
We loved the family style sides. The spaetzle were about a 3, potatoes a 4, beans a 4, and he liked the carrots but I didn't. My meal was a 2.5 but the pretzel was a 5 for me. Hubby's food was a 3.5.
He had the apple strudel and I had the carrot cake. Both ok but not $9 good. With one drink, one appetizer, two entrees and two desserts before tip we were at $89. Seems pretty pricey to me. I think we'll go there again but we won't go rushing back.
I've heard many people rant and rave about this place; I won't be.
We made a reservation and were seated 15 minutes later, ok, but we made a reservation for a reason. The brezeln was absolutely delicious (aside from the not so authentic "beer cheese"), however, the main courses were not so good. I guess standard protocol is to deliver 5 sides, served family style, to the table. The zucchini was strange, the rotkohl was quite sweet, the green beans were probably from a can, along with the potato dumplings. The spaetzel was sitting in a bowl of grease/oil and was nearly inedible. As for the main dishes, I ordered the Wiener Schnitzel and she ordered the Portabella Schnitzel. My schnitzel was sitting in the exact same oil that the spaetzel was in, when you picked it up, it just dripped down the "veal" cutlet. The portabell schnitzel was smothered in some cheese and was also swimming in oil. I am not sure what was with the oil-theme that night.
I wouldn't recommend this for truly authentic german food, but perhaps the atmosphere. Then again, perhaps it was a bad night for the Bavarian Chef?
It had been a few years since we stopped by the Bavarian Chef...It was pretty good on the few other stops...but, this one was just awesome!
Did they get some new cook? Or did someone just learn from their errors and bring their cooking to a whole new level? Â That would be my guess.
I had the pork shank. Â OK...it may very well be the very best piece of meat I've had in recent memory. Â The shank was enormous; and it was fork tender and at the same time the skin was crispy. Â It was like eating crispy bacon and tender, succulent roasted whole hog. Â
My wife had the jaegerschnitzel...and as usual that was real tender veal with plenty of mushrooms and nice cream sauce. Â
We had the sausage appetizer...and although not hand made on site, they each were tasty. Â and the sides of sauerkraut, red cabbage, carrots each were great, but even better together with the main courses.
OK...and then there is dessert...no way we could eat any more...so, we took a slice (understatement) of German Chocolate cake home in a takeout box. Â
This is the best German food I found this side of the Atlantic. Â Really miss German food and it is nice to feel like I was in Germany...the location, near the Shenandoah, helps with the Bavarian feel.
First, I can't believe I lived in & around C'ville for so long and never ate here. Second, I hope to be back.
My boyfriend & I went here for a special birthday dinner. We were staying in a cabin nearby for the weekend.
After a long drive from DC on a Friday night, we arrived nearly 45 minutes before our reservation--but were seated right away. Wearing shorts and t-shirts, we did not feel out of place.
Unlike lots of other restaurants that group diners into sections like sardines (even if there are only a few guests), we noticed that the BC staff had spread diners out throughout the restaurant to give everyone a little bit of privacy. It was much appreciated.
Decent selection of German beers on tap. My boyfriend ordered the 2-liter "boot," and I had a one-liter mug. The "boot" was a showstopper.
For dinner, everything we had was fabulous. The bread basket and herb-y butter were nice, but knowing we had a large meal coming, we pushed it away after a couple pieces.
Appetizers of snails in beer batter and the sausage sampler were both delicious. The mashed potatoes with the sausages may have been some of the best I've ever had. By the time we were done with the appetizers, we were sure we had no more room for dinner.
But somehow, we managed. Dinner was enormous portions of weinerschnitzel (for me), and the special, which was an entire pork shank with sausage stuffing (for him). Â When I say "enormous," I mean HUGE. Seriously, our two entrees were enough food to serve four people. The weinerschnitzel was good. The pork was amazing!
We were blown away by how good the sides were. I fell in love with the red cabbage! The sweet & sour taste was a good foil for the rich weinerschnitzel. The spatezel was good mixed with the gravies from the meats. The squash / zucchini was delicious. The bland potato dumplings were the least amazing thing we ordered, but everything else more than made up for it.
We ordered a couple of desserts to go, and the waitress was good at helping us select items that would be good to travel with. We also took nearly half of our meals with us, and enjoyed them for a midnight snack and breakfast the next morning.
Other reviewers have commented on the cheesy / outdated decor, but we really liked the old-school feel. Felt like we were eating at a grandmother's house.
I want to come back soon!
If you want light and healthy food, this may not be the best choice; if you want to stuff yourself with awesome German food and oversize glasses of Weihenstephaner on tap, this is the place to go! Â I ate here with some colleagues, and I only wish I had had the time to relax and drink a couple more beers rather than having to cut it off after one to drive home. Â
Pretty much everything that we tried was delicious. Â The sausage platter was as good as you could hope for, with three huge links of different varieties. Â The Schweine Kotelett (pork chops) were larger than I would have thought possible to consume, but since everyone polished them off, I assume they were as tasty as they were huge. Â The Wiener Schnitzel was crispy and perfectly golden brown. Â
I liked that they served the sides all family style (this may just be for large groups though).  Everyone's meals were large enough that they couldn't have eaten a lot of sides, but it was nice to be able to try them all, particularly the Spätzle, which was as good as any I've ever had. Â
The only thing we didn't try were any desserts, but given the portion sizes I don't know how anyone could. Â Next time I'm in the area I'll stop by again, and maybe this time I'll leave room for that too...
I have been dining at Bavarian chef for the past 20 years. Â Growing up, this was our special restaurant for important events (Mother's day, birthdays, prom dinner). Â Located on 29North in Madison, Virginia this restaurant is an easy drive from Charlottesville, VA. Â The menu consists of traditional and not so traditional German fare. Â Entrees are served with family style sides. Â A party of 3 will have the option of 4 sides. Â Portions are generous and the wait staff is always friendly. Â
On our last visit, I felt the restaurant had lost a little of it's normal appeal and our meals had a few misses. Â If you like German food, I wouldn't discourage you from making the relatively short drive to check out Bavarian Chef.
Restaurant tends to have an older crowd which means later reservations are easy to come by but earlier time slots fill up quickly.
I had the most terrific sauce here. Â It was a dish that was new to me and so delicious: ziguener lendchen! Â It is a tomato based sauce with caramelized onions, mushroom, and bacon. Â It ends up having a consistency that is like a cross between an Italian tomato pasta sauce and northern European red cabbage. Â The bacon and onions make it so flavorful. Â The pork that came with it was overcooked, but that's so common in German restaurants that I almost wonder if it is part of a restaurant's authenticity.
This restaurant is not cheap, but when the food comes, you're happy that you came. Â The red cabbage, spatzle, and bread sides were average to good. Â They have a great selection of German beers which is par for the course. Â They get the interior correct with typical German restaurant 'let's pretend we're at the Hansel and Gretel but during a party vibe.' Â It can remind me of a '70's supper club at times, but hey German restaurants are too rare, so I guess why update?
The service was very good, the waitress dressed in one of those German style dresses (which I imagine are dry clean only and never get dry cleaned) but I don't care it's like Disney world and I'm there for the experience.
German restaurants get passes because there are so few of them, so with all of my German restaurant reviews, I generally add a whole star on just for them being German. Â This is an average to good German restaurant and a great place to come to if you like German food... if not then it's totally skippable. Â The ziguener lendchen sauce is a five+ star sauce though!
Dark wood interior, somewhat Bavarian farm house and barn ambiance, very friendly young wait staff dressed in Busch Gardens polka-dance style, and I found the food as authentic and more tasty than that in Germany itself. Â Very rich sauces, loaded with cream. Â Don't eat for a day or two before visiting.
Review Source:This is the second closest I have found to what I want in a German place on the East Coast[0]. Â The closest closed a few years ago, and I still want to firebomb anyone who took over the spot. Â I've found a few other places, some fancier and more expensive with damn good food, some lower-brau but the food not as good. Â Bavarian Chef seemed to be a little on the higher/fancier side of what I want, but not as pricy/high end as many places I've seen out here, and spot on for the food. Â
Decent German beer selection, not as vast as a couple places I've found out here, but given the other drinking I'd been doing on my trip[1], I didn't care. Â If I was looking for a biergarten, I'd have been concerned, but this was a straight up restaurant, and I'm fine with that. Â Most of the selectiosn tended to be in the Weihenstephaner, Hofbrau, etc. range of classics, and there's nothing wrong with that. As a note, it looked like most beer had the options of a .3 liter, .6 liter, 1 liter, and DAS BOOT![2] Â Yes, a two liter beer container. Â I didn't get a cost, and I was alone, which was probably a mistake.
Why a mistake to dine alone? Â Because the portions are bigger than the former Prussian empire. Â It's not that the prices are high, it's that the entrees are big enough for two people, and I wanted to try everything. Â My belt broke faster than the Berlin wall[3] in 1989. Â I had the sausage sampler appetizer (with sauerkraut and some damn creamy mashed potatoes), which they apparently offer as a larger entree. Â I have to have the sausage, but always want other stuff, so this was perfect. Â For dinner, it was a choice between a special duck basted in Kirschwasser, Jaegerschnitzel, Wienerschnitzel, and Rouladen. Â I opted out of the duck, which sounded awesome, but wanted something I grew up with -- in that another diner walked out mentioning the duck was half a freaking duck, I choose wisely. Â I figured I like schnitzel, and I really like wild mushrooms, so the sauce won out (Jaeger over Weiner) and it came down to that or Rouladen. Â On the waitress' reccomendation, I went with the schnitzel, and will have to try that Rouladen another time. Â It came with two sides, so I went with red cabbage (covered the sweet/sour I missed on the rouladen, and I'd had sauerkraut already) and spaetzle. Â It is law that I have spaetzle with German food, or I will get angry enough to invade Poland. Â You heard me! Â
All of this food, and I mean all of it, was freaking amazing. Â I devoured a goodly portion of it, knowing I wanted to save room for dessert, but not sure I could make it. Â Again, I needed a second person. Â At some point, mostly stuffed, I gave up and decided some of it had to come home with me, and I couldn't likely even do dessert. Â I opted to look at the tray anyway, and that damn siren called me back into her sweet arms. Â The desserts looked amazing, and I had to have strudel. Â It had that perfect flaky yet moist crust, freshly cooked (and possibly local) apples, and a scoop of some damn good vanilla ice cream on the side. Â I killed most of what I could, but just couldn't finish that off either. Â That obviously couldn't come home, but I made a serious dent.
As for atmosphere, it makes me think of some of the nicer (but not gourmet) sorts of German places attached to hotels. Â White tablecloths and darker interior, but not the kind of place that'll turn tourists in jeans away or send them downstairs to the bar. Â Waitstaff was very good, and most of them dressed in beer wench type outfits (in a tasteful way, not a German Hooters sort of way). Â
Seriously, the only downer to this is that it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere off Rt. 29. Â Well, that and I didn't get to try the duck. Â The good news is, though, they apparently opened a place in Fredericksburg, too, so while still a hike for me, definitely worth trying and much closer to home.
Dammit, now I want spaetzle.
[0] I grew up in the Great Lakes area. Â I don't expect that level of German food, because nobody can handle it here.
[1] Charlottesville has some very fine wineries/brewpubs. Â *hiccup*
[2] Yes, I know that means boat, because I studied German for 5 years and have seen the WWII submarine flick "Das Boot" in the original language, with the teacher's actual war veteran (on the German side!) father in class. Â If you're that stuffy, go drink a 2 L boot of beer and chill the hell out.
[3] I bet you expected a joke about the French army's front line here. Â Too easy, and I'm cool with the Frenchies.
Pay no attention to the complaints of the barrel-assed sows squealing about this restaurant. This is the best damned German food in both of Virginia's hemispheres.
The wait staff are incredibly friendly and attentive, the portions are extremely generous, the German beer selection is good and of course the food itself is spectacular.
I've been here three times and each time has been great. I love this place. Food is delicious. Portions are HUGE! Never had anything here I didn't like. Jaeger Schnitzel is awesome. Creamed corn, Spetzel, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Cooked Carrots were all delicious.
They have several German beers on tap. Have a 2 liter boot of beer!
Great service. Nena (Nina?) and the rest of the wait staff was very friendly and attentive.
The only downside is that this place is in the middle of nowhere on Route 29. It's about an hour and a half drive for me to get here, but it has always been worth it. Â They just opened a Fredricksburg, VA location a few months ago. I want to try that since it is a bit closer.
How can you not LOVE this place? Â I loved it when I lived with my family in Charlottesville,VA 20 years ago, and I love it now even though I have to travel over an hour from Northern Virginia. Â I married a German (well, half German - Mother is German, born in Frankfurt), and his family used to travel from Woodbridge, VA to The Bavarian Chef to enjoy a good German meal. Â
We visited most recently during Charlottesville's Restaurant Week (6/11-6/17/2011). Â We enjoyed a fabulous beer sampler which held five different .2 liters of German beer. Â As an appetizer, we loved the Hungarian Goulash. Â It tasted just like my mother-in-law's - rich with beef and paprika. Â We also sampled the red pepper bisque with crab. Â So creamy and rich it made me wish I could take some home. Â For dinner, I had the Jagger Schnitzel which was fork tender, and bathed in mushrooms and creamy Burgundy sauce. Â I choose the spatzle and red cabbage as sides, while my husband choose potato dumplings and cream corn. Â I would trade my spatzle for the potato dumplings. Â They were amazing. Â They were light and creamy even as they soaked up the sauce. Â YUM! Â I've tried many times to duplicate their red cabbage with little success. Â It retains its texture while being tangy and sweet. Â Cream corn is wonderful. Â Nothing like the kind you get out of a can, but silky with cream and butter.
Service was exceptional as I watched one woman "sample" 3 different wines before selecting a red she hadn't tried and requesting a glass of ice to plop into it. Â Really?! Â The bartender never batted an eye just gave her what she wanted. Â One gentleman got cranky about the lack of Budweiser on tap (SERIOUSLY?! Â Did he see the selection of German beer on tap?) Â She offered to suggest it to management. Â LOL! Â One table of 15 next to us complained there was too much food (Um...doggie bags) while they were served in the same time frame that our table of 2 was served. Â That's great service! Â Through it all, I never saw one wait person get cranky or rude.
Having traveled to Germany to meet the in-laws, I can assure you this place is authentic. Â Maybe the decor is a little kitch' but even THAT is authentic to Germany. Â Come looking for great German beer, fabulous schnitzel, and sides that make you look up German recipes at home in an effort to enjoy them again. I can't say enough great things! Â It is WUNDERBAR!
This place has some decent entrees, but is on balance over priced and mediocre.  The quality has declined in recent years, although the artery clogging  use of butter and huge portions remain the same.  This is not real German food, rather a buttery pastiche. Â
The ambience is downright depressing, with water stains on the ceiling and trim that hasn't been painted in years.
The desert was a stale dry German chocolate cake that was probably at least a few days old. My wife and I will never go back to this place.
A huge thumbs up and save room for dessert.
I've been here a few times but last time was lunch for my wife's birthday. One of the many specials that day was a Ruben schnitzel. OMG!!! Two pieces of lightly breaded veal with very tender corned beef, Swiss cheese, and a home made thousand island dressing. It was awesome!!!
So much food I couldn't finish it. I took the rest home and put it between two pieces of bread for dinner and I truly think it was the best sandwich I've ever had.
I got a half-liter of hefeweizen and I wasn't sure I liked it so I made sure to get another.
I would also say that you at least should get them to show you the dessert tray. They have wonderful cakes, cheese cakes, flour less cakes, cobblers, ice cream, and a chocolate margarita. All that I have tried are amazing.
It's a relatively small place and I highly recommend a reservation but it is well worth it.
We made the trip up to this place two or three times when I lived in Charlottesville. Â I could have eaten there every night if my wallet and my metabolism could keep up with it.
I lived in Germany for four years and am very picky about my German food. Â These guys do it right. Â Great food, and lots of it; great beer; and the atmosphere took me straight back to some great places we've been in Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, and Bayern.
My absolute pick here would be the Schweineshaxen (pork knuckle). Â They do a great job with it, nice and crispy on the outside, very tender and falling off the bone underneath. Â Just as it should be.
I saw the one star review below complaining about reservations and had to laugh. Â We drove past this place quite often on US 29, and we noticed that this place is ALWAYS packed. Â (I think wine tasting groups make this their stop at the end of their bus tours.) Â Rule of thumb to use for this place, if it's open, it's packed. Â Book in advance.
Appetizers:
Roasted red pepper soup - delightfully good, boldly spicy, tempted us to go primal and lick the bowl clean.
Bavarian sausage appetizer with delicious sauerkraut and mashed potatoes - yummy good, juicy - spectacular.
Entrees:
Karlsbadener Sahnegoulasch - an interesting dish, marginally good, not something that we were relishing every bite of but decent.
Jager Schnitzel, wow what an explosion of delightful flavor, cream, mushrooms, bacon - yumm... it was Godly well, until... I dug down to the actual veal which was coated in what looks like, acts like and tastes like a grotesque, sub-ihop omelet batter mix.
Now, I love eggs, but they must have used 2 brow beaten eggs to coat my veal, no sign of nearly one poor bread crumb, no sign of flour, no adhesive culinary value in this egg-mysterious vileness coating on my poor veal. I gathered the egg mass, and piled it up on a plate 3" high wondering what the chef was thinking. Beyond overwhelming this very mild flavored dish with so much egg, it was browned, you know how when you cook an omelet and the edges of the egg get a bit crusty and that brown, baked egg taste that goes with it. Resulting in an exquisite combination of mushrooms, cream and bacon and a putrefied flavor thief hiding in my dish, pretending to befriend my veal but violating all that is sacred about this dish.
I presented the waitress with my mountain of  browned egg batter and exclaimed, this can't be normal - I mean the chef could not have possibly been thinking this is a good idea or that this tastes good. Maybe there was an imposter in the kitchen, the dish boy was filling in for a moment and forgot the flour and breadcrumbs to make the schnitzel coating?
Surprisingly I was told that Mike, their head chef, who apparently had been there a long time created this recipe with the owner. I appealed to her to let him know that he really does have it all wrong, someone must have pulled a cruel joke. I actually couldn't sleep very well last night thinking about just how disastrous this seemingly small detail of the dish ruined it all. I could hear chef Ramsey, spitting - puking - shaking his head in disgust saying what is wrong with you, where are the bread crumbs, that he wouldn't feed it to a dog.
Once the egg-poster was caught, piled and disposed of (let's be honest, I'm sure this could be served to a dog and the animal would be quite pleased) the rest of the dish was outstanding, a culinary masterpiece - I love mushrooms, was only left pondering if they had added some fresh porcinis or chanterelles to this dish how heavenly it would be. It was nonetheless, sublime.
For dessert we opted for one of the parfaits with liquor. The ice cream texture was full of ice crystals, clearly the sign of a poor quality product (not enough cream), something well past its prime, perhaps a fledgling ice cream maker who tried to force the mixture in the freezer before reaching the magical combination of cream and texture, or a victim of being left out of the freezer and put back for the re-freeze. Whoever is scooping it out has to see the ice crystals in the ice cream, they must hear the breaking of molecular ice crystals as they collect a scoop for their victims. It tasted like a chocolate ice-berg.
Service was poor, didn't get a refill on water once, took forever to see the dessert tray after we were clearly done. Our waitress was very nice but not as one the ball as one would expect in a restaurant like this.
Ratings:
Red Pepper Soup - 8.75, could have been a 10 with fresh crab
Karlsbadener Sahnegoulasch - solid 7, not memorable
Jager Schnitzel with vile-icious egg flack-jacket coating - 5
Jager Schnitzel without vile-icious egg flack-jacket coating - 9.25 - could be a 10 with fresh wild mushrooms or even some dried porcini powder waking up the fungal-icious aroma a tad.
Spatzle, - marginally great, gets an 8 (hey that rhymes)
Red Cabbage - objectively an 8, too sweet for me which is a rarity but I'm sure those that like traditional European red cabbage dishes will enjoy it.
Potato Dumpling - 10 Exquisite, great texture - perfect amount of starch in the potatoes, wow!
String Beans - 5, poor ratings on several factors. Really looking for a fresh product here, seemed like they were stewed forever, I could have whisked the whole dish into a string bean bisque soup with my fork in 30 seconds.
Parfait with Liquor, once you violate the ice cream rule there is nothing left to say, rates a 1, actual taste irrespective of the ice cream violation was good, very chocolaty, good liquor combinations. If they used fresh Haagen-Dazs this would have been a strong 9.
We had a good time and were glad we went, we won't hurry back but if we are driving by and hungry would drop in again. There is enough good to great stuff there that makes it worth the visit and worth the cost. There remain a couple things on the menu that I would love to try.
Our trip to Madison, VA to the Bavarian Chef was delightful. The old world atmosphere and the delicious, traditional German cuisine make this unlikely setting in the middle of nowhere worth the drive from Charlottesville or NOVA.
World class food. The Jaeger Schnitzel is awesome. Creamed corn and Roasted Red Bell Pepper soup are scrumptious.
Try the Grande Marnier cake if you're not the designated driver..otherwise stick with the NUT BALL for dessert.
Well, we didn't eat here because the lady who I spoke to was so rude to us. Â KIM, hung up the phone on me when I asked for the address. Â When I called back, she answered again, told me the address but then said that we must make reservations and that they were booked tonight (it was only 5 p.m.) AND she had no idea when they'd have a free table. Â So, if she is looking to help business - she's HORRIBLE at it. Â I also asked if we could just show up and wait for a table and she said sure but would not know how long the wait would be. Â I mean, come on.. even if you are in hokely, dokely Madison County, a bit of business acuman politeness would have been in nice order. Â F U, Kim. Â I hope the manager reads this and fires you.
Review Source:I drove by this place for years, always curious about what the hell it was doing in the middle of seemingly nowhere. After reading a couple Yelp reviews, a friend and I finally decided to stop on the way back from a recent road trip.
We didn't realize it was going to be a nice as it was. Had we realized it was white tablecloth and napkins, we probably wouldn't have shown up going commando, in shorts and unwashed from sweating all day in the ridiculously hot weather. The beer-maiden-costumed waitresses didn't say anything, so I guess we didn't smell too bad.
Surprisingly great: three types of wursts, home-made sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, potato dumplings, serving beer in 2 liter sizes
Disappointingly okay: two different schnitzels, spaetzle
Aggravatingly bad: nothing!
All in all a good foray into German food. I'm not sure it's worth the drive just to eat there, but I'll stop every time I'm in the area. If I do get a craving, at least I know where to head.
We were visiting the area for our anniversary and decided that we wanted to have some German fare while in the area. Reservations were made via phone and off we went one Saturday night.
Ambiance/Service:
I personally loved the old world feeling of the restaurant. Everything from the floral wallpaper to the costumes the ladies wore added to the experience. Hostess was very helpful by phone (we got turned around) and friendly. Server (Doug, who is now going to be at their other location) was knowledgeable and accommodating.
Food:
My husband and I started with their appetizer special which was a smaller portion of the Bavarian sausage platter. It included weisswurst, bauernwurst, and bratwurst served over homemade sauerkraut with whipped potatoes. This was probably my favorite part of the whole meal. For dinner, I had a sauerbraten dish which was tender marinated beef, roasted and served with a savory sweet and sour raisin sauce. It was really tasty! My husband opted for a dish of pork medallions with a mushroom, onion, Â pepper, tomato, and bacon sauce. Again, a great choice! We were too full for dessert, but the tray that was presented around the dining room did have some great choices!
Drink: Buyer beware! When given the option of ordering 1L of one of their tasty draft beers, remember that it IS 1 liter we're talking about! Lots of beer, folks! Despite the large amount of beer consumed, my husband really enjoyed it! I had a glass of Riesling which suited my meal nicely.
Bottom line: If German fare is what you crave, give Bavarian Chef a try!
To me the Bavarian Chef represents the height of German food, not in the sense of a trendy, expensive concept restaurant but just as good, classic, unassuming food. Â I don't think I'm alone here; I once asked someone who lived in the Washington DC area (and grew up in a German family) what the best place for German food in the DC area was. Â He said, "Well, there's this place down Virginia called the Bavarian Chef..." Â Given that the Bavarian chef is nearly 100 miles from DC, I'd say that's a ringing endorsement.
Having been to the Bavarian Chef numerous times, I can say that the food is consistently good and the service consistently polite and relatively attentive. Â Having been there with Germans, I can say that they found the food to be authentic. Â And (also authentically) the portions are always generous. Â I usually leave with a large amount of leftovers, especially many sides.
Again, we've driven past the Bavarian Chef countless times going down route 29. Â It is clearly out of place among the more rural establishments on these roads, but once you arrive, you won't want to leave. Â The waitstaff dress like the St. Pauli girl, which I think is a bit demeaning, but it does fit with the decor. Â Lots of exposed wood and big chairs with arms. Â The beer comes in sizes from .3L all the way up to a 2L 'boot' if you're feeling adventurous. Â We had to drive back to DC, but next time, I'm getting the boot, for sure. Â The menu is divided in two sections, the first section of Entrees being the more traditional steakhouse fare. Â Filet Mignon, Steak au poivre, shrimp scampi, etc. Â Although these looked good, it seemed a shame to not order from the "Unsere Spezialitaten" menu. Â We split plates, like always, so I got to taste the Mandel Schnitzel, and almond crusted pork tenderloin with strawberry gin sauce. Â Yum, if a bit on the sweet side. Â We also managed to scarf down half of the Zigeuner Lendchen which I could not pronounce, at all (pork, mushrooms, tomato bacon sauce!) Â Somehow we managed to order the Black Forest Cake as well, which was flourless, and ended up taking three days to eat. Â Each entree comes with a two sides, the carrots are bathing in butter (delicious!), the spaetzle satisfied my craving, but didn't live up to my ex-housemate's version, and the zucchini went well with the spaetzle. Â So two entrees, four sides, .5L of beer, a glass of wine, and dessert (to share) plus tip still came in under $90. Â If I read it right, the two liter boot only costs about $23. Â Next time, boot!
Review Source:I love this place! Â If you're on your way to UVA, you have to go there! Â
I love the warm and unique atomsphere. Â It's a beautiful place. Â I feel like I'm in a different world when I'm inside. The service is wonderful. Â I don't really like German food, but Bavarian's is marvelous.
Food seems kind of hit or miss. I liked my meal, my boyfriend didn't. The atmosphere is also a little hokey as the waitstaff is dressed in traditional German/Bavarian garb. In my opinion, it's overpriced for what it is but we've driven past it so many times on the way to/from UVA that we had to see what it was all about. Now I know and I probably wouldn't do it again.
Review Source:If you love good food, homestyle sides, and a nice, cozy atmosphere, go to Bavarian Chef. Â If you are a UVA student looking for a great place for a date, go here. Â The drive from cville to madison is very pretty and the restaurant itself is cheaper and better than its upidy cville counterparts (think old mill room, C&0, downtown grille). Â
I have been to Bavarian Chef many times, and have never strayed from my steak au pouvre because its so good.
If you love German food, make the trip to Bavarian Chef sometime. The atmosphere's not really my thing (wainscoting, frilly curtains, wallpaper, cheesy muzak) but it doesn't matter. My husband and I had a great experience here.
We started with REAL German beer on draft (available in 0.3L, 0.5L, and 1L, I think), and there was a substantial wine list, although I can't tell you anything about it because we skipped straight to the beer.
Our waiter was very professional and knowledgeable (we suspected he must be a "career waiter" and not someone waiting tables because they have nothing better to do). Great manners and very helpful, and he actually spoke German (he told us, auf deutsch, that his parents are German). We both speak German, too, so this was an extra thrill for us, but I was also just relieved that we were at an "ethnic" restaurant where the server can actually pronounce the names of the dishes.
The food was all very tasty and nicely done. The pork in the Zigeunerlendchen was from Virginia (big plus for local meat!) and none of the sides were lackluster. You do have to like German food to appreciate the dishes (sausage, schnitzel, spaetzle, sauerkraut!) and vegetarians probably won't be too happy here. Even the sauerkraut's got bacon in it. But for us it was a rare indulgence for our stomachs (and our wallet).
The restaurant also offers some non-German entrees, but I basically sat down and said "bring on the wurst!" so I'm afraid I have nothing to report. My mouth watered every time I overheard the waiter describing the poulet Wellington or mussels provencal to another table, for what it's worth.
All the desserts (made in-house from scratch) on the tray looked great, but we went with the creme brulee. What's not to like about creme brulee? The apple strudel also looked delicious. If we had wanted to be strict about keeping with the German theme, I'm sure that would have sufficed.
If you've got any reason to be driving between Charlottesville and DC, make some time to have dinner at Bavarian Chef (I think they're only open for dinner). Hopefully we'll be going back when we get the chance.
Note to other language nerds: I do know how to type an a-umlaut and a c-cedilla, but Yelp deletes them :(
I used to go here to get my red cabbage fix.
The Bavarian Chef is especially worth it on trips between Charlottesville and points north. Â Or as a side trip after Charlottesville or Va. wineries.
It may be a little kitschy and a bit expensive, but you'd be in the wrong not to enjoy it!
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