The German American Cultural Society

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  I was invited to the Oktoberfest event this year at the German American Culture society along with some friends. Being unfamiliar with German culture, I had no idea what to expect but everybody was very welcoming and friendly.
  
  This being my first visit, I stuck to the basics, Oktoberfest beer, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad. It was all delicious and decently priced. They also had traditional dancing and various vendors in the upstairs hall.
  
  My friend was looking desperately for the fresh made pretzels she had last year and couldn't find them; one of the members overheard our conversation and prepared soft pretzels for us right away and only charged us a very small amount. Kindness and service like that is almost impossible to find these days, but not at the German American Culture Society.
  
  As other reviews have mentioned, you can tell operating the culture society is a labor of love, and the members and volunteers genuinely care about the establishment and its patrons. I look forward to visiting again!

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  Posted on 10.22.12 Kailyn C.

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  I f'ng LOVE this place.  
  
  Its that time of year, the weather is turning crisp, sunset starts in the late afternoon, and the mind turns the sweet and spicy flavor of Octoberfest.  The beer that is.  And, if you're going to have a pint, or a 1/2 liter being more to the point, this place should probably be on your list.
  
  For some reason, Pawtucket is the home for a great number of Social Clubs. The Irish Social Club, the Polish Home, the Greek Social Club, the Portuguese Social Club, the Franco-American Club, the list goes on.  And a number of these clubs have an open door policy, and a bar, where a person can sit down, and relax, and have a drink.  But the German Club, they bring something different to the table.
  
  Every Friday night, they open the basement door to the place, and serve great German beer, fresh on tap and in the bottle, along with a smattering of German food type specialties.  This time of year, there are a few more people in the crowd.  There is a German accordion player, who bangs out an occasional tune, and a number of the regulars chime in on Bavarian folksong standards.
  
  The food is good, and cheap, the beer and company are outstanding.  Its a good place and a great time.
  
  They open at 7pm and its cash only.
  
  A+

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  Posted on 09.24.12 Jeff M.

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  I can't add much to this with the excpetion that my mom was from Germany and I have been there many times. This is one of the few AUTHENTIC German places in the US. Beer was good, service excellent, food. The food was the usual german beer garden fare - wurst, kraut, lieberkase, potato pancakes/salad and Amys delicious chocolate pudding and almond cookies. Folks were VERY friendly and we saw families with young kids - just like in Germany!!! We will def be back Accordian music was good, and a professional opera singer samg a few songs. Keg beer was imported from Germany and boy it shows! Go checkout the Ratskeller - you WILL be hooked.

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  Posted on 09.10.12 Peter G.

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  The German American Cultural Society (or German Club as its often called) is the type of fraternal order that most of our parents and grandparents belonged to. In fact, my parents went to dances at the German Club on Saturday nights back in the 60s.
  
  The upstairs of the club is a large meeting/banquet hall. The Rathskeller downstairs is usually where the action is. It's open to the public on Friday nights, and over the last two years or so it's gone from just being populated by a handful of old timers to being a popular hangout for 20 and 30 somethings, especially those that appreciate good German beer.
  
  A big part of the appeal of the German club is that it is not like a typical bar or club most of us experience. It's brightly lit, there's plenty of seating, and aside from the accordion man there's no music you have to shout over. If you've ever been in an Elks, Knights of Columbus or similar hall, you probably know the type of place.
  
  There's a very friendly vibe to the German  Club. It's one of the few places I've truly seen a diverse mix of people in Providence (and by diverse I don't mean moped people and scooter people at the same place). You have folks ranging from their 20s to their 70s and possibly above. You have crowds of hipsters, middle aged beer lovers, and occasional families. You have people with German accents singing drinking songs with the accordion man. You have, essentially, a truer cross-section of Pawtucket than you'll find almost anywhere else.
  
  If you've never been, you owe it to yourself to visit the German Club some Friday night. just make sure you bring cash.

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  Posted on 02.08.12 David G.

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  We went there last Friday night. Really great place. Around 8:30 or 9:00 the music and singing get going. Good sample of German beer and food. Really friendly atmosphere.

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  Posted on 02.05.12 Mike D.

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  I went to the Rathskeller for the first time last Friday, and was absolutely blown away by the friendliness of the atmosphere. The place looks like a German beer hall from the movies, complete with oversized steins and long wooden tables full of old people speaking German. I did not expect that the regulars would come around to introduce themselves, let alone grab my arm and lead me up to sway and sing along with the accordion, but they did and it was truly memorable. I tried the weisswurst with a side of sauerkraut, which was excellent, accompanied by a colossal bottle of German beer. I will definitely be back, probably pretty often.

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  Posted on 09.30.11 Cookie M.

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  OK.  I'm really reluctant to write this...
  
  Fact is, there is a TOO well kept secret gathering spot that needs to be on your radar.  My reluctance stems from a fear of it being discovered and overrun by bro's and peeps.  But my affection for the spot, the people... the whole notion of it compels me to shout it out.
  
  There was time when every ethnic group living in a city like Providence,  Pawtucket, Fall River, Worcester.. any industrial town which attracted a blue collar labor force...congregated in a couple of ways, specifically, within the church/parish and the social club.
  
  Italians, Portuguese, Irish, Polish and Germans all had their neighborhood social club.  It was a gathering spot wherein the membership could share in the fellowship of each others company, at the end of a long week's work in the mill.  
  
  Here they could partake of their traditional fare and, or course, a bottle or tankard of their favorite libation.  Truly a taste of and tie to their ancestral home and traditions.  An oasis of comfort and community.
  
  They also provided a focal point to welcome newcomers to the scene could gain access to that community.  In one short evening they entered a stranger and left a member of family  These venues were a core component of life through the 1920's to 1960's.
  
  As that great generation aged, so too did the clubs.  As the new generation moved to suburbia, the clubs died out.  Besides, it wasn't cool, sophisticated or happening to hang out listening to Grandpa and his cronies go on and on about the old country.  Eventually, these bastions of cultural preservation became derelict, frequented only by the remnant survivors of cultures long since homogenized.
  
  There is a survivor.  
  
  It is the German American Cultural Society and it can be found at 78 Carter Avenue in Pawtucket.  (Carter Ave runs off of Newport Avenue by Hasbro's headquarters complex). It is a full fledged social club which hosts events throughout the year.  All worthy of consideration, the most notable is the Fall Oktoberfest, a welcome change to the much promoted Newport travesty (please explain to me when falafel and barbecue became a part of Oktoberfest).
  
  But on Friday nights at 7 o'clock the Rathskeller comes alive.  And Fridays ONLY.  Literally in the basement of the decades old grange-like structure, you pass through the Red Door and step into a time most of you have never known.
  
  Fancy it ain't.  It is quaint, a bit subdued but always warm and inviting.  Kind of like going over to Uncle Joe and Aunt Rose's house at Thanksgiving.
  
  Amy greets you the bar where she serves up AUTHENTIC German drafts... most for only $3 to $4 a piece.  It's full bar service but the brews are the news.
  
  The kitchen serves up an ever changing menu of real German standards but get there early cause it goes fast.  Its good, its cheap and always pleases the crowd.
  
  And what an eclectic crowd.  Of course, the core remains the "Old Guard" who can be found at a round wooden table reserved for them.  They've got their own personal steins, their own basket of pretzels and are more than happy to share a tale of yore with anyone who will listen.
  
  But there is an increasing number of younger folks... 20/30 somethings... who are tuning into the value and charm the Rat offers.  You can actually carry on a conversation with a group of friends without having to shout above the crowd.
  
  Shoot some pool, throw some darts, play some Foosball... all FREE of charge.  You can spend the evening (open til 12), eat, drink and be merry for under $20.  But bring cash (bargeld)... no credit/debit cards and no ATM on site.
  
  And yes, there is accordion player most Fridays accompanying a handful of old timers who churn out old standards from the old country.  You wont understand a word... but you'll be transported to another time.
  
  The GACS is nonprofit and all volunteer run.  It is a labor of love and that love shines through.  But when the Old Guard is gone, gone too will be the stories, the heavy accents, the tradition and the charm.  But there is hope in the infusion of new blood.  I mean can't we start our own traditions?
  
  We need to save this place.  I mean we REALLY need to save this place.  There will always be plenty of venues to pull up to in your Escalade, flash your chains, and text your friends while you grind your junk.
  
  But we need more than that.  We need places to gather, look each other in the eye, shake a hand, exchange ideas and share our humanity.  We need to respect old ways and those who bridge eras.  
  
  We can start acting like human beings again.
  
  See you at the Rat.

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  Posted on 08.16.11 Steven A.

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