My family has German roots and it's cool to have an authentic German restaurant right here in Evansville. But you don't need to have German blood to enjoy the food. If you have a big group or don't know what to get, or both, I suggest sharing a combination dinner. It's a nice way to get a little taste of everything. And don't forget the potato pancakes!
Review Source:Ja! Das ist gut! If you're craving German (that also has American for the picky ones) food and a fishbowl of ice cold beer then this is the place! The setting is an old hardware store decorated with a lot of random and interesting items. Great place for dinner and a great place for just drinks if you're in the area.
Review Source:In town for business and was invited here for some local flavor.  Nice beer selection.  Enjoyed a Bells Amber in a fish bowl.  Always ask, because most  the time the fish bowl is cheaper and contains more beer.  Not enough to be scared of, just do it.
I ordered the Sausage sampler. Â That got me a platter with three fat sausages of my choosing. Â I'm not a sausage expert by any means. Â Made for a tasty meal and more than one should be expected to eat. Â Just try choking down three whole sausages. Â Also had the apple sauce, hot german potato salad that isn't hot, but very sweet, and some corn bread cakes. Â Every thing was good, but nothing blew me away.
(If you made it through that review without giggling once about all the sausage references, good for you, you are an adult. Â I am not, I laughed every time I typed it.)
Every time I eat at the Gerst Haus I end up saying "Why don't I eat here more often!" Â I'm not much of a partaker of alcohol, so I can't tell you much about the large assortment of beers, but I can talk about several items on the menu. The smoked pork chop is my second favorite pork chop (only eclipsed by Patti's 1800 Settlement in Grand Rivers, KY). It's flavorful and cooked to perfection. My second favorite item is the Goulash. Delicious and such a large plateful that you're guaranteed to be taking some home. The Goulash is also real bargain. I've enjoyed every item I've had including the Catfish, the Saurbraten, and Kielbase Dinner. As for the sides, I really like the Hot German Potato Salad, the Red Cabbage and their Apple Sauce. Â It isn't on the menu, but I always ask if they have Green Beans because sometimes they'll surprise me -- and they're great also.
It's a winner and you'll feel at home dressed up for the town or in blue jeans.
My husband and I was in Evansville In on 10-14-2011 and after reading reviews on here opted to give the German Restaurant Gerst Bavarian Haus a try..I used to live in Germany so I was very excited about trying the food. It was below par, It was a disappointment to me. I don't recommend this to anyone who knows what really food made in Germany taste like..if you just want to try German Food then its okay, but if you TRULY know what your tasting..you will bitterly DISAPPOINTED !!!
I was excited to eat there. I told my husband he would have a real treat..thank goodness he has never eaten food made in Germany so he had nothing to gauge it against..We shared a platter of three..We got the Bratwurst, The Goulash and the Weiner Schnitzel with sauerkraut and hot potato salad with rye bread and butter. He had a Gerst draft and I had iced tea with lemon..
The Wiener Schnitzel was DRY..horrible ..and bland! The Goulash was okay, I have had better but my husband enjoyed it. We both enjoyed the Bratswurst..but how can you truly mess that up??? The sauerkraut okay and he literally spit out the hot potato salad..it was too sweet and vinegary..the rye bread and butter was excellent!!! The Beer was good and cold and not bad tasting for a Amber brew..the tea was good!! We paid $28 plus taxes and tip..
Got to krogers or the meat market buy your own and cook it yourself..just as good!!!
We stopped in after reading the reviews online. What a treat! The wiener schnitzel and sauerbraten were both amazing! The fried pickles were also great. They have an awesome selection of beer. The portions are quite large, so be prepared to split a meal or take some home! Quite a great value for the size. My only complaint (but not big enough to reduce the rating) is the apple strudel doesn't even resemble strudel. It's an apple compote between two thin pieces of pastry.
Review Source:I'm not really a fan of German food but given the dearth of non-chain restaurants in E-vil, I've eaten here several times. You don't go here if you're watching your weight - german food is heavy, filling but oh so good with a draft beer- which is served in frozen mugs - a nice touch. The Staff is very friendly and accommodating. I've had many dishes that I highly recommend even though they don't sound so good (grilled bologna sandwich, Pig knuckles & sauerkraut, sausage sampler, and smoked pork chops). I've had one item that was very average- the Gerst House appetizer sampler. Everything was deep fried but it all tasted the same. Â
The decor is terrific albeit a little noisy due to the high ceilings, metal ceiling works, and the lack of fabric. But there is outside seating for those that want to avoid the noise.
Bottom line - this place is on E-vil original and deserves your business.
My 3 stars is for the food. Â I love the Kraut Balls.
I also enjoy the beer tap selection. Â However, I came in this past Monday night for dinner (after a 6 hour drive from Chicago) only to be told they were OUT OF GERST BEER. Â I mean, really? Â How do you run out of your signature beer? Â Needless to say, I was disappointed. Â There are few reasons to visit Evansville, and this place is one of them. Â Even though I can get plenty of German food in Chicago, I really wanted the beer.
Maybe when I go to Nashville in a few months they'll have it in stock. Â I guess I'll call ahead!
I think this place really rocks. Â Especially for Evansville which is the home of the chain restaurant.
The beers are great, the decor is great, the food is great, and the prices are good.
My brother takes his Chicago buisness customers here and they beg to go back everytime they come to E-Town.
I really struggled on deciding 3 or 4 stars on this one.
Pros:
Great beer selection. Any place that has Arrogant Bastard is a friend of mine. Good atmosphere, inside. Enjoyed the appetizers, would go back to try the fried pickles since I didn't get a chance. Potato Pancake was good.
Cons:
I'm past my "gorging my face" phase so the serving size of the enteree was just way to much. Seeing a huge sausage and a pound of potato's in front of me kinda killed my appetite before I even started eating. I guess the serving size justifies their somewhat high prices. But then again, maybe I'm just not a fan of German food.
Overall, I would go back for a beer and a few bites, but probably would not get get dinner again because its not worth it to me. Maybe its just my tastes because I would not call the food bad in anyway.
Gerst Haus is a must try in Evansville. Â The German food they serve is great, and the building is really neat. Â I have to order the potato pancakes every time I eat here because they are that good. Â You get three large potato pancakes with a side of sour cream and apple sauce, and although they are meant to be shared, I usually get an order just for myself! Â They have a ton of beers on tap, and even more in bottles-by far one of the bigger beer lists in Evansville with unusual beers from all over the world. Â The bar area is nice, with a large antique bar and several cozy booths. Â Try the patio on a warm night, it's a fun place to people watch especially during the fall festival. Â Overall, a great restaurant!
Review Source:the wife and i had dinner there last night. not sure if we just had a bad server or what but it took her like forever to bring us our food. and we were there very early around 5pm so the place was not that busy yet.
the place looks nice and food was good . we both enjoyed the ham and kraut rolls and the potato pancake. good beer selection. the smoked sausgaes were good and i really enjoyed the red cabbage. maybe a little too pricy. unless you are going for the steaks instead of the german food, ordering a few of those appetizers plus drinks would be a better choice for 2 people.
I always get the Fried Catfish here. I think it's the best in town. They don't serve fiddlers here--they serve cornmeal breaded, deep fried catfish filets.
I ordered the basket instead of the full dinner and had plenty to eat. The basket comes with fries, slaw and cornbread. The only problem is they put the fries on the bottom of the basket and then put the fish, a bowl of slaw and the corn bread on top of the fries and that ruins the fries. If you take the extra step to make skin-on fries then don't bury them in the bottom of the basket! You gotta respect the fries, people!
I hated this place as a kid, but thats because I was a picky eater (so extreme in fact that the only three things I ate, and I'm not kidding--the ONLY three--were hot dogs in the microwave with no bun, microwaved eggs, and white rice--but never together!).
My mom, whom I'm really basing my 3-star review off of, dragged my sister and myself here on occasion when my stepfather was out of town (he was a trucker) and she didn't feel like cooking. I remember eating bread and some kinda potato thing. She absolutely loved the Ruben sandwich and always got a side of sourkraut which I thought looked like spaghetti vomit.
She's always said if she's back in Evansville, she'd stop in.
A beautiful spring day demands an outside table and an hour and a half lunch. Â I was the only imbiber of the work group, but that didn't stop me I had 2. Â It's not often I can get my Upland Wheat beer, however, they have a strong selection of drafts too. Â I ordered a combo to get darn near everything. Â The meat was all flavorful, plentiful and tender; a very well executed meal. Â The 'hot potato salad' was awesome. Â This beats all my other German reviews. Â Can't wait to try the bar and enjoy the nice tavern feel inside.
Review Source:When I am visiting my parents in the great unwashed middle, a visit to the Gerst Bavarian Haus is a must.
Southern Indiana has a rich, German heritage (no, I do not work for the tourism board!), and nowhere is that more evident than at the Gerst Haus (well, maybe in Jasper, but I digress).
Everything here is AMAZING. Well, if you like meat and potatoes, which is pretty much everything on the menu. Start out with the potato pancakes with applesauce, then move on to one of the combination plates. Schnitzel, and Braten, and Sausage, Oh my.
If you are in the area, check it out. Local flavor - Tri-State style.
Oh yum!
The first time I went here, I didn't like it. I had the golausch. (however you spell it)....not good. My dad always gets it every now and then, forgetting, and he's never liked it.
HOWEVER.....
all their sausages are great
excellent fried catfish
my dad obsesses over their ruben sandwich, he just loves that
their mashed potatoes are WONDERFUL....they aren't just ordinary mashed potatoes
and my favorite, which is out of character for me, is the porkchop! Its simply WONDERFUL and FILLED with flavor
the atmosphere here is great and really makes you think you are in ..... a .... german brewhaus or something! Its all great
I am not really a fan of german food, but I can say that Gerst Haus has the best fried catfish dinner in town. Â Make sure you order it well done though so its nice and crispy. Â One thing I do miss about the Gerst haus of old was the couple that used to play the snare and accordion. Â Sadly, they are no longer with us.
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