Rathskeller Restaurant

Well we’ve given it three tries so I feel justified in writing this review. Let’s start with the service or lack of it, our waitress could have put the sour in sauerkraut. From the time we arrived and were seated it took an hour and a half to get our food. She never once came by to apologize for the wait or ask if we wanted refills on our drinks. There were 3 tables seated after us that received food before us. Now onto the food, I should preface this with the fact that my mother is an amazing cook and she’s German so I do recognize I may be a bit of a harsh critic but I do know good German food and this isn’t it. The spaetzle was cold, chewy and tasted like the ones that you can buy pr-​made and dehydrated. The schnitzel was a large portion but the meat was tough and the breading was greasy. All in all a very disappointing meal, horrible service, overpriced unappetizing food and the décor needs some updating, there’s a difference between kitschy and tacky.

I would rate 2.5 if I could. The food is pricey for what you get.
My husband ordered an Oktoberfest beer which arrived promptly with a hair in it. The server apologized profusely, but only gave a quick rinse to the glass and poured a beer right back into the same glass — unsanitary for restaurant standards. The bill was charged full price. I think even if there had been a new glass used, I wouldn’t be as irritated.
I had the pork schnitzel and my husband had the beef roulades. His was slightly more flavourful than mine, but only when drowned in sauce.
No water refills at all even though it wasn’t that busy.
Unfortunately, I will not be back. It’s a shame since the last time I was here, the service and good quality was better.

Very good experience every time we come here! Love the live music/​song! Must try their pork hocks, sausages, beer in the boot!
I’ve here so many times for so many years, I think the food tastes a little different now, but high recommend for 1^st time visitors!

The bread was cold, the butter they served it with was cold, and the waitress kept passing us our food over the rail beside my head. I jumped a few times not expecting someone to come from that side.
We didn’t really enjoy our schnitzel or the prices, which were slightly higher than average. This was my first experience was schnitzel. My boyfriend however usually loves it and agreed that it wasn’t up to par here. The food was simply okay. Tough, and fried for too long. We will not be coming back here and it’s a shame as we had high hopes.

I’m pretty sure everything served here is from a grocery store. I also heard the waitresses talking in the back, going through the fridge, and one of them quipped that she couldn’t believe how long something was in there for. Majorly overpriced. I added a star purely for the décor & outfits only because it was strange & unusual, and I appreciate that.

On our way across the straight we decided that when they asked why we were visiting at customs, we would say «we came for the schnitzel». But, when we got to the actual counter, that seemed snarky. Four days and two dinners latter at Rathskeller, we could honestly say, «We came of the schnitzel!» We had the same waitress both nights and she was delightful. The food, oh the food. If you have a touch of german in you, or a soft spot for schnitzel, potato pancakes or spatzel? This is your place. It is a bit kitschy, and I have to admit that there were moments that the music and décor made me feel like I was caught in Quinten Tarantino set, but you can get away with this in Canada. The food is fantastic, portions big, and very reasonably priced. We will miss the Rathskeller until our next vista to Vic BC. The Weiner Schnitzel is fantastic. For twist of flavor, go with the Jäger Schnitzel.

This place is a meat lovers dream. I came here with friends and couldn’t believe the food or the amounts! We started off with bread and butter, it was fresh baked and delicious. I wish I hadn’t ate so much because the main course was huge. My hosts treated me to a platter with a variety of items on it, chicken cordon blue, schnitzel, and sausage. There may have been something else. There was also red cabbage, spaetzel, and fried potatoes… and did I mention a whole boat load of gravy on the salad. I was surprised everything wasn’t one dimensional, it was all distinct with very good flavor. The schnitzel was my favorite, along with the potatoes and the spaetzel. I’d go back again when I am in the mood for meat!

Dianne W.
I walked in as i was in between events at «the fringe», and wanted to have a small meal. Truthfully, I don’t eat meat but I saw that there was lentil soup on the menu. I consulted with the waitress what would go with the soup and she suggested the potato pancakes with sour cream. The soup was ok, not the best, but not the worst I have had; but, the pancakes were cold, overcooked, rubbery, the sour cream was the best part of that dish.
I decided that I would try the cheesecake, and noticed it was served with berries. I asked if they were fresh berries, she said she would check ;I added that if they were not fresh, just bring the cheesecake by itself would be fine. When she brought the smallest slice of cheesecake I have ever received for $ 7.50, it had a very small smear of red sauce on it, and when I hesitated, the waitress said, I could try it, but if I didn’t want it, she would have to pay for it. Not wanting to be miserable to her, I said ok I would accept it… big mistake… it had a soggy crust, quite tasteless cheesecake filling and the red sauce was not really identifiable as strawberry or?
When the head waitress came with the bill she said, well really the berries were not what mattered, as it was the cheesecake part that was important; she was right there, but unfortunately the product was not up to standard.
For a person that is not really a meat eater, this was a mistake, one that I will not repeat.

Just had a fantastic dinner here with my mom and aunt. I ordered the cordon bleu schnitzel with spaetzle and red cabbage. The schnitzel was divine! Perfectly cooked and tasty, the cabbage was sweet, sour, and marvelous. The only thing I would change would be the spaetzle. I think it would have tasted a lot better if it was pan fried with butter, but it was still tasty. My mom ordered the single bratwurst plate with potato pancakes (bratwurst made in house). By far the best bratwurst I’ve ever tasted and the potato pancakes were crispy and just the right amount of salty. My aunt got the vegetarian platter and loved everything on it. For dessert we shared apple rings that had been coated in batter and deep fried, then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Holy crap was it every tasty! The service was a little slow but there was a table of 20 and it was full. The décor is charming and not overdone. It was fun looking around and spotting the different knick knacks on the walls. We were also sat by some people who were speaking German. If the food was good enough for them it is definitely good enough for us!

I’ve been to the Ratzkeller many times over the past 15 years and it’s always been great; great food, good service, nice atmosphere. A bit «kitschy», but not overwhelmingly so. It’s definitely worth giving a try. Prices a bit on the higher side, but worth it. And I’m German!!!

Fresh, authentic, delicious. Best sausage in Victoria. The food is authentic, I just wish they didn’t play into the stereotypes and caricatures of Bavaria… The food, service and beer speak for themselves! No need for the outfits and oompa music.
A go to for hearty, delicious fare. Go hungry!

Definitly the worst meal I have ever had in Victoria. The snitzel was greasy, the spatzle was tasteless and the red cabbage was way too vinegary. This restaraunt is a disgrace to German culinary arts.

Well it’s fun because of the giant boots of beer and I quite love the food. If you’re looking for something different with tons of beer involved this is your place. It’s not rowdy, but my friends and I always have a great meal and a great time.
Weekends are the time to go!

I’m not sure why the reviews are so polarizing. I’ve been to the Rathskeller numerous times and it has always been delicious and fun.
The prices are definitely skewing towards the higher side, but most people probably are aware of this going in. The food has always been delicious and fresh when I’ve gone. Like many people who have commented here, the Rathskeller plate is a dish to remember. So much food and so delicious.
The restaurant definitely feels old fashioned and homey, and while I’ve seen a few people complain about this, I think it’s great. Not every dining experience has to be modern, there’s definitely room in the market for a different age of dining.
Big parties and events are probably some of the best things you can do at the Rathskeller. It’s usually lively and fun on a Friday or Saturday night. I’d recommend checking it out.

Meine Mutter ist Deutsch, and as a vegetarian myself, I find it amusing that someone would find it odd that the Rathskeller does not cater to vegetarians, and that another person would even pair the words «German» with «cuisine.»
Germans eat food, real food, not «cuisine.» Meat. Potatoes. Cabbage.
As such, this is what you get if you go to Rathskeller, and it’s usually quite good food, although perhaps there are different cooks on different days.
They actually do have a vegetarian plate, no doubt a nod to the Victorian clientele, because I have never met a German yet who could understand vegetarianism. It’s either oh, you’re vegetarian, so you eat chicken, or, don’t worry, you’ll grow out of it.
Once at Rathskeller I thought I had died and gone to heaven, because my plate had five different kinds of potatoes on it, all delicious. The next time, they had cut it down to two — rosti and mashed and had added cabbage, which was far superior to the cabbage I was brought up on, mushrooms and another vegetable. When I go again, I’ll just ask for more potatoes.
I can’t comment myself on the meat, but I have never heard any of my dinner companions complain. I can no longer partake of their spaetzle, having a gluten intolerance, but from what I can remember, it was very good.
And who goes to a German restaurant and expects low fat??? I just don’t get it.
The main server is Czech, not German, btw, and she is very sweet and kind, a rarity these days (for servers, not Czech people!)
They have gotten pricey, though, I’ll agree to that.

After hearing great things about the Rathskeller, our visit was a huge disappointment. Both the food and the service were awful. The evening we went, the place wasn’t particularly busy. Nonetheless, it took over half an hour to get our meal. When it was served, it was poorly prepared and cold. And the prices – ridiculous. We’re in Victoria frequently, and are not likely to even give this one a second shot.

After my last two visits to Rathskeller, I’ve had to downgrade my review significantly.
Both visits have been riddled with below par service. On my last visit for lunch, I called ahead and asked how long from ordering it takes for lunch items to arrive, i was assured that it is only «5 – 10 minutes tops». That sounded great and we decided to go ahead and try them for lunch. The restaurant had maybe 5 tables seated. We were seated after 5 or so minutes, then given water. We decided what to order and closed our menus. The server then walked by at least 6 times without so much as eye contact while our closed menus sat at the edge of the table, begging for our order to be taken. Finally, almost 15 mins after closing our menus, our order was taken, OK i thought, 5 – 10 mins more and at least we’ll be eating… oh how mistaken was I… 15 minutes passed (again without being able to get the servers attention at all, at this point I literally put my hand in the air and waved repeatedly and still couldn’t get anyone’s attention). 5 more minutes pass, it had now been double the maximum time frame for food to arrive that we had been quoted. The food came out and it was OK, but not good enough to encourage any more return visits.
Hey Rathskeller, it’s great that you have an older german lady serving, it does add to the ambience, but seriously, they need to be able to be a quick server as well, especially in that area of Fort with the number of government employees and business people who would stop by with a limited lunch break.

Instantly transported to a chalet the Alps — complete with the beer.
When you walk in the door of Rachskeller, you feel like you have been transported to a chalet in the Alps in the 1950s. You will be surrounded by what I assume to be a typical German restaurant look and feel. Accordian music playing oom-​pa-​pa music included. A waitress, who could have been my mother, in traditional dress, is polite and attentive, although I did feel slightly guilty not finishing everything on my plate. And the menu? It sounded like the menus I grew up with when visiting my German grandparents in Saskatchewan.
The restaurant is not fancy, it’s not fine dining, but definitely what you would expect from a traditional German restaurant that hasn’t been renovated in 30 years. The lunch menu offered many interesting options — I chose the Jaeger Schnitzel, a breaded cutlet topped wth mushrooms and onions, served with potato pancakes and red cabbage.
The Schnitzel did not really impress me — thin and quite tough. The potato pancakes were also fried to the point where they were difficult to cut through. The red cabbage was hot and delicious. The flavours were rich and brought back memories
The food was tasty although I found it tough, I think they may be excellent on a better day. Would I return? Maybe if I was in Victoria again and in the mood for German food.

The wurst! Seriously, I had the worst sauerbraten of my life here. I come from a German family and I know good German food. The meat was tough as leather. I think they dug it out of the fridge; it tasted like leftovers. The spaetzle was nothing special. My «steamed vegetables» were peas and carrots from the frozen section. All for $ 22.
My family was visiting from Washington State and my dad loves German food so we ate here. His sauerbraten was as bad as mine, but he was too polite to say anything.
Avoid this place!

Vegetarians, keep walking.
I’ve been to the Rathskeller 3 – 4 times now, and it’s a really good time. Every German I know says «we don’t really eat like that very often!», but whatever.
Good: The cabbage rolls. Oh MAN these are good. Firm on the outside, tender and well spiced on the inside, the tangy sauce… yum. Great.
The spaetzle (SCHPETZ-​luh), a noodle side dish. Kinda bland but delicious in a mac and cheese kind of way.
The Beer! Great beer, and you can order it in varied sized of glass boot. It is a tradition to drink the beer-​in-​a-​boot.
The waitresses wear dirndls, and look adorable.
They have a couple of accordion players, which lend an air of old-​timey charm to the place.
It’s reasonably priced, expensive enough to be a «only once in a while» treat, but not out of line at all. All in all, it’s really, really heavy food — tons of meat (schnitzels, bratwursts, sausages etc. — my boyfriend and I SHARED the rathskeller plate and almost died), but delicious, in a really fun environment with lots to look at.