German food is pretty far down on my list of favorite cuisines, having eaten my fair share of salty, heavy German food in Germany. But one day, somehow, I craved for some sauerkraut.Frankly, this place is better than most of the German food Ive eaten in Germany. Their schnitzel and sauerkraut are nice. They also sell jars of pickles and soup at reasonable prices. The place is clean.Would definitely come back again when my sauerkraut cravings return.

First time trying this place today and it was amazing!! We drove all the way from San Jose to try it and are very pleased with the quality of the food and how it tasted. Portions are also generous. I got the goulash and my husband got the Schnitzel - tasted just like at home in Germany. We also loved the spätzle and got a loaf of bread to go as well. Cant wait to be back and try more items from the menu!The owners are also extremely friendly.

Itssss gooood. Beer was great, schnitzel was great, staff was super nice. Tons of pantry stuff to take home. Loved it.

We arrived late, just 40 minutes before closing. They were amazing. Took our order, we never felt rushed. The food came quickly and truly AMAZING. Thanks for your great service! Would absolutely return.

Best German restaurant in the Bay Area. My German mother insists we go here every time she visits.

Horrendous wait around 5:30pm on a Saturday. We waited in the line for 30 minutes, and at the front of the line for 20 minutes. They werent taking orders for 20 minutes while we stood in front of the counter. No explanation or apology. It looks like they received a ton of take out orders and did not prioritize customers in-house. We finally received our food for carryout an hour after we arrived. We asked if they were short handed today. Their response? No, its like this every day. Youve been warned. Great food, but not worth the wait.

Loved it! The peach tart/cobbler was soooo good 😍

We enjoy to go out. Last night we arrived in this excellent restaurant which friends told us about. We spent a lovely evening there with first-rate cooking and a well-trained team and a great cook. We put this venue in our phone list and we will surely go again very soon. We warmly recommend.

Enjoyed a delicious lunch on 9-21. Tried the pickled anchovies. 👍The homemade pretzel was tasty with either mustard or butter.

I love German food and was excited to try Gaumankitzel. I was put off my the lack of atmosphere. No table service. You had to order from the counter. I still had a positive attitude while we sipped the excellent beer and awaited our food.The food arrived. I asked for some extra mustard because I love condiments. We dug in to the crispy schnitzel, sausage platter and potato salad. The food was not very hot. The schnitzel was very good. The potato salad was very good. The sausages were mediocre. The bratwurst was pretty good but the bockwurst and frankfurters were only so so.Then, the server showed up with a small ramekin of mustard, WHICH THEY CHARGED 28 CENTS FOR! Come on - really? After I spent over $80 for a meal, not including tip, you are going to charge 28 cents for a little (and I mean a very little) extra mustard?I am spoiled. I live in San Francisco and enjoy eating at Suppenkuche. This place does not measure up. Its not horrible but Ill never go back and cannot recommend it. If you want the real thing, with atmosphere, try elsewhere.

We were celebrating a friends Birthday and ordered the German forest cake. Probably one of the best tatesing cakes Ive ever had. Prompt friendly service .

German food may have a reputation for using a limited palette of ingredients and flavors. The food from Gaumenkitzel show that this does not have to be always true. Just as French food was brought forward by the farm to table movement in the 70s and later, German cuisine has developed. Gaumenkitzel is extremely well made modern German food that retains the sense of place of where it came from. The preparations are certainly nostalgia inducing but with the highest ingredient quality and depth of flavor that you would expect of any good california restaurant. I always try to order the seasonal specials and have enjoyed developing a greater appreciation of German food by eating at Gaumenkitzel.

Great food, great kids menu. Could turn up the music a little bit the vibe felt libraryish.

Enjoyed the food but the beer more. It’s a good German food restaurant but not as much meat variety as other German restaurants. It’s worth it but not the best. The st Georgen brau was the best beer I’ve had outside of Europe.

Very delicious German food. Wide range of beers available.

Great restaurant. Great service. Amazing schnitzel. I highly recommend this place instead of pizza, Chinese, Thai, or the other run of the mill places most people flock to without trying to eat somewhere out of the norm.This place has earned a new customer with me!

The schnitzel and vegetarian fried cake were delicious!

Large, very clean space. Great beer selection. Pretzel with bratwurst was great, goes well with pilsner. Beef goulash with spaetzl is a hearty portion with tender cooked beef, though slightly under seasoned.

Fantastic and authentic German food. Better than some food I had throughout Germany itself.

Good German Food and a nice, welcoming staff make for a great experience!

Gaumenkitzel is doing an amazing job adapting to shelter in place with to go orders! We enjoyed one of our favorite meals from the comfort of home tonight. Placing the order online was easy, everything was ready right on time when I went to pick it up and they’d done a great job creating a system in the restaurant to maintain social distancing, including 6ft squares on the floor, a designated table for food pick up, and contactless payments. Love you guys! Can’t wait to dine in again someday, but for now, cheers from home 🍻

I just liked their dishes. I always get awesome service here. The place is clean and the workers are always very welcoming. Will visit here again.

Amazing SCHNITZEL!!! Great authentic food. A must try place.

Great food and a wonderful staff.

Its better than you think

In order to reduce contact time with your server they ask you to order online the day of your reservation with a note in the order that the food is for your reservation. I had a very good Gaumenkitzel Schnitzel and my partner had the Jagerschnitzel. The food was cooked to perfection.

Maybe it was an off night the first time I visited. My herb spatzel was piled high with too much cheese for my liking and served luke warm but my friends schnitzel with cabbage and soetzel was delicious! The fresh bread uand bretzel were good too. Loved the black Forrest cake though I have had better in Freiburg as the cake here was less dark or chocolatey. The apfel strudel was served nice and warm but seemed over toasted and burnt on top, very unlike the apple strudels I had in Germany and Switzerland with a softer crust. The apples were kind of tasteless too as they werent sweet or tart apples. I still definitely want to give this place another shot though and try the goulash over spatzel as well as the October fest bread dumpling but am afraid I will be disappointed as one on my fav German dishes is this bread dumpling sliced up and pan seared with chanterelles in this creamy sauce. Also want to try the streusel cake too. Check these pics out...too much cheese? Burnt apple strudel?2nd visit, when we asked for food to come out hot...it really did and was delicious! We tried the butternut apple soup, assorted bread, the sausage entree, goulash, and mushroom spatzle plus order black Forrest cake, orange chocolate cake, and apple streusel. I thought I would like the goulash the best but it seemed a little under seasoned unlike what I had in Rhine valley and black Forrest, my favorite was probably the mushroom spatzle. The black Forrest cake was good but not as good as in Freiburg of course but still prob one the best I have tried around here. Apples streusel was good. Almond cake was a little dry. Overall better experience than first. I dont get how they can run out of the veggie pancake that I really wanted at 5:45 though when they open at 5:00 and the restaurant was empty. If its such a hit and even our servers favorite, then why cant they just make more in advance?

Visited very first German restaurant. Beers are incredible. Tasted Fruh Kolsch, Erdinger Weibbier, Dunkel, jever Pilsner, Einbecker Mai Urbock!! If you want try best beers at one time. Try this !! They have so many beers. Service is so great!!

Delicious food, beer and Santa sighting!

So good, all homemade food with good ingredients. Lots of beer options!

April 2020 - during covid-19, got the mushroom spaetzle, a couple of their bretzels or pretzels. Omg, they were all SO GOOD even though we got it all to go! Got a few grocery items like fresh farmers market assorted fruits and German 6 pack beer, too.A year ago - Server was nice. Short staffed (2 servers, 1 buser, 1 host for almost packed restaurant). Busy brunch. Potato pancakes were good, but very oily, so it was a heavy dish. Instead of the stated 4 thin long Nuremberger bratwursts on menu, got one massive sausage. Everything tasted very good and fresh. Texture of pan seared fingerling potatoes were soft & mushy. The sausage & eggs shouldnt have been placed on top of potatoes. Service was a bit slow and could tell that some werent really pulling their weight. Pretty scattered and half hazard, definitely not on point this visit.

Very authentic flavor, my husband and my best friend are German and this is their favorite German restaurant in the East Bay. They have tons of beer you can sample and even a little market. I hope once covid goes away they can staff a full kitchen and have full service, the chef was working so hard and she was by herself.

Absolutely delicious beer and food! The jägershnitzel was fantastic--made me think of my oma. My family and I made a reservation not realizing you have to order everything at the counter, and then theyll bring it to your table afterwards. A bit annoying, but still giving five stars.

Excellent food, especially spatzle, tomato soup and goulash and very friendly staff.

Slow service. Long wait. High prices. Very boring food.

Great food. Wonderful service. Fabulous vegetarian options.

Good selection of German beer, food was pretty good, excellent sausages. Ive only experienced during the pandemic, so the to go set up was good, clearly demarcated distances, sanitizer areas and everything necessary for a smooth to go experience. I also love that they do to go draft beer in Mason jars. Very much a great to go experience.

Great food, organic, and both meat and vegetarian dishes. Good breads and German beer selection. Friendly staff.

Excellent German food

Im not the type to leave reviews, but this place certainly deserves a 5 star. I went during covid but was able to enjoy my food outside with a great tasting beer. The place is quaint and they have a good selection of novelty cookies and candies. I wish I could say the food was like my grandmas but (sorry Oma) it was better! You can certainly taste the freshness in every bite, and I almost NEVER clean my plate. This time I did and considered ordering more to take home. The girl at the front, Rachel, was very polite and helpful. She definitely knows the menu (Food and Beer) and helped point me in the right direction. I will absolutely 100% be back to try more on the menu

Clean as a whistle, fresh ingredients, service a bit slow, nice place. 👍

I just love the food and the energy of this place. The food is delicious, especially the bretzels!

Exceptional German food with a variety of traditional options to choose from. Filling and delicious!

I have order online and got an email telling me to pick up after 40min. But when we come，we wait for another 40min. I guess they didn‘t cook the order until you come. But they didnt tell you about this. Verdammt

Smoked Salmon was pretty good

The food and beer are great and the owners are friendly and make you feel at home. This is one of my favorite lunch spots. Give it a try. You wont be disappointed.

This place is absolutely one of the tastiest place to eat in the area. Anytime I go there I am so pleased. They maintain their very high standard service and the topmost level of cooking they give. You can never go wrong with this restaurant. Highly recommended.

~ EASE OF ACCESS ~1⭐: Twenty Mile Hike5⭐: Accessible to anyone and everyone⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐~ ATMOSPHERE ~1⭐: Terrible Experience5⭐: Like my own bedroom :)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐~ FOOD ~1⭐: Couldnt eat a bite5⭐: Best food in the bay⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐~ STAFF ~1⭐: Incredibly Rude5⭐: Nicest people ever⭐⭐⭐⭐~ PRICE ~1⭐: Months of savings gone5⭐: Free⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐~ LOCAL ~1⭐: Nothing good near5⭐: Literally at SixFlags⭐⭐⭐~ FUN ~1⭐: Id rather watch paint dry5⭐: Ride of your life⭐⭐⭐⭐~ Overall Experience ~Great restaurant with great food! They are a bit slow, but their sign says slow food so its to be expected. A great place for lunch, outdoor seating is okay, although the traffic is a bit loud. If you are in need of some German food, Garmenkitzel is my #1 recommendation!~ Final Review ~⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a shorter review, but I love this place. I’d give it 5 stars, every time! The only thing is it’s a little slow.

Nice food and good service

My German ancestors are so happy when I get food from here ...me too.

This is unquestionably one of the tastiest place in the neighborhood. Always when I go there I am remarkably glad. They keep their high level service and the highest level of food they provide. You can never go wrong with this restaurant. Highly recommended.

Great beers, delicious food and nice ambiance

Yummy slow-cooked German food! Great selection of German beers!

I loved this restaurant . Great service and food. Excellent beer selection. The schnitzel was awesome.

This place is clearly one of the finest place to eat in the area. Whenever I come to this place I am awfully glad. They keep their high level service and the highest level of food they give. You surely will enjoy this this place. Very recommended.

I visit this lovely spot often! This is my favorite place to to have a good dinner. I go there frequently. The cooking is excellent, the staff is welcoming and the rates are affordable. I enjoy meeting in this restaurant to have a rich lunch.

Definitely a favorite of ours...super yummy Schnitzel and the staff is always friendly

Very nice place.... great service... great quality good food... 100% grass fed beef hot dogs, never frozen fresh trout.... and very clean and delicious flavors... you can taste the freshness...Definitely will be back again!

Well if you cant attend a wild Oktoberfest party gaumenkitzel is a nice alternative fabulous German beers great organic food that is quite delicious and outdoor seating for a handful

This spot is worth a try. They have big portions for fair prices. Constantly neat and with fantastic atmosphere. Will come back again.

This place has some great food. We went a few days ago for a holiday meal and I wasnt disappointed. Well not by them anyway. The goulash I ordered was so good I decided to save half to savour at home while watching a movie. On the way back to the car, the bag ripped and my future was shattered in an instant! I thought I might cry! It was like losing the big game or a pile of money at the craps table. Here it is a week later and it still hurts!It was some delicious food and with the mulled wine it was a memorable meal and night.Guess thats what we get when we try to hold on to good things too long.I definitely recommend the place. They serve a fine meal and have a great staff.Next time I will bring a bag worthy of the treasure!.

I eat in this great restaurant from time to time! This is my favorite place to to have a good dinner. I go there at least once a month. The cooking is of high quality, the workers are polite and the payment is decent. I like meeting in this spot over a nice lunch.

I admire this restaurant! They have sensational food, their menu is large, The chief cook in that place is a specialist, I love very much tasting all their food. The food is consistently of high class, the service towards the visitors is good. I go often to this place and I was never disappointed. I highly recommend it.

Excellent food, horrible service.

We love this place! The food is amazing. I feel like I’m in Europe when I eat here. The service is friendly. Don’t come if you’re in a rush. Be prepared to have a slow, relaxing meal. My kids love it too. So happy that it’s family friendly.

Very nice German restaurant. The owner is really friendly. And will let you practice your German. I recommend the Käsespätzle with the mushrooms. Also nice to sample a few German beers.

Had a awesome experience in here with my kid. The food comes rapidly and the customer service is just excellent. Prices are affordable.

Adequate wait time for pickup, good food, would come back for another meal!

At the moment you enter that place they give you a good feeling. Very courteous waiters, it is a lovely place to enjoy with friends or with your date. Great cooking, skillful chief cook and stuff, decent pay and professional service. Warmly recommended.

The service was excellent. The employees were knowledgeable, friendly and fun. The food was outstanding. The atmosphere was bright, fun, and welcoming. Looking forward to a return trip.

Great food and the owners/chef are the REAL deal. Fan fav is goulash ❤️❤️

Nice restaurant, good beer selection,. Interesting, good, and different black forest cherry cake for dessert. But the main course, beef stew strudel, was disappointing. The strudel itself was ok, but it was placed in a cold somewhat acidic white sauce that also ran into the (very good) red cabbage. It just was not to my taste.

Would surely recommend trying this spot. Fantastic character, tasty dishes, fantastic service. Fantastic work.

Delicious food and they taking great care of themselves and customers during the pandemic. If you are nostalgic for authentic German food, this is the place to go!

Decent food but if you are German you will be slightly dissappointed :).

One of my preferred places to grab some food. great location, always clean, and excellent service. Very good job!

This site is my number one place. Of all restaurants I know I prefere it most. I never miss an opportunity to go to this restaurant. when I feel like having a good dinner, this is the place that comes straightaway to my head. outstanding and many types of food and a large menu.helpful staff members, and pleasant ambience. Not less important, the cost is decent. I sent my friends to this spot with no hesitation.

We were seated with a group of 3 at a 6 people table. Considering we had saved long wait, not bad at all! If you like fish, definitely try their trout! It is amazing!! Im not a big beer drinkers but if you like light beer, dont forget to try their kolsch!

This is one of my favorite spots in Berkeley. Good select of European bear, great German food and nice people. For a lazy option you can always choose from the special menu.

The hot mulled wine was wonderful! Great for a chilly evening. Clean and open, always comfortable setting. Food is fresh and homey. Great sauerkraut and spetzele.

Fabulous true German menu with friendly service. Dishes were prepared with the genuine pears, beers and detail. Delicious. Make a reservation. The meringue at dessert was amazing! Huge, delicate, perfect. The cake, not so much. The schnitzel did not come with a gravy which surprised me but it was huge and tasty.

Excellent service and delicious food. The German food here is definitely a step above cheap beer hall pretzels. A pleasant surprise in Berkeley

The food is quite good here and it has knowledgeable wait staff that can explain the menu if you are new to German cuisine. On the meat side of the menu it is heavy on sausages and schnitzel, no Sauerbraten or pork knuckle (these might be seasonal and are more involved so their absence is understandable). They also have a fair number of vegetarian dishes, including a veggie potato pancake which almost got my order. I instead had a 3 sausages special that was excellent. They have a good selection of German beer and German deserts. All in all it is a good balance of authentic German with Berkeley.

I honestly liked the food and service, great area to my house. The workers are always very nice. Will visit here again.

My goulash was heavy on the black pepper and lacked salt. The spaitzel was just warm. Not a stellar German meal. The brezel was very good. It was the best thing I ate at the restaurant.

Nice staff and good food. Great German beer selection - fresh and delicious. Their homemade bread is amazing. Good for lunch, especially with the specials. The pricing is a bit weird - ranges from its a steal to dinner plate prices for lunch. Still, I will keep coming back.

Gaumenkitzel is one of my favorite places to go. The staff is amazing! The food is even better. But, the best thing about this place, for me anyway, is the beer. I havent had anything bad yet. I only wish they carried some poultry dishes.

My first visit and I only picked it completely at random on a trip to Berkeley. We had the goulash and it was amazing! Im trying to make this at home with marginal success, but highly recommend going with mashed potatoes instead of the speztel. They also have an excellent selection of beers . Looking forward to our next visit to try more if the menu

GREAT SERVICE!!!Delicious Entrees! Great variety of Beer on Draft and Bottled. Also serves Champagne & Wines.

My Dutch husband and I loved this restaurant. He thought the pea soup authentic. The schnitzel was tender and crispy; potato pancakes came with applesauce that did taste homemade. Beer is great too.

Awesome food. We have been missing their food for a long time so 5 of us drove up there from Fremont yesterday to have dinner. They have two narrow tables on the San Pablo Avenue side of the business which is where we ate - be aware that this street is busy and noisy so not everyone will be comfortable with the issues of eating on a noisy Berkeley street. We wanted to have their freshly cooked food hot and we were not disappointed! I had the pork loin, 2 of us has the Viennese style Schnitzel and we also ordered a vegetarian dish along with salads, beer, and the Black Forest and plum cake. It was so worth the trip! All of our food was delicious! You are extremely lucky if you live nearby and can support this fantastic restaurant - even with the drive, we will be heading back soon. I cant wait until we are past this pandemic and will be able to invite friends and family to have a party there!

Best schnitzel Ive ever eaten. Tender, crispy and delicious. I grew up with a mom of German descent and almost never like German restaurants. But I have dreams about their schnitzel and buttery mashed potatoes. Great wine and beer selection as well. Service can be a little slow but friendly and helpful when choosing wine or beer to pair with your meal.

One of my preferred places to grab some food. excellent location, well kept, and great service. Keep it up!

A really nice blend of traditional German dishes and unique takes. Small but well-curated selection of German beers on draft. Staff has always been helpful and friendly. Cool bonus: cookies, candies, etc. from the homeland to take with you.

Organic, sustainable, locally sourced ingredients for fabulously house-prepared tasty German dishes! Friendly, helpful, informative service. Impressive German beer, both bottled and draft, and wine selection. Highly recommended!

3.5 stars. Nice, cozy atmosphere, you get the feeling of home made food. The beef in the goulash was dry though, so I wouldnt recommend. Bread was pretty good, as well as the trout. Lacks some imagination, I think

This place is great. Its got a warm and friendly atmosphere and the food is very good. They make a nice cappuccino. I also love that its quiet and spacious. The service is friendly and prompt in both of my visits so far. I plan to make Gaumenkitzel a regular haunt!

This is one of my favorite restaurants. Always great healthy food in a lovely atmosphere. I come frequently with others and by myself and never have to wait for a table and it is never all that noisy. Thanks Gaumenkitzel!

Excellent example of German cuisine. I have gone here multiple times and have yet to have a bad meal. The staff is very attentive, the beer is affordable, and the food was amazing. I had the mulled wine which I have had in the past at different restaurants but they had a unique taste that was a good twist on the normal way of preparing it. Jagerschnitzel is a must have with the mashed potatoes and the bread is just simple and delicious.