Mader's German Restaurant

Wonderful food and really great service. more

Recently we had a wonderful dining experience at Mader's Restaurant in Milwaukee. Coming from Crystal Lake Illinois, we went to a Titanic Anniversary event which included a lavish and exquisite 8 course meal that was said to be the final first class dinner served on the great ship. Wine was paired with each course and well complimented the food. With some staff dressed in period garb there was an air of authenticity lent to the event and when each guest presented their ""boarding pass"" they were led up the staircase to a private dining room. It did feel like boarding a ship. After dinner there Herr Victor Mader gave a little speech about his restaurant which is 112 years old and also introduced the granddaughter of a Titanic survivor, Elizabeth Lev. She spoke about her grandmother Nana's experience as a girl of 21 that night terrible night. Concluding the event was a screening of the 1953 movie about the Titanic with Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb. It was a great experience and well worth the drive. Mader's food has been consistently authentic and enjoyable in the some 40 years I have been going there. The beer, well that is just heaven. more

The real address is 1041 NORTH 3rd Street, not SOUTH--as your website listed it. Those two addresses are... more

The real address is 1041 NORTH 3rd Street, not SOUTH--as your website listed it. Those two addresses are some 22 blocks apart. At eight N/S bloc... more

I see some mixed reviews on here and thought that I would give my opinion. more

Maders is an amazing restaurant the wife and I visit on special occasions. The food and service are always excellent. My favorite is the Esterhazy schnitzel. The last time I was there, I did not see it on the menu. I asked the waitress if it was available. She immediately went to the chef and bingo, he knew how to fix it. So, my dear friends do not be afraid to ask when you are at Maders. If they don't list it maybe, just maybe the cook can accommodate your request. The food is above par, the decorations are awesome and the staff are always friendly and prompt. Upstairs there is an incredible selection of steins and Maders is an authorized Hummel retailer. My wife loves those little ceramic figures. We reserve Maders for anniversary and birthday events and we have given gift certificates as presents. Our friends came back amazed at the food and the ""museum like"" atmosphere. Come to think of it, the wife has a birthday coming up in mid September. MMMM I can hardly wait to treat ""her"" to a visit. more

Though Mader's is a bit pricey at ~$30 per entree, their food is amazingly delicious and their portions... more

Though Mader's is a bit pricey at ~$30 per entree, their food is amazingly delicious and their portions generous. The pork shank ($28), which the ... more

I lived in Germany and Switzerland for six years while with IBM and dined at numerous fine restaurants entertaining guests throughout Europe. Mader's cuisine is authentic, marvelous and consistent. I currently live in Mequon, WI and dine at Mader's perhaps 15-20 times per year. I've probably dined there over 100 times. I'd say in 100+ visits I've had 2-3 slightly below average experiences. I know Mader's management. I know they added a head chef and a new sous chef in early 2008 and now the consistency and food are better than ever. When hosting a business dinner consistency is very, very important. It's a downtown restaurant with 50 beers (very German), a great wine list and free parking next door. Free parking is very unusual for a downtown restaurant. Mader's is over 100 years old and as Mader's says ""Mader's is Milwaukee's most celebrated restaurant."" I also enjoy walking through Mader's ""hall of fame"", photographs of famous people that Mader's has served: JFK, Robert Kennedy, Gerald Ford, President Ronald Reagan, Frank SInatra, Paul Newman, Hitchcock, Hepburn, John Wayne, the Three Stooges, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Alicia Keys and a lot more. I enjoy showing my business guests these photos. Mary, at the door, remembers my name and I like the waitress Katie best. My favorite dinners are County Esterhazy Schnitzel, wiener schnitzel and roast pork shank. Last Tuesday I had the Esterhazy. Pros: Atmosphere, superb German food, outstanding bakery Cons: Busy more

My family ate at Mader's Restaurant on Thanksgiving this year and despite it being one of their busiest days of the year the service and food could not be surpassed. We were delighted with the exceptional staff and their attentiveness and discretion at clearing empty plates, filling empty water glasses and assisting with any concern that came up. They were awesome in watching the patrons and making sure everyone's needs were taken care of. All were smiles and politeness and kept the flow going. The buffet line just flowed with exceptional food. The entrees and desserts were all fresh and tender and juicy. Nothing tasted like it was under the lights too long or overcooked. We couldn't have been happier or fuller that day. Also kudos to the valet who kept a smile on his face and a kind word to everyone. We will return. Pros: Service, Parking, Food, Friendliness, Convenient access more

Tonight wasn't our first visit to Mader's - we had been for lunch previously and been generally pleased. Friday evening dinner was most disappointing. The waitress treated us as if we were an inconvenience. The chichken schnitzel was like the sole of a shoe and the whole experience was at best, boring. The beer offering is phenonmenal, but hardly redemptive. We won't go back. Pros: Geat beer selection. Awesome German ambiance Cons: Boring food - overcooked entres and less than attentive service. more

This was my first trip to Maders and it blew me out of the water. We went for the Thanksgiving buffet and the service was nothing but spectacular. The buffet was not picked over, everything was delicious from the waffles to the Sauerbraten to the array of desserts. Our glasses were never empty, and the plates never piled on the table. It was a very enjoyable brunch for my family and I and I would definitely recommend this to any of my family and friends. Pros: Wonderful food and ambience, and the service was out of this world. more

I'm a transplant to Milwaukee, a city I like. Had an early dinner here on a weekday with parents and wife after our wedding at city hall...really. It was good. Went there again recently, and the food was average. The staff was average, the decor is a nice experience, and you should go at least once. But given the high price for this food (the cheapest dinner entre is about 23$ for food that tastes about 12$) I'd say you probably won't become a regular. Pros: the history and tradition Cons: high price of food more

. . . that?s what we were with our food at Mader?s! The sauerbraten was tough and dry as cardboard and the goulash was cold and full of chunks of fat. The atmosphere was dark and dirty, and the prices are inflated. I eat pretty much anything, but this was just plain nasty. The only decent item in the restaurant was the beer. So, we would not recommend this restaurant for the food. Pros: nothing more

The good is that you get pretty much what you expect at Mader's, a decent german meal with some pretty good beer. The bad is that considering they have been around for 106 years, you would think they could make AMAZING german food. It's just decent. The hot is the staff, they are either VERY attractive young ladies or Helga the Waitress from 106 years ago. If you can't enjoy the kitchy nature of the place with a good beer and some nice food, they this place is definitely not for you. Enjoy the history of the spot, enjoy the food and if you can't do that, have another boot of bier. more

Extremely Disappointing. Upon entering, everyone in our dinner party commented on the musty smell in the lobby. Kitchen pans were collecting a steady stream of water from the ceiling in the coat-check room. Mader's is over-priced with poor service. It took nearly 1.5 hours after ordering to prepare food for a party of 6. All steaks were ordered Medium - one was raw, another was well-done, and side dishes were forgotten. Water & beverages were never refilled. We had reservations on a Sunday evening and it did not appear to be a very busy night. When we expressed our dissatisfaction the hostess blamed us for not allowing more time. She was very rude and offered no apology. I will never go back. When I mentioned our troubles to some friends the next day, I was told that the local news has recently investigated Mader's for their unsanitary practices. Not something anyone likes to hear, but I do not find this surprising given the staff's obvious disinterest in providing a quality dining experience. Please do yourself a favor and go somewhere else the next time you dine out in Milwaukee. (Also see TMJ4's Dirty Dining Exposed) Cons: Slow Service, Rude Staff, Poor Quality Food, Expensive, Funky Smell more

Our family recently visited Mader's German Restaurant for the first time for a special meal before a play. When we were making the reservations for the meal, we had informed the person on the phone that we would need to be at our play at 6:30. They made our reservation for 5:00, saying that this would leave us with plenty of time to have our meal. We arrived at Maders slightly before 5:00 that night and ordered our food shortly after. We had a round of drinks and salads. And then we waited.... and waited for our meal to come out. After waiting until 5:50, we asked our waitress about our food and were told it would be out shortly. At 5:10 we went to pay our drink and salad tab and tell our hostess to cancel our order as we would not have enough time to eat. She was very rude and never once apologized for the time delay or for telling us to come only 1 1/2 hours before our play. She told us in a condescending voice that ""this is fine dining"" and that we should have at least expected to have 2 hours to eat. She blamed us for not having enough time to eat our meal and refused to cancel our order. Pros: Short walk to the theatre district Cons: Rude Hostess more

I was visiting town from Chicago and was guided here by the hotel staff. The service at the restaurant was horrible. We came in for Sunday brunch, waited for 10 minutes because there was no hostess. Pros: All you can eat Cons: Service, price, taste more

I was really disappointed with this experience. We had heard some many good reports. The food is nothing special and it is very pricey for both the style and the amount. We were seated by the kitchen and the place was freezing cold. Very ordinary food, very ordinary presentation, wait staff was pleasant and worked hard. Best part of the whole experinence was the very prompt and helpful valet parking attendant. At these prices there is no margin for error - while the food was not bad - it was not that good. Pros: Valet parking, historic Cons: food, slow, cold more

the rubin roll are to die for. Just get them. They are best! Pros: Good friendly staff, Good parking Cons: expensive, chaning menu too much more