Schmidt's

Schmidt'sSchmidt's
Schmidt'sSchmidt's
Bar, Eatery

240 E Kossuth St
Columbus, Ohio, 43206-2119
United States

(614) 444-6808 | map
schmidthaus.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.14
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
42
pDev:
9.18%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of PapaGoose03
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +12.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75
Was with a large lunch group and we ordered off the menu. The place is great for the vibe, the service was very good, and the beer selection was good. The food selection and quality were also very good. Highly recommended!
Mar 22, 2023
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

4/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
What I had: Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse (bottle), Reissdorf Kölsch (bottle), two Bahama Mama Original Sausage Platters, white wine for my significant other, Jumbo Chocolate Cream Puff to split.
What I liked: Cool kitschy interior, equal parts deli, beer hall, and your grandma’s house, authentic and delectable German fare, large Euro-centric beer list with good style variety and some rarities, friendly service, reasonable prices, love the Frau & Mann photo cut-out at the front door.
What I disliked: Patrons put a bit of a damper on things as the restaurant was packed with teetotaling families and, to our amazement, we were the only ones drinking.
Would I go back? Absolutely. Despite the puritan crowd this place is still a lot of fun.
Overall Rating: 80
Jan 29, 2020
Photo of Buckeye55
Reviewed by Buckeye55 from North Carolina

4.81/5  rDev +16.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 5
A true German style restaurant/bar in the appropriately named German Village area of my hometown, Columbus Ohio. Food is top notch with a good selection of German beers. You have to try one of the enormous cream puffs, absolutely freaking fantastic!
Jan 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by mcrawford from Michigan

Oct 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.11 by safphoto from Ohio

Nov 16, 2015
 
Rated: 4.05 by Gregf51 from Ohio

Sep 28, 2015
Photo of Extrajoker00
Rated by Extrajoker00 from Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -12.3%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
Great German food and beer
Sep 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.64 by mikepcarney from Ohio

Jun 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.19 by slasich from Pennsylvania

Feb 26, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by zmbgrafx from Ohio

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.56 by Osulou92 from Ohio

Oct 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by mendvicdog from Maryland

Jul 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by vrbulldog22 from Ohio

Jun 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by j_hollings13 from Ohio

Jun 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Lynn from Ohio

Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by jgunther71 from Illinois

Apr 08, 2014
Photo of krome
Reviewed by krome from Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.5
An authentic German eatery dating back to the 1800s.

It is an informal sausage place (perfect for quick breakfast/lunch dining. It has some house special beers (contract brewed by Elevator Brewing) and several excellent German imports.

It also has amazingly good German style cream puffs.
Apr 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by kvnklingler from Ohio

Feb 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 12, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by NorthCoastPranqster from Georgia

Nov 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by crashdavisinoh from Ohio

Nov 04, 2013
Photo of MRJAZZ
Reviewed by MRJAZZ from Virginia

4.06/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
Was in town during the Oktoberfest period and had a ball @ this authentic German facility in what is known in Columbus as the German Village Area. Got to the place on a City Bus, Was pleasantly surprised by the great diversity of beer selections that were available in the place .
Everyone in my party ate off the menu, but I thoroughly enjoyed the diverse selection, and the great $ value that was afforded by the Buffet Menu. If you can get past the tourists, it is a great place to eat and drink.
Oct 21, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Oct 10, 2013
Photo of RHWeir
Reviewed by RHWeir from Florida

3.29/5  rDev -20.5%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3
Schmidt's? Groan, what can I say? Tourist trap in German Village. Watch those curbs, they'll eat your wheels. Cream puffs, brats, nice selection of beers. It is what it is and it's very successful at what it is. Personally, having lived in the Columbus area for over 30 years, I prefer the Old Mohawk.
Jun 10, 2013
Photo of smithm1970
Reviewed by smithm1970 from Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -15.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Schmidt's is the place in Columbus that best capture's the city's German past by offering good German food and beer in a beer garden setting.

While the selection of beers is not huge, they do offer a good selection of both German styles and German imported brews to complement the German fare. Their best sausage is the Bahama Mama, a spicy sausage that is perfectly complemented by a nice hefeweizen. Also not to be missed are their excellent creme puffs.

If you plan to visit on the weekends, be sure to arrive early, as the wait goes to some pretty long times due to its popularity.
Jun 01, 2011
Photo of veech
Reviewed by veech from Tennessee

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Just returned from visiting relatives in Columbus and made my second trip to Schmidt's. Being a holiday weekend the wait was over an hour and the place was expectedly packed. Nonetheless, it was worth it for their tremendous sausages and sides. Nice beer selection that compliments their cuisine nicely. Local brewery Elevator Brewing supplies their traditional German style house beers. The wife opted for a black lager which was tasty while I went with a Spaten Maibock which was excellent as well. The place can definitely get a little touristy and I've never eaten dinner there, only lunch, so I have missed the oompah band.That being said, if you like German food it's worth the wait and somewhat cheesy vibe, as the food, beer, and service were excellent.
May 31, 2011
Photo of WVbeergeek
Reviewed by WVbeergeek from West Virginia

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
I made my first trip to German Village to go to Schmidt's last night after a long day at the Columbus Zoo. Everybody was starving which was a good thing. Anyways I was surprised at how small it was, but the good thing is they packed people in here. Got there between 6:30 and 7 pm and it was a 20 to 30 minute wait, not bad. They handled my party of seven with no problems, good service attentive to my little ones and the adults with refills on our big 32oz mugs of Paulaner Oktoberfest, which I decided to stick with since it was so fresh tasting. Other options on tap were Elevator brewed Schimdt's dunkel or helles, Warsteiner, Warsteiner dunkel, Paulaner hefewezien, and one more I can't think of. They had a nice mix of German bottles as well. Food wise my family decided to ride the Autobahn, full of sausage including. Garlic knockwurst, bratwurst, Bahama Mama, Bahama Mama mild, and Sausage stew. Meatloaf was killer with some red skinned mashed potatoes. German potato salad, red cabbage, and sauerkraut. With some kid friendly options thrown in as well, vegetable soup, mac and cheese, and green beans all done really well. I've only seen one better example of ethnic food on a buffet before, that would be the Red Apple in Chicago for Polish food. Needless to say we were stuffed, so we brought dessert home, cream puffs were killer three main varieties were vanilla, chocolate, and peanut butter chocolate. They also had coconut cream pie, apple streudel, and other options. Definitely wasn't a beer destination but the limited variety of beer was really good in this small German bier and sausage haus. No live polka on this visit but it was a Tuesday night. Will go back but the novelty of the Autobahn may have worn off I'm ready for some Spaetzel and schnitzel, so a great experience overall we will be back If you go with the buffet kids eat for 4.99 and adults are around 13 dollars, and cream puffs are discounted to 2.50 with the buffet. Bier pricing 8 bucks for the big mugs, and 6 someting for a 22 ounce pint glass. It was worth it for the beer to go with the food, but if it's just for beer you'll find me at Bodega with 50 taps half off drafts during the week from 4-8pm.
Jul 14, 2010
Photo of MbpBugeye
Reviewed by MbpBugeye from Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
As it has been said here before, this is a place you must go if you are visiting Columbus but it should not be your first beercentric destination.

Located in the middle of German Village, this is a historic part of the city. Its a very old fashioned German restaurant specializing in sausage. You see plenty of Irish pubs, but this is one of the very few traditional German restaurants.

They have made this a whole attraction with an adjacent fudge and gift shop, sausages to-go and staff dressed in lederhosen. There is usually live polka/accordion music as well.

The bar is off sorta separate from the rest of the place. Its tucked in towards the back on the left side. They have some of the typical German imports like a few from Paulaner. Elevator also brews one or two beers especially for Schmidt's. The beer selection isnt stellar, but they have decent examples of the more popular German ales and lagers (marzen, hefewiezen etc). You can get them in pretty large sizes. I believe the large mugs are at least 22oz.

On my most recent visit for dinner I ordered the Elevator brewed oktoberfest. The waiter mixed things up and brought me a Paulaner Hefe. So it is my impression that the staff knows little about the beer.

Go for the food and atmosphere, if you are looking for a huge beer selection go else where, unless you want some German imports.
Apr 26, 2010
Photo of Natural510
Reviewed by Natural510 from Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
A traditional German restaurant which has been run by the same family for nearly 125 years in the heart of the German Village neighborhood in Columbus.
The space is fairly large, with authenticity on the walls as well as the server clothing. Very warm, familial feeling without the faux gaudiness you'd find at a nouveau European bistro.
We came in the middle of the afternoon and, while still fairly busy, it gave the servers enough time to treat us well.
The food here is the stuff of local (and sometimes national) legend, but most famous are the sausages and jumbo cream puffs. Most folks opt for the buffet.
Beerwise, they have three lagers contracted for the restaurant by a local brewery: a dunkel (Dark), dortmunder (Gold), and Light beer. The other draft choices are Warsteiner's lager or dunkel, and Paulaner's Hefeweizen or Oktoberfest. There is also a small selection of bottles, mostly macros, but including selections from Great Lakes. Draft selections come in 12oz, 23oz, or 1L glasses. There is a full bar for non-beer drinkers.
All in all, a must-visit for out-of-towners and locals alike, for great authentic food accompanied by good beer.
Sep 28, 2009
Photo of nrbw23
Reviewed by nrbw23 from Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
The atmosphere and the food are by far the two best reasons to go to Schmidt's. I love the food classic German food. The place is almost always packed and usually a nice wait to go along with that. Food wise you clearly have to go with the Autobahn, which is their buffet. Tons of brats, Knocks, bahama mamas and quite a bit of other German foods. Service struggles during the busier times. I'd say more of a food place than a beer place. The beer selection is ok at best a handful of German brews mainly Paulaner and a couple of house brew that are brewed at the Elevator. Overall, I love the food and atmosphere, beers are ok and the cream puffs are awesome.
Feb 17, 2009
Photo of mashedpotatoes
Reviewed by mashedpotatoes from Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Schmidt's is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in Columbus. Just driving through German Village on the brick roads to get there brings back so many memories. It's truly like you've entered a different world.

The atmosphere is old world German. The waitresses wear dirndl's. The tables, walls and furniture are all old, untreated wood and brick. The music is authentic, on weekends and evenings you may even catch some live German music such as the "Polka Dots".

Service is above average if they aren't busy, which is rare. If it's super busy expect to have bad service. What can you say, it's a small place that gets super packed.

The selection is great. Lot's of authentic German food and a great selection of German beers. I get Paulaner Salvatore Dopplebock everytime, it goes great with the pretzel nuggets.

The food is very good. It's one of those places that everything you order is great so you end up ordering the same thing every time. Suggested hits are the Corned Beef Reuben, Beer Battered Pretzel Nuggets and of course their world famous jumbo cream puff.
Aug 12, 2008
Photo of BMoney575
Reviewed by BMoney575 from Texas

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Visited the Sausage Haus on a trip to Columbus last weekend. The placed came highly recommended by a friend, so we had to check it out. It's in the old German Village section of the city, and the neighborhood is beautiful. Upon entering, you are hit in the face with smells of sausage and sauerkraut, and are immediately hungry. The food was good (sausage buffet), and they had three house beers; a light lager, a dortmunder, and a doppelbock. I had the dortmunder and was very satisfied. They also had several other German offerings on tap. The service was good, and with the buffet you god a $2 cream puff that was massive. A fun place, and worth a visit if you're in the area.
Jul 24, 2007
Photo of MICAMD
Reviewed by MICAMD from Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
One of my buddies had been here before on a previous trip to Columbus and it came highly recommended. A great little part of town with brick streets and lots of trees. The place smelled fantastic even before we got inside. I believe that the building used to be an old stable, but I could be wrong. The floors were all wood and it had a nice dark German atmosphere overall. The service was quick and efficient. The menu consisted mostly of sausages and potatoes and what not. The beer selection was average, they did have a nice Dortmunder though. The cream puff dessert was great. Worth a trip for sure- a nice, unique restaurant.
Jul 23, 2007
Photo of giblet
Reviewed by giblet from Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
the mrs. and i went here this past spring. i had frequented this place whilst in college. we each had a rueben and the meal was very good as always. they have a good selection of german food and decent german beers. their sausge is quite yummy.

we had good service and everyone was friendly.

i had a hosters and it was good. i like this place and the setting in German village of central Columbus. nice atmosphere and surroundings - brick streets, small store fronts, etc.

if you are in Central Columbus i urge you to visit Schmidt's and the brewery district!

suckem up and movem out.

giblet
Jul 20, 2007
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 5
Schmidt's is located in German village in a quaint area of brick roads and Victorian-style houses. Parking can be a chore as their small lot fills up fast, along with the street parking. It's worth the wait though.

The exterior of the building really lends itself to the atmosphere they are trying to convey. While the original building burned down long ago, the new location feels like one of those places that has been part of the landscape forever.

Inside the restaurant you are forced to walk by cases full of ridiculously tasty-looking meats and pastries. The dining area takes up most of the restaurant, with an adjoining buffet/banquet room. The bar is tucked away toward the rear. Most of the staff are dressed for the occasion, and there is an interesting array of German/Bavarian decor.

The beer selection is average, but well thought out. There are several German beers available in bottles such as Paulaner, and a few on tap as well. They also stock a few locally-brewed beers from Hoster's and Elevator that are repackaged with Schmidt's in mind. They also offer a sampler of the different beers that are available.

Service here is good, but struggles a bit during peak hours. Knowledge about the available beers is hit or miss.

I can't say enough about how much I like the food here. Whether the buffet, or a good old-fashioned bratwurst at a fair I have never been anything less than thrilled with the food. Some perfectionist in German fare might find something wrong but I think it is out of this world. And the creampuffs? Forget about it.

Overall this is not only a place that I recommend beer-lovers go, but a place I recommend anyone visiting Columbus go. A must-visit in this city.
Oct 24, 2006
Photo of PatandDavid
Reviewed by PatandDavid from Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Been here a few times, it's a bit of a must go destination for us. I love the atmosphere in German Village, and why not cap it off with a stop at Schmidts. Food is good, the service is friendly and responsive. They have a few 'hausbrews' that are brewed for them (will review separately). and I enjoyed the two I ordered. If you like comfy settings, good hearty German food, some decent haus biers and gemuetlichkeit, make a stop here. Easy to find at the end of the street, it's in a quaint building with some parking.
Mar 19, 2006
Photo of fromage
Reviewed by fromage from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
This place is great! I stopped here on my way home for the holidays (Nashville to PA). I'm pretty sure that they have live music every night. When we went there were two guys playing german songs on accordion and tuba and the place was packed. Big, open room. It started to empty out a bit early (9ish, and this was a Thursday). In a great part of town--should please the ladies. Easy parking.

Beers weren't too much to speak of. I got a Paulaner Oktoberfest, and was too afraid to get one of the two house beers (sounded too light or too dark). I can't really remember what else there was, but all German lagers. (Pretty sure no Hefe's). Reasonably priced. Pretty sure it was $4.50 for 20oz.

Food was great. We went at night after a long day of driving and were hungry as hell. I thought they'd only have the buffet during the day, but they had it at nigh too. Not certain if that's a regular thing. It was either 8$ for a sausage platter or 11$ for all you can eat. You do the math. All sausages available on the bufffet (all 4 of them--brat, knock, bahama mamas), meatloaf, stews, sides. Definitely worth it, imho, especially if you're as hungry as we were. Plus you get dessert for only 1.5$ if you get the buffet. Cream puff dessert was a little dissapointing.

I'd say pretty cheap overall. Good enough beer, good food, and great atmosphere. Worth the stop if you're in Columbus, day or night.
Jan 21, 2006
Photo of psugrad98
Reviewed by psugrad98 from Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Brings back memories of my childhood, hanging out with my father at the Pennsylvania Bavarian Festival in my hometown.

This taste of German is right in the German Village section of Columbus. It features several tasty German brews right on draught. I am told the selection rotates, though I have not gone back to see again.

The food and service are excellent. As an appetizer I suggest the Pretzel nuggets. Very German with a sweet/salty character that is traditional of German cooking.

To get a good flavor for their signature sausages, try the Signature Sampler. You'll get the Bahama Mamma, a sweeter Keilbasa-like sausage, bratwurst, knowckwurst, and mild Mamma.

I had no room for dessert, but their assortment of German desserts looked out of this world.

A local told me the best thing to do is go during lunch and get their German Buffet. Most of their major menu items are on the buffet, and you get to try them all!!
May 06, 2005
Photo of Ahhdball
Reviewed by Ahhdball from Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
I love Schmidt's and have been a big fan ever since I moved here from NY. I can't vouch for it's authenticity (I've never been to Germany) but I've taken a few people who can and are very pleased.
Found along the bricked streets nestled deep in the heart of German Village, Columbus, Ohio, many have traveled from afar to get here. The tourists at the door give the impression this may be just another trap but the idea fades after the restaurant is entered. Close seating but comfortable. Quaint but not sleepy. The first item spotted in the waiting area are the wonderful baked sweets along with the 1 pound cream puff that no matter how full you are, is a must! What a temptation to stare at while waiting for a table - which wasn't long.
I wish they had more on tap but what the wife and I had did the trick. I remember overhearing a gent at the next table trying to impress his new lady friend that the ONLY good dark beer is Guinness. Novice. ANYWAY we opted for the schlagen (buffet) and enjoyed it tremendously. The food here is above par for German style food in Columbus.
Jan 02, 2005
Schmidt's in Columbus, OH
Place rating: 4.14 out of 5 with 42 ratings