I love wandering America’s historic neighborhoods and German Village in Columbus, Ohio is one of the first I explored as an adult. Which has a whole different meaning (in my opinion) than when you’re on a school field trip or family vacation right? It’s a different level of appreciation when you’re “grown up” and have chosen to be somewhere and soak in the history and culture.
Valter’s at the Maennerchor
Settled in the early 1800’s by a large number of German immigrants, German Village is on the National Register of Historic Places. The neighborhood is made up of restaurants, businesses, parks, gardens, and residences. Some of the buildings are architecturally remarkable. And Valter’s at the Maennerchor captures the combination of old-world tradition with modern takes on classic German dishes in a relaxed venue, that serves up both food and beer (it is in German Village and considered part of the brewery district after all!). You get the dark-wood cozy interior, but the furniture is modern and comfortable.
On to the food. I cannot go to a German restaurant and miss ordering the spaetzle; likewise, my partner in life and on the road this trip, feels the same compulsion with regard to traditional German potato salad, served hot of course. Both were excellent sides, done accurately. The spaetzle had a heavy kick of black pepper but I loved it. That said, I wanted to give you all a warning!
One thing I have to note is how perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious the asparagus was. Clearly the asparagus was not intended to be the star of the show, it almost was (I hate to admit it!) because I am a huge fan of asparagus and, basically, any grilled food, which this was.
That said, I will not discount how enjoyable the schnitzel was. I went with pork this time and it was tender, deliciously breaded, and flawlessly cooked. The flavor, as you’d expect, was mild but balanced by the peppery spaetzle and the char of the asparagus.
My significant other order the schnitzel sandwich, which meant he got to try the pretzel bun. Note: there is a house-made mustard on the sandwich. The pretzel bun was good, but I’d still recommend ordering the platter instead, as I did.
Only having been there once, I’d go back and try even more on the menu- as long as it comes with that grilled asparagus! Kidding aside (not really kidding), I am looking forward to another trip there and ordering up some of their sausages, the sauerkraut balls, and the pierogi. One thing we were sure to walk out with was dessert to-go. I cannot say enough good things about it; it may have been the best thing we tried from Valter’s. We got a dark, decadent chocolate cake. As rich as it was, we had no problem splitting it and eating it all in one sitting.
There were a lot of outdoor tables, spread over at least two patios that we were able to see on our way into the beautiful old brick building, decorated with (seemingly?) antiques.
Street parking is the norm in German Village, and we were able to snag a spot right on High Street within two blocks of the restaurant. Since we tried this place out during a “pandemic road trip,” the staff was all masked up and there were plexiglass separations inside the restaurant, which we appreciated. It was nice to be in a public place but have your conversation private in addition to the obvious safety during a pandemic.
In closing, if you find yourself wandering the brick-paved streets of German Village, taking in the scenery which includes some beautiful red-brick homes, parks, and historical statues, add Valter’s to your list of food stops.
 | 976 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43206, United States |
 | https://valtersatthemaennerchor.com/ |
 | (614) 444-3531 |
Google Reviews
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Yelp Reviews
[wp-review-yelp-business-reviews id=”valters-at-the-maennerchor-columbus” title=”Valter’s at the Maennerchor” review_num=”3″]
