Karl Ratzsch's
320 E. Mason St., (414) 276-2720
www.karlratzsch.com
Karl Ratzsch's is the other downtown Milwaukee restaurant that has served generations of Milwaukeeans and visitors worldwide. The restaurant originally opened on Water Street in 1904 and relocated in 1929 to its present location on Mason.

Karl Ratzsch's best features include the Roast Duck and Goose Combination (comes with choice of soup or salad, vegetable, rice and dressing, $29), Trudy's Sampler (sauerbraten and wienerschnitzel, served with potato dumpling and red cabbage, $25.50), and Braised Stuffed Pork Chops, stuffed with celery, sausage, and apple dressing served with hot homemade apple sauce, $22.25).

Ratzsch's offers numerous German beers and over 30 different kinds of German wine. The grand piano gets played Friday and Saturday nights. There's a children's menu and an early dining menu that includes dessert ($14.95) if you want to have dinner between 4:30-6. Décor is Old World German, featuring a fabulous collection of beer steins and ornate glassware. The leaded glass windows, beam ceilings and original framed oil paintings create an attractive atmosphere.

Kegel's Inn
5901 W. National Ave., (414) 257-9999
Family owned since 1924, Kegel's lies about a mile west of Miller Park and is a popular choice for baseball fans craving something more German than a brat or ballpark pretzel with dusseldorf mustard.

The atmosphere comes straight out of Deutschland: murals adorn the walls, oak surrounds you on the beam ceilings and wood walls, hardwood floors, and stained glass windows in a Lannon stone building.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch, Monday-Saturday, 4:30-9 p.m. for dinner. Closed Sunday.

Mader's
1037 N. Old World Third St., (414) 271-3377
www.madersrestaurant.com
One of the signature German restaurants in downtown Milwaukee, Mader's has been serving on Old World Third Street since 1902. Dress is casual, although you would not be out of place in formal attire.

Specialties at Mader's include the Bavarian sauerbraten (beef marinated in old world spices and wine vinegar for 10 days, topped off with ginger snap sauce, served with red cabbage and spaetzle, $24), Mader's Famous Tower Ring Pork Shank (favorite for 99 years, updated to a skinless shank with an apple demi-glaze served with sauerkraut and potatoes, $21), and their Wienerschnitzel (veal pounded flat, lightly breaded and sautéed, served with potato dumplings and mushroom cream sauce, $28). Mader's offers 217 imported beers, some of which are even German.

Mader's also has a gift shop upstairs and an art gallery featuring landscapes. Also, if you're looking for a stein, Mader's is a place you can buy one. Valet parking is also available.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sundays, Mader's offers a brunch at 10:30 a.m. and is open for dinner from noon-9 p.m.

Ritter's Inn
12600 W. North Ave., Brookfield, (262) 789-8250
Ritter's has been around for 25 years and in 1990 it relocated from Milwaukee to its present Brookfield location. Atmosphere is casual, with linen tablecloths and napkins. The menu does include non-German dishes, but German food is Ritter's specialty.

German dishes include the wienerschnitzel, broiled ribs with sauerkraut, pork chop cutlet and Kassler Rippchen, Sauerbraten and Goulash. Lunches range from $4.50-8.25; dinner prices typically range from $7.50-19.95 (for the extensive combo platter, which combines three German dishes.)

Ritter's Inn Friday night fish fry offers lake perch, walleye pike and haddock along with specialty homemade potato pancakes, fries, potato dumplings, and applesauce. Depending on the type of fish one chooses, prices can range from $6.95-12.95.

Hours: Lunch Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Dinner 4-9 p.m. Fridays until 10, Saturdays, 4-10 and Sundays, 4-9 p.m.