Friendly service can't save bland, overpriced food.
+1 star for friendly service. Our waiter was very cheerful and attentive. He disappeared for a bit, but, just when his absence seemed his defining characteristic, he flew back into action with panache and style. The manager was also checking up on everyone and helping out where needed. Nice people!
+0 stars for food. I really wanted to like this place, but the food was bad from top to bottom:
- cheese curds were bad (how does this even happen in Wisconsin?!),
- the Rueben was bad (strangely sweet, very strangely),
- the kid's chicken breast was bad (too tough to cut), and
- the Rathskeller pasta was bad (flavorless).
The food wasn't offensive enough to flip over any tables or start a prolonged argument with the hostess on the meaning of life and why they had just stolen so much of mine, it was just nowhere near as good as it should have been or as the Sprecher name implies. Apparently the pizza was okay.
TL;DR. Buy Sprecher root beer and a low-sodium microwaveable feast at the grocery store and you've just recreated the dining experience I just had.