Let me start by saying i purchased a $25 gift certificate from Restaurants.Com like many others did previous to going to Cafe Heidlberg. And if your thinking about doing the same you might want to read this review to make sure you dont feel duped after you get your bill.
The location of the restaurant is very much out of the way and in a not so desirable location either but sometimes this is where you get the best food. Walking into the place the staff was very friendly and helpful. I have high expectations of German food from a place i use to frequent back home and this was lacking in a few areas. As the dining room was kind of unwelcoming with the way it was setup with glass cases of countless items on display for sale. I feel like if im paying $30 a plate for dinner that i would like to eat in a dining room at the least, instead i felt like i was sitting in a pawn shop. Lets get to the food split pea soup was tasty, bread dumplings were just ok lacking in flavor a bit, the schnitzel was good no doubt and the spaetzle was just ok. The entire mean was kind of ho hum and nothing to really write home about, although i would have gone back except for what happen when i received my bill.
I did what Restaurants.Com suggests in trying sides, and higher priced dishes because you have your gift certificate. This is where the extra split pea soup and dumplings are ordered which i wouldnt usually do because i already know my portion is going to be huge and fill me up. Most all certificates on Restaurants.Com suggest that anywhere from a 15-20% gratuity is auto added to your bill and i personally am not a fan of this as i should be able to tip my server based on performance and is partially why i even got the Cafe Heidelburg certificate in the first place. So a bill for dinner for two came out to $64 for dinner and two sides and that was AFTER the use of my $25 gift certificate. This was partially because the waitress decided she was going to add 20% for herself regardless if my certificate disclosed that or not. That means that im almost at $90 total bill ($64 + $25= $89) to eat in a pawn shop, and have mediocre food at best. I will not return as this is ridiculous, there are far too many great restaurants where i can have dinner for two for $90 and you feel like it was worth it. $28 dinners for this place? If your even in Seaside, CA go to Stammtisch and enjoy your dinner, service and atmosphere and spend half that. http://www.yelp.com/biz/stammtisch-restaurant-seaside