This place is heaven! The food is really authentic and it walks that fine line between genuine and kitchy really well. Yes there's polka music and yes the servers wear traditional German clothing but it's not too much flare. The food here was amazing. Since the portions are so large, we split 2 entrees between two people. We started with beers which the server was very knowledgeable about and really enjoyed the pretzels + sauerkraut and spicy mustard that we were brought early on.
The salads that came with the meal were also really great! Get the Deutch salad if you can. The carrots/beans/slaw were really different and fresh. The brats were yummy as were the accompanying German potatoes. We also really liked the Schnitzels. I didn't think I liked German food before eating here but now I love it! To finish our meal we shared the most delicious cheery strudel.
Essen Haus is a must if you're visiting Madison. It's really close to the lake too so in the summer time, it's a nice meal to incorporate into exploring the area.