What's Good in Leavenworth, WA

[Attknee]

Hello Everyone:

My wife and I are visiting Leavenworth, WA for the first time next week. We are staying for 3 nights, including our 12th anniversary, which of course requires a special dinner. Please make suggestions for lunch and dinner in Leavenworth and area, especially for our anniversary dinner. If there are any wineries in the area with good restaurants, or which are especially worth visiting regardless of food served, I would greatly appreciate knowing about them. Thanks.

[seattlesue]

We just returned from a weekend in Leavenworth. We stayed at Mountain Home Lodge and I would recommend having dinner there to anyone if you can get a reservation. Chef Tom creates an amazing meal! We ate lunch at O'Grady's pantry next to the Sleeping Lady conference hotel. This is an excellent place for lunch away from the crowds in town. The chef for the Sleeping Lady makes all of the salads and they along with the sandwiches are wonderful.

[Jane917]

I heartily second the recommendation for Mountain Home. You can call ahead if you are not staying at the Lodge to see if they have room for more diners. Also, at Sleeping Lady, if you are not staying there, you can make lunch or dinner reservations with a 24 hour notice.

[Attknee]

Here is my report. For our anniversary we went to Cafe Mozart for schnitzel. I had the chicken and my wife had the veal. Both were a nice size, not greasy, and came with choice of starch and a small salad. While I have not had a schnitzel for a long time, I would say that this one certainly was very good. Nice restaurant.
Probably the best meal we had was not in Leavenworth but in Cashmere, which is about 12 miles east. We ate at the Walnut Cafe at the suggestion of the person at the Run of the River Bed & Breakfast, where we stayed (great place, by the way). I had chicken marsala and my wife had veal marsala. Great sauce. Came with soup or salad. Very nice restaurant. Friendly service. Had a nice bottle of Ryan Patrick Washington Chardonnay for $24.00. A really good price for an excellent wine. We also had a crepe at Pavz in Leavenworth. Friendly service and a good light meal.
We definitely enjoyed our stay and our meals in a very beautiful area of Washington.

[Jane917]

For sausages and true Bavarian flavor, I would recommend Mozart's or Andreas Keller. I think of Gustav's for hamburgers and onion rings, and Katzenjammers for steak/seafood. Jane

[paulj]

Any thoughts on how Cafe Christa compares with the other German places?

I've eaten lunch there several times in the past, though nothing recent. By now my memory is more of the upstairs setting. I tend to judge a German restaurant more by the sides than the meat, things like the spatzle and red cabbage. While I enjoy a nice hot schnitzel, I prefer a slow roasted meat like a pork shank (though that is unlikely to be on a lunch menu).

While browsing a Leavenworth restaurant listing (on the Icicle Inn site) I found a Munchen Haus Bavarian Grill and Beer Garden. Since it has a pet friendly outdoor courtyard, it might be worth a stop the next time I'm passing through (usually on a camping trip).

paulj

[nicholel]

I'm leaving tomorrow with my bf and friend for just a day trip from Seattle. If you could only go to one place for a meal... what would it be?
We're particular to sausages. Last time I was there I was a wee bit overwhelmed by all the sausage places (gee, a Bavarian-themed town would do that??) What place is most, most recommended? Gustav's? Katzenjammer's??

[christy319]

"They've heard there's a large German population in the area"

If this is why your friends are going you may want to warn them that Leavenworth is not Bavarian-themed due to any German community, but because the town thought that would attract tourists when the logging industry went bust in the 1960s.

[krb]

We are heading to Leavenworth tomorrow with a group of 10 including 4 younger kids. Some of these dinner suggestions look like they may be too fancy for the kids. So far I have looked into King Ludwigs, Visconti's and JJ Hills. Any comments on these or other recommendations for families? Thanks.

[Mark Nobe]

Andreas Keller Restaurant in the cellar downstairs from Mozart's is a great place for families. They have very good traditional Bavarian food and live music quite often.

[Jane917]

I would not recommend Visconti's for kids, but I can't think of anywhere else I would not take young or teenaged kids. All
the German restaurants are family places. Leavenworth is geared for families (and dogs). You can't go wrong anywhere.

[Jane917]

The Icicle Ridge Winery in Pesashtin is serving dinner every TH night this summer. I have not been, but the caterers have a great reputation, and the location is beautiful. The winery owners, Louis and Judy, are very special people. Most of the Leavenworth restaurants are a bit noisy. Visconti's serves Italian food, but I was just there for lunch and the service (and the food) was less than spectacular. We have enjoyed many dinners at a reasonable price at The Alley Cafe. It is also a quiet place. Katzenjammer's serves good food (steak, seafood, etc), and Mozart's Bistro is also good for German fare. The Mountain Home Lodge, way up in the hills, serves a very nice dinner and sometimes takes reservations for those not staying at the Lodge. With a 48 hour ahead reservation you can eat at Sleeping Lady. Gustav's is good for lunch. Be sure to stop by Homefires Bakery for coffee and breakfast pastries. Sandy's Waffle House is good for breakfast. Mountain Springs Lodge, on the Chiwawa Loop, might be taking reservations from people who are not staying at the Lodge. Happy anniversary!

[PolarBear]

Have a couple of dear friends heading that way on Thursday. They've heard there's a large German population in the area, any other good German restaurants or will Mozart's Bistro be their best bet for a little taste of Deutschland?

[paulj]

This is a Bavarian themed town. That doesn't necessarily mean there is a significant German population. Still, there are some German restaurants, along with all the stuff you expect to find in a tourist town.
paulj