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About
Mid-America's most honored German restaurant. Since 1902, this Milwaukee landmark has been serving American Presidents, and celebrities. America's finest German cuisine. You'll dine surrounded by a $4 million collection of medieval suits of armor, wood carvings, oil paintings, two-handed swords, crossbows and magnificent stained glass. Ranked by TripAdvisor, and every publication in our state that ranks dining spots as Wisconsin's best German restaurant. Free valet parking. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @madersrestaurant. See you soon!
PRICE RANGE
$31 - $40
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours, Drinks
CUISINES
German, European, Central European
FEATURES
Delivery, Takeout, Valet Parking, Television, Free Wifi, Reservations, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Validated Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
Reviews (1,824)
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1,804 results
Traveller rating
1,092
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LanguageEnglish
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Traveller rating
1,092
390
180
86
56
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Reviewed 3 weeks ago

A previous poster said that Mader's was past it's hey day. Another poster said the food was basically "meh" and someone else described Mader's as being tragic. Based on our experience - they were being kind. The outside of Mader's has improved some in the...past couple of years, but it could still use some cleaning and some love. Upon entering, we were ignored (yes, ignored) by no fewer than 3 Mader's employees (including the guy refusing to make eye contact - unclip the rope on the stairway - replacing it and practically running up to avoid people). Inside,the carpet was old, worn, dirty and full of cooking smells and dirt from years and years - pull it up, replace it or clean it. the entire place was sad, tired, dusty and way beyond it's prime. Not what it used to be and not a lot of hope it will improve. Basically - nobody gives a darn and it shows...More

Date of visit: November 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Great history, great building and ambiance, great costumes, decoration and celebrity pictures on the wall (Laurel and Hardy's was the best). The food, however, was (with the exception of the perfectly-done salmon my wife had) extremely...meh. We had a group of fifteen, all expressing similar...sentiments, with a common addition that the many positives didn't warrant the prices. This is a restaurant, after all. The consumables are pretty danged important. We had a great get-together here. Nothing was bad at all. But this could be a fantastic must-do experience if they'd raise the level of the food and drink offerings, and thus fix the regrettable cost / dubious value calculation. As it is, the place feels like a fading has-been. It, maybe like our whole culture, needs a renewing revolution.More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 14 October 2023

Excellent dinner! Mader's is a well recognized restaurant in the Milwaukee area. The food was incredible and the staff were very friendly. We enjoyed looking at all of the pictures from President's, celebrities, race car driver's etc. Reservations needed.

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 1 October 2023

Mediocre, room temp Hungarian Goulash (two people), sauerbraten with barely ANY sauce, would have been good otherwise, Bavarian platter just "eh" and I've made better spaetzle myself. EXTREMELY overpriced for what you got. Best part was the fresh oven baked giant pretzel and my sister's...spaetzle mac and onion soup. VERY disappointed. Waitress was lovely though. Will never go back.More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 27 September 2023 via mobile

I’ve only been to Germany once ( this past May ) so I’m far from an expert on German cuisine. I do know this, however…I didn’t eat any meal this good when I was in Germany. Mader’s was absolutely fantastic. The pork shank was fall...off the bone good. The potato pancake appetizer was excellent as well. My only regret is not saving room for apple strudel. Maybe next time.More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 24 September 2023 via mobile

Phenomenal Service and Amazing Food. Rueben Rolls were perfection and Bavarian Sampler is next level. Definitely a stop you won’t regret if you are in Milwaukee!!!

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 19 September 2023

Not many places can you drink and dine where the likes of the Three Stooges and Ollie and Hardy and Belushi and Farley and countless others have hung out over the past century. Maders at 120 years old and going strong is legit and authentic...to the core. It felt more German than places I've been in Cologne and Munchen and was older than many of those. The Knights bar entrance looks and feels like you have gone through a time machine, and once inside even more so, with the weaponry of that age hanging on the walls and two Knights in full armor facing off in the front window. The food was incredible, the service was top-notch, the atmosphere was unbeatable. And the greatest beer list...More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed 18 September 2023

It has Valet parking which is huge plus. The Black Forest Torte was delicious and very much the real thing. I had Jaegerschnitzel which was ok. I thought the brown gravy was kind of bland. Our server was outstanding and prompt. Overall, it was a...good experience, but not great!More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 23 August 2023

Took a seat at the bar after a large group went to their table. Just 2 of us at the bar. No acknowledgement from the BT (2). No nod, no wave. After 10 minutes or so, the hostess offered us a booth in the bar...area. We moved to the booth. Minutes passed before a server stopped. very busy Sat. night - understood. Ordered an appetizer & dinner. 2 drinks & 1 wine - req add'l bread, that was delivered to the table along with our check and to-go box. LOL - We were charged $6.00 for the extra bread that was neatly pack in our to-go box.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 19 August 2023

We will be back soon! My husband had delicious pork shank and I had the beef and mushroom strudel which was amazing! Ended our delightful evening with a piece of wonderful Black Forest torte.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 17 August 2023

Was so excited to go to Maders. I love German food. The first though is what a pretty place. Slow to be seated. Very slow to even see our waiter. He took so long getting a drink from the bar, our appetizers were delivered first....They were out of their Ruban rolls, not a good start. Food was ok to poor. I felt like everything came out so fast that it was premade and tasted like it. We will not be back.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 15 August 2023 via mobile

What an amazing surprise on our visit to Milwaukee! We quickly decided this would be where the birthday celebration happens. We ordered reuben rolls, spinach salad (just like what we grew up with!), beef stroganoff, pork shank, and apple strudel. All excellent. The service? Even...better. All in an atmosphere that feels warm and authentic. We so enjoyed our meal at Mader's and 100% recommend it.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 13 August 2023 via mobile

We arrived on our boat from Florida. I heard this was the place to take Heidi, my German wife. We're they right. The decor is amazing. The people who eat here are over the top. Food is to die for. Crazy how same owner for...120 years. The son is in the kitchen now cooking. They have the magic 🎩 recipe.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 10 August 2023

Great German food as usual. Service was great. Amelia our server took great care of us. We went as a family on regular trip through Milwaukee.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 7 August 2023 via mobile

We learned about Mader’s on our Iconic Downtown Milwaukee tour and stopped in for lunch after our city tour. The Restaurant is a historic place where many celebs, Presidents, and noteworthy people have dined. The Hostess gave a warm welcome, provided us with a nice...intro to the restaurants history, and invited us to take a tour of the restaurant. There are many great artifacts to see and then we get to our meal. We both ordered the Salmon entree with spatzele, veggies and a side of red cabbage. We wanted a lighter lunch but the menu is chock full of great German dishes. Our meal was fantastic and was some of the best Salmon we ever had, and we’ve had a lot from some of the best places in Alaska and Norway. The Servers are dressed in authentic German attire and were kind enough to let us take their photo and tour the restaurant. We noticed another customer who ordered the Pretzel starter and it’s really big enough for 4 to share. They also ordered the German sampler entree which looks amazing and could feed 2-3 people. We highly recommend visiting and enjoying an authentic German experience.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
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Lisa S
22 September 2022|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from Faror62 | Reviewed this property |
Yes, but it wasn't a busy evening.
1
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Yvette V
5 March 2020|
AnswerShow all 5 answers
Response from Bob P | Reviewed this property |
I think you should be fine but a call ahead would probably be beneficial for them to pick out the seating location.
1
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melissaj902
20 January 2019|
AnswerShow all 11 answers
Response from 100YearPlan | Reviewed this property |
Yes, very much so.
3
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MADER'S, Milwaukee - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Mader's

Yes, Mader's offers takeaway services.

Yes, Mader's offers delivery services.

Mader's is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5