The Rathskeller — Indianapolis

The Rathskeller, at over a century, is the oldest restaurant in Indianapolis and a place I'd been hoping to visit for a while. It's located in the basement of the Athenaeum Building, built by Kurt Vonnegut's grandfather.



The restaurant's many rooms, including the wonderful bar and one with a bronze bust of Kurt V, are great fun to wander around in.





Ever since the talk* by Trudy Paradis at the Sausage Symposium I've been craving Wurstsalat, so there wasn't much question what I'd order, only what I'd have with it. I settled on a bowl of excellent oxtail soup, flavored with port and very thick with meat and mushrooms.





I enjoyed my Wurstsalat, but the wurst (from Claus') was better than the salat part. Pretzels baked in house were a real treat.

It was a little cold but I took a stroll in the Biergarten. I'm already thinking about next year's Oktoberfest.



The Rathskeller
401 E Michigan St (at Massachusetts)
Indianapolis IN
317-636-0396

* Trudy Paradis will be giving another talk on November 10, 2007. Wurstsalat will be served.

I've never thought the food of the Rathskeller was anything to write home about (went to a rehearsal dinner there that was AWFUL). That said, I love their beer list, so I usually just find somewhere else around there to grab a bite and roll over to the Rathskeller.

Rene G,

the pics and food you describe actually whet my appetite for The Rathskeller, whereas before I was unmoved. The s/o's younger brother's wife's family(woo!) is planning on throwing her a birthday shindig there, I believe. Could be worthwhile.

jpschust wrote:I've never thought the food of the Rathskeller was anything to write home about.

Yeah, I love the building, and
the outdoor biergarten in the
warmer months is great, but
I've been left dissapointed with
the food most of the time. They
actually do a better job with
Klemm's (Claus') brats at the
Broad Ripple Brew Pub - boiled
in beer then grilled, with good
kraut. But I will say that the
desserts are surprisingly good
at the Rathskellar.

I'm not shocked to hear some of the food isn't the greatest (though my soup was very good and the salad decent) but the surroundings can't be beat if you're in the mood for that sort of thing. Having a beer in the bar room is pretty much a sure thing. They have about a dozen, many German, on tap and a decent selection of bottles.

Depending on the size of your party you might be able to reserve the Vonnegut room but each dining area has its own charms. Even if you don't care for the food it still should be a good time (a few glasses of Optimator might help).

Rene G wrote:the surroundings can't be beat if you're in the mood for that sort of thing

For the full experience,
time your visit for when the band
Polka Boy is playing. What's more
fun than a capacity crowd polka-ing
to She Blinded Me With Science?

I can't comment on the food at the Rathskeller but I will say that this room caught
my eye like no other the night Peter and I went for drinks there.
It had an almost magical feel to it.


We were able to check out their rooftop biergarten just as they were closing. I thought It had a very similar vibe to an actual beer tent one might find at Oktoberfest in Munich.

We both agreed that hitting their splendid biergarten next fall would make for a sensational LTH roadtrip event.

Rene G wrote:Ever since the talk* by Trudy Paradis at the Sausage Symposium I've been craving Wurstsalat...

I was able to try Ms. Paradis' wurstsalat last Saturday at her informative lecture on historic German Milwaukee with the Chicago Foodways (thanks, Cathy2 for setting that pleasant event up).
Hate to rub it in, Peter, but that was some mighty fine stuff!

Peter,

Wurstsalat is a permanent offering at Resi's. Along with the Russian eggs, it is a cornerstone the light and healthy part of the menu.

Jeff