When I think of Hinesville, GA the first things that come to mind are Ft. Stewart, car dealerships, fast food, and chain restaurants. (You know, the things that typically are found surrounding military bases.) The last thing I would think Hinesville would have to offer is an authentic, German restaurant, but that’s exactly what I found and experienced this past weekend at Zum Rosenhof.
I’d heard a few people talk about it in passing; mostly other military spouses sharing there was, indeed, a German restaurant in Hinesville. I Googled to find the address and told my husband we were going to head there before he left for his next trip. So Saturday evening we packed the kids up and headed over to Zum Rosenhof. It’s in a part of Hinesville neither my husband nor I had ever been, but it was a really neat area right off the main road.
As we headed in, there was a quaint square with a fountain and lights that would be perfect if you didn’t have kids with you to sit and talk after dinner. But we had kids with us, so I knew we couldn’t enjoy it like that.
We were immediately greeted upon entering Zum Rosenhof by the owner. She noticed my husband scowling (which he often does) and told him he’d “be much happier if he’d smile”. She then told him she’d give him a beer and “that’ll make you happy”. It did, indeed. He smiled, and she delivered. (A beer on the house for my hubby.)
The restaurant isn’t large: there’s a small bar portion to sit as well as a few tables downstairs and more “family” style tables upstairs. The staff are dressed in traditional German clothing with the waitressing wearing dirndls. (Love it!…I’ve wanted a dirndl since my grandma told me about their time as a military family in Germany.)
THE MENU
They have a nice list of imported beers and wines as well as a traditional German food, but I was also surprised to see they offered things on the appetizer list that might not be considered traditional. We ended up getting a a trio of mozarella sticks, fried mushrooms, and chicken tenders. (My husband ordered it before I even had a chance to look at the menu. It was okay, though because I ended up loving the mushrooms. Also, the chicken tenders were more like a schnitzel than a traditional American chicken tender.)
For dinner, we were torn between two choices: The Roulanden Dinner Plate and the Tour Of Germany for Two. Both served two, but the selections we different. We ended up choosing the Tour of Germany, and neither of us was disappointed. The Tour of Germany came with 1 Wiener Schnitzel, 1 Jagar Schnitzel, 1 Mushroom Schnitzel, 2 Bratwurst, Potato Salad, 2 Fries, 2 Mixed Salad, and 2 Brotchen (which are rolls). All I can say is the schnitzel is drool worthy, and I had a really hard time thinking about much else the next morning when I woke up remembering how crispy and delicious the schnitzel was…even the ones that had gravy. The potato salad was unlike any other that I’d had and so was the salad. (I don’t know what kind of dressing it was, but I know there was vinegar and dill in it because I could taste the vinegar and see the dill.)
THE KIDS
So often, the kids are hard to please. I told them we were going to a special German restaurant ahead of time to get them excited and told them I’d would appreciate them trying something other than chicken tenders (which Zum Rosenhof does offer on their kids’ menu). They all order the schnitzel with fries and ice cream for dessert. They loved it!
DESSERT
When our server came back to ask if we needed anything else, we made sure to ask about dessert because I’d already planned on that. Unfortunately the Black Forest cake had already sold out for the night. (We were ordering dessert at 7:00 p.m. so plan accordingly if you really want it.) We ended up ordering a Raspberry Meringue. IT. WAS. AMAZING! Light and sweet, but not too sweet, and really perfect after very heavy German food.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’ve never been to Germany, but my husband has. So I asked him, “How authentic is it?” He told me it was just like being there. The owner came up many times during our time there. She told the waitress who was seating people after we had arrived that she would need to introduce the families at the table as she sat them because “that’s how we do it in Germany.” When the tables start filling up, you might end up with a person and a family you might not know…which I think is actually pretty cool. So if you want an authentic German experience without leaving the U.S., or even Georgia, here’s your chance! It’s definitely not a quiet restaurant. (But that’s perfect for us with three kids who aren’t quiet in tow.) It’s family friendly, and makes you feel like you’re a part of their German family immediately.
Go to Zum Rosenhof to eat, and I promise you’ll like it.
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