Heinrich's German Grill

Heinrich the original owner had a fantastic atmosphere, food and biers. Always a welcome as he would even sometimes sit table side or at the bar and have a chat. The best dishes I've had were the jaegar snitzel, mushroom gravy, red cabbage, spatzel, it's a very sad news to hear he has sold it and will no longer be involved this fall/winter.

I will miss Heinrich and the homemade taste and generosity of his staff. Not to mention the delicious food and quality prices and portions.

4/2023 visit after we heard that Heinrich sold the business.. but based on a few reviews , we thought MAYBE the food quality, and portions would be sort of comparable- DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY!! Absolutely horrible from beginning to end. (THEIR WAS ONE PERSON ( wife ?) doing all the waitressing. & A new born baby crying in the kitchen ).
I called for reservations days before and was given "5:15 pm for 5 guests as that's all they had " which was fine. We always took out of town guest specifically to Heinrich's in the past ..
We Arrived at 5:10 w locked doors and a hand written note taped to the door about doors not opened until 5:15. We stood there until almost 5:30. We were the first seated. Then a couple arrived. Our drink orders were not taken for 1/2 hour . By 6 pm the entire place was filled. All the 8 reservation tables had : 5 guests, the couple and a table of 6. Our orders were not taken until 6:45. I was told I got the LAST roulades order that was quickly wiped off of the white board. I honestly don't know WHAT I got. It was a paper thin slice of some sort of bland FLAT meat w a bit of gravy. EVERYONES MEALS WERE COLD not warm or like warm but cold. The upgraded cost : red cabbage was INEDIBLE!! a salt lick would have been less salty. The upgraded cost potato pancakes were half dollar size and hard as a rock. We were SO EMBARRASSED for our guests to have to have gone through that disappointing experience. Please save yourself the trouble and $!!! We miss the Heinrich's that used to be. :(

I'll be honest, this is not my kind of food. As in I'd never ask for it. But my mother in law is German and she loves it. So I went along.
We started with the potato pancakes. Different from Jewish deli potato pancakes. These are crisper and the potato is thickly shredded. They were delicious! Especially with sour cream and applesauce! In fact I told everyone to save one for breakfast. I had a vision of them on the griddle with fried eggs! More on that later.
For the mains I had veal schnitzel with mushroom gravy and sour kraut and spaetzle. Not the sour kraut I'm used to. Very spicy! But I love spicy so I loved it. The mushroom gravy was thick, rich, and delicious. I was picturing it on a variety of foods. My wife had chicken schnitzel and my daughter and mother in law had assorted bratwurst.
Everything was very good and very rich! More like cold weather comfort food. But I guess given Germany's climate that makes sense.
My ONLY criticism was the lack of certain condiments. My daughter and I both had unsweetened ice tea. When I asked for a sweetener I was told there was none. Only sugar. Ok, that's a sweetener but not for ice tea. I had to ask twice and was finally brought a tiny plastic cup. Really? Don't people have coffee here? Get some Splenda! I guess next time I'll bring my own if I want ice tea. Also stingy on the sour cream. We had four plates (12) of potato pancakes and one tiny plastic cup of sour cream and applesauce. I had to ask for more then received another tiny plastic cup. Ok, next time I go I'll pack Splenda and sour cream.
BTW: The next morning I threw the leftover potato pancakes on a griddle and topped each with a fried egg. Everyone loved it!
Definitely will be back!

Came here on a Saturday night and it was very full. We had to sit at a high top but they had only bar seating by the time prime dinner hours started. I got the bratwursts county style (beef and pork). The meat was very tender and juicy. The sauerkraut was delicious but the potato pancakes were a little dry. The apple sauce and sour cream helped. Server was great, friendly and attentive. They have German beets and boots if you want to have a drink.

Excellent food and beer. Kind wait staff. Prices are quite high. Even the special items for the day.

"The best food in Sarasota" is not enough said to even begin to describe how amazing Heinrich's is. Not only is Heinrich's our favorite restaurant in Sarasota, it is by far the best German restaurant in the entire state. What makes this eatery so fantastic is the authenticity. Truly German food that tastes of home. Each and every bite is filled with love and passion. This establishment oozes soul and personality. The instant you walk into Heinrich's doors, you are greeted with a smile. Heinrich's menu boasts a large variety of drinks and authentic German dishes. Each and every dish has personality and each dish stays culturally true. We are always blown away by the freshness of the ingredients in the Herring plate. We always love the potato pancakes. We could eat barrels of the red cabbage. The pork shank is one of the most perfectly cooked meat dishes we have ever had. Don't even get us started on the lingonberry sauce... we could bathe in it. The black forest cake is phenomenally traditional and perfectly light in sweetness. The cake pairs perfectly with a port. And of course, we always finish our meal with a few Underbergs. We will continue to frequent this amazing restaurant and PROUDLY label it as the best restaurant in Sarasota. Heinrich and his staff always make us feel welcome and at home.

They are closed for business. Drove by and the restaurant is for sale. Hopefully someone reopens it as another German spot.

Excellent food, old style German cuisine

Service was slow, however, I went during pandemic, so no extra help.

Lovely atmosphere, a little dark, but German haus music playing in the background

Every time I visit Sarasota I make sure that I visit Heinrich's for dinner. I love the atmosphere and the food. The chicken schnitzel is so tender and the potato pancakes should always be chosen as a side even though they are an extra $4.50. As an appetizer I recommend the three Brats based on the meaty flavors of the Bauern, Weiss and Curry. if you still have room, the apple strudel that comes with ice cream is the perfect finish to the experience.

I noticed on a sign outdoors that the restaurant is for sale. I hope whoever buys it keeps the same menu and atmosphere. One thing I would change is to make the reservation system internet based. Right now, you have to call and leave a message on an answering machine stating your desired time. There isn't a call back confirmation. The recording did say they only call you back if they aren't able to accommodate you. Also, the mashed potatoes are of the powdered instant variety (based on my visit last year). I would recommend they just make that side dish from fresh potatoes.

This was the second time this week I had dinner at Heinrich's T he new management, Josh and his wife are running the restaurant now and doing a great job responding to the customer concerns!

Both meals this week were excellent and Josh did a great job make my meal as authentic as any I have had in Germany!

I will return often!

TomC