New Schnitzel House Revives a Classic German Restaurant

For years, the Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Haus on the 79th Street Causeway offered one of the few truly German experiences in Miami. The restaurant, which offered bratwurst, schnitzel, beer, live music, and a biergarten in the back of the restaurant, was quietly closed at the end of 2018.

In 2019, Gramps owner Adam Gersten took over the space with plans to bring the beloved restaurant back to life with some modern changes. Gersten tells New Times that the upgrade took some time, but he's proud of the final result. "The back had been overgrown. We had to replace the grease trap and the awning, and we really had to clean up everything and start fresh. I wanted it to feel like a restaurant that opened in 1991."

Gersten says like Gramps, the New Schnitzel House had a lot of threads of Miami history woven through it. "The owner of the Royal Bavarian Schnitzel Haus was actually a server and cook at the Dab Haus when I was a kid. He ended up opening the now-closed Edelweiss on Biscayne, and I had great memories of that place." 

Gersten says the New Schnitzel House, which opens today, is not trying to copy the original Schnitzel Haus or any other German restaurant. "It's a completely new space. The food is simple — it's comfort food." The restaurant has two big bars and a dining room that can give you a sit-down experience, along with a covered outside space that's great for both summer and winter.
The New Schnitzel House will offer favorites like a housemade pretzel, served with a side of beer cheese, pickled onions, and house mustard ($13); a brat plate with an all-pork frankfurter, smoked kielbasa, Schnitzel House brat, and kraut ($26); a pickle plate with sweet and sour kraut, pickled eggs, bread and butter pickles, pickled mushrooms, and beet turnips ($14); and chicken schnitzel ($26)

A late-night food menu offers the Schnitz 'n frites, currywurst, pretzel, and Frankfurter after 10:30 p.m.

The beverage menu includes a good selection of German beers, a wine list curated by Sara Ypsilanti (formerly of Boia De), and classic drinks highlighting German ingredients such as the "Schnitzel House" punch made with Jagermeister, rum, orgeat bitters, and lemon; the "Carlos Von Schmidt" made with Mount Gay and Smith & Cross rums, lemon, Becherovka, honey, and aquafaba; and the "Royal Bavarian" made with rye, cinnamon, amaro, and bitters.

In the near future, Schnitzel House will offer live entertainment outside and a weekend grill. Inside, expect to chill out to some mixtapes and CDs with playlists made by friends.

So far, feedback from the neighborhood during the restaurant's soft opening has been good, according to Gersten. "We have great neighborhoods around the restaurant, like Shorecrest, North Bay Village, and Miami Shores. People have been walking here from their apartments."

The New Schnitzel House. 1085 NE 79th St., Miami; thenewschnitzelhouse.com. Thursday through Monday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.