Der Rathskeller

Early in March we had a chance to stop for dinner at Der Rathskeller in Rockford, Illinois.
In business since 1931; the restaurant is said to be the oldest in Rockford operating in its original location.
We were just under an hour early for dinner, so we sat at the bar to wait for the downstairs dining room to open. From here we were able to check out the many sausages and cheese offerings. Most of the sausages are made on site, with a few of them coming from Usinger's of Milwaukee.
Once the basement dining room was open, we headed down and took a seat. I get the feeling that the basement decor has not changed much over the years, especially since there was a picture on the wall near our table displaying the dining room from years ago, and we recognized the same quaint chairs and the same wall sconces. There's something to be said for leaving things the same.
I started my meal with a cup of the beef Spatzle soup and found it to be delicious. The stock tasted homemade, perfectly savory and chocked full of Spatzle.
As my entrée, I went with a Schweineschnitzel, which was a special menu item that evening, along with red cabbage and potatoes. Everything was quite good, although after sampling my husband's sauerkraut, next time I would select that over the red cabbage.
Service was good and the waitresses helped each other out with the tables. My only complaint was that they congregated right next to our table a few times and chatted amongst themselves, since we were right near the kitchen serving counter.
Der Rathskeller was quite the find, and I know we will be trying to work more visits there into our trips back and forth to Milwaukee.

Der Rathskeller
1132 Auburn Street
Rockford IL 61103