Little Haus in the Mountains

Finding excellent Bavarian dining in Western North Carolina

I was surprised, while doing a little bit of research for this article, to find Germans were the second largest European group to settle in the Smoky mountains behind the Scot-Irish. I spent a portion of my youth living in Northern Indiana, where German culture and Germanic people were common.

But, having knocked around these mountains for a 35 years or so, I must admit I haven’t seen a lot of knockwurst. Or really, not much of any wursts at all. And don’t get me started on the relative lack of schnitzel. It’s heartbreaking.

We had been going to Hendersonville for years, but it wasn’t until we stayed the night in nearby Flat Rock that I learned there is Kartoffelpfannkuchen in them that hills.

My children – who have been raised almost exclusively in East Tennessee – reacted with skepticism at my excitement upon driving past Haus Heidelberg the first time. Even my wife, who has had German cuisine with me before, was slow to hop on board. Our children – especially the youngest two – are fairly picky eaters though a lot of that is because the boy has multiple food allergies that limits to certain degree how much variation he’ll try when dining. So, while I have had Haus Heidelberg before – they do a nice to-go business – it was the rest of the family’s first time.

They have, however, really tried to branch out over the last year or so and, it was time for the whole family to try. I don’t want to spoil anything, but it was a massive success.

In the Haus

Located towards the Hendersonville/Flat Rock border – the best directions I can give are to go to downtown and then drive towards Flat Rock – Haus Heidelberg isn’t very big. There’s maybe a couple of dozen tables inside and three or four more on the patio. Reservations aren’t required but they’re also not a bad idea.

On the way in, the kids begged me not to try to speak German, which is odd because other than a few words, I have no feel for the language. I did consider doing my favorite joke from the Val Kilmer classic “Top Secret”, but ultimately decided against it.

Haus Heidelberg opened in 1994, by chef Helge Gresser who studied in Aachen, Germany. The restaurant was heavily flooded by Hurricane Helene. But it is back and as good as new, decorated with what I would call heavily German theming. It’s dark, with rich woods, lots of steins, a few gnomes and a giant photo of beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle in Southern Germany, near the Austrian Border.

The menu

The truth is I studied French and Spanish in school and have traveled to Belgium and Holland, so I don’t know a lot about Germany and its cuisine. I can’t really speak to its authenticity. It seems authentic to me and the internet roundly agrees. What I can tell you is that everything I’ve had – and anything we’ve had as a family – has been excellent.

The permanent menu features a variety of sandwiches, soups, and starters. There are multiple schnitzels as well as German classics like Sauerbraten and Spatzle. They also have a variety of 10 different European sausages on the permanent menu. The seasonal menu offered a sauerkraut soup and Schweinebraten. And also, other varieties of schnitzel and the sausage of the month – which for September was Bavarian Garlic Knack.

There is a kids’ menu and as you might expect a wide variety of beers and wine. I’m a Warsteiner man myself – both Pilsner and Dunkel – but there’s a lot to try.

Our starter

We started with the Kartoffelpfannkuchen – thick potato pancakes served with massive helpings of applesauce and sour cream. And we had a sausage sampler which featured a variety of sausages chosen at the chef’s discretion. Because of JP’s allergies, we got him his own chicken bratwurst which he absolutely devoured.

Let me stop here to say a word about the Heidelberg Haus salad. It was made with cucumbers, carrots and green beans marinated in Chef Helges own dressing. It came with JP’s Weiner Schnitzel – but he couldn’t have it. The rest of us tried it, however, and it was delightfully fresh and refreshing. I don’t know what the Chef’s dressing is, but it is delicious.

The app’s were a big hit. JP loved the chicken brat. And Ainsley – who won’t even try a smoked sausage at home – tried some of each of the various sausages and loved every one. The potato pancakes were also a big hit.

The main meal

For our main meal, JP went with the classic wiener schnitzel. We also successfully suppressed most of Ainsley’s giggles at the word “wiener.”

The pork cutlet was lightly breaded and served with a lemon garnish that really gave it a bit of zest. It was also served with roasted potatoes.

During the meal, JP began talking about visiting Germany when he gets old enough. I took as an indication of success. Our oldest, Sofia, went with the schnitzel sandwich, a perfectly prepared schnitzel with lettuce, Swiss, Mayo and brown mustard. It was perfect.

Ainsely, having satisfied any adventurous urges had chicken fingers and fries off the kids menu, but reported them as being excellent as well.

My wife, Leslie, ordered the schweinebraten – essentially pork roast – off the seasonal menu. The pork shoulder was rubbed with mustard, rosemary and thyme and served with mashed potatoes and gravy. If it’s on the menu next time we go back, this is what I’m getting. It was a large enough portion that Leslie was able to bring half home for lunch during the week.

I went with Helge’s Rueben, which is perhaps not the most authentic of German dishes. But I can’t pass up a good Reuben and this is one of the best I’ve had. Just perfectly done. Corned beef and Swiss with winekraut, homemade Thousand Island dressing on thick Jewish rye with mayo and brown mustard. It was served with Bavarian hot potato salad.

The final grade

Despite the skepticism of my three children and my wife, Haus Heidelberg was a big hit. So, I expect that on our next trip to Western North Carolina, Haus Heidelberg will be high on the agenda.

Have you tried Haus Heidelberg? Do you like Bavarian food? Let us know in the comments!