Gisela's Kaffeekränzchen

Gisela's had an interesting atmosphere--it had a nice loft feel due to being on the top floor with the exposed rafters. The waitress thought we were strange to order so much beef--this is definitely a House of Pork. The Reuben itself didn't have an overly rye taste to the bread, and the sliced bread was much too thin. The corned beef was thickly and densely stacked, however and topped with a lot of sauerkraut that didn't have much of a taste to it. The sauce on the side was okay, but the little shot glass they served it in, while pretty, made it difficult to dip the sandwich in. The potato salad was pretty bland after removing the bits of bacon, and there was no salt on the table to be had. Overall, it's not a place I would recommend to go for a Reuben Sandwich. The price was ridiculously high, and I wasn't too pleased with the service. Besides our group, only two people came in throughout the entire lunch hour. But the waitress waited until we were ready to leave to spend ten minutes preparing our bills. I'll never darken their door again.

I was trying to squeeze this in before I went to work, so I was rushing down the walk looking up at the signs. As soon as I saw it, I made a hard right and wound up in a frame shop? The entrances are next to each other and Gisela's is a narrow stairwell to the upper level of the building. After scaling what seemed like fifty steps, you enter a very quaint, but very dark, recreation of an old German restaurant. After we all placed our orders and were looked at in horror for all ordering Reubens, we were informed that there were not enough fixins to accommodate eight sandwiches since a Reuben is not their forté. Since the verdict was only six possible, one evaluator fell on the sword and ate one of the Bratwurst and Knackwurst platters. In lieu of missing the Reuben, and at my prodding, Brian conceded to split a Reuben and a Wurst platter with me. The Reuben wasn't bad when it finally arrived, but I would say that the wursts were obviously the treat. The sandwich was fine, but not as dynamic as I expected--nothing negative, just not outstanding. The wurst platter on the other hand was quite good. I liked the potato salad with bacon. I would have liked to have tried one of the import brews available, but I felt my "business attire" would have visibly been in professional conflict with that thought. It took an inordinate amount of time to put the bills together. I'm not sure if I would return unless I knew someone with a real hankerin' for German food.

Walking down the lovely streets of downtown Zionsville, the first thing you see of Gisela's is the sign hanging out over the sidewalk. This directs you up a long, straight stair to the restaurant, in an attic room with exposed brick and rafters that provide a nice open atmosphere. The kitchen is secluded in a cute little "house" in the northwest corner, and the place is nicely festooned with old-world charm. There are even cut flowers in vases on the tables. The service was friendly and helpful, and did a good job of providing refills and didn't complain about splitting up Brian and Larry's orders, but they did take a long time to ring up the bill (which was rather odd because aside from another couple we were the only customers). She seemed surprised that we all wanted Reubens, and told us that they only kept them on the menu for "people who don't like German food." They didn't have enough ingredients to make them for everyone, but they did seem to try to accomodate us as best they could. The place settings were elegant enough, with glass glasses, china plates, metal flatware, even placemats. The dressing for the sandwich came out on the side in cute little glass cups, rather like slightly oversized shot glasses: cute, but not terribly convenient for dipping one's sandwich. I enjoyed the German-style potato salad on the side, with bits of bacon. The temperature was strangely uneven: I suspect they added hot freshly-cooked bacon to other cold ingredients. The beef and cheese of the sandwich were good, but the rye didn't have much flavor. I expected more from the sauerkraut in this German restaurant, but it turned out to be mushy and rather flavorless. Overall it wasn't a bad experience, and I wouldn't rule out returning for authentic German food if I craved such a thing, but for a Zionsville Reuben I'd recommend Friendly Tavern instead--and maybe Gisela would too!

I got there a bit early and the delightful waitress patiently educated me about various German beverages. This is a German restaurant in an authentic "old style" atmosphere. As the rest of the group gathered, it became apparent that a bunch of grilled sandwiches would be a struggle for their kitchen. But the cook got the Reubens out in good time, and I compliment them for their effort. The sandwich was well above average, very satisfying, and hit the spot. The grilled bread was average, with some great corned beef, and sauerkraut. The sauce had a curious tang to it. The hot potato salad was awesome!!!!!!!!! All and all, it was a very relaxing eating experience in an authentic German restaurant atmosphere. I've been there before, and will return again.

A very unique Old German luncheon experience! This was my first time in downtown Zionsville and the brick streets and old small town charm pleasantly surprised me. It reminded me of Brown County's downtown area. The restaurant was situated on the top floor of one of the old buildings on Main Street. As I ascended the stairs I felt as if I were being transported to a different time and place and the place being old Germany. It became more evident that this place was a legitimate Old German Restaurant as the waitress (and I believe owner) spoke to us in a heavy German accent. The only thing that I was rather disappointed in, in terms of atmosphere, was that there were no Cuckoo Clocks. So being that I really did feel like I was really in Germany, I did as the natives would have and ordered a dark German stout beverage. The Reuben came with fries as an option of which I selected, so when they arrived I was pleasantly surprised that fries are really German potatoes, which were incredibly yummy. My guess is that the sauerkraut was home made. I loved it. It was very soft and did not have the highly pungent taste and smell that usually goes with it. They also did a great job of draining/straining the kraut, as my sandwich bread was nice and crisp. There is nothing worse than a soggy sandwich. The dressing was served on the side and was rather tasty. My beverage helped bring out the flavors of the sandwich rather nicely. Overall I give it an A- (would have scored higher if they did not run out of Reubens and if they had at least a few Cuckoo clocks). If you are looking for a Old German experience in central Indiana and like tasty authentic German food and beer then make this one of your restaurant stops.

Gisela's is a charming European restaurant located off the Main Street in Zionsville in a notably European-style upstairs brick building. Reubens are not their signature sandwich, but I found the sandwich to be quite good regardless. Gisela's specializes in sausages and anything pork and Reubens are provided on the menu as an alternative for those who choose not to eat sausages. The Reuben comes with your choice of home fries or potato salad, both of which are German style and contain pork. Gisela's offers a nice selection of imported beers and their pastries are quite good.