Cafe Rustika

We had a wonderful meal here on a Wednesday night--no wait. Great German and Belgian draft beer options. Yummy schnitzel, brats and sides. Very generous portions and complementary bread. Friendly, attentive staff. Glad we found this cozy, little place on our trip.

This is the best German food I’ve had in the United States! The käsespätzle was delicious and I was so excited to see it on the menu because it is more rare than bratwurst or schnitzel in restaurants here. The veal schnitzel was also great, the breading was perfectly crispy and the meat was thin like it should be. I thoroughly enjoyed all the sides as well. The staff was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. The only thing is that parking may be difficult, we found street parking since it was late at night but I do not think that would always be an option.

I travel nationally for work and eat all over the place searching high and low for quality food experiences like this. The ambiance of a sleepy dive, the staff attentiveness of a Michelin restaurant and a beautiful execution of an authentic German menu. This was easily the best meal and dining experience I have had in the past year.While it might seem hyperbolic to invoke the term “spiritual experience” this was definitely food which uplifted the soul. This is the type of place Bourdain would’ve ranted about. Hopefully cafe rustika will be in business for many decades to come. A true unexpected gem. Cheers to the wonderful staff front and back.

I had an exceptional experience dining at Cafe Rustika while visiting Richmond VA. The German food and staff service were exceptional and made my experience special. Such a cozy neighborhood gem steps from my hotel, i highly recommend to anyone visiting Richmond VA. Call before you go given there was a line outside waiting for seating. Ir is worth the wait.

Spent 4 years in Germany with the Army and found the food here to be authentic. The portions were plentiful and we really appreciated the great service. Went there to pick up food for my father’s 90th Birthday.

We ordered various versions of the schnitzel for a party of 7. Everyone was very satisfied.

Atmosphere looked great. Hoping to come back and enjoy a beer!

German cuisine is near and dear to my heart (cue my rant about having a father who was a chef in Germany, etc, etc), so when I wholeheartedly say this is the real deal, best believe it. The spätzle was incredible, the wiener schnitzel divine, and the sauerkraut tasty.

I will say I debated giving four stars because the sauerbraten with gingersnap gravy was not as ginger-forward as I would have hoped for. It didn’t have that sweet/ sour gingersnap taste that you get from… well… a gingersnap gravy. But it was still incredibly delicious, with the meat falling apart.

And with that, I urge you to dive into Deutschland and visit Cafe Rustika.

Hidden Gem! Cafe Rustika is a small restaurant that would easily not be found, but so glad we found it. They have seating at the bar, 3 two tops, and maybe 6 four tops. Luckily we got the last 4 top because there was a wait the rest of the time we were there. People were constantly coming in and were happy to wait because it’s worth the wait! Authentic German food, prepared and served fresh, we aren’t in town often but this is definitely a favorite spot!

Loved my experience at Cafe Rustika. The wait was on the longer side because they don’t take reservations and it’s a small dining room. But the ambiance and food, service are completely unmatched! A schnitzel just as good as the one I had in Germany. And they have Paulaner in draft!

Some of the best Schnitzel and Spätzle I have had! I have also never found anyone that has made cucumber salad like we do until now.

We got here and found out that there was a wait for two tops. They have a policy that booths are reserved for 3 or more only. After a quick 5 or 6 minute wait, we came back and a perfect little window seat had just opened. It was so worth the wait. A couple eating at the 2 top beside ours welcomed us and we quickly jumped on the chance to ask their suggestions. It was evident that they were regulars, and suggested we try the schnitzel with lemon cream sauce. Emily got that, and I went with a bratwurst. Both were amazing. Service was direct, prompt, and easy. Portion size warning ...it's a good bit of food. We will be back for sure. Really nice little hole in the wall.

2nd visit:
I had been wanting to return here at some point but living in Omaha, Nebraska makes it a bit inconvenient. I finally got the chance to return while visiting family for Thanksgiving 🦃. I ordered way more food than I could possibly eat. Everything was outstanding though, the mains, the sides, the service. It was also notably busier than my first visit and I'm glad this place is doing well.

1st visit:
I have been to the top of Mt.Schnitzel and it is Cafe Rustika in RVA. You think you've had schnitzel before? Ha I laugh at you. This place will blow your puny conceptions of schnitzel out of the water. Not only the schnitzel but the sides are a perfect execution of their substance as well. And then there's the beer. They have maybe 4 beers on tap, each excellently sourced and served. The staff are passionate about what they serve here. This is one of the very few perfect restaurants I've ever been to.

I cannot say enough good things about Cafe Rustika. They open at 4:00 pm so we got there around 3:30 to make sure we got a seat. There was already a line of about 30 people and more came after us to wait. We sat at the bar and the staff immediately started getting people menus, waters, bread, and beverages. Sitting at the bar was an advantage to get our beer quick. They have about a dozen different German beers on draft. Considering they just opened up and we were behind 30 other orders, the wait for our food was not bad at all. The wait staff was incredible. We ordered the sauerbraten and jagerschintzel and they were fabulous. The meat was cooked to perfection and it basically melted in your mouth. The only bad thing I can say about Cafe Rustika is though the German potato salad was delicious, I would have loved for it to be heated as I have had at other German restaurants. I will definitely be returning and probably will try to arrive a little earlier just to make sure we get a seat when it opens. Yum, yum!

This place is make-you-want-to-rub-it-on-yourself-good. Their food is absolutely delicious. Bear in mind this restaurant is tiny, so if you get there during the dinner rush, be prepared to wait, but it is worth it, I promise. They have the crispiest most tender fried pork, their sauerkraut is divine, the speatzle is worth eating there and getting a to-go order, that cucumber salad situation is perfection, and you can't go wrong with any of the things they do to potatoes.

Personally, one of my marks of a solid restaurant is how good the food is the next day, and this food is even delicious a day old and cold.

If you are in a wheelchair or have problems navigating a flight of stairs, unfortunately I do not think their restroom facilities are accessible. Like I said, it's teeny tiny so I guess all they could do was have the bathrooms on the second floor.

I appreciate that this is a huge drawback, but I'd still say it's worth it to go for takeout if you can.

Amazing and delicious food. Though they get overwhelmed with customers at times, they maintain professionalism. They operate the best they can with the space they have. They’re pretty consistent in with their customer service, “first come first serve” policy. Especially when there’s an in person wait list. Be prepared to wait if they’re a full house. The food is definitely worth the wait. Having lived in Germany for over 12 yrs of my life, the food and the flavors takes me back to nostalgic moments living above a schnitzel bar as a kid. I want to mark the atmosphere to 4 stars because they’re always crowded. But I wouldn’t change the location and the space even if I could. I believe that gives it even more German vibes with quality and serving sizes of food. Their desserts are amazingly tasteful with authentic German experience as well. Love this place.

Everything we had was great. Friendly staff and cozy atmosphere.

Family stopped in for dinner very quaint little place absolutely great service and awesome food. I'm not a big beer drinker but they had quite the selection and I had two really fine beers.

Great little hole in the wall restaurant. Food tastes amazing and the German beer is delicious as well. Definitely very close to, if not authentic German food. The only 2 downsides to this place (but that I couldn’t justify giving a 4 star rating for), it’s very small so 4 people are squished together at a small table and it was extremely warm inside the night we were there. Not sure if they didn’t have A/C or if it was just off but it was really warm. Great servers and really nice homey feeling. They’ll put you on a wait list if they’re busy, just walk around the corner and hang out at the English pub.

A delightful experience. This is a very small row restaurant with street parking right outside. They have a small menu but everything was absolutely outstanding! We had the yeagerschnitzel with spaetzels and sauerkraut, and the schnitzel special with a Dijon cream sauce. We had chocolate pate with almond crust for desert.

Everything was cooked fresh (we could hear the chef pounding out the schnitzel). The meat was super tender and the breading was perfectly crispy. The sauerkraut was perfect (not too sour nor bland), and the spaetzels were definitely home made. The desert was to die for. Top it off with super friendly and attentive service and you can see why this place is so highly rated.

Definitely recommend!!!

Authentic German place with delicious food and beer. The veal schnitzel was tender and crispy with lots of flavor. The Black Forest cake was not too sweet but rich and full of flavor. The waitress was so friendly and we were called when our table was ready. I didn’t realize this gem was in Richmond and it reminds me of my grandmother’s German cooking. Can’t wait to go back!

Very nice restaurant. Small but full of charm. The schnitzel was excellent, along with red cabbage and salad. Next time I will get the black forest cake!