A few miles west of Meridian State Park is a little German restaurant called Zur Autobahn. I have driven by it numerous times, but had never ventured inside. I looked online and was a bit put off by the prices. Quite frankly, there are only a handful of good restaurants around the Lake Whitney area and most cost a lot less. I've also been disappointed by some restaurants and I'm CHEAP. However, it had been a long time since I had German food (Edelweiss in Fort Worth), so I thought I'd give it a shot. My mom had come down to the lake, so I decided she could join me as a guinea pig.

The place appears to double as the owners' home (top floor) and the restaurant on the first floor. It is a small restaurant seating 22 - 28 people. We were quickly greeted by the owner and she let us pick out our table since we were the only patrons. She gave us our menu and took our drink order. I was disappointed sweet tea was not offered, but the unsweetened tea did not need any sugar. I'm usually the guy dumping 12 packets of sugar into a large glass trying to sweeten things up. Nope. It was good unsweetened.

We placed our orders and although this is not a fast-paced establishment (despite it's name), we were not sitting around bored. The dishes were delivered in well-timed intervals. There was also some German pop music playing in the background.

I had the Jaeger Schnitzel and my mom had the Paprika Schnitzel. You get a salad and bread with the meal. The menu states the bread is fresh and homemade. The first slice I had was very good; the second, however, was stale and cold. That is the ONLY negative thing that took place during our meal. The salad dressing choices were Ranch and House German. We both had the Ranch, but this was not like the Ranch we get elsewhere. It was very good, however. The vegetables were fresh and crisp. The cucumbers actually tasted like cucumbers, not some cold, bland vegetable.

My breaded pork loin was AWESOME!!!!! It was smothered in some mushroom gravy and WOW! The fried potatoes were equally good. However, the best was saved for last...Apple Steusel. HOLY COW! When she brought that out, I thought there was no way it could taste as good as it looked. I was mistaken in my thinking. The whipped cream tasted as if it was just made before I ordered it. I can't describe how good this thing was.

If you're ever headed to Meridian, you must try this place. I can't bring myself to spend almost $50 for two to eat dinner often, but I will definitely be trying out other dishes at Zur Autobahn.

Oh, and this place was CLEAN...

http://www.zurautobahn.com/Dinnermenu.html

Bout time you got with the program! Dem german folks can cook!

I'm not asking you to say anything negative - how would you compare it to Edelweiss???

Glad you had a good meal! What sides did yer Mother get?

-alton

Mom got the same sides: fried potatoes, bread and salad. I liked it better than Edelweiss, primarily because Edelweiss can be so LOUD!!!!

Did they have Goulash???

-Alton

The menu shows that they have Goulash Soup and an entree called Goulash with Noodles. I'll probably go back in 6 to 8 weeks...It takes a while to get my wallet pried open.

MY G-ma used to make us her version of Goulash! Goulash is to Germans and Austrians what chili is to Texans or what Gumbo s to Cajuns! There are a million versions and all of 'em are great!

-alton

Man, this sounds like a place I'd like to try! I'll be going to Walnut Springs in a couple of weeks and I think I'll stop here on the way home.

So this place is west of the State Park, on the road towards Iredell and Hico?

And do they take cards, or cash only?

Thanks,
Frank

Frank, it is west of the State Park on TX-22. Here is the information.

Phone: (254) 597 2500
Kornelia & Dieter Sedlmaier
10668 Hwy 22
Meridian, TX

Lunch
Friday - Saturday 11:30 am - 2 pm
Dinner
Wed. - Saturday 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Monday, Tuesday and Sunday closed.

Hours subject to change season -Please call for Reservations.

I saw a Visa sticker on the cash register when I paid, but I paid with cash (I've been to too many restaurants around here that only take cash or check). You may want to call before to see for certain.

Thanks for the information! Looks like from their hours I'll have to pass on this trip, but I do love some German home cooking so I'll look at those hours before my next trip up there. Sounds like you found a hidden gem there.

I keep on forgetting about that place when I'm hungry and in the area. I NEED to stop. This is exactly like the places that I go and seek out.

Oh, and I share the Cheap gene.... $50 for two??? but hey, when lodging is only costing $12, I can afford a little luxury.

At the bottom of my first post, I have a link to their dinner menu...Their lunch menu looks to be cheaper (of course the portions aren't as large). I guess I could sprinkle in a lunch and a dinner every 4 weeks and it wouldn't be so bad.

Glad you posted this. I've always wondered about that place. I was hitchhiking through there back in July 2003 and stopped at a house on Hwy 22 to beg some water. I ended up BSing with the home owner for a couple of hours over beers and crown then he gave me a ride to the State Park. Any way he was talking at one point about good places to eat around there and "the German place" was at the top of his list. He also highly recommended Taco Mayo in Hamilton.

ive been by there a billion times but
nvr stopped by.

Well, I took my mom there tonight for dinner...WOW! I changed things up and tried a different dish their #6: Roulade with Rotkraut! All I can say is that thing is the most awesome dish I've ever eaten at a restaurant. Geesh. I need to learn how to make that. It was busy tonight, but thanks to me calling ahead and making a reservation, we were seated and served very quickly. I cannot recommend this place enough. They do take credit/debit cards, but only Visa and Mastercard.

Oh and the saurkraut...WOW AGAIN!

Spent this past weekend in Glen Rose at a family reunion. My father grew up
in a German family but had not had any good German food
in years so we took him.. Even my extremely picky son fell in love with the meat and potatos. I even ate some red cabbage and liked it. Thanks for the recommendation.