Opas Schnitzel Hut
German · 1608 Farm to Market 2410, Harker Heights, Texas 76548
★★★★★ 1 review(254) 432-2657
Menu Items
Reviews
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Authentic German Food, Home Like Dining Room & Excellent Customer Service!
I made a trip to Killeen this week to check out a few new restaurants. One of which was Opa's Schnitzel Hut. This small roadside building boasts numerous Central Texas food awards.
Operated and owned by a staff of German women, it made you feel like a guest in someone's home. All the food is made in house, including the German baked cakes and cheesecake.
The menu mentioned the schnitzel is based on the owners Opa's recipe (German for Grandpa).
I decided to try the Zigeuner Schnitzel, with German potatoe salad, red cabbage and Spezi. I'd never heard of Spezi before and they explained it to me. In Germany there is a product called Mezzo Mix, which is an orange flavored Sprite like product in bottles. Its mixed with Coca Cola, to make what is called Spezi. Since Mezzo Mix isnt available easily in the US they use Orange Crush, Sprite, & Coke to make theirs. A nearby table heard me ask about it, and yelled out 'its good, you should try it". It was good, an interesting mix, similar to the orange Coke that was available for a while, but with an ice tea like color.
A few minutes after ordering, I heard the schnitzel go into the fryer, the whole place is 2 small rooms, and there was no mistaking the loud crackling of the oil as the meat went in. While I was waiting I was brought my potatoe salad and a basket of Rye and White bread with butter.
The rest of the food came out in a few minutes. The schnitzel was one of the best I've had anywhere, the bell pepper sauce was similar to a Hungarian sauce I've had called lesco, a red tomato like sauce with chunks of stewed bell pepper in it. The meat was super tender, juicy, with a crisp crust that was perfectly cooked. The German potato salad was pretty good, it was authentic vinegar based potato salad, but was not as sweet or sour as I prefer. The red cabbage was a bit plain as well, just not as sweet as I'm accustomed to and closer to a non sour saurkraut.
The service was great, everyone was friendly, and I had conversations with 2 of the ladies who worked there, about the restaurant, where they were from, my German ancestors, and the food.
I ended my meal with a slice of the mandarin torte, which I ate a few hours later. A thick cake with a thin raspberry jam layer, a whipped cream layer, another cake layer, and a top cream layer sprinkled with what I think was cinnamon.
Overall the meal was great, the customer service was great, the prices were fair, and portion sizes were large. The side dishes were solely responsible for the 1 point deduction. I debated trying to spatzel, and its possible the score would have been higher. This probably wont be my last time eating here, I'd like to try some more items. I would easily put this in my top 5 German restaurants, and put the schnitzel in the top 3.
Opa's Schnitzel Hut
Zigeuner Schnitzel with Red Cabbage.
German Potato Salad, Rye & White Bread, & Spezi (soda)
Mandarin Cream Torte
Dining Area
Established 2014.
Food so good you're gonna SCHNITZEL your pants!
Opa's Schnitzel Hut Menu
Opa's Story
Food & Restaurant Awards
— Paul