When you walk inside Schnitzel & Co. in Amherst, you probably first notice the sounds, then the decor and if it isn't clear enough by all that, the lineup of beer and fresh pretzels coming out of the brick oven should be a pretty good sign of what kind of food they are serving.
"Been told by quite a few guests that have been to Germany that we do pretty good," Peter Sinclair, the General Manager, said.
Schnitzel & Co. serves a unique combination of Swiss-German foods.
There is "frikadellen" which is Swedish meatballs, served on mini potato pancakes. And then there is "sauerbraten" which is braised beef served with sweet and sour red cabbage.
But don't forget the item for which they are named.
"Schnitzel is actually a method of preparation," Sinclair said. "A lot of people are actually confused about that. They think it's a sausage or something. It's actually take a cutlet, any kind of meat...chicken, pork and veal are the ones that we use, pound it out real thin. We use Panko breading and flash fry it."
Perhaps just as important for Schnitzel & Co. is what they are pouring you from the bar. That includes 20 beers on tap. They also mix a Munich Mule, like a Moscow Mule, but with a cucumber garnish.
They said they also are working on their own beer and plan to debut it at a tapping party at the end of the month.
"It's going to be a real nice light hefeweizen," Sinclair said.
They also have live performances on Friday nights, year round, and Thursday nights in the summer on the patio.
Schnitzel has been open in Amherst for almost four years and just recently moved to this expanded location on Transit.
An upgrade, they said, that was needed to handle increasing interest in their food.
"There's not many German restaurants and many of our product are not made anywhere else," Sinclair explained. "Especially the way we do them since everything is homemade."
One might say their "wurst" is the best...
Schnitzel & Co. is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. They have extended hours for brunch on the weekends.