The first Germans arrived in Virginia in 1714, but I didn’t have a strong association of one with the other. Café Rustika changed my perceptions.

Since 2007, Café Rustika has been celebrating Germany. This low-key, neighborhood joint is Richmond’s only schnitzel bar. It’s a small, unassuming place, on the ground floor of an ordinary two-story building with barely a sign to advertise its presence. Inside, the vibe is very friendly, clearly a favorite with locals. Well-worn booth tables are reserved for larger groups, and smaller parties of two take up the tables by the window, so I sat at the bar, pondering the odd bowling pin or two scattered around. More logical are the steins behind the bar as well as German provincial flags and a cuckoo clock hanging from the walls, and ceramic figures of happy men and women in lederhosen and dirndls facing you on the bar. The menu itself is a broad selection of German comfort foods and drinks that will most definitely ensure your glück (happiness).

Try This: Naturally, you need a beer, so select one from the long list of German brews—the Reissdorf Kölsch does very nicely. You must start with the outstanding creamy carrot dill soup; it’s so good you may very well want another bowl, or gallon. For your main course, select one of the café’s specialties, the schnitzels. Particularly tasty is the Schnitzel Cordon Bleu, veal schnitzel topped with thinly sliced ham and gruyere cheese. Accompany it with a side of spätzl, housemade egg noodles sautéed in butter. End your meal with a huge, almost unfinishable slab of black forest cake topped with cherries.

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