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Since 1964, the Heidelberg Restaurant has embodied Yorkville's Germanic heritage with its stout cuisine and oceans of fresh beer. The casual space feels like an old Bavarian hunting lodge, with a deer antler chandelier, musty dark paintings and trellises, and a lederhosen-attired staff. And in case you missed the Teutonic touches, incessantly happy German drinking songs are piped in, in all their oom-pa-pa glory. If all this sounds a bit over the top, it is, and so is the cooking. A half-dozen wursts—some sourced from the inimitable Schaller & Weber nearby—are outstanding, and are served with a superb, slightly warm German potato salad with hints of vinegar. The grandma-worthy potato pancakes are exceptionally light and crispy. Wiener schnitzels are likewise impeccably fried and come in sic varieties, the most intriguing being à la Holstein, featuring a fried egg, anchovies, and capers. Schweinshaxe (roast pork shank), sauerbraten (sweet-and-sour, marinated roast beef), and kassler rippchen (smoked pork chop) ooze authenticity. Even side dishes like red cabbage and delicate, butter-fried spaetzle would drive King Ludwig mad. A wide selection of German beers on tap, which are usually quaffed in 1-liter steins, ensures an Oktoberfest atmosphere every night. — Michael Anstendig

Potato pancakes, $9.95; sausage platter for one, $18.95; schnitzel a la holstein, $22.95