Ratskeller (German: "council's cellar", historically Rathskeller) is a name in German-speaking countries for a bar or restaurant located in the basement of a city hall (Rathaus) or nearby. As a proper noun, many taverns, nightclubs and similar establishments throughout the world now use this as a name.[1]
The word had been used in English since the mid-19th century.[1]
At least one New York restaurant called itself a "rathskeller" in the 19th century.[2]
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The Boston, Massachusetts, Rathskeller (nicknamed The Rat) was a Kenmore Square live music venue that opened in 1974. It is notable for being one of Greater Boston's premier music venues for three decades and the starting point for the WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble.[1]
The Ram's Head Rathskeller in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was opened in 1948 by an Austrian Jew by the last name of Danziger, who came to Chapel Hill as a refugee from the Holocaust. "The Rat" was the first restaurant in the area to employ an entirely African-American staff. Long a popular spot with students and alumni, the restaurant, which extends over a catacomb-like basement with many different rooms, was filled with UNC memorabilia and history. "The Rat" was one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in Chapel Hill, but was closed down in 2008 due to non-payment of taxes. Its decor and memorabilia was auctioned off leaving just the bones of the structure. It is scheduled to reopen under new management in early 2011.
Read House in New Castle, Delaware served as a speakeasy during Prohibition, using the underground location to hide the covert activity.[3]
Das Deutsche Haus ratskeller restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana received historic landmark status. Now called Athenaeum, it has served Bavarian fare since 1894.
The Aztec Brewing Company in San Diego, California included a ratskeller as the tasting room at the brewery. Murals on the wall depicted various scenes of Aztecs painted by renowned Spanish artist Jose Moya del Piño. When the city tore down the structure, the murals were preserved for future use.
James Lawrence Kernan operated an upscale ratskeller in the basement of the Maryland Theater (Baltimore) in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, Kentucky has a Ratskeller decorated with rare Rookwood Pottery. Today, the Seelbach Ratskeller remains the only surviving ensemble of its kind.[4]
Another notable Ratskeller is located on the campus of St. Bonaventure University. It was founded in 1963.
The Ratskeller in Southbury, Connecticut is a very popular area restaurant known for its seafood specials and is a popular Friday night hot spot. It was awarded the title "Best Wings In Town" by The Brew Crew Social Club.
The Ratskeller in the Memorial Union (Wisconsin) is a German-style beer hall. It holds many social events such as an open mic event, and outdoors there is often free live music, weather permitting. It was the first union to serve beer at a public university.[5]
In the basement of the State House Capitol building in Springfield Illinois there is a cafeteria named the Rathskellar. Famous politicians, community and civil servant's (Diners) not to mention parollee's (Servers) have walked it's halls and passed through the old brick archways and still to this day the cafeteria serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as staying open late for nights when the Illinois General Assembly is in Session. [6]
Ratskellers occasionally show up in popular culture. Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds features a major scene and gun battle taking place in a ratskeller. In The Naked Brothers TV shows and movies, the father character plays the accordion at a fictional restaurant called The Hoboken Rathskeller. Child actress Adele De Garde starred in a 1918 silent movie called The Rathskeller and the Rose.
Many universities have pubs or student center dining facilities located in re-purposed basements. To market these untraditional eating locations to students, many of these are termed "ratskellers" including:
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