The Dakota Inn Rathskeller opened on August 1, 1933, founded by Karl Kurz, grandfather of current owner Karl E. Kurz. While working at Ford’s Highland Park plant, Grandfather Kurz dreamed of owning his own business. He purchased a rundown Chinese hand laundry on John R near Dakota, in the heart of Detroit’s German community, and spent his nights and weekends transforming it into a German-style rathskeller like those from his hometown of Weikersheim in Bavaria, Germany.

When it opened, the Dakota Inn was a tiny, three-stool rathskeller. Over three generations, the Kurz family expanded it into the colorful, antique-filled landmark it is today. On April 2, 1935, Karl Kurz organized a group of regulars into the Just Right Club, created to bring together male patrons in a spirit of friendship and Gemütlichkeit, the German expression for enjoying friends in a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Today, the restaurant seats 145 and spans just over 2,000 square feet. Its walls are lined with German beer steins, family hunting trophies, and photographs. Dark polished wood, hand-painted scenes from Grandfather Kurz’s childhood, and staff in traditional German attire give the Dakota Inn its unmistakable Old World charm. From mid-September through October, the Dakota Inn Rathskeller celebrates Detroit’s own version of Germany’s traditional Oktoberfest. A downstairs banquet room, also called the Rathskeller, hosts private parties of up to 50 guests.

The Dakota Inn Rathskeller was listed on the State Register of Historic Sites on June 30, 1988, by the Michigan Historical Commission.