Das Dutchman Essenhaus, Middlebury

This adorable inn features everything Amish . Although not run by the Amish, the rooms shows the beautiful workmanship of the Amish woodworkers. The rooms are nicely decorated and feature adornments of Amish life. The inn features hot coffee and delicious cookies through out the day. All of Middlebury and Shepsewana stores close at 5:00 and there is no night life. The das essen haus restaurant is open until 8:00, and they do have shopping throughout. the complex. Bring book or take pleasure in the pool or just relax. We have been coming to the restaurant for close to 40 years, and have seen the improvements along the way. As far as the food, we tried something different. They feature the fabulous family style meal, and individual menu choice. They now offer a buffet starting at 4:00. Since the family style meal is much to much for us these days, we opted for the buffet. I was disappointed. It was not worth the $10.25. There was certainly plenty of food, but it did not included the quality of the family style dinners. Your drink and pie is extra. The buffet featured chicken along with another special of the day, which happened to be meatloaf, which was not too tasty. For desert there was no pie but they did have a delicious mint brownie. What I am saying, is that the family style meal would not be more than a dollar or two more and I believe the food is better. That meal includes chicken with either beef or ham. It also has salad, roll, mashed potatoes, deliciously cooked plump noodles, with chicken, dressing, gravy, vegetables, plus with no extra charge your drink and your choice of a zillion different pies. We will go back to the family style dinner the next time.

I noticed the menu dining food portions and flavor have gone way downhill from years ago. If you go please beware of this fact. While the food can be tasty, the value is not worth the price. The bread dressing is very bland and sometimes its super mushy! If you go on a weekend or tuesday/ weds (shipshewana flea market days) be prepared for a long wait. Also due to budget cuts the AC is not being used, and on hot days expect to be sweating in the restaurant. On a plus the shops next door are very cute, but pricey as most tourist traps are. The bakery is a gem if you decide to go. Be warned 1 cookie is 1.00 ITS A COOKIE PEOPLE! but sorta puts it in perspective with the prices. The rooms are clean, and its a great location for tourists who want to see Shipshewana.

My husband walked in and said, "Well, it isn't the Bellagio." That is true, but I loved it. The atmosphere is peaceful. The rooms are spacious, very clean, and furnished with Amish furniture. The kids loved the indoor pool and it was also very clearn. There was a little wading pool for babies. The free breakfast was perfect with homemade donuts. The kids also loved the outdoor playground and just walking about the grounds. Middlebury is a good home base to see Indiana Amish country. My husband was a little taken aback by all of the religious references, but to me it added to the charm. I would definitely go back. A good, solid, relaxing place to stay. Excellent for kids.

Motel was very clean and personnel very friendly and helpful. We hope to return.

rooms are very comfortable and clean staff was very friendly

My family and I stay at the Essenhaus while visiting relatives. The hotel is exceptional and the service is wonderful. The rooms are very clean and the pool are is great especially for younger children. We spend most of our time in the baby pool. The last time we stayed our little girl had gotten sick and we spent the night at the hospital and had to leave early We had already paid for the next night and missed the check out time. The staff was very understanding and only charged us a small fraction of the price (they were completely booked that weekend). I would recommend it to anyone that is visiting in the area.

Essenhaus is our home away from home. My husband and I have stayed there too many times to count. It's atmosphere is homey and inviting and the Inn is beautifully decorated. We stayed a few days after Thanksgiving with our kids and grandkids. Our entire family loves it!

Loved the atmosphere, and the food! The kids meals were a bit expensive so the family paid quite a lot. Tons of gifts and trinkets in the stores, but please...95 percent of the items were made in China. I would have loved to see some things that were actually hand crafted. I'm trying to stay away from foreign items and buy from home.

My wife and I found the Essenhaus while on our way back from my softball world series in 1985,much smaller back then,added on to their complex since,still great,you will be blown away by the upkeep and how nice this place is,DO NOT miss a meal at their restraunt,WOW!! This is a 5 Star all the way around! P.S. They also have little shops/stores so you can have some fun..also a putt putt course back behind them.

I have stayed twice before and plan to go back. Both times I have stayed with my family and we have loved it. They have miniature golf for the kids and a pool and of course great food. It is clean and inviting. I love it.