The Collaborative International Dictionary
Rathskeller \Raths"kel`ler\ (r[aum]ts"k[e^]l*l[~e]r), n. [G., also ratskeller, prop., town-hall cellar.] Orig., in Germany, the cellar or basement of the city hall, usually rented for use as a restaurant where beer is sold; hence, a beer saloon of the German type below the street level, where, usually, drinks are served only at tables and simple food may also be had; -- sometimes loosely used, in English, of what are essentially basement restaurants where liquors are served.
Wikipedia
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. Many taverns, nightclubs, bars, and similar establishments throughout the world use the term.
The word had been used in English since the mid-19th century, with at least one New York restaurant calling itself a rathskeller in the 19th century.
Usage examples of "ratskeller".
Herr Seifert had only to consider the fact that the Ratskeller in the basement of his own city hall was now filled with men—some of them considerably beefier than he was, and not a few obviously Jaeger—who were in no sense under his control.
Herr Seifert had only to consider the fact that the Ratskeller in the basement of his own city hall was now filled with men – some of them considerably beefier than he was, and not a few obviously Jaeger – who were in no sense under his control.
Verban had insisted on their meeting there, rather than the ratskeller next to the campus where they usually had their seidels of beer.