Bavarian Beerhouse in Shoreditch, London

Fluid Eating's Review of Bavarian Beerhouse

Lederhosen, frilly shirts, and strange music: no, not 5am in a dark club in Vauxhall, this is theme-restaurant Bavarian Beerhouse in Old Street. It was only a matter of time before the drinking culture of London opened its beer-stained arms to a venue serving colossal steins of beer and Jägermeister on tap.

Entering the Bavarian Beerhouse I descended into what appeared to be a converted warehouse space. The décor was minimalist, the music commercial, and tables were placed in rows, Wagamama-style, attended to by pretty fraulein waitresses in full Bavarian attire.

This is a destination for groups of friends, office-parties, stag/hen parties and those with good hearing. Not a place for a romantic first date, unless it’s one of those dates where you don't really want to hear the other person talk too much, in which case it’s ideal.

The low ceiling and noisy alcohol-fuelled crowd meant lengthy conversations were about as possible as listening to a David Hasselhoff album without crying. Instead, I found myself reverting to that esoteric dialect often seen in nightclubs, consisting largely of almost-rude-but-not-quite hand gestures (“wanna drink?”), raised Roger Moore eyebrows (“you're going home with that?!”), and shrugging-of-shoulders (“sorry Mr Bouncer, I thought this was the men's urinal, rather than the DJ booth. I'll zip up straightaway”). Ah good times.....(None of the above actually took place on Thursday evening, Mr Fluid Editor, I hasten to add).

The layout and ambience at the Bavarian Beerhouse is such that you would be forgiven for thinking it's a venue intended for people to come and drink alcohol rather than talk. Then you see the booklet/menu detailing the drinking games and you know it is. The Jägertrain intrigued me; ten shots of Jägermeister, ten of Red Bull, lined up and comprehensively demolished by one group of hangover-beckoning office workers on several occasions.

Lager aficionados will appreciate the varied beer selection, available in 0.3, 0.5 and 1 litre quantities and porn aficionados will be interested in the Porno Brause, a sherbet and vodka “brand new party drink from Germany”. I wouldn’t normally mention ‘porn’ in such an article but on this occasion it is not only relevant, it has also probably afforded Fluid the chance to welcome a whole new, if a little prurient, readership. Hi, and I’m sorry we’re not quite what you were looking for on Google.

Nestling among all the alcoholic options there is a menu with meat, meat and more meat well represented. There are a few twists within the menu; I was almost enticed by the Hawaiian pizza version of the schnitzel. Ultimately, I opted for a traditional Bavarian dish, the Wurstplatte, containing more sausage than a Punch & Judy show.

The food took over 20 minutes to arrive, but portions were generous and the shared platter I had for starters would have been enough on its own. Having been to Munich I can say that the food is comparable in quality, and I was informed the meat is imported from Germany. Prices are at a gastropub level, in the £10-15 bracket for a main, and drinks are pub-cost.

If you are a hard-of-hearing, teetotal vegetarian I would advise against this place. If you are seeking a lively boisterous night out for a group of friends, then you simply must give it a try.

Reviewed by Steve Kent

DESCRIPTION: Bavarian Beerhouse London is a combination of the Restaurant "Hofbräuhaus" in Munich and the well known Beer festival "Oktoberfest". Guests can enjoy original Bavarian Beer served in Steins and traditional Bavarian food from Starters to Desserts. Last but not least the "Bavarian Gemütlichkeit" (friendly atmosphere) will give the entire Beerhouse it's special character.

“Gemütlichkeit”
The pleasant air of friendliness and conviviality, of hospitality and service associated with the eating of good food and enjoying good drinks, against a background of music and entertainment, in an atmosphere of "Old World" traditions is encompassed in the one German word "Gemütlichkeit". The Bavarian Beerhouse will bring people from all over the world together sitting on the typical Bavarian wooden benches and tables to ensure that special international environment.

Entertainment
Every Friday and Saturday night Bavarian Beerhouse is offering entertainment with typical Bavarian Oompah-music and DJ music with both German and other musical highlights. Occasionally there are theme parties like Carnival (March 5th, 2011) and "Tanz in den Mai" (April 30th).

Restaurant
Traditional Bavarian food from starters to desserts are a big part of the authentic character of the Bavarian Beerhouse . All meat, pretzels and bread is imported from Germany. The Restaurant is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Kitchen closes at 10pm. The Dinner menu is constantly updated with specialties like "White Asparagus" in the month of May. (Updated 18/01/2012)

Bavarian Beerhouse Food & Drink Menus

Listed below are few sample food and drinks items available at Bavarian Beerhouse. These lists are not enhaustive, but are instead designed to give you an overview of the venue's offerings and assciated prices.

Bavarian Beerhouse Food menu

Traditional German & Bavarian food from Starters to Desserts are important for the authentic character of the Bavarian Beerhouse. All meat, pretzels and bread is imported from Germany. The food menu features Bavarian specialities such as Pork Roast, sausages and Sauerkraut, meatloaf, Schnitzel (escalope) and much more.
Monday's and Tuesday's special is "Schnitzel Madness" (choose from 10 types of Schnitzel with a pint of German beer for £15).

Item	Price
Traditional Bavarian Beerhouse Sausage Platter	£12.80
For Sausage Lovers! 2 Frankfurters, 3 Nürnberger, 1 Bratwurst, served with mashed potato, sauerkraut and mustard
Roast Pork Shank / Muenchner Schweinshax'n	£15.90
Roasted Pork Shank, served with sauerkraut, gravy and bread dumplings.

Bavarian Beerhouse Drink menu

The drinks menu includes German beers such as Erdinger, Loewenbraeu, Warsteiner, Kaltenberg - served in Steins. There's also Schnaps (Jaegermeister, Obstler) and wine.

Item	Description	Price
Stein (liter) of beer	Krombacher Lager & Krombacher Dunkel; Erdinger; Bavarian Helles; Kaltenberg; Loewenbraeu etc. served in a Stein (1 liter glass).	£8.90
Porn Fizz / Pornobrause	Porn Fizz - PornoBrause Vodka & sherbet. Sherbet is sizzling in your mouth - a brand new party drink from Germany!.	£3.50

Bavarian Beerhouse Special Offers

The Bavarian Beerhouse has a range of special offers to choose from, e.g. "Schnitzel Madness" on Monday and Tuesday. See website for details.

Title: London's Schnitzel-Paradise proudly presents: Monday & Tuesday "Schnitzel Madness"!
Description: Each Schnitzel comes with a pint of German beer for £15 only. Choose from 10 different types of Schnitzel.
Classification: Food & Drink
Date: 01 Jan, 2012 - 30 Dec, 2012
Days: Monday, Tuesday
Time: 12:00 - 22:00

Title: Suckling Pig - only £12.90pp
Description: Bavarian Beerhouse offers a traditional German / Bavarian food delicacy: Suckling Pig, prepared and cooked just for your party. Available only from Sunday until Thursday at our Old Street branch, this roasted pork feast is a gourmet experience for groups of 30+. Diners can tuck into a whole suckling pig, accompanied by potato dumplings, red cabbage and potato salad, served and carved at the table by Bavarian Beerhouse Chefs. The Suckling Pig Menu is only £12.90 pp - pre-booking necessary (minimum 2 weeks in advance).
Classification: Food
Date: 01 Jan, 2012 - 30 Dec, 2012
Days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Time: 12:00 - 23:00

Title: May Special: White Asparagus from Germany Weisser Deutscher Spargel aus Deutschland
Description: STARTER Creamy Asparagus Soup £4.50 MAINS • German white Asparagus with melted butter and new potatoes £14.50 • German white Asparagus with Black forest ham, melted butter and new potatoes £15.50 • Breaded Pork Escalope topped with white Asparagus and Hollandaise sauce served with new potatoes £16.50
Classification: Food
Date: 01 May, 2012 - 31 May, 2012
Days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Time: 12:00 - 22:00

Bavarian Beerhouse Map

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“The Bavarian Beerhouse is a great place to celebrate a Christmas party. My colleagues and I had our Christmas party there and we had an amazing time. We pre-ordered food from the Christmas menu and reserved a table. At arrival each person got a welcome drink and a Christmas cracker. The food was served on big platters and we tried the typical German sausages with mash potatoe and sauerkraut! We really loved the big beer glasses so called steins! Later on the waitresses were singing and dancing with us it was a great night!!! I will definitely come back with a few friends of mine!” Rating: — Mr Paul R., London (06 Jan 2011)

“Loadsa fun! Food was nuffin special but then again I don't remembre much bout da food as I preferred da drink!!” Rating: — nigel, braintree (05 Mar 2010)

“Bavarian Beerhouse rocks! Food and drinks are really fantastic. Staff are lovely, helpful and fun and the atmosphere is certainly one of the best in London without a doubt. Keep up the good work Bavarian Beerhouse! Wooooooooooop Woooooooooop!” Rating: — [ Unknown ], London (16 Feb 2009)

“Great place. The beer is very good....food also good too. Busy in the evenings so I go early in the afternoon. Try it.” Rating: — Mr007, London (03 Sep 2008)

“This is a great place! Excellent service! We had a amazing night at the Beerhouse. There is a good selection of beers and typical German food. Its a perfect place to have a fun night out with a group of friends.” Rating: — Anna Hanson, London (21 Jun 2008)

“This place has very rude service. They would not serve us Stein largers, as there were no glasses. We were told to wait for half an hour. Considering this is the attraction of going there, it was very disappointing. The beer was not even fresh. The atmosphere was poor, and the service was unacceptable. I do not recommend people to go here.” Rating: — Nick Large, London (13 Apr 2008)

“My mates and I had such a great time at the beerhouse last weekend. The service was fantastic and I still can't believe that the waitress carried 10 steins! That's amazing! She did a great job. And she looked beautiful in her bavarian dress. Well done Bavarian Beerhouse!!! Regards, Shawn” Rating: — John Sehk, London (12 Dec 2006)

“What a great evening!! An excellent varied menu, reasonable and top beers, great atmosphere, superb service. The Bavarian Beerhouse is a must for anyone who enjoys fun and an added dimension to eating out. We will return again and again! ” Rating: — Kevin Schroeder, Siegen (13 Nov 2006)

“Great place, great staff and great service girls. We went there with some friends from Germany and England and had a brilliant night out. This place is hightly recommended for groups who want to have fun.” Rating: — Padi van Bommel, London (27 Jun 2006)

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