The Bavarian Beerhouse - Review

Peter Morrell samples some genuine Bavarian hospitality in this lively Beer Cellar

If you want to experience a large slice of Southern Germany hospitality then you only need travel as far as Old Street tube station near the City of London to the Bavarian Beerhouse.  Here you will find lashings of hearty German food and  foaming steins of beer, served by waitresses wearing traditional dirndl dresses,  All in  the rustic setting of a traditional beer hall reminiscent of the famous Munich Oktoberfest.

With fond memories of some very convivial evenings spent in the London beer cellars of the early seventies, Chris my wife, and I thought we should definitely check this one out.  Just as we remembered, the Beerhouse was in a cellar filled with long wooden tables and benches and a bar with huge beer taps featuring all the popular German brands.  We visited on a quiet night and got a table to ourselves but in busier times you need to be in a sociable mood, as you will be sharing.   There are adjacent rooms that can be booked if you want to host a private party, and there is a particularly charming one that looks like the interior of an Alpine chalet.

The Food
So let’s start by talking about the food.  And first a word of warning – arrive hungry, in fact, very hungry as the portions are enormous. The Bavarian Taster platter for two people was our chosen first course as it gave us the chance to sample most of the starters on the menu. This was heaped with 2 giant pretzels, ‘Obazda’- a homemade cream cheese speciality, various salads with meat and some lovely Black Forest ham.

For the main course Chris made an excellent choice with the Bavarian Beerhouse Wurstplatte, a sausage platter featuring two Frankfurters, three Nürnberger and a Bratwurst, served with mashed potato, Sauerkraut and mustard

My main course was the Münchner Schweinshaxen, a roasted Pork shank. If you are not familiar with this cut of meat it is similar to a Lamb Shank but about twice the size and could easily feed three people. Covered with satisfyingly tasty and crunchy crackling it was absolutely delicious. Combine this with the generous portion of Sauerkraut and Potato Dumplings and this was one very comforting and satisfying meal.

To ensure that you have the authentic Bavarian experience at that all of the sausages and are top quality that are imported direct from Germany. 

After such a huge meal there was no room for pudding but if you could find the space there are more heart-warming dishes to tempt you including Kaiserschmarrn, a typical Bavarian-style pancake with raisins, that perennial favourite Apfelstrudel and Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, better known to all of you as Black Forest Gateau.

However you can eat a much lighter meal and Monday and Tuesday are ‘Schnitzel Madness’ nights when you can choose one of eight different pork Schnitzels and have a pint of German beer for a bargain £15. Another Bavarian speciality, only available in the month of May is white Asparagus, far different in taste from the regular green variety.

The Beer
But, as the name Beerhouse implies, people come here for the range of imported German beers. I drank the Erdinger Hefe Weissbier Dunkel, a deliciously dark, malty wheat beer, while Chris had the light version of the same brew. With a creamy head, it was flowery and spicy on the palate.

If you don’t want the wheat beer then the Paulaner, Munich lager, the hoppy Löwenbräu, Warsteiner Pils and Kaltenberg Pilsner are all good alternatives. Whatever you drink you have a choice of sizes, either a third of a litre, half a litre or a whopping full litre in a traditional glass ‘Stein’. Prices range from £3.00 for a third of a litre to £8.10 for the full litre, which is almost two pints.

We couldn’t even find room for any more drink but if you want to finish the evening in style there’s a range of traditional German Schnaps including Obstler, the world famous Apple Liqueur, Apfelkorn and everybody’ favourite digestif, Jägermeister on tap that is chilled to 4º F, colder than ice.

Food prices are around £5.50 for a starter to £12.50 for a main course, so it is remarkably good value for money.

This is a popular place to pop into after work for a drink or to meet up with friends for a very casual and fun evening out.  For those looking for some lively Bavarian entertainment, various events are staged throughout the year including Apres Ski parties, German Beer Day and Octoberfest when an Oompah Band provides the entertainment

To find out more go to www.bavarian-beerhouse.com

Review Date 3rd February 2010