Hofbräuhaus

Tasty Tuesday–Schnitzel and Spätzle and Strudel…Oh My!

It seemed like we waited over 400 years for the Belleville Hofbräuhaus to open, but they are finally fully operational. Of course, we had anxiously anticipated eating at this restaurant since the day we heard they were going to build it, and now we’ve been there twice in two weeks! That was kind of an anomaly, because of a birthday celebration, so I think it will be awhile before we go back, but I’m excited to share our experience(s)!

First of all, the restaurant is HUGE. It is billed as the largest Hofbräuhaus in America (30,000 square feet!!!), but you don’t really get just how big it is from driving by…you really have to go inside to  understand its grand scale!

In addition to seating for 450 in the restaurant (and that doesn’t even count the banquet room), there’s also an outdoor biergarten that can seat over 200, and the weather is finally nice enough for diners to enjoy it!

Both times we went, there was live music. Since they bring musicians in from Europe every month, we got to see two different bands (one in April and one in May), and both were great…I think we heard all of our German favorites, including “Edelweiss,” “Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken,” and “Roll out the Barrel.” We also enjoyed the sounds of the alphorn the first time we visited.

The brewery is a big part of the operation, and they are always brewing several varieties of beer (according to the Reinheitsgebot), including a seasonal selection.

Of course, the main attraction is the food (ok, depending on who you ask, because some people are there for the beer!), and the menu is quite extensive:

We tried two different appetizers…Bayerischer Raditeller (shaved radishes and rye bread) and a jumbo pretzel with Obatzda cheese, sweet mustard, and onion mustard. Both were excellent!

We tried quite a few main courses over our two visits, as well. Pictured here is Schnitzel Wiener Art, Kartoffelpuffer, the special “sausage tower,” Sauerbraten, Schweinebraten, Bavarian potato salad, and my personal favorite, Paniertes Jägerschnitzel (with spätzle, of course!). Ryan said it’s the best schnitzel he’s had outside of Vienna!

We tried three beers over the two visits, as well…Märzen, Dunkel, and Maibock:

We even had a dessert, and let me tell you, the Apfelstrudel is AMAZING!!!

Did I mention that the servers wear German national dress?

There’s even a small gift shop, where they have a variety of beer glasses, imported candy, and other German novelties:

After waiting so long for the Hofbräuhaus to open, I was a little worried it might not live up to the hype, but in my opinion at least, it really does. It feels just like I imagine a real German bierhall does, and the atmosphere, with the music, the lederhosen, and the enthusiastic diners just reinforces that feeling. It’s a great experience, and I’m already looking forward to whenever we might get to go back!

400 Years in the Making

Like much of Belleville, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the opening of the new Hofbräuhaus restaurant located just off of Illinois 15. For years. Literally. It was supposed to open back in 2016, and they have announced something like six or seven estimated opening dates, only to have each date come and go with no schnitzel or beer in sight, leaving Belleville wondering if the restaurant was ever really going to open.

The billboard that they put up in downtown St. Louis says it all…“A Unique Experience over 400 years in the making.”

Has it only been that long?

Obviously, the billboard references the original establishment in Munich, which first opened in 1589. But I think the developers of the project missed the irony of the statement on the advertisement, because it certainly feels like we’ve been waiting at least that long for the restaurant to open!

Anyway, the Hofbräuhaus announced today that they are officially in soft open mode. I don’t know the full details of what that means, but I do know that for the next three weeks or so, until their grand opening on April 18th, you can finally get a German meal there! Even though we’ve become a bit disillusioned with the project over the years, we’re still looking forward to enjoying a dinner at the Hofbräuhaus at some point in the coming weeks…we’re just hoping the restaurant itself is managed better than the construction project has been!