Biergarten Haus

Inspired

Maryland

4.63/5  rDev +30.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

I paid my second visit to Biergarten Haus this past Sunday to watch the Euro 2012 England/Italy football (soccer) match. This was my first time sitting out back in the actual biergarten as my initial visit was during the colder months. The atmosphere was fantastic as the place was completely packed with people there to watch the game, which they were showing on three big projection screens so that every patron could see it regardless of where they were sitting.

The beer selection is great as long as you understand that this place is designed to replicate a German biergarten and that it isn't an American craft beer bar. Draft beers come in two sizes, 0.5 liter and full liters and they're served in mugs. I had a liter of the Konig Ludwig Hefeweizen and a liter of the Warsteiner Dunkel which were both tasty.

The food is exceptional, again as long as you understand that this is a German place. The wife and I split the Geraucherte Fischplatte, which is a plate of smoked and cured fish and the Wurstplatten, which is a platter of sausages, potato cakes and sauerkraut. All of the food was excellent.

Prices are fairly high, but not unreasonable for DC. The liters of beer were a little over $13 and each of our dishes were around the same, give or take a dollar.

All in all, I highly recommend this place if you're into German beer/food. I've been to Munich and this is about the best recreation you'll get here in the US without feeling overly cheesy. Fun place.

06-26-2012 16:50:25 | More by Inspired

jgasparine

Maryland

3.94/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $

Atmosphere- The proprietors of this establishment did an excellent job of recreating the feel of an old-world German beer hall. Some flat screens adorn the walls to allow for viewing of soccer matches and other sports. This makes it kindof an oasis in the middle of a bad neighborhood.

Quality- You need to put-aside the fact that they intentionally tried to make this place look dirty and old (brown splotches are airbrushed on the stucco walls to simulate mold). A lot of time went into the decor, beer is served in appropriate glassware, and the barstaff are reasonably knowledgeable about their product.

Service- We received prompt and very friendly service at the bar. Definitely above average service (granted, we were there at a slow time).

Selection- An impressive selection of German beer. Not the most extensive, but impressive from the standpoint that nearly all beers on their menu were classics.

If I were a soccer fan, I would be here all the time. Me? I'm glad I went, and I would probably go back at some point, but it's not a high-priority revisit for me... getting there through the seedy neighborhood makes it a little too inconvenient for the reward...

02-27-2011 13:59:36 | More by jgasparine

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2 | $$$

Another gem off H street. As for the bar itself, the inside is barren, empty, dark old wood every where. The outside patio (hence the beer garden) is what its all about. It's big, has plenty of TVs just in time for the World Cup - gets very packed when Germany is playing soccer, and fun. The servers while not the most knowledgeable on earth, for the most part were German and knew what they had on the menu. Plus our waitress was authentic in the sense that she carried out a half-dozen liter steins to the tables. The selection when I was there was still Oktoberfest stuff which was very pleasant bc brews like Warsteiner Oktoberfest and other rare German Oktoberfests were on tap! This place is owned by an American guy and a Lithuanian which was interesting...

02-18-2011 21:29:59 | More by CuriousMonk

twg

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

The bad: BierGarten Haus opened to a World Cup crush they weren't ready for on the first weekend...

The GOOD: they're improving/sorting things out very quickly: I've been twice in the first two weeks, And things are looking up already:

Atmosphere: This is the closest you're going to get to a German beer garden without getting on a plane. A nice stained wood interior with German signage and steins for decoration make it feel like a cozy Bräustüberl. The rear outdoor area has nicely finished, rustic styled wooden tables and benches. Plantings and large authentic German umbrellas add to the Biergarten vibe. Outdoor seating is communal, particularly as the place fills up. I've met cool/friendly new people both times I was there. Don't be afraid to join a table if the place gets crowded.

Quality: Tap beer was fresh, and the selection was deep. Early problems with over-gassed taps appear to have been solved. Everything was pouring freely last time I was there (17 June '10). Disappointingly, the glassware isn't traditional German style, and doesn't have fill lines. But the glass mugs are decent enough (.5L & 1L), and I didn't get any noticeably short pours. The bartenders are paying attention.

Service: Service was friendly and competent, but they're still getting things sorted out. During an after work gathering the service started fine, as the night wore on, the place got packed, and the service slowed - to me that's understandable. They have full restaurant service even in the biergarten area. They are set-up with a biergarten style counter - but still use servers? They would probably do well to make the outside self-service, and reserve the interior for people who want meals. As-is servers are spread thin when the crowds hit. They sort of split the difference between Restaurant & Biergarten; so if you go in expecting one or the other it can seem 'off' even when everything is fine objectively.

Selection: I didn't try any bottles. They had on tap (IIRC): Paulaner, Weihenstephan, & Franziskaner Hefeweizens, Paulaner and Spaten Lagers, and Kostrizter Schwartzbier. Also had Celebrator, Optimator, & Aventinus DoppleBocks and Gaffel Kolsch. THis was the at the downstairs bar - I don't know if the selection was different upstairs. Seriously, how many places are you going to find with 3 dopplebocks on tap? That said, I'd have gladly traded one for an Alt.

Food: They have Laugen Brotchen (soft pretzel rolls) served warm with mustard & cheese. Get them. Charcuterie plate was OK, but nothing too exotic. I haven't eaten a full meal there but what I saw being served (mostly wursts and 'kraut) looked quite good. Menu leans toward full dinner options, and has a good selection of German classics. Obatzda was on the PR menu but not available when I was there. I hope they add it soon!

Value: Reasonable for the city: .5L prices are about $1 less than other places in DC for the same beers, and 1L prices tend to run $1 to $2 less than 2x the .5L price - so the large mugs are a good value.

Summary: This place is good now, and has the potential to be great when they get over their teething problems. I'll be going back - probably often.

06-23-2010 21:30:26 | More by twg

Waltwvu

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

For the amoutn of people they bring they dont really have the space. The beer garden is nice, if you can get to it. While the beer is good and served by the litre, it gets a little to crowded for my comfort. The bartenders made recomendations and would give some info on the brews if they had a second, but was not the case the few times i have been there. Also, the restroom situation is not the best either. 1 male, 1 unisex. But if you are looking for good German beer i would give this place a try.

10-04-2010 20:55:29 | More by Waltwvu

mjw06

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

A good atmosphere. Though the focus of this place will be on it's biergarten, it actually has a pretty nice haus, one that I kind of wished I could have experienced, but definitely will when the weather turns cold.

The service was about average. My server didn't check on us much, and didn't have much to say about any of the beers (even though I didn't ask), though he didn't seem extremely helpful. Average service, not bad, but average.

Good varied selection on-tap, though I'd like to see maybe one or two of their own brews, or exclusive selections.

The food is what I would expected from a German bier haus. I'm not a fan of German food, but from what I understand it's pretty much on point.

08-10-2010 22:11:24 | More by mjw06

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | $$$$

A- An inviting little bar with a cool outdoor area. Interesting German decor on the walls as well.
Q- Fresh beers served in proper glassware.
Ser- Service is slow, and a fair number of the staff seem unenthused, which is always a shame.
Sel- 8 or so German style beers on tap. A fair number of bottles. It is always good to see German styles, but the diversity of beers was lacking.
Beers were quite expensive. $9 a half liter, 15 or so for a liter. As slow as the service was, that price is unaccepatble.

10-24-2011 02:25:17 | More by jsprain1

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.33/5  rDev -6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

Was here with some friends while at a conference in D.C.

What struck me about this place was the size of the biergarten. Humongous with ample seating and huge projector screens on the walls. A great place to hang out and have a 3-4 hour long session. Seemed very festive and lively too. Just struck me as a great place to hang out.

Beers were all served in steins and a touch cold though given the size of the pours (they served liters!) that wasn't really an issue as you got to taste everything at all temperatures. Tables were a bit ragged and didn't seemed to be wiped down before we were seated though. Also, I don't need a clean menu, but when there's beer floating on the menu... then it needs to be replaced.

Service was decent. We were attended to quickly after we were seated and the food and drink orders came quickly. The check also came quickly when we asked for it and the waitresses seemed to be, for the most part, pretty attentive.

Selection was pretty standard fair for a biergarten. A ton of German session beers and not much else though that was somewhat expected here.

Food was actually pretty good. I got the schnitzel sampler and all of them were really good. An awesome pairing with our drinks too. I wish I could've stayed longer to try other things on the menu.

$11 for a liter is pretty fair and even though this was in the more run-down part of town, prices were still much cheaper than what I'm used to.

Worth a visit and one of the more impressive biergartens that I've been to.

11-17-2011 02:37:49 | More by SpeedwayJim

lenin2040

District of Columbia

3.25/5  rDev -8.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Kind of disappointed by this place. Sure it's nice to be able to try Weihenstephaner vs Paulaner vs Franziskaner Hefe all on tap at once, but surprisingly pedestrian selection for a city that lacks other bars concentrating on German lagers and Ales. Liter pours are fun, but $$.

Atmosphere would have been great to watch the world cup.

Service was friendly, but very inattentive and forgetful.

Food was decent, but way over priced and small portions.

Better options on H St for a pint (err half liter) and a bite.

09-19-2010 13:23:08 | More by lenin2040

cbbjr

District of Columbia

3.2/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5 | $$

If you want to drink outside in DC, Biergarten Haus is your best option other than if you want to be fancy and go to the bar in the courtyard of the Hotel Monaco. It is also probably the best beer option if you are out and about on H St N or a hipster.

They have a decent selection of German beer, although the draft list seems to be fairly standard. You can get either half or full liter pours. The pretzels are pretty good, but I wasn't too impressed with the schnitzel or sausage.

The best part about the place is the atmosphere outside. Nice big wooden tables and benches that are often shared amongst groups, so you often end up meeting new people there. They also have a few TVs - I happened to spend one glorious Friday afternoon here last year watching Uruguay vs. Ghana in the World Cup.

If you are visiting DC, I wouldn't go out of my way to come here unless it is a particularly gorgeous day outside, you want to get away from the tourist areas, and you want a German beer.

10-30-2011 15:52:12 | More by cbbjr