Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh

 For my Birthday, my hot girlfriend and Mother took me to the Hofbrauhaus on the South Side of Pittsburgh. We went there at my request. See, when I was in the Army, I was stationed in Germany defending the frontiers of freedom against the Russian hordes. While there, I had gone to the actual Hofbrauhaus in Munich. So I thought this would bring back fond memories of eating schnitzel and drinking good German beer.

  We were quickly seated at one of the big wooden tables in the beer hall. Some guy was playing German tunes on an organ. At another table, a group of young men were yelling out swear words like they had tourettes, being obviously a little intoxicated.

 So for starters we ordered some beers and an appetizer sampler platter.

Heffe Weizen

 Heffe is a wheat beer, and was my go-to beer in Germany. Light with taste notes of fruit and spice.

Hofbrau Dunkel

   Dunkel is a darker beer being rich and spicy, yet still very drinkable.

The Works Sampler $13.99

  The Works Sampler had an assortment of appetizers including fried pickles, sauerkraut balls, soft pretzels, and potato pancakes. Also included were some dipping sauces and bier cheese for the pretzels. The bier cheese was the star, giving the pretzels an excellent boost of flavor.

Bauern Schnitzel $15.99

  The Bauern Schnitzel was your typical breaded and fried pork cutlet topped with ham, bier cheese, and swiss cheese. Very good, the schnitzle was cooked perfectly and was fork tender. The accompanying German potato salad was warm and had bits of cabbage and bacon. Nothing like its American mayo based cousin. The potato dumpling was bland, doughy, and the only flavor came from the accompanying gravy.

Bavarian Jager Schnitzel $15.99

  Personally Jager style is my favorite rendition of Schnitzel. Jager means hunter in German. This has your breaded pork cutlets covered with bacon and a rich burgundy mushroom sauce. Very rich, savory, and tasty.

Bayerischer Schweinbraten $15.49

  Slow roasted pork served with sauerkraut and covered in gravy. The pork was perfect. Tender and full of flavor. The sauerkraut was mild and not all that sour, it was flavored with apples and caraway.

 So my birthday dinner was a great success. Excellent stick to your ribs German food. A good buzz from the beer, and an excellent environment to take it all in. You can also sit outside with a scenic view of the Monongahela River when the weather is nice. Make sure you're in the right frame of mind when you go here. It's loud inside and not at all intimate. It's built for partying, not whispering. The Hofbrauhaus lived up to my expectations and I will definitely be back.

 Rating
Hofbruahaus Pittsburgh:  8/10