Last Friday my friends came to visit. The plan was to have dinner and drinks at the Hoboken Pilsner Haus on 15th St. and Grand St. I’ve been there a couple times before — one of those times was for Oktoberfest, for which they had a special menu. It bills itself as an Austro-Hungarian beer garden, and the menu reflects some of that tradition.
Pilsner Haus has an outdoor area, which is great in the summer and fall (we’re still waiting for spring around here). Inside, the long tables and benches provide ample seating — although, it did get a bit crowded when we left around 10 pm.
The beer selection isn’t the best, but it provides a nice variety of German draught beers. They also have a few American micobrews. My choices for the evening were the Bitburger kostritzer schwarzbier, Sixpoint Bengali tiger, and Speakeasy big daddy IPA.
As for food, there are two options: the grill and the kitchen. The grill is cash only and you have to stand in line to order food. Everything from the kitchen can be ordered through the waitstaff, who happen to be excellent (they’re good at telling you about the beer, too). I like the food from the kitchen better.
I had the sauerbraten. The beef was tender and flavors were excellent. In the dimly-lit beer hall, it’s not easy to see what you’re eating, but everything that was on my plate was delicious. On my first visit, I ordered the Hungarian beef goulash, which was also wonderful. My friends all ordered from the grill. The jalapeno cheddar frankfurter was really good — I was tempted to order one for myself. My brother also swears by the braised pork cheeks.
Appetizers are also worth ordering. The calamari with kielbasa is great mix of flavors. And the giant pretzel is worth ordering for the cheese dip (mustard is good too, but not as good).
When I was out later that night with another friend, I was informed that the Pilsner Haus also has a weekend cocktail lounge upstairs. The Kolo Klub is set up as a high-end cocktail lounge separated from the rest of the establishment. Definitely another reason for me to head back there.
Sounds like a great find! I’m still attempting to find some good local microbreweries in ny (ok, I have not been that diligent about it, but once it warms up…). Do you have any suggestions?
Are you talking in NY state or NYC? I’ve been trying to plan a trip to Defiant Brewery in Pearl River (I can take NJ Transit there). Ommegang is an excellent brewery in Cooperstown. In the city, Brooklyn Brewery wasn’t a great tour and I think Sixpoint is closed to the public. 508 Bar on Greenwich has some good beers and food.