From the owners of Otto’s Berlin Döner comes Otto’s Bierhalle, which is a casual, German restaurant in the former Bristol space on Queen West.
The owners’ love of all things German stemmed from the group’s extensive world travel and love of electronic music which led to creating a business that curated “pop-up raves.” During their pit-stop in Berlin, they fell in love with German beer and street food.
“There’s a drinkability and purity to German beer,” says Konrad Droeske, one of the five owners behind Otto’s Bierhalle. Germany is the birthplace of a lot of Konrad’s favorite beers – no doubt he’s had a few in his lifetime since it’s part of his cultural and genetic makeup.
Adrian Murfin, who is the bar manager and largely responsible for the beer list at Otto’s Bierhalle points to the German Beer Purity Law (aka Reinheitsgebot) which dates back to 1487 in Munich and then across all of Bavaria in 1516. In its original form, it stipulated that only water, barley and hops could be used as ingredients to make beer. It’s obviously come a long way and been modified several times now, but that just goes to show that the Germans take their beer seriously.
Lagers and wheat beers, two of the most well-known families of German beer, are well-represented on the list. There are currently 24 beers on tap, including a balanced mix of German and local options. Of these, 18 are permanent and six will rotate. They are priced by the 11-, 14- or 20-ounce glass. The stronger beers come in smaller pours for obvious reasons.
But it doesn’t stop with draft; there are an additional 65 options available by the can or bottle and that list will steadily grow. Murfin is also dedicated to aging and cellaring bottles of beer that have aging potential. There are also currently two gluten-free beers from Omission Beer.
The non-beer drinkers need not fear, because there’s also a carefully curated cocktail list thanks to Adi Latifić, the restaurant’s general manager. He describes his cocktails as “mostly with a Central European twist” and all the juices used in their libations are made in-house. The wine list can be best described as “facsimiles of German-style wines” – currently 14 available on the list with three whites and reds by the glass.
The décor was a collaborative effort between the five partners who are no strangers to walking into an empty room and having to dress it up from their pop-up-throwing days. It’s “minimal, industrial, and a little stripped down” says Droeske. The lighting fixtures which are thin strips of ombré light panels are a nod to their rave-party days with greenery filling in the rest of the space both above and around Otto’s Bierhalle to give it the biergarten feel.
The restaurant is currently open five days a week from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and having friends in the music industry makes for an interesting playlist. They asked their DJ friends to put together a list of “music [they] would love to have in a restaurant – not a DJ set,” says Droeske and the result is a mishmash of different tracks that staff will change depending on the “vibe” of the room.
In the kitchen, they’ve enlisted Andrew Bailey who has worked at the likes of La Société, Buca Yorkville and Böhmer, where he gives most creds to when it comes to his approach to the menu at Otto’s Bierhalle.
The menu is conducive to sharing which is in line with the communal feel of a beer hall. There are smaller plates and also a category called Feasts on the menu which is good for 2 to 3 people.
While you won’t find döner or currywurst on the menu, you will find a lot of dishes that are perfect with a pint or two.
Traditional mains such as Schweinshaxe ($24) or roasted crispy skin pork hock as well as playful twists such as Spätz and Cheese ($8), a nod to the staple German pasta and North American cult favorite can be found on the menu. Bailey states that he has married the flavours and traditional German dishes with modern techniques to enhance diners’ experience from what they can make at home, seeing as most traditional techniques no doubt originated in home kitchens.
The Roast Pork Belly ($7) for example is sous-vide for 24 hours to maintain that melt-in-your-mouth texture on the inside with a super crispy skin on the outside.
You can also find it as a component of the Choucroute Alsace ($45) in the Feasts section served along with a weisswurst (white sausage), Brussels sprouts, braised fennel, potato salad and house pickles.
The Vienna ($45), a schnitzel platter is topped with spätzle, Brussels sprouts, slaw, apple dandelion salad and house pickles. Vegetarians can opt for a Portobello version of the golden dish.
If after downing a few pints and chowing down on a platter you’re still hungry, Otto’s Bierhalle makes dessert-making decisions easy with just a Black Forest Dacquoise ($7) on the menu.