Sometimes you find gems of places where you least expect it. And I don't mean location wise, but just randomly. Places that you never would've thought to visit had it not been for a series of events where sustenance was not on your list and you were essentially just along for the ride. And boy was I glad I was along for this one as it far exceeded my expectations and offered some downright "home-y" and local offerings. Let's take a bite into, Biergarten.
The Place (5 out of 5) - Now, a lot of Yelpers and restaurant reviewers and the like will often think of only giving their top marks/scores to a place for their fancy buildings, high-end decor, gold place settings, great views, etc; however, what a lot of folks forget to capture is the vibe it puts off and this is the reason I'm giving Biergarten a 5 in this category. The vibe. Biergarten is located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood in San Francisco. For those that are unaware, the Hayes Valley neighborhood in SF can almost be looked at as an affluent location. It's quite known for its couture shops, Victorian houses, quality restaurants, and trendy nightspots. Biergarten, however, is quite literally an outdoor space located in the heart of a shopping area whose "buildings" are shipping containers with cutouts in them and picnic tables spread throughout for the patrons to sit at in a communal style setup. You may think, "well, what's so special about that?" and that's my point, nothing! It's the vibe that this place manifests and nurtures. The place gives you a sense of community and belonging, it's a great place to hang out and quite literally have a beer in the "garden" amongst friends and good company. Dogs are welcome here and it's not uncommon for you to make new acquaintances with some awesome four-legged friends. I came here, essentially, after the work day and it was just a great vibe to be a part of and a great way to wind down after putting in a long day.
The Service (3 out of 5) - Unfortunately, this is where I felt Biergarten lacked if I had to point anything out. With the vibe that the entire setting puts off, you'd imagine and hope that the folks providing the service to you would be equally welcoming and this is where it fell short. The person, essentially, tending bar and taking food orders was not the most friendliest and, in a way, seemed a bit condescending and just off-putting. I hate to say it, but they almost gave the vibe of not at all being interested in taking our order for whatever reason, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. We asked about the beers and they didn't seem at all interested in selling the product or even giving recommendations. Again, it was just the viibe of, "please just order quickly so I can be done with helping you". I'm hoping to just chalk it up to them having a bad day, but bummer overall.
The Food (4 out of 5) - Right off the bat, Biergarten is exactly that...a beer garden. It's a place meant for you to order a local beer, sit down, and enjoy it with great company. So. let's get that out of the way, the beers were tasty and, I'm assuming, rotates based on season, release, etc. I don't quite remember the beer I got; however, it was delicious, refreshing, and I can imagine you can't go wrong with whatever beer you happen to choose. That said, the food they offer is quite delicious so I would definitely encourage you to order some as well! There isn't a formal restaurant or anything, it's quite literally a chef with their outdoor setup just whipping up some good eats behind one of the shipping containers! I ordered the burger which is served on a pretzel bun with alpine cheese. Now, I will be the first to admit I am not a huge fan of pretzel buns because the ones I've had before at different places were quite traumatizing. Hard, no flavor, difficult to bite into and chew, etc. The burger at Biergarten was quite the opposite and I was pleasantly surprised! The pretzel bun was incredibly soft, the burger patty was incredibly flavorful and the alpine cheese offered a great contrast to cut through the other profiles. The greens provided some needed freshness and all in all I savored every bite of that burger. HIGHLY recommend it! I also ordered the potato soup, which was quite creamy and delicious and my friend ordered the currywurst which was another surprise of the day. Traditional German wurst, but with a curry flavor to it; it was amazingly delicious as well; however the star of the day was definitely the burger. I probably could've ordered another one and would have completely accepted my guilt in doing so; it was that good.
Overall (4 out of 5) - Like I said before, come to Biergarten for the vibe. If, at the end of your day, you're just looking for a place to sit down, enjoy a beer, take the dog out for a walk, etc Biergarten should definitely be on your list of destinations to drop by and order some food while you're at it. Looking forward to coming back for round 2. Enjoy! read more