First time at a German restaurant and didn't know what to expect. Walking into the restaurant I couldn't help but notice it was rather humid. Figured it was just spring come early. Real cozy place and the staff seemed up beat. After our party of 20 was sat we were approached by one of the waitresses who immediately said, "I don't like being yelled at.." At first I was waiting for a punch line but seconds later noticed she was serious. The first thought to my head was, 'Excuse me lady, I just sat down. Who are you?" Anyway, the appetizer (soup) was decent. I ordered the chicken and it was somewhere between mediocre and 'happy to try something new.' One thing I do love here is the beer. I ordered the SPATEN and immediately knew I was coming back. So, I decided to come back the next day. Once again, as we walked in, it was super humid. Safe to say, the 3 stars is for the BEER! read more

Over all not a bad experience. OK food, big portion, nice staff, reasonable pricing, but nothing really stood out. The fried pork loin was tender and the breading was good. We weren't very impressed with the Goulash though, it tasted just like many other beef stew I've had before. The dumplings was firm and solid but very plain. There wasn't any really distinguish taste on any dish we tried. The Vladimir at Inverness definitely was far more interesting and unique (but it was a lot more $$$ too). I might visit here every once in a while if it's in my neighborhood. However, since it's in Concord, I don't think I'll drive all the way there just to eat here. read more

The key to Eastern European cooking is the sauces -- sauces that are good enough to lick off the plate. DJ's knows this. They know this so well, in fact, that I am sitting here with a clean plate that once held the leftovers of Hungarian goulash. We went last night and had a great time. The bread is delicious, the soup filling and the main courses ... oh man. I suggest the red-wine cooler (red wine and Coke), but I don't blame you for thinking it sounds gross. It probably is, but I like it nonetheless. read more

Had a craving for something not Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, French, Italian or Mexican for dinner... so what else can you get in the Concord/Pleasant Hill/Walnut Creek area? How about something German-Czech? Why not, right? This is a small unassuming little German/Czech style restaurant in Concord, but with really good food. I ordered the Hungarian goulash which admittedly isn't exactly "Czech" per se but it was on the menu. This was served with cubes of beef in a thick tasty sauce with the spaetzle. Not like the "soup" you'd normally find, but great nonetheless. Portion was huge and quite filling. The "mini" schnitzel actually covers the whole plate and is pretty darn huge. I doubt anyone could actually finish the whole regular sized one unless you hadn't eaten all day. Good value for portions and money. Another reason to go? If you like Czech beer, this is probably one of the few places where you'll find Pilsner Urquell on tap! Yes, on tap. Regular sizes are 0.5L for $4... FOUR BUCKS!! Coors and Budlight are $8.50... why bother when you can get 0.5L for $4!!! Definitely worth checking out. But beware, it's closed Mondays and only open from 11:30am to 9pm. So get there early. read more

Went with the hub on a whim.... He said he was in the mood for "comfort food" and with him being 100% Polish, I thought i'd surprise him with a local fine dining European dinner spot. His eyes lit up when he walked in! Place is small for sure, but the smell of all amazingly delicious things is immediately intoxicating! We waited a short time for a table, ordered drinks (he got a Hef. and I a glass of Cab.) and looked at what they had for dinner. The bread is in fact scrumptious, simple, but heavenly. I saw on the way in that the special for the night was Stroganoff and knew that was it for me(each dinner comes with soup or salad I got salad he got soup), he got the bohemian sauerbraten and I gotta say, I usually taste my food once and grab salt and pepper.... especially a meat and potatoes dish, but not once did I grab either! The gravy had amazing ingredients that made me feel that food coma instantly. We could barely eat half of each portion, and I felt bad, it looked like we didn't enjoy it when it was quite the opposite! We were just too stuffed way too fast. She offered us dessert, which I couldn't deny but we took it to-go and I promptly stuffed my face a couple hours later with even more deliciousness. All in all it was super affordable and I would bring anyone back here who was in the mood for good old-fashioned comfort food. read more

This place is wonderful and a treat to find this kind of food in the east bay. I feel like this regional food is becoming harder to obtain and I hope this place expands. Really great bread to start, great sausage and snitzel (sp?). Beers are well paired to the food and the staff is a pleasure. read more

First time visiting. I give this bistro two yums up! Met two friends for dinner. I was presented with the bread n butter basket, which was good. I needed it after 90 minutes of traffic and another horrific trip to Fry's. That'll be explained in a future review. Now back to DJ's I ordered a Spaten and single Jagerschnitzel. Comes with spaetzel and purple sauerkraut. I loved all of it! I am definitely a fan and will be back. I finished off the meal with the streudel. I thought it was light, flaky, moist and delicious.. I will try other menu items but its difficult not to think of that schnitzel. read more

Delicious! Looks like the inside of a Czech bistro with cute decorations and Spaten on tap. Had the Jaeger Schnitzel single serving which was tender and huge (took most of it home). Cooked perfectly and served with spaetzel and red cabbage. We'll definitely be back! read more

Felt more like a sports bar than a sit-down restaurant. Lots of loud men with American football on the tube. The food was good comfort food. I had the Goulash, beef stew entree--the sauce was good but the beef was flavorless. It NEEDED the sauce in order to go down. My brother had the roasted pork that he was very happy with. I have heard that there are different ways of preparing spaetzle and this place pan-fries it. I would go back and try something else on a non-football night. read more

Thank you for a great night celebrating my son's birthday, the excellent service, the good humor and the best Wienerschnitzel in Contra Costa county! read more

AMAZING! To be honest, I was intimidated by the menu being that I had never really eaten German cuisine and couldn't tell a jagerschnitzel from a weinerschniztel to save my life. But thank goodness for some coaxing because this place is incredible. I had the Chicken Bruchette and the portion was enormous! The spaetzle was slightly browned and tasted great. The chicken was tender and the sauce was something magical. I was pleasantly surprised about how tasty the lentil soup was. Add two tall Spatens to the mix and you've got a happy diner. The service was great and everyone was totally satisfied with their meals. This is a true hidden gem in Concord and I am so glad that I was introduced to it. Can't wait to return! read more

I'm a happy girl! This place is just minutes from work, and we've been here twice in 4 days! The jaegerschnitzel is a must, perfectly tender inside, crisp outside, with rotkohl (red cabbage) and spaetzle. SO GOOD. I ordered the small portion, and it's plenty, even for a big girl like me. Add a Spaten and soccer (my favorite sport) to the mix, and I'm in heaven. Others had the wienerschnitzel (yum), Bavarian chicken (yum), meatloaf (yum), and the bratwurst (yum). A round of yums and beers, and all is good! Not to mention all of the softest white bread and butter you can eat! read more

Wow... This place has been open for over 15 years at this same spot. Where have I been? I no longer have to drive to Suppenkuche in SF or Speisekammer in Alameda unless you want more beer selection. Our waitress is a lifer and has been working at DJ's for 14 years and knows her menu. Menu has 4 different beers on draft but only 2 were available. No big deal, I'll just stick with a pilsner. I was craving for the ducking but they were all out on a Sunday night so she recommended Moravian Roast with bread dumpling. And yummy yummy, it all went in my tummy. The roast was tender and the sauerkraut goes perfectly together. My date had the Jaeger Schnitzel with spaetzle. The schnitzel sort of reminds me of pork Katsu. It was good but we both still preferred my Moravian Roast. Unfortunately, we didn't get to have dessert as they were all out of it too so the bill for 2 beers + 2 entrees + gratuity = $49 Note: Every entree comes with a to-go box because the portions are huge. read more

I am not exactly sure how the name of the place and what it actually is go together, but don't let that fool you! It is Czech owned and you'll be subjected to authentic food in a cozy setting. It seems to attract an immigrant crowd of Czechs and Austrians, at least from what I overheard from other tables the night me and the boyf went. I opted to have the Hungarian Goulash, since Wiener Schnitzel with Spaetzle is the staple I always get at the GERMAN restaurant, so I wanted to go a little more Central European this time. HMM.. yummy! And fairly decent priced, too. Definitely a place to come back to! read more

i don't know of another place like this in the area. himmel haus in south lake tahoe is maybe the best place i've even been to. their spaetzle is amazing!! anyways, i came here on a double date with my lady's parents. most of us ordered the jaeger schnitzel. my lady ordered the hungarian goulash. the schnitzel at dj's is so good!! it's so tender and the breading is so crispy!! i came to the realization that it's like german tonkatsu. that's probably why i like it so much. the goulash was really good too! i just always see everyone ordering the schnitzel. TIP: ask for extra gravy! you're going to need it! the only thing i don't like is the red cabbage is kinda sweet and it mixes with your gravy and your pork. i don't like my sweet mixing with my savory. i was also used to himmel haus' spaetzle. theirs is like a really creamy mac and cheese with their flour "noodle" pieces. dj's was not really cheesy and was more like flavored flour pieces. i'm not complaining, i just was expecting more cheese on it. when we got there, they did have a yellow sanitation warning. but that really didn't seem to affect anyone coming to eat there. it definitely didn't deter us either. the service is always good, i think it's always the same lady and her husband who are working there and serving. if you haven't had german or european food before, this is a great place to go. i think they have a really good beer selection too! read more

EXCEPTIONAL VALUE! This is as good as any restaurant in Concord and the best value. This is a tiny mini-mall restaurant with fantastic Czech food and beer. The service is great (unless exciting soccer is on). I had a Hungarian grandma, and this food reminds me of my childhood. Portions are huge. The full Jaeger Schnitzel is about twice what I can eat (they have a half portion which is what I get unless I am going to take half home). The Jaeger comes with spaetzle and unbelievable red cabbage. This is the only place I can get tripe soup, which is truly excellent. I know, some people are put off by the idea of tripe, but it is really delicious, rich and spicy. They often have specials (like Beef Rouladen) that are wonderful, and a variety of other soup specials. Tonight we had a great split pea with pork. Sometimes they have smoked a wonderful pork chop. I find it very difficult not to get the Jaeger Schnitzel every time I go here. read more

This place is in a plaza in Concord, I've walked by it several times and laughed at the sign in the window that says "authentic European cuisine" printed on a German flag. It IS authentic, even down to the folks that work there. I felt like I was stepping into restaurant in Germany. We both ordered the single Wiener Schnitzel and a half liter of Pilsner, comes with spatzle and red cabbage. Schnitzel was moist and crispy. Spatzle was crisp yet soft, delicious. Initial service was great, slow to get the check but that falls in line with authenticity. read more

First time here and definitely won't be our last. My parents lived in Heidelberg for more than a decade and according to them the schnitzel tastes just like in Germany. I had the Bavarian chicken, and it was superb! Monica was fantastic, not only with us, but with others as well. She treated all of us like we were family, telling jokes and stories as she served our meals. She spoke mostly in German to us and was intrigued that my parents are still fluent. She even insisted that we meet Jerry, the chef in the kitchen. Great experience, great food, and we will surely be back. Thank you! read more

DJ's Bistro - Hungarian goulash - German Near Me - Concord, California

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Huge schnitzel! An order is two big pieces. Everything tastes authentic. The prices are very reasonable! Kind staff.

It was our first time here, and I have to say the food was amazing. I ordered the jeager snitzel and the girlfriend ordered a bavarian chicken. Both of them tasted delicious. The Bavarian chicken came with a side of potato salad, the salad was amazing, the chicken was moist, and fried perfectly. The Jaeger snitzel came with this amazing red cabbage side. It tasted like a beer type sourkraut but im not sure what it was... I wish I had a lot more of it however.. The mushroom sauce/gravy was also amazing. All in all, I would come back again. The food was amazing, and the hospitality from the owner/waitress was amazing. read more

What a delicious hole in the wall restaurant! There location is easily accessible but it's not readily visible from main road. Best yet - the waitress and hostess- was a true German and speaks with her patrons in her native tongue. So often I visit German restaurants and it's not as authentic and seldom get to speak German with staff. The crowd was repeat visits from locals so that speaks volumes! Look forward to returning. read more

We went last week for lunch. I got the brat (which comes in a brown "mushroom" gravy THAT WAS NOT LISTED ON THE MENU), dad got the schnitzel, and Jen and K got the soup and salad. My dish was fine, even though I abhor when items come covered in sauces not mentioned on the menu... especially when that sauce is a juice made from fungus. Jen and K both had nice soups, a chicken noodle and a clam chowder. However, their salads were AWFUL. I'm talking inedible awful. There is only one choice of salad dressing, a dill dressing, that tasted like chamomile. I know, that's weird. And yucky. Both the salads remained untouched. But man oh man, my dad hit the jackpot. The schnitzel is amazing, again, you can't go wrong with deep fried. But the most amazing thing is their potato salad. Probably the best potato salad I have ever had in my life. Seriously. The server was European (read that: rude), but she warmed up to us after a while. Or maybe we just got used to her. Regardless, I'll probably go again. And I'll get anything on the menu, as long as it comes with the potato salad. read more

I LOVE this place. The staff and food are great, the portions are huge, the prices are reasonable, and it is a unique experience where most of the people dining are not speaking English so it MUST BE GOOD if the natives love it! I first discovered DJ's Bistro when I was a REGULAR at the Cadillac Ranch in the late 1990s. Many of the country line dance regulars ate there. Every time I am in the area I have to stop in and have my Bistro Salad with dill dressing and the fabulous Hungarian Goulash. The spaetzel is to die for, literally. I have had other things on the menu and they didn't disappoint. I am not a beer drinker, but I have to admit that the Spaten is quite tasty. Definitely worth checking out... read more

My husband and I found this place by accident. The food is very good, very tasty, although they could work more on the presentation, the restaurant itself is nothing special, the Parisian inspired travel posters on the wall don't seem to match the Eastern European meu. The staff is very friendly, sort of like a family type of place where the owner comes and sits with you for a few minutes and is genuinely happy you are there and interest to speak with you. They close on Mondays, although during Football Season we stopped by not knowing they were "officially" closed that day and stumbled upon a crab feast party. It was fantastic, more like a house party than anything else, people were loud cheering for the game, and the crab, sausage and potatoes kept coming. I would definitely recommend this place and have become a customer. read more

What a gem in Concord! Clean and well decorated German-Czech restaurant run by a happy and engaging team. We loved our schnitzel and pork roast dishes. Both were garnished with spaetzel and mushroom sauce. Excellent. It was also great to celebrate Oktoberfest with a nice cold Spaten. Oh yeah! read more

DJ's Bistro - We loved our schnitzel and pork roast dishes. Yay for Oktoberfest! - German Near Me - Concord, California

My wife went tonight 06/17/2020 to purchase dinner for the both of us. I ordered Roast Pork etc. What I got was Roast Shoe Leather. I have no idea how long the pork was kept after it's sell by date but know they must be struggling and selling garbage to make up revenue loss. This is not unusual it seems to be happening more and more. Be careful where you order "Food to Go" In DJ's defense the soup was good but anybody with have a brain can make decent soup. read more

We came here 2 weeks ago with a friend, after finding it on Yelp by happenstance. We loved it - reminded me of the family restaurants in small towns in Germany. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. As we were in the area again, we visited DJ's last night, and again the food was great. It appears that most of the patrons are regulars, as the mom and pop owners seemed to know them all. That's always a good sign. read more

I visited a few years back when my brother in law was visiting from Berlin, Germany. The quality of food was excellent and he approved also.*(So that made me happy!) The schnitzel is a popular dish w/ side of potatoes& sauer kraut. I hope to visit again in near future. read more

Overall (9/10) Beer (8/10) Food (9/10) Service (9/10) Price (7/10) - a bit pricey YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. How have I not been here yet. Great feel, $4 beers, and food... forget about it. Everyone is talking about the schnitzel and roast, but no one is talking about this tripe soup. OMG, I am not a fan of tripe, but you must try it. I do not care if you had a bad experience before, it is a must try. A bit pricey, but not bad, and the portions are huge. I will be coming back, because I do want to try the other food before I add more details to this review, but this is definitely a must go. Will I be back? YESSSSSSS read more

Delicious Jeager schnitzel. Fast and friendly service. Great place for a quick lunch.

Wanted to put on a worth it to return lunch gang stop... but everything was too hit and miss. My Brat was served not warm but cold with grill marks. After nuking it was better and the combined favors were tasty but a 'top dog' would be much more satisfying. The beef dish served at another table looked much better all hot and steamy... maybe chef realized he had to get it together after we returned 2 other dishes on our table. Lunch time moderately busy, avg $10 lunch plates. Filling. No comparison to Speisekammer. read more

The Hungarian Goulash is fantastic! I remember once asking for tea and the waitress laughed at me and said " oh Honey, we only have beer" That was a winning reply and won my heart forever. Great food for a cold winter day. read more

2 adults and 2 children (ages, 6 3/4 yrs and 17 months). We ordered 1 tripe soup, 1 goulash soup, 1 salad, (I think meals come with soup or salad) 1 Jaegerschnitzel, 1 bratwurst and 1 Bavarian Meatloaf. 2 sodas. Bill comes at $50.86 (or something of the sort change wise) Tripe soup: I didn't like it, but I am not a fan or distant fan of the tripes. My husband liked it and said that it was very similar to the Polish tripe soup. Goulash soup: I only know Goulash as a stew, so I was really intrigued by it in a soup form. Well it is a thinner version of the stew with pieces of meat and potatoes inside and it was yummy! Of course since I liked it so much, my husband did not appreciate it much. Salad: I love the dressing. I felt home. Growing up with half German tradition, it rang a bell in my stomach memory! Jaegerschnitzel: WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? The whole pig? I had 2 huge schnitzels on my plate! Next time I am going with the small JS. The sauce was at the bottom, which to me was odd, I always had the sauce on top and it took away from the beauty of eating sauce dipped (I like it drenched) Schnitzel. It was good though, but not special. The red cabbage was way too sweet, but the sauerkraut was good. The Potato salad was disappointing! I expected a nice salad with dill in it, but it was more like a Russian Potatoe salad with peas and some mayonnaise (I think). I love Potatoes in any shape, so I gobbled it down. Bavarian meatloaf: My husband had that. He thought it was expectedly bland (cause that's how a meatloaf is supposed to taste like LOL). He also didn't appreciate the sweet red cabbage, but gobbled the sauerkraut and some of the potato salad. Bratwurst: I have never experienced Bratwurst in a sauce. I always think of Bratwurst on a sandwich or just on its own. I also expected the German potato salad. It comes with yellow mustard, as traditionally served. Again it came with the Russian salad, my kids loved the Bratwurst and ate until they exploded. These are some large bratwursts. 2 of them are enough to knock down a grown person. My kids managed to chunk 1 1/2 wursts, so they had a large meal. We ate 1/3 of our meals, even the kids had some food left and they shared a plate. My 17 months old eats as much as my almost 7 year old. I have to say that it would not be my first choice for German food, but it is nice to come here instead of having to venture to SF or Alameda or even San Jose for a meal. 15 minutes away from our house sounds like a good idea. I have to say though that even though this place is not kids friendly (it is small, no high chairs, the door is wide open), but it it friendly. The waitress, who turned out to be Polish herself, was very nice and my daughter got to practice her Polish. The owner is a nice man, who was very friendly. I also noticed that at the bar there seems to be a line of frequent diner club. People know each other, people know the owner and the waitress. It is nice to see such places. read more

I've been here a couple times now and have always left satisfied. Huge portions and fresh flavors. Tastes like something mom would make at home, if only she was German. I've ordered a number of dishes for myself and sampled others from the table and they have all been tasty. The homemade soup was delicious (I think it was split pea?) and the spaetzle was especially good. Try not to fill up on the bread they bring to the table while waiting for your order to arrive. Easier said than done. read more

Finally took the time to visit this place. Stopped in for a Saturday lunch. There were several things worth trying, but she won me over with the Rouladen as the special which turned out to be perfect. My wife had Schnitzel which looked very good. All in all it was a very satisfying meal for a cold day. Going in, it really felt like it's own little world, and the service was similar. I don't think this is a place to put in special orders or expect bend over backward service. read more

I don't know why I stayed away for so long. Damn picky coworkers. What does DJ stand for anyway? Don Juan? Deutchland Joy? I had the Hungarian goulash here recently, which was very similar to what my (Hungarian) grandmother used to make me as a kid. It was almost as good as home made. Almost. Gotta come back here, my god! They've also got some good Eastern European beer. On tap yo. read more

So much food! We came here for lunch and I'm glad that we came hungry. I got a single of the pork schnitzel and it still took up almost the whole plate. It was crispy, not greasy and really flavorful. The potato salad was a perfect pairing. We will definitely be back. read more

DJ's Bistro - This is the SINGLE Weiner schnitzel. I can't imagine what the normal portion looks like. - German Near Me - Concord, California

DJ's bistro is always a joy to go to. The lunch portion is huge and a great value and the service and food are always fantastic. I always get the small jaeger schnitzel because it is always delicious. The regular size meals are huge though, I thought Europeans ate less =) They serve delicious bread prior that is very difficult to not get full on and they have a great selection of beers. There is usually soccer playing on the TV and people enjoying the game. The spaetzle is pretty nommy, but I usually end up picking out the bacon and just eating that. It's a very comfortable place to eat, lots of light, and the women that in my head I refer to as DJ but now that i think about it I'm not entirely sure that's who she is -- she is very friendly and welcoming. If you're ok with having a food coma, I suggest this place! read more

If you are looking for German food in the Concord area, DJ's Bistro is the place to go. It is a very small place, and you would probably never find it unless you were looking for it, but the food is delicious and very authentic. I especially love the Jaegger Schnitzel, spaetzle, red cabbage, and the lentil soup. The bread that they serve is also really good. In fact, the only thing they are missing on the menu in my book is potato pancakes, which are a family favorite at my house. I totally agree with Alex C. about how unassuming this location is, but, as he says, it is well worth seeking out. read more

Been here a few times now. It's a small, intimate restaurant. There is a small bar that has a couple great beers on tap. I always get the spaten, it's easily my favorite. The food is always very good and tastes like homemade meals that your grandma used to make. And the staff treats you well, not like a customer but they treat you like visiting family. The term soul food definitely fits the description when eating here and enjoying the food. read more

DJ's Bistro - Stuffed cabbage was so good and so much of it that I couldn't finish it. - German Near Me - Concord, California