Bier International

The only thing that keeps me from giving this place 5-stars... it's cash-only.  Seriously, who doesn't accept cards in this day and age?!  I would probably spend a lot more money here, but I never have enough cash to cover it, so...  The last time I visited (which, admittedly, was about a year ago), they had finally installed an ATM, which was helpful, but c'mon!  You can afford to install a wall-mounted ATM, but can't set up a credit card machine?  Boooo!

I am not really a beer drinker, but I enjoy this place.  I usually get the Fruli (a strawberry-flavored beer), and also this other drink with beer and Sprite (I forget the name).  I once came here with a pregnant friend and she tried the non-alcoholic options and really liked them.

Surprisingly, the food is also VERY good here.  The truffle parmesan fries are incredible, the catfish tacos are so yummy, and I once had some sort of special with shrimp that was very tasty.  The sausages are also good if you're into that sort of thing.  I am not sure that I like the bench seating.  Its really hard to accommodate groups of people.  I get that they're going for the authentic German beer garden feel, but tables would make more sense.  Also, it gets CROWDED and there's not a lot of room to stand around while you wait for a space at the table.  Keep that in mind.

My only other complaint -- and this is true of a lot of Harlem restaurants -- are the people who bring their kids to a restaurant that is called Bier... as in BEER... as in NOT FOR KIDS.  WTH?!  I don't want to be swilling beer while watching some kid in a high chair alternately gulping formula from a bottle and wailing his head off.  Not every restaurant is meant to be family-friendly.

Really liked this place!  Good beer selection, communal seating, breezy.  My team took this over after a big event.  The sangria was a bit weak but very tasty.  Music was provided by a DJ, really set the mood well.  I would totally come back.

I love this place - great German food with a twist (truffle fries and bratwurst are delicious), great beer choices (German, local, Czech, Belgian...), great music (sometimes they have live music - I've seen a Cuban band here by accident - it was great. At other times great dj's. at times music can be loud so if you are trying to have a conversation you might not hear all of it - but still, it's good music). Service can be little slow but it's been consistently friendly, which to me is more important. Overall - I love this spot!