Hop Angel Brauhaus

I'll preface this by saying that I don't drink beer and I've never had German food.  So if you're going there for those things specifically, my opinion might not mean much.

I went to this establishment for an impromptu lunch with friends.  Now, maybe my review is influenced by the crowd I was with or the three glasses of wine that I had, but I thought the food was delicious.  (Even the leftovers were good.)

We had the fish and chips (it came with this awesome sauce on the side in addition to the tarter sauce that was so good) and mac and cheese for appetizers.  Both were amazing.  The mac and cheese could easily be a meal in and of itself.  It was exactly how mac and cheese should be -- al dente pasta (I'm a fan of the cavatappi) and lots and lots of cheese!

For my meal, I got the Burgermeister Meisterburger (with no ham), which exceeded my expectations.  I had never had a burger with a fried egg before, but that, with the combination of the smoked Gouda on it, made this literally one of the best burgers I've ever had.  It was pretty big, so I only ate half of it, and enjoyed the other half for dinner.   I also had the warm German potato salad, which was delicious too.  (Also, another huge portion.)

All in all, a great place.  The waitress and bartenders were both nice.  Will definitely visit again.

Stopped by this German restaurant as I'm sure many have before visiting Rieker's German deli across the street on Oxford.  As you enter, the bar is on your left, the bar seating area is in the middle, and the dining area with bigger tables is a step up on the right.  There were perhaps 10 bar area tables and maybe another 6-7 bigger tables in the dining area--not gigantic, but not cramped either.  There was some effort of Germanization--posters of German things, darker woods everywhere, steinkrugs hanging from the wall, etc.  The lunch menu equally had two German sections: wurst sandwiches ($8-11) and German specialties ($12 or $14.)  The sandwiches included: build-your-own pork sandwich, Black Forest ham sandwich, knackwurst (et al.) sandwich, Frikadelle sandwich, etc.  The German specialties included: Wurstplatte, schnitzel, sauerbraten, etc. with German sides like kartoffelsalat and spaetzle.  The beer menu included one chalked in the bar area and in the dining area as well as a photocopied version.  There were around 11 beers, with only 2-3 actually imported from Germany (see my pics.)

I ordered the Julius Echter hefeweissbier (0.4l @ $5.75) and the sauerbraten with spaetzle (only 1 side for lunch) and a salad ($12.)  Everything was delicious.  The Julius Echter hefeweissbier was chilled perfectly and so mouth-wateringly good, that I tried to find a case of it later but couldn't owing to its rarity.  The sauerbraten was both good and bad.  The meat was overcooked slightly which made it chewy and difficult to cut with the butterknife I was given; however, the sauce with accompanying white raisins was heavenly!  The lightly fried spaetzle were also so good that I decided to make my own that way from now on.  I didn't expect much from the Radicchio salad, but dressed with that vinegar dressing, it, too, made a great impression.  A slice of thick, crusty German bread with herbed butter (like I had in so many restaurants in Deutschland)  would have worked wonders here, alas.  

The waitress service was fine--she was by herself and yet served maybe five tables and all the bar customers promptly and politely.  I believe they have a HH on Fridays with selected beers @ $3.50, early bird specials, Quizzo, Wing Night, and Kids Night.

This place felt much more like a North American bar than a German-themed restaurant.  I appreciated being able to order German dishes here, but there was nothing really unique--all the dishes you can get at almost every other German restaurant, and most times you can get a much bigger variety.  The beer menu was, as others have said, a little on the tame side.  I was very happy to be able to order the Julius Echter, but I wanted so much more!  Still, a good German restaurant that I would be happy to return to.

Scoats and Patrick have done it again with a German-centric menu and killer - often local - beers. It's great, enjoy.