Biergarten for Lunch - Anyone?

[Maxwell]

We thought this might be fun to do for lunch as we have not eaten here before and there are 8 of us including 4 children. Anyone have any opinions on the food or the show?

 

[Sydrox]

It was delicious.. We ate there for the 1st time this past sept for lunch.. Tons of food to choose from... We did not see the show as our seating was at 11:30 and show did not start until 1pm and our 18m son does not sit that long (behaving) in a restraunt LOL. We have a german restraunt in our town and this was much better..

 

[dolphingirl47]

We went to Biergarten for lunch during our September trip and loved it. This was our first visit there. I am German by birth and lived in Germany until I was 21. I was always a bit nervous about trying it, as I was worried I would be disappointed. As a German, I was a little embarassed by the show, but everybody else seemed to enjoy it. The food was great and pretty authentic.

dolphingirl47

 

[bavaria]

It is definitely not all authentic German food but rather Americanized food 'influenced' by German food, with a few authentic items tossed in. Macaroni and cheese is not Allgäuer Kässpätzle; chicken breaded and pan fried is not Wiener Schnitzel; shortbread dough covered in jam is not Linzer Torte. The 'pretzel bread' is a passable example of Laugengebäck, however the Brezel served in Sommerfest have in the past year been stale.

The tomato salad, cucumber salad, spelt salad are all quite good and reasonable facsimiles.

The CMs and I often try and identify what the food is to be honest, as some of it is a far cry from anything German. But the variety and taste are quite good, there is a good selection for vegetarians, and it is no worse than many of the other World Showcase offerings.

 

[webray]

You will love it, one of the best restaurants in world showcase.

Go and enjoy. Yes, as someone said, all the food in the world showcase restaurants is americanized. I wish they wouldn't do it, but they do, otherwise people would complain.

The food is very good, service is fantastic, and the show is excellent. Not sure why someone would be embarrassed by the show as mentioned above.
It is the music I grew up on, living in a very German area of the US.

 

[bavaria]

I wish they wouldn't do it, but they do, otherwise people would complain.

Over on flyertalk.com we have a very long thread going on right now - someone said that they had the worst First Class experience EVER recently because they were on a Lufthansa flight to America and some of the meal choices were *gasp* imagine this - German food! (there was turkey as a choice, which we all pointed out is American and not German, but apparently offering German food on board a German airline is somehow wrong...)

As to the chicken dance, it is a common part of a Bavarian wedding although not called that in German but rather by the original name from the Swiss composer 'Der Vogerltanz'. I have been to many in my lifetime, most recently two months ago, and have heard it more times than I care to... but I do get weary of the false perception which is perpetuated about Germans, as I am certain others do about their countries represented at Epcot. And we are somewhat to blame ourselves as we use events like Oktoberfest to perpetuate that myth while taking economic advantage of the situation!

 

[rkwells]

I was thinking of doing Biergarten for lunch in March but decided to switch to dinner. We like to eat lunch around 11:30-12 and the show schedule won't work for us. I got the following info off of Steve Soares site:

Experience the excitement of Oktoberfest with a festive dinner show in the Biergarten.
Daily at 1:15, 2:15, 3:15, 4:45, 5:55, 7:00 & 8:05pm
Length of show: 25 minutes
I read a recommendation to try and get reservation for about 15-20 minutes before the show starts.
http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/


Have Fun!

 

[Dallas_Lady]

When I had lunch there, there was no show. This was back in 2002, so it may be different now, but I thought the show was only at dinner time? It is definitely not as fun without the show.

 

[brandylouwho]

Our family loved the Biergarten, and even though it is Americanized, it brought back fond memories of my German vacations. There was a decent selection of food (something for everyone) and I enjoyed sitting at tables with "strangers." It is quite dark inside though (as it is themed to feel like you are sitting outside at a German Biergarten in the evening). You gotta have a Bier along with your meal.

I thought the show was fun. Then again, Wisconsin has a strong German heritage so oompa music (and the similar Polka) is often heard around these parts. I think it is great for kids like mine, who want to get up and dance! By the way, it is not uncommon to hear the chicken dance at weddings around here either.

Now if I could just find a true Bavarian Pretzel in America...I would be in heaven.

 

[bavaria]

Now if I could just find a true Bavarian Pretzel in America...I would be in heaven.

HELLO! I've travelled to almost every state in America and have yet to find one. The ones in Epcot have been rather stale the last few years...

A Brezl is the perfect food - portable, goes with almost everything, interesting to look...

 

[Lynn5700]

We love it...it is a must for my DH to have lunch there. Food is good and the show is too. Have fun!

 

[Unca_Scrooge]

Foods great if you're a carnivoire and like pork.

Wish they'd serve a better German beer then Becks though. I'd be surprised if actual Germans drink that swill.

 

[dolphingirl47]

The food is very good, service is fantastic, and the show is excellent. Not sure why someone would be embarrassed by the show as mentioned above.
It is the music I grew up on, living in a very German area of the US.

I suppose I better clarify this a bit. The show is not typically German. There is no such thing as being typically German. Germany is a large and diverse country. I come from Frankfurt, a city in the centre of Germany, that has a very different culture from the one portrait at the Biergarten. The show is very much what you would find in Bavaria, which is one state in Germany. To my knowledge you would not be able to find it anywhere else in Germany. Even in Bavaria, I have always had the feeling that this kind of entertainment is put on for the tourists rather than being a true part of the culture. I love Bavaria and have spent most of my childhood vacations there, but Bavaria is not Germany. It is part of Germany and that is a fact that grieves many people in Bavaria. There are plenty of people in Bavaria who think their state should not be part of Germany at all, but should be independent. There are indeed two regions in Germany where I cannot understand the people at all if they choose to speak their local dialect. Bavaria is one of them, the far north of Germany is another. We have loads of regional accents in Germany, but as far as those two regions are concerned, it is almost like they speak a completely different language. So as a German, who does come from a region outside of Bavaria, I am embarrased about the stereotypes about Germany that are re-enforced at Biergarten. We do not all wear Lederhosen and slap our thigh, not even people in Bavaria do this as a rule.
Quite apart from this we loved the restaurant and would go back, but I would choose an early lunch prior to the show starting. As to the food, the only thing that was served that I would not have recognised was Bratwurst (sausage). This did not taste like any Bratwurst I had ever tasted. Apart from this I tried Fleischwurst (a bit like hotdog sausages, but thicker and in a ring, where you just cut segments off), Wurstsalad, Pretzel Bread, Spaetzle (without cheese, just tossed in butter, that were every bit as good as the once I was served when I was on my teacher exchange at Lake Constance), the roast pork and the Bavarian cheesecake and the fruit compot (Rote Gruetze).

dolphingirl47