Tell me about the Biergarten!

[StacyPop]

I have only been inside to see the entertainment with my kids-not for dinner.
We normally eat at the fancier places, but I am bringing my friend and her kids, and I figured with 4 rowdy kids, I need somewhere where we dont have to worry so much about disturbing everyone around us!
How is the food? I am sort of picky, but can usually find something I like.
Do the kids have to eat from the buffet- or do they have the standard Disney kids menu available there as well.
Thanks!

 

[Bob P]

If you do a search on this board you'll find plenty of threads on this topic. Here is a recent one:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1398576&referrerid=&highlight="biergarten"

 

[StacyPop]

thanks-my search doesnt work

 

[profdsny]

It's a great place. A real must do place. Even picky kids can find stuff on the buffet. I don't know if there is a seperate kids menu, but there may be. It is heavy on meat and starches, but very tasty, and constantly refreshed. You do sit in big tables with others, but depending on the time of day, and your group size, you may have your own table. You never leave here hungry. Plus there is live entertainment. Try it.

 

[U2_rocks!]

Can you be part of the entertainment (watch, dance) if you're not eating? i.e. do you need to have an ADR to get in?

 

[disnut8]

The kids will eat from the same buffet as everyone else. They do have the comfort foods like hot dogs and mac and cheese and stuff like that. It's caled a kids buffet but kids can eat from anywhere on the buffet and adults can eat from the kids menu. So that could solve your selective eating (it's not pickiness - you just know what you like). The tables seat eight.

Here's a suggestion for what I did that worked quite well. I made our seating for twenty minutes before the band was scheduled to play. I've never had to wait to be seated at this place so you can even show up a couple minutes early and not have a problem. The twenty minutes will give you enough time to get seated, put in your drink orders, head to the buffet, enjoy your dinner (at least the first trip up to the buffet) and relax for a while. Also is an very effective way to get food into the kids. Because once the band starts, they won't want to eat anymore. Send them out on the dance floor and the adults can enjoy a relatively kids free meal. Even if you don't have a beer stein, participate in the drinking songs without feeling stupid. Glasses of water work to wave around too. By the time the band is done, your kids will be happy and you will be on after dinner drinks or coffee (or both).

Another piece of advice I give with any buffet. Don't wait until the normal time to get dessert. Everytime you go up to the buffet, come back with a plate of "normal" food and a dessert dish. Why wait until after the meal to have dessert?

 

[Deweysgirl]

We are just back from a long weekend at Disney and we ate dinner at the Biergarten Friday night. Our ADR was for 6:35pm, we didn't get seated until close to 7. Walk-ups had an hour wait or more without an ADR. Of course, spring break has started and all of the parks were very crowded so if you go during a less busy time you probably could get right in.

We had never eaten here before and on a whim and a few posts I had read about here on The Dis I decided to give it a try and I'm glad we did! I'm not big on german food but there was plenty of other food to satisfy everyone. The baked chicken was delicious, so tender and also I enjoyed the roasted pork loin very much. My kids loved the Mac and Cheese, they said it was the best they've ever had! Some other dishes were salmon, pork chops, roast beef and of course the frankfurter kind of stuff that I don't care for. The desserts were awesome! The apple strudel was so flaky and tender and the little pudding filled chocolate cups were very delicious too.

The band came on about 15 minutes into our dinner and they were quite good and very entertaining. We enjoyed them very much and wish they would have played longer. We all got up and danced the chicken dance!

All in all, this was a great experience and we'll be back.

 

[IluvDonald!]

Biergarten is now one of our "must do" restaurants.

We all enjoyed it, and last time there were 9 of us - 3 kids.

 

[mmcguire]

I guess I'm in the minority so far. We had dinner at Biergarten several years back and absolutely LOVED it -- couldn't wait to go back. On our last trip (Dec 05), we were SOOOOO disappointed and couldn't believe how much it had changed. The service was lukewarm -- we had to chase the waitress down for a drink refill -- just ONE refill. The food was mediocre; not nearly as good as the first time we ate there. We had really talked Biergarten up to our family and had convinced them to eat there with us for our "big" family meal for the trip. We felt really bad afterwards since they spent so much $$ for blah food. We won't be going back.

 

[StacyPop]

thanks for all the reviews! I know my kids loved the entertainment, so between that and the beer-looks like we are good!

 

[Golf4food]

I guess I'm in the minority so far. We had dinner at Biergarten several years back and absolutely LOVED it -- couldn't wait to go back. On our last trip (Dec 05), we were SOOOOO disappointed and couldn't believe how much it had changed. The service was lukewarm -- we had to chase the waitress down for a drink refill -- just ONE refill. The food was mediocre; not nearly as good as the first time we ate there. We had really talked Biergarten up to our family and had convinced them to eat there with us for our "big" family meal for the trip. We felt really bad afterwards since they spent so much $$ for blah food. We won't be going back.

Sorry you had a bad experience. They were great our last two trips (March 05 and December 06).

We love the Biergarten.

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

I didn't care for the Biergarten either, but mine was more a matter of opinion. Well, our waitress was rude. I was holding a sleeping 2 1/2 year old and wearing a knee brace. Just as I sat down, she very stiffly informed me that I needed to move down the table b/c we would be seated with another party. It turns out I didn't need to move down b/c the other party was in the chairs at the end which no one was sitting in anyway. She also was exasperated when I couldn't hear anything she said b/c it is SO LOUD in there. We were right next to the stage, so it was sooooo loud, and I found it really annoying. Not my type of music, but some people love it. I thought the food had a very homemade quality and was very good, but not oohhhh, wow, yummmy. If you're really into this kind of stuff or are German (DH is, which is why we went, and he is indifferent about returning), you may enjoy it a lot. I was too tired for this that day.

 

[LeahA]

We ate there last week with my 3 kids and we loved it! The kids had plenty to eat and they enjoyed the show as well. My kids aren't quiet kids, and it's more of a noisy restaurant! My dh and I loved the food as well!

 

[StacyPop]

great-that's exactly what I am looking for!

 

[niftywench]

we went to Biergarten in Spet 06 on our honeymoon - also celebrating Husband's birthday - and everything about this place was A+++ for me. i am a fan of German foods like Sauerbraten and the food was delicious, the band was a blast, and our server, whose name was Michael, was fabulous. he was there whenever our glasses were almost empty, suggested his favorite from the buffet and as we were finishing up, he presented us with two cards and a Disney lollipop . the cards were for Hubby's birthday and our honeymoon. it was really special and my favorite meal from our 7 day trip.

i give it two thumbs up

Jenne the niftywench

 

[eva]

You will probably get some mixed reviews on the Biergarten. We have always enjoyed it. Of course after a liter of Becks, who wouldn't. It definitely is not fine dining. But it is a place that kids can be kids and you can pick and choose what you want off the buffet. Plus I am a person that would love any place where you can eat bratwurst, spatzle, and red cabbage till you burst.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

In my experience, Biergarten was the *worst* dining experience I've ever had at Disney.

The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good, either.

The worst, for me, was the "experience" ... we got seated at a table with another family who were already half-way through their meal and for the rest of the time they looked at us like we were nuts for sitting with them. The kids actually look *scared* and kept asking, "Who are these people? Why are they sitting at our table?" And the parents did nothing to explain that that's how the place works! They also didn't say 10 words to us the entire meal!

It might have been better had we been paired with another family, and got to know them a little, in the waiting area ... but, to be plopped down with a family that obviously didn't want us there and wasn't friendly really ruined the whole meal for me.

 

[clkelley]

We've had good service and food at the Biergarten and so-so service and food at the Biergarten.

Having said that, we are German food snobs, I'm half-German and grew up on my Grandmothers GREAT German food. My hubby is an Army brat and spent a lot of his childhood years living in Germany.

Our last time eating there, we were seated on the right hand side of the restaurant as you are facing forward. The view seemed "different" from that side, you didn't see the moon and you seemed to lose some of the "being in the village outdoors at dusk" feeling.

Also, our server "from Germany" didn't know what Lentls were??????? And they rarely have Lentls on the buffet.

However, most of the time it is a fun meal and a good time!!

 

[NancyIL]

My son and I ate there for the first time in March 2006. The food was pretty good and we enjoyed the entertainment. But having eaten there once, I don't feel that it's a must-return place like Chefs de France.

 

[MelanieC]

We love Biergarten. We've been going since the first time we went to WDW. Great food and entertainment.