Oktoberfest special menu the only German thing at Naglee Park Garage

by Laura Nguyen
Oct 5, 2014 11:47 pm
Tags: beer, Naglee Park Garage, Oktoberfest, weihenstephan

Naglee Park Garage restaurant celebrated its ninth annual Oktoberfest this weekend according to one of the owners, Louis Silva.

The Garage, located at 505 E. San Carlos St., is notorious for its standard burger and beer selection, but from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, German dishes with a little Garage twist were introduced to the menu.

The seemingly brash but entertaining owners stood in front of the restaurant in a booth for their Oktoberfest theme, serving German Weihenstephan beer from Bavaria while mingling with customers.

To the left was a garden-like patio large enough to seat about 80 people. There was live music and lights strung above the tables and candles that also gently lit the area.

Playing cards corresponding to meals were given to each patron for their tables after they ordered similar to a number at a deli. Older adults mostly made up the crowd, suggesting the Garage is a better place to come with friends.

A warm bar area welcomed customers as they walked through the fabric curtain to see fire from the stoves envelop pink patties behind the girl at the register. Cooks quickly plated colorful salads and picked up skillets being licked by flames.

Oktoberfest didn’t seem to be the main focus of the Garage, rather it was the menu that seems to be the pride and joy with items such as Konigsberg meatballs and schnitzel.

A need for more German music, German-themed decorations and the well-known sausage and sauerkraut to complement the beer is a suggestion for next time.

The “Bavarian Glazed Porkchop” was moist, fatty and bursting with pockets of juice and flavor and the spaetzle is a simple dish, and despite it’s herby, nutty flavor it was a bit small for $7.

The Garage isn’t an everyday grab-and-go meal — diners still used forks and knives for their German cuisine. This establishment has fine, quality bites hidden in a downtown neighborhood close to campus.

Expect to fork over the dough despite that.

A beer, porkchop and a bitter radish salad with a little bowl of spaetzle cost $33. It’s good for a nice date or a treat for some good food and great company.

Though the music and the vibe are trendy and welcoming, the wait time is perplexing — the waiting line for ordering was 20 minutes, and waiting for the dishes took an extra 45 minutes.

The quality of food is high class and comfortable and the staff tries to take care of the guests, which counteracted the wait time and the non-religious first bite experience.

Hopefully next time there is an emphasis of German culture besides the beer and food on their simplistic menu.