Otto's Bierhalle: Authentic German Food?

The spacious place in Queen West’s hipster neighborhood is a nicely designed, and well-lit restaurant where you feel welcome right upon entering. The beer hall has a rustic vibe with light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, some greenery, and long communal wooden tables that remind of the true German Biergarten style. German slogans and posters decorate the walls to take people right into the streets of Berlin.

The beer hall is run by the same group of friends that opened Otto’s Berlin Doner in Kensington Market. But you will not find any Doner on the menu. Instead, the place offers a large selection of German specialties like sausages, Schnitzel, Rouladen, Weisswurst, and Schweinshaxe, all served with typical German side dishes. The huge platters advertised as “Feasts!” are great for tasting the whole variety offered and can be shared with friends.

The German sausage, or "Wurst", is excellent, tender, and juicy inside with a crispy skin. It is just the way a sausage should be, even though a tad smaller than one would find in a German restaurant. The mustard served alongside it is self-made and plays with your taste buds. You can order the sausage with sauerkraut, fries, or as a Currywurst. The sauce for the Currywurst is obviously their own creation as it doesn’t taste like the traditional German recipe, but no matter what, it is well-seasoned and tasty.

Otto’s Bierhalle offers a meat-heavy menu, but vegetarians don’t have to stick to the sides. One highly recommended veggie dish is the spaetzle and cheese. The typical German egg noodles are tied together with a creamy sauce and gratinated with a coat of Gouda, Raclette and Le Douanier cheese. The roasted onions usually topping the Swabian dish are swapped with spring onions in this creation, which is a disappointment as the necessary crunch is missing. But overall, it is a feel-good meal that makes you happy from the inside.

The restaurant staff is waiting the tables with a courtesy that is said to be a German trait. Moreover, they know what they are offering and can always give a good recommendation on what beer goes best with the food you choose. That comes in handy as Otto’s Bierhalle really lives up to his name and has plenty of beers on tap. The range extends far beyond German beer and includes local and imported ones from all over Europe as well. But that’s not all: You can get cocktails, and they have a short list of wines too.

People get attracted to the restaurant by the large selection of German food and stick around long after they’ve eaten up to sample their way through the long list of German beer and enjoy the cozy atmosphere together with friends. A few hours after opening their doors, the place is filled with warmth, laughter, and the smell of good food. Everyone entering Otto’s Bierhalle is grateful that the owners brought authentic German food to Toronto.