Kevin - couple of questions about Biergarten ...

[peanut1967]

I really fancy trying this restraunt, but I am not sure that I like the idea of sitting with strangers. I wondered if you had ever eaten there? Have you done a review for the podcast? Basically what did you think?

I mean its bad enough sitting with my 18 yr old son at times, never mind putting strangers through that as well. And what with Pete going through all those fart bombs later I am even more a bit nervous about eating at Biergarten.

Also how is this pronounced...I have a real Bob problem, and have problems with all sorts of words, much to the amusement of my collegues and family...So I know what poor Bob gos through.

thanks in advance

Angie

 

[abish19]

Hello! I'm not Kevin (sad for all of us, I know) but I did eat at Biergarten a couple of months ago...

Basically, the restaurant has two "tiers" surrounding a stage, where performances are given during meals. Most tables seated 8 people. We were in a party of 6 (including 4 adults, a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old). We were seated with an older couple who, frankly, didn't look to thrilled to be sitting next to us. We made sure not to place them next to the kids. The older man never spoke, the whole night, in spite of consuming several LARGE steins of beer. The older lady smiled and we exchanged maybe two sentences. Our kids were pretty well-behaved, but I don't blame them: maybe they were hoping for a more adult experience.

The food was pretty tasty, and there's as much of it as you'd like; the service was timely; the entertainment is fun; and the general atmosphere is pretty jovial. To my joy, the restaurant doesn't reek of sauerkraut. While there are some dishes unique to Germany, most of it, I think, would be enjoyed by anyone.

For the most part I really enjoyed the atmosphere there. Despite the not-so-friendly people we sat with, it was still lots of fun and (for Disney) a pretty good deal.

Kevin did review this restaurant some time ago...I'm sure it's in the archives.

Hope you enjoy your visit!

 

[DisneyKevin]

I really fancy trying this restraunt, but I am not sure that I like the idea of sitting with strangers. I wondered if you had ever eaten there? Have you done a review for the podcast? Basically what did you think?

I mean its bad enough sitting with my 18 yr old son at times, never mind putting strangers through that as well. And what with Pete going through all those fart bombs later I am even more a bit nervous about eating at Biergarten.

Also how is this pronounced...I have a real Bob problem, and have problems with all sorts of words, much to the amusement of my collegues and family...So I know what poor Bob gos through.

thanks in advance

Angie

I pronounce it "Beer - garten"....but who knows how they would pronounce it in Massachusetts.

I think the Biergarten is ok. I sort of enjoy it, but I love German food. That being said....there are not many others in my group that care for it. They have things like schnitzel and red cabbage and saurbraten with spaetzle. They usually have a selection of wursts...let's call it the best of the wursts.

Not crazy about the Family seating situation. They are not huge tables and when it get crowded, it gets very tight. As it's a buffett, the person closest to the stage might not get to make as many trips as everyone else.

There is another aspect to the seating situation... you run the risk of sitting with the Surly's...or even worse.....the Non-stop Talkers....you know the ones.....they never stop talking or even wait for a response...and they always share overly personal information...and you get to the point where you start calculating how old your children will be when you get out of prison for killing them with a butter knife. (These people are often on planes as well and John's response is to pretend he's in a coma.....which doesnt really work at dinner)

And then there is the show which is a bit cheesy and hasnt changed in a VERY long time. There is a bit of audience participation and singing along.

All in all....it's like a German wedding reception where you dont know anyone....and have to pay at the end.

Hope this helps.

Kevin

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

Not Kevin either, but living with an "anti-social" husband, I can give you an assessment.

In February, we tried the Biergarten. I had just called the dining line and they said I could sit there in 30 minutes. So, we headed that way. The hostess explained we'd sit with others and gave us our beeper doo-hickey. This is where he started to balk.

"I don't want to sit with others..."

I hissed, it'll be fine. You don't have to talk. Blah, blah, blah."

(For all you anti-socials, you'll have to forgive me, I can make small talk with a coat hanger.)

We were led to a table with a family of 6. Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, son daughter. We were at the end, and my husband sat on the edge of his chair, trying not to get to close.

It was awkard, and I chatted with the family. (He did not.) They were super nice and didn't mind the communial seating at all.

The atmosphere was fun and and the stage show was amusing. But that is not enough and in reality, the restaurant would have been a bomb, if the food hadn't been sooooooo good. DH is a meat, pototoes and bread fella and this restaruant delivered. It was delicious.

We'll go back, but probably as a bigger party/family for a community table buffer.

 

[daneenm]

Not Kevin either, but living with an "anti-social" husband, I can give you an assessment.

In February, we tried the Biergarten. I had just called the dining line and they said I could sit there in 30 minutes. So, we headed that way. The hostess explained we'd sit with others and gave us our beeper doo-hickey. This is where he started to balk.

"I don't want to sit with others..."

I hissed, it'll be fine. You don't have to talk. Blah, blah, blah."

(For all you anti-socials, you'll have to forgive me, I can make small talk with a coat hanger.)

OMG, your have described our family to a 'T!' DH is VERY quiet - he is an observer. Me, I can keep a conversation going with almost anyone. The reason I crossed Biergarten off our list of possibilities was the communal seating. DH would have reacted exactly the same as yours.

--Daneen

 

[Iggipolka]

My wife and I ate at the Biergarten last May and loved it. It's just the two of us, no kids and we requested to sit on the upper tier with seats closest to the rail so we could watch the show. We waited maybe 15 minutes past our ADR time and got our request.

I'm the outgoing social one and my wife is the "I hate people" type. We were seated with a family (two adults, two tween age kids) who didn't want to speak to us at all. Fine. Whatever. My wife was happy about that. We sang along to the band, waved our beer mugs around and had a great time. The family looked at us like we were nuts, but that's ok. We're used to that and heck, it's Disney! If it's not ok to be a little crazy at Disney, where could you act like that?!

Anyway, I'm 3/4 German and grew up with the food that they serve there. I was super happy to fill my plate multiple times. The salads were delicious, especially the tomato/cucumber salad. All of the food was fresh and replenished frequently. The restaurant was full, but there was never a line for the buffet. Even though we were seated against the rail, we had no problems getting in and out to go to the buffet.

I also got the beer flight, which offered 5 different types of beer. Quite tasty and fun to try the different kinds. My wife got the wine flight, which she liked but I didn't care for. German wines tend to range from sweet to extremely sweet. So, if you like sweet wines, try the wine flight.

We're planning on eating there again during our June trip as the Biergarten has become a favorite spot of ours.

 

[irisbud]

Hi all,

We ate at Biergarten on our last trip and really enjoyed it; much more than I thought we would. BF and I are both shy, so the idea of sitting with others wasn't really appealing, but his profound love for buffet of any type won out.

We were seated with a couple very different from us and a group of three who were obviously friends. The couple and ourselves exchanged greetings and a bit of small talk, but we never really had a big conversation, just a few words and smiles. The group of three never spoke to any of us.

We liked the food (I am half German) and were okay with the seating. I think it would be better if they let you sit by yourself but oh well. Our experience was not uncomfortable at all; everyone seemed to have a mutual agreement on how much to interact. I can see where it would be uncomfortable with bad table mates, though.

 

[wilde_oscar]

if you are done a real beirgarten in Germany or Austria, you will find the seating situation just like it is there. If you are american, you will in general not like the seating situation. if you do not have a party size that keeps your group at one table and everyone else at theirs... lean in close and say to whomever is not in the group... "at any moment I could break out into a song from the sound of music... you might wanna take it easy on me as my day pass expires soon, and I wanna get a full meal before they make me go back."

Then chuckle or cackle non-stop for a min. or two.

They will ask to be reseated, and let the host or hostess know that others should not be sat there either.

 

[peanut1967]

Thanks Everyone...still makes me totally unsure....
Does anybody know which podcast Kevins Review was on...
ta again

 

[blizzard]

Not Kevin either, but living with an "anti-social" husband, I can give you an assessment.

In February, we tried the Biergarten. I had just called the dining line and they said I could sit there in 30 minutes. So, we headed that way. The hostess explained we'd sit with others and gave us our beeper doo-hickey. This is where he started to balk.

"I don't want to sit with others..."

I hissed, it'll be fine. You don't have to talk. Blah, blah, blah."

(For all you anti-socials, you'll have to forgive me, I can make small talk with a coat hanger.)

We were led to a table with a family of 6. Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, son daughter. We were at the end, and my husband sat on the edge of his chair, trying not to get to close.

It was awkard, and I chatted with the family. (He did not.) They were super nice and didn't mind the communial seating at all.

The atmosphere was fun and and the stage show was amusing. But that is not enough and in reality, the restaurant would have been a bomb, if the food hadn't been sooooooo good. DH is a meat, pototoes and bread fella and this restaruant delivered. It was delicious.

We'll go back, but probably as a bigger party/family for a community table buffer.

I think you were sitting with abish19 (Poster #2)

 

[Chrisinroch]

I kinda like the idea of being forced to sit next to strangers. We isolate ourselves more and more today, and the art of small talk is becoming increasingly lost.

Look at it this way....If you sit next to a really interesting family; you have a great time and potentially make a friend. If you sit next to a bunch of freaks; you may just come away with a good story to tell.

 

[dpuck1998]

if you are done a real beirgarten in Germany or Austria, you will find the seating situation just like it is there. If you are american, you will in general not like the seating situation. if you do not have a party size that keeps your group at one table and everyone else at theirs... lean in close and say to whomever is not in the group... "at any moment I could break out into a song from the sound of music... you might wanna take it easy on me as my day pass expires soon, and I wanna get a full meal before they make me go back."

Then chuckle or cackle non-stop for a min. or two.

They will ask to be reseated, and let the host or hostess know that others should not be sat there either.

You can get medication for that you know....or at least a funny hat....