Buschenschank

I met up with a few friends here after my Lift/​Next Level Float appointment. Both the bar and seated dining area was packed. Luckily, a few groups were leaving just as when we came in. I ordered the burger from their brunch menu, which came with sautéed onions and thick strips of bacon. Also a side of salad. The salad was very delicious! It was different with its citric dressing and different shredded vegetables. The burger was also very delicious– tender with a soft bun and thick bacon. a little runny, even after cutting it in half, because of the sautéed onions. My boyfriend ordered the steak and eggs, which he said was good but nothing great.
The issue I had mostly about this place was the crowd. Shortly after we were seated, a giant group of «Idiot Labs» members came in… and the completely took up the entire place. Some were sitting on (yes, on) the room dividers, some were dancing all around the rooms. It was already very loud with the 50+ people who came into Buschenschank, but the restaurant had to also turn up the music 3x. I could barely hear my own thoughts.
So look. If you’re going to host a large event like this… warn us? Or close the dining area off to them, or the whole restaurant off to everyone else? Or just have some consideration for your good ol’ regular customers. We left early because of the noise level/​strange peeps.

Hosted a small gathering of about a dozen people in the bar area here last night, and was beyond pleased. The music, bartenders, waitresses, and staff were all amazing! I want to give a special shout out to Jessica, our dedicated hostess, who made sure that all of our needs were met, and with a smile! Also, we just noticed that my husband left his iPhone there, and they held it for him behind the bar! Can’t wait to host another event here!

Food was excellent. But when I got home I could still smell the burning wood on my clothes. Maybe check the chimney flow.

Great neighborhood spot. I have had a few little parties here and they are always super accommodating– even setting up the famed Shot-​ski for us to enjoy.
Great pizzas, trivia night on Tuesdays is fun too. In the summer they open up all the windows and a nice breeze flows through.
Bartender Cody is great, we basically come here just to hang out with him.
They recently re-​did their menu & the spaetzle pasta with roasted root veggies is delicious. My husband is pretty crazy for their steak salad and apple strudel dessert too.

Popped in here for a beer with a friend I have not seen in a long while. I did not try the food, but I really liked the vibe of the place and what I saw. Not pricey, a crowd that’s ~30 — 35 and a great place to hang out. Music is not to loud. I definitely will be returning.

I’ve been to this place before and had good food and nice service. Tonight I called to place an order, I could hear it was a busy night, and I said, «I’d like to place an order for delivery.» and the woman answering said, «Not, gonna happen.» and hung up on me! Yeesh!

What a disappointment! I’ve been coming here since they opened around the corner and thought how convenient it is to be within walking distance from the hot new spot in the neighborhood. Maybe because it was a brunch crew, an off time or just being off but everything was too salty and overdone. My short rib hash was nothing but a salty mess. There was small amount of sliced tasteless meat amidst mushy cubes of potatoes. Diner morning hash browns are ten times tastier and a fraction of the price of this Buschenshank brunch item. I wanted a well done fried egg but the yolk was still soft in the middle but it seemed it was more the server’s fault who we later saw on the check, had entered medium instead of my request for a well done egg. The beet salad was okay, a small plate of diced beets, cheese and dressing, nothing to write home about. The hanger steak was cooked the way I wanted my eggs, well done. The only problem is we requested medium rare. It seems the menu items are the same but the execution is no longer the same. Where are the real chefs and what have they done with them?! I am doubly disappointed because no longer can I rely on this place as my local hang! ‘Means my days of rolling out of bed on the weekend for an easy 1^st meal or rolling home after a couple of beers are done. Time to move! Lol

Very bohemian. Great fireplace and very friendly bartender. Nice selection of draught beers and nice atmosphere. I like it.

My wife and I had a beer here in the middle of the afternoon for happy hour during the week. We sat by the window and enjoyed the sun and people-​watching. Good beer selection, good service. Would return.

Please God turn off the damn dance music.
Decent beer and pizza. Let’s work on the German ambience.

No lie — this place was one of the reasons we moved to the neighborhood 2 years ago. We were so charmed by the atmosphere, the great beer selection, awesome brauts, and, of course, the pretzel with beer cheese, that we started looking for apartments in close proximity to the location.
We have recently discovered that they have one of the best happy hours in town! You really ought to check it out.

I so badly want this place to better than it is. I have been 4 or 5 time –because I LOVE beer… especially ones served in big giant mugs!
Bad news first:
It’s a beer hall! Yay! Except every time I’m there –no matter the day-​they are out of a couple beers that seem like beers a beer hall should always have. Like, um, Lagers and pilsners. I understand this happens time to time, but at some point, you should know how many kegs to order to keep thos basics stocked.
Second, if you are a beer lover you usually like to have a pretzel with that swimming pool amount of beer. The pretzels are hard as, you guessed it, rock type objects. And their «cheese» sauce. Ahhhm. Gross/​vomit. I’m not a fan of velveeta in general but I’d love it compared to whatever it is they are serving.
Their pizza isn’t bad. Not special either tho. But the hamburger sliders look good, although I’ve not had them.
The good News:
Servers are awesome. Sweet. Attentive. Happy to give you tastes of beers.
They blast music of all types-​usually fun, but unnecessarily loud. And makes the giant mug drinkers louder than necessary because they have to be. To hear their own burps.
They allow kids which is… Nice. If I had one, I’d be excited to bring it to a beer hall, and if it was teething, the pretzels would be a great chew toy. (Sorry to focus on the pretzels, but where do we live? It’s Brooklyn, NY! No one around here making good dough? Ahem)
They have big tv for sports. And a great fireplace in the winter.
Overall, it takes care of the giant mug of beer need. Just always out of at least 3. And there only about 11 on tap. This ain’t no «30 beers on tap» place. But it has a slightly unauthentic Beer Hall vibe. Not that they aren’t trying. Just clearly catering less to true beer lovers and more to the general 20 – 30 year olds.
I do have to add one more thing. Almost every time I’m here I hear/​witness the manager (?) often giving a talking to/​correction or just general biz problem talk to the bartenders right in front of customers.
Maybe it’s just me, but I immediately take an establishment down a notch when I see this. Super un-​pro and not cool.
Cheers!

I was out with a group of friends and we decided to come here on a rainy Saturday night. This place was a great time. Maro was our bar tender and was very accommodating. Great drinks, music, and atmosphere. Due to Maro’s service my friends and I can’t wait to come back.

My roommates and I used to go to Buschenschank for evening beers in the summer! When it’s nice out, they keep the entire area open, breathing fresh air. The servers /​waiters all seemed to be German of some kind (according to my Swiss-​German roommate), and they have great knowledge of the menu items. I got some kind of soup here that was very good, but didn’t get any other food after that. That said, the last time I was here was two summers ago, so my information may be out of touch.

Came in on Saturday. Beautfiul day, windows open, etc, etc. Family was in town. We’ve been here once before and recommended it! Had a wonderful experience until the bill came. (I’ll get to that later.)
My brother-​in-​law and I each had the Landbier. Very delicious. (The server was also friendly about letting me sample a couple other beers before making my decision.) My sister had (I believe) the house Pinot. Good serving size.
We shared a pretzel for the table, then two burgers, currywurst, and another sausage which I don’t recall. Everything I had was fantastic. I was very full and very happy.
When the check came, I noticed we were charged $ 15 for the burger. I thought I recalled the menu stating $ 14, so I inquired. The server said she thought it was $ 15 so I asked to see the menu. I noticed her holding the menu and speaking to a gentleman, perhaps the manager. She came back and said that the menu is wrong, but the system is right. However, they did take $ 1 off the check for us.
The way it was explained really turned me off. Why would anyone expect to pay something different than the advertised price? No apology. It should have been explained as, «Sorry about that! The menu is incorrect. We fixed that for you and will update the menu for next time.» Also, you may recall that two burgers were ordered at $ 15, but only $ 1 was taken off.
I deducted the other dollar from my tip, which I later felt bad about.
I considered making this a 2 – 3 star review based on how irritated I was when I left, but I did enjoy 99% of my experience. I know it’s just $ 1, but customer service can make or break an experience. This would have been 5 stars for me.

Burger was okay, same w the mulled wine. Bathroom is meager to say the least.
Bartender gave me lip about closing the front door. Yes I know it’s cold. I’ll shut the door to keep you warm, you cold bitty.
Waitress was just as cold. Both of yall, go jump in the fireplace, it needs some fuel.

What happened to this place?
For a year or two after it opened, it was excellent; fantastic food, great beers, a nice atmosphere, and great service.
It’s still a great place for German beer (they have Hoffbrau original on tap). The atmosphere is still nice, aside from the new club/​gym music cranked to 11 most of the time.
The food, however… I’m not sure what happened. The pretzel with beer cheese used to be great, but now I’m pretty sure it’s a frozen microwave pretzel. The $ 25 cheese board is now a few pieces of bodega cheese. Soup is now mostly corn starch.
The kitchen, which is somewhat open to the dining/​bar area, used to be alive with clanging pans and sizzling food. As far as I can tell, their range is now being used as a shelf to store pans they’re not using.
I really loved this place, and I don’t want to see it fail, but I can’t bring myself to eat here anymore. Maybe I’ll stop in for beers every now and then, but that’s about it.
I want Buschenschank to succeed, but it’s hard to imagine things turning around so long as they keep cutting costs in the kitchen.

It was a beautiful afternoon, I was in a great mood and the windows open and the ‘happy hour’ sign on the sidewalk at Buschenschank made me second guess my gut instinct and my promise to myself to never again return to this sh*thole.
I thought to myself — there is no possible way they can mess up. AGAIN. I gave them the benefit of doubt that yes, restaurants are not always on point, even if every experience I’ve had here has been way below par.
I was wrong.
I sat down, ordered the beer the happy hour sign talked about. Oh but stupid me… happy hour wasn’t until another hour, yet no time was listed on the sign. Maybe it’s me… but why put a sign out to lure customers into your business when it’s not even relevant at that time? I mentioned this to the bartender and she just brushed it off — ‘oh, it usually has the time, that’s weird’ Well maybe you should be a little more thorough in your job and realize when things are wrong. I ask if I can have the happy hour price and was simply told ‘no’. That’s lovely. Great customer service. I ignored this careless move from the business and enjoyed my beer.
I ordered a burger, 20 minutes later it finally arrives and looks delicious. That’s until I notice a very large HAIR twisted around my fries.
This is the point I start laughing and have the internal ‘I told you so conversation’. I call over the bartender (The only waitstaff available for the entire restaurant) and point out the hair. She responds with ‘oh, it’s probably mine, it probably fell out when i was carrying it from the kitchen window’. And she is seriously looking at me like I’m supposed to be okay with it now that I know who’s head this came from.
‘Um, I don’t really care who’s hair it is I just want it out of my food. Can you please ring me in a new burger. Thank you’. Her response ‘I actually just put in an order for myself so you can have mine, it shouldn’t be that long.‘
I wait. and I wait. and I wait.
Almost an HOUR after my initial order I call the bartender over and ask her to kindly cancel my order as I do not care to wait any longer. I’ll be going somewhere else.
She frantically tells me it was just coming out but at that point I really was just over it and over their restaurant.
I explain to the bartender in detail why I’m disappointed and how all of my previous visits have been upsetting. I asked for a manager (my last review was responded by a manager of Buschenshank abruptly telling me to ‘ask for a manager next time I’m not happy) but the bartender told me there is not a manager during the day. At this point it was just comical. Well that’s funny, I told her… and then asked for my check so I can just leave and get on with my day.
My check comes and it included a random ‘adjustment fee’. My original check was something like $ 7.70 but they took it upon themselves to charge me an additional $ 0.30 so they won’t have to deal with change. I could not believe this. You’re telling me… you’re charging me MORE to save you some work? That is SO ILLEGAL!!! If anything ROUND DOWN!
I was blown away. I told the bartender how ridiculous this was and she responded by having a break down and telling me to call her manager ‘Mystic’.
From the way the entire senario was dealt with I had no desire whatsoever to call ‘Mystic’ as the poor customer service tactics were more than likely passed down from the top.
I decided to head to the lovely site that Unilocal is and let others know about my experience.
It’s really upsetting bc they have such a sought after location and so many people in the neighborhood — the have the world at their fingertips and they refuse to change and refuse to satisfy the customer. I would love to see this business replaced by someone who actually appreciates their patrons.
I will never return to Buschenschank and I hope the others with awful experiences refuse to return as well.
:)

Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. The beer selection is cool, if they’re not out of whatever you want — which has been a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance every time I’ve been here.
The pretzels are big and tasty. The pizza isn’t bad. The happy hour deal is pretty great.
However, with a C health rating, what’s not to love? I’ve only seen 2 in nearly any restaurant in Brooklyn, so they must be getting something right! (very wrong)

Almost a 3.
Nice space with open windows to relax with a huge glass (and they have the glass boot!) of beer. The huge soft pretzel is what made me go into this place. It looked great but turned out to be a let down — the outside was way too crispy, the inside not soft enough and it didn’t have the flavor a truly good soft NY pretzel has. It was blah and too much salt (which you could just brush off, of course). Served with mustard. Think I saw someone having it with cheese dip but we weren’t given a choice by the bartender when ordering. Cheese would have helped the flavor.
On the downside, something I never complain about — the bartender was super cold/​unfriendly and same with the hostess area. Brrr. You’re going to be that cold to perfectly nice customers, I won’t be back!