Hofbrauhaus Cleveland

Okay for some birthday fun. Food is another story. Waited awhile to order while enjoying some German beer. Finally decided on the wiener schnitzel… Nope out of it. Do, switched to sauerbraten… waited ½ hour to be told they are out of it. Ordered chicken schnitzel. Dry and flavorless. Come for the beer and pretzels with friends have dinner somewhere else.

Meh* I’ve had better.
The location is convenient and that’s the reason we went there after a playhouse concert.
The location is nice and I like how it’s open and the atmosphere, but that’s about where the love ends.
The stables are hard to get in and out of as they are low seating long benches. Took a while for service. And the food is not good. Pretty bad when child won’t eat her pizza cause it tastes bad, and neither will you!
Prices are steep as well.

I have been wanting to try Hofbrauhaus, so when I heard about the Happy Hour I stopped by. Pretty quiet at 3pm, a couple tables scattered about but even so the place looks good. A big room with a high ceiling, bar at one end and a small stage at the other. During the day the room is filled with light and is inviting, if a bit vast.
Happy Hour allows half price on beers and appetizers, so that is what I ordered. A half liter of wheat beer, is cool and smooth, nice and mellow makes it very drinkable.
The apps platter had fried pickle spears, onion rings, potato pancakes and sauerkraut balls, since the sauerkraut balls have meat, I had them substitute a pretzel which they were nice enough to do. The two huge onion rings were nice, with a crispy batter that slightly overpowered the onion inside. I would have preferred more onion flavor, but overall pretty good. The potato pancakes were very well done, crispy on the outside and nice and starchy on the inside. Topped with the sour cream it was a very fine app. I also really enjoyed the applesauce that came with the potato pancakes, diced apples lightly cooked so they still had a bit of crispness and just the right amount of sweetness. The fried pickles were the highlight of the plate; large pickle spears are wrapped in a soft dough. The pickles have a nice salty bite which contrasts well with the coating. Dipped in the honey mustard sauce, the fried pickles taste great with the cold beer. My only complaint with the pickles would be that they were a bit greasy.
The pretzel was a slightly disappointing, I was anticipating a really great pretzel and instead got a decent pretzel, but nothing memorable or exemplary as I would have hoped from a German beer hall.
Service by the bartender was friendly and prompt.
Hofbrauhaus is a great place to get some fine German style beer and have a great time. The food is nicely done, simple and straightforward, but don’t come looking for cutting edge culinary innovations.

Definitely a very fun atmosphere, but come prepared to spend some money! Also, our service was quite slow but I understand that will happen when you visit a busy place.

So, I did what every waitress friend tells you not to do. I brought 30 friends without calling ahead! I know, I know, but I was at a conference and thought it was only going to be five of us. Well five people told five more people and pretty soon we had 30! We had two waitresses who served our group. Everyone ordered beers, everyone ordered food, and everyone got separate checks for their meals. These gals were real gems– and real pros handling this giant crowd! The food and beers were all awesome and correct! We sat outside and there was plenty of room on this Monday night. Thank goodness! The manager told us this much space isn’t always available so we were lucky :) Thank you Haufbrau!

Good — Wait time on a Sunday evening, seating area, patio, location, service, atmosphere, beer
Average — chicken dishes, onion rings and sausage. Definitely had better
Bad– One server who threw the menus on table when we entered and did not make us feel welcome at all. I think if that didnt happen, I would had an overall good experience.
Will give it another try, another day

I had such an amazing meal here when I was visiting friends in Cleveland. This has to be the biggest German restaurant I’ve ever seen. I ate at the bar and Amanda Rider took care of our group. I don’t usually remember my servers whole name, but when I do it’s because the service was above and beyond what I ever expected at such a busy beer hall. I would definitely come here again, but only if Amanda is working!

What an awesome place! We took our entire family for my son’s 17^th birthday and it was entertaining for everyone including grandparents and a toddler! Great place to go with a group and celebrate a birthday! The band called The Casuals was so fun! People were standing and dancing. Service and food were excellent as well. This place will put you in the best mood.

The atmosphere is fun and friendly. Service was excellent, but the food left a lot to be desired. Restaurant is great for having beer with friend, but if hungry, I would find somewhere else to satisfy your appetite.

Went here with some friends after seeing the Blue Man Group. There was a line to get into the restaurant, which was to be expected.
Once we got seated, it was interesting. This place is like a giant cafeteria. It took forever for our waitress to come around and get our orders, but the food was good.
The most interesting thing we saw was they had this thing that looked like a ski that had 4 shots in it. They would hand it to whoever ordered it, and encourage people to stand up on the benches and have all 4 of them take the shot at once by lifting the ski.
They did have a live music, but the guy playing seemed to repeat the same songs over and over.

If you are interested in a quiet evening with friends, eating some good German food, drinking some good beer — this is NOT the place for you to go. If you are looking for some good to very good German food, good beer, and a rowdy (borderline obnoxious), loud evening with friends, this IS the place for you.
It is modeled after German beer halls with long tables and benches with group seating. Menu has basic German items. The extra large pretzel is good, and certainly made to share. The saurkraut balls were also well made. The schnitzel was good to very good. Sauerbraten is very good. Service is a bit slow and sometimes edgy. There are year round beer selections and one seasonal beer. There is a full bar with wine and other alcoholic beverages. We have not tried this in the summer, but look forward to trying outside dining.

This was a fun night out complete with live music. The songs were all pretty familiar, sing-​along type songs.
I’d definitely go back, though you have to be in the mood for it as it’s unlike any bar I’ve been to before. Everything happens in one big room so you are in the thick of the action whether you want to be or not. The action is a lively mix of singing, tipping shot skis, chanting and revelers dancing on the bench seating.
The only food I tried was an order of pretzels. They were fine, but they barely had any salt on them.
Our server was fine. She came around at all the right times to offer more drinks.

Eh, I guess this is what you get from a international chain.
The Good — the live bands. They are always enjoyable and fun. Who doesn’t want to sit with a 100 strangers and sing polka songs and dance on tables! I know I do!
The Bad — their food and wait. Widely known fact, they are always busy on weekends and have hours long waits. Tip — Make a reservation or come late afternoon!
The food also tends to be hit or miss. This past visit my group ordered the giant pretzel (stale, stale, stale), the sauerkraut balls (delicious!), the OBATZDA (yummy), the pierogies (Mrs. T, skip), and JÄGERSCHNITZEL (okay, HUGE portion). Needless to say I wouldn’t come here solely for the food.
The Ugly — service. The service and waitstaff seems to be non exist. Almost every times I’ve come here we have had the same 1 or 2 problems, sometimes both during the same visit. The first — it takes forever to order anything weather it be drinks or a meal. The second — the waiter/​ess disappears down the rabbit hole! This past visit it took 15 minute after we were seated before he even showed up so we could place a drink order and another 15 to get the drinks that were delivered by someone else. An additional 20 minutes after our drinks to flag him down to order food and then another 35 minutes before our food was delivered. In the almost 2 hours we were there we only saw our original waiter twice! This was also during the week and around 5:30, so they we NOT busy. No wonder the wait to be seated during the weekend is so long!

Came here for a company holiday party. I was pleasantly surprised by the food. Our party got a mini buffet of several of the restaurants specialties. Highlights include; fried pickles, beef stroganoff, and waitors in traditional German costumes.
A good place to bring a date or the family. I will be back with mine.

A mixed review here… The good-​in the summer, the patio is a delight, and your dog is welcome too. The owners or managers were so delightful and brought over water for our dog and just made us feel so welcome. Pop into the bar to grab your drinks and you get quick, friendly service. If you sit inside, you get the typical fun, energetic, singing and dancing, live music, Shotski experience that you’ve come to expect at all locations.
The bad, like with most chain/​franchise type places, the food isn’t all that… I was disappointed in my schnitzel — I’ve had the real thing (for a quarter of the price mind you), and I’ve even had it from a food truck here in the states, and both, were much better. My friend’s special was the tiniest piece of fish I’d ever seen for an entrée; maybe two ounces. The service was beyond slow, for our side of the table, and the party at the end of the table— the sever forgot drinks several times, and then blamed us for the other party’s very late meal (we overheard her say their food was remade because it was accidentally brought to us and we turned it away while they were out smoking– which never happened).
My advice, don’t bother with the food – definitely not the entrees (maybe just a pretzel), and if you want faster service, sit outside or at the bar.

This place is always completely wall-​to-​wall packed. This could be because of the novelty of it or because their food is actually delicious!
I prefer to stay outside on the gigantic patio/​beer garden when possible to avoid noise and overcrowding. Inside is pretty fun, too, though, with the live music and rowdy dancing drinkers. The beer isn’t the draw here for me… it’s just beer as far as I can tell – the big deal are the mugs that I can barely lift with one hand.
Pretzels are OK. Not the best soft pretzels ever but they do their job. The pierogies, though. WOW. The plate of food is HUGE, but it reheats (or chills, even) well so leftovers are not a problem!
Overall, no problems with Hofbrauhaus. It just takes a lot of mental and emotional preparation for me to handle the crowd and noise level.

Hofbrauhaus Cleveland delivers your traditional German beer hall experience, with a cooler vibe and great service. We got there on a Saturday around 7PM and the line was down the street and around the corner long… We settled in for a long wait, but then surprisingly a gentleman walked over and asked us if we wanted to get in faster by choosing the upstairs option. The upstairs hall is smaller, and a little more low-​key. They offer the same great food, plus a buffet and an amazing band! Who would say no to that?
So our group of 12 headed upstairs, we ate, we drank (too many shot-​skis!!) and we danced. At one point, we were even up on the stage singing and dancing with the band. Hopefully that video does not surface and go viral, LOL! After a few hours upstairs, we made our way downstairs. The beer hall is definitely more crowded, much louder — people standing on the benches, your typical beer hall scene. The polka music was awesome, with a mix of newer tunes weaved in. Good times being had by all!
The drinks: my husband is all-​beer, all-​the-​time so he loved all the brewed in-​house options. I am not a beer drinker, but they have a full bar so all was well for me, too. My husband and some friends partook in shot-​skis a few times. They basically carry out a ski (as in, snow ski!) and there are shots lined up on it. Everyone does the shot all at once as you tip the ski up and back– very entertaining to watch, that is for sure!
As for the food: The potato pancakes are to die for! Everything else was good (schnitzel, pretels, fried onions, all fat-​free obviously!!) but definitely get the pancakes when you stop by. Prost!

Loved the design and atmosphere! Very clean too — and that’s always nice! Our waiter was great and we enjoyed our food! We tried the potato pancakes — great taste & def filling! My mom ordered the pork — she absolutely loved it! We are a chicken & dumpling family and she’s always wanted to try bread dumplings — kind of like thanksgiving stuffing in the texture of a flour dumpling! Different and good! I LOVED the weirner snitzel! Best I’ve had in a long time! I also tried both of the potato salads — the house (normal vinegar) one was better then the German (sweet vinegar) one to me. U have to like vinegar to like either tho!
The apple streusel was very good too! I could only handle a bite or two by the time we were done w our meals tho!

Dieser «Hofbräuhaus» ist ein Hofbräuhaus nur wenn Bielefeld ist eine Stadt. Solange das Bier ist lecker, die Atmosphäre ist nicht wie man nach dem Besuch Hofbräuhaus in München und Berlin erwartet.
Die Live-​Musik war nicht unterhaltsam und die Musiker hat desungen Happy Birthday (auf Englisch) drei mal für drei andere Menschen in der Zeit ich dort war. Das war mehr als die Lied, die auf Deutsch waren.
Für Essen ich bestellt Zwiebelringen und Hofbrau Kartoffelsalat, und mein Freund bestellt die Reuben Sandwich. Die Kartoffelsalat war so-​so und die Zweibelringe war nicht lecker. Aber mein Freund genoss die Reuben.
Eine andere Sache ich nicht mochte, war dass der Service war langsam. Mein Freund fragte nach Wasser und der Server hat nicht bringen, und wir mussen einen anderen Server danach fragen.
If you prefer English:
This «Hofbrauhaus» is as much a Hofbrauhaus as Bielefeld is a city. While the beer is still great, the entire atmosphere is nothing like one would expect after visiting Hofbrauhaus in Munich and Berlin.
The live music was not entertaining and I heard them sing Happy birthday (In English, not German) 3 times for 3 different people in the time I was there. This was more than the number of songs that were in German.
For food I got onion rings and a side of Hofbrau Potato Salad, and my friend got the Reuben Sandwich. The Potato Salad was nothing special but not bad, the onion rings were huge but not tasty. My friend did enjoy the Reuben though.
Another thing I found irksome was that the service was extremely slow. My friend asked for water and the server didn’t bring it, so we had to ask another server for it.

Ugh, their Arnold Palmer specialty drink is horrible. I had to have mine re-​made, and it was still all tea no vodka. I drank both of them and didn’t even get a flush, despite the claims that there is half a cup of vodka included.
As for the beer… I’m no beer snob, so I guess it was good? I drank some of my friend’s, and everyone seemed to enjoy theirs as well! I was very impressed with the HUGE MUGS the most harharhar. The pretzels were decent enough, but slightly overpriced. I don’t know, considering this is a German bar I think maybe I set my expectations too high. That live band though, wooo! I enjoyed that and the dancing on the chairs.
And before I go, just as a warning to other females driving alone: I was uneasy for my first visit here. The nearby parking is paid, and I wasn’t about to cough up $ 10 that could be spent on alcohol. I did off street parking around the corner a bit. I was alone so I was a little on edge since this area isn’t the best. So, I would advise BYOF (bring your own friend) for any trip here.

I’ve been back multiple times since writing my original review and honestly, I’ll be back many many more times moving forward. The overall experience with the live band and the energy in the beer hall on weekends makes it a blast. I love the beer and taking shot skis! And, there are a few items on the menu that I absolutely love and will go back for.
So, why am I dropping them down a star? The service is ALWAYS slow. Like, consistently ridiculously slow. They’ve had months and months since opening to hire on more staff if they think that’s what needs to be done, but unfortunately, nothing has improved.
I’m still excited for the patio opening soon! At least the beer will be «self serve» and you won’t need to wait around for someone else to grab your drinks!
Like I said — I still love hofbrauhaus — I would just love it even more if the service was better.