Old World Village

How is this place still around?
Old World Village has been located right off of the 405 for ages and I don’t understand how it survives. Roughly 10 – 15 quaint shops and bars are available to the public in a fun looking, yet empty amalgamation of different European cities. After walking around the completely empty complex and looking into the merchants windows devoid of foot traffic I ended up at the beer garden sipping a Spaten and then went on with my day elsewhere.
I was told Oktoberfest is their claim to fame and perhaps I will try that sometime but outside of that there is no real reason to visit. Too bad really, it has a lot of charm.
The Old World Ghost Town is an experience you can live without.

Christmas came to the Old World Village. The décor and sellers brought the Christmas spirit and transformed the Old Wold Village into a Christmas village. I came by on a Sunday afternoon around 1:30pm to scope out the German Christmas Fair.
The German Christmas Fair lasted 3 consecutive Sundays in December this year: the 6^th, 13^th, and 20^th from 12−4pm. There were at least 30 vendors selling a wide array of items: clothes, Christmas ornaments, German baked goods, candles, toys, etc.
It seemed like a great place to be immersed in the European culture. There was a Hotel Europa and a Market /​Restaurant that was super crowded. My nose took me to a bakery selling fresh croissants and homemade apple streusel. yum! I couldn’t resist the smell it smelled soo good!
I spent time in Europe before and I’m glad to find some type of replica of the European streets and housing here. Most of the stores seemed closed on Sunday so I hope to come back on a weekday and check them out. On Sunday, there were a small café, antique store, and a knick knack store open.

If you like the Bavarian feel, you’ll love Old World! It’s like a trip to Europe! Go to the Old World Restaurant and little German market attached and you can practice your German, as most speak German fluently! The food is authentic and the service is great! The Oktoberfest is HUGE and wildly fun! Then in December they have the German Market… fabulous…and it sure gets you in the mood for Christmas! Oh, check out their ‘wiener dog’ races… what a riot!!!

In the psat this has been really fun, count us in!
Kelly at
enjoys the different flavors of the holiday.

Oktoberfest at Old World was soo much fun! Friendly staff! Shout out to Veronica, she had great customer service! The beer was cold and delicious! The Brats were delicious and the rolls that the brats came on were so fresh and delicious! The giant pretzels were super fresh too!

Delicious brats and beers, adorable wiener dog races and overall awesome vibe. What’s a little daunting are the prices but Groupon deals help a little. Also, the lines for everything from the food to the bar are pretty ridiculous but they try their best to get everybody movin’.

I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and I must say I’m quite disappointed at what this place has become. I know from speaking with family that the reason why this place is going downhill is because the owner of this place is a greedy cheap ass hole who does not want to put the money into fixing it. I really hope when this old jerk is gone his sons steps up and remodels this place and restores it to what it’s supposed to be. The paint is fading and some of the buildings look like they’re falling apart it’s really a disgrace to German heritage. I came here for my first Oktoberfest and I must say I was quite disappointed. After awhile it just got really boring they need to step it up with more activities and better music. I really wish they had a wider selection of beer but on a positive note the bratwurst are really good. If you go to Oktoberfest I would really recommend trying the grapefruit beer it’s really good. I definitely do like the little German store that they have and restaurant but it definitely needs to be remodeled. There’s very few stores near that really have nothing to do with German heritage. Overall Old world needs to be modernized To show a positive part of German history not what it’s become.

Come here every September and October. Best Oktoberfest in O.C. The beer is great. They have shot girls and jello shot girls. The village itself is very quaint and has a cute little bakery. I love all of the tradition it has. What a fun place to go. Especially for Oktoberfest.

My German boyfriend brought me here for a bit of «home cooking». Wow, was this great! The Neurnberg and Hungarian wurst were amazing, and the German potato salad and spaetzle were every bit as good as Mom’s! They have all the traditional dishes, like Goulash and Rouladen. Definitely get the bier sampler to zero in on your favorite (mine was the grapefruit Hefeweisen). And by all means, ask for Paula to be your server… she is wonderful!

I’ve always come here just to browse around before/​after watching a movie at the Century Theaters in Bella Terra across the street or walking off a heavy meal from somewhere in Bell Terra across the street. I’ve come here during Oktoberfest, and it seems it’s around that time of year that this place is poppin’, which makes sense as it’s Germany-​inspired. Otherwise, it never seems to get terribly busy.
It reminds me a lot of the little town in the beginning of Beauty and the Beast when Belle was going into the town to visit the library. It’s a great sight, but I do wish it were a bit more lively.
There’s a lot of cute little shops here that I would really like to try out. The Speakeasy is a wine bar that looks really cool. The Coffee Tale is a coffee shop that serves organic coffee.
I’d say this is a good place for a little adventure on a date or just to kill some time with a friend.

Great place to get some old school Euro culture. Like going in a time machine to an old German village. The food, the beer, the staff, all excellent. We always have a great time whether there is an event or not. The German beer selection is really great! They seem to rotate the beers, and you will always be in for a surprise. The deli is a great place to buy sausages, or hard to find local favorite imports. The family who owns old world is a blessing to HB. I wish them many more years of fantastic service to the community. I really appreciate Old World being there when I need an escape.

Interesting little place. We came here on a Friday noon and it was very quiet, only a few shops were open but that didn’t bother me too much. It felt very surreal walking through a small village made German look-​a-​like, quite authentic but then again I thought I’m on the film set of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Anyway as a German, I was impressed to see a few German products like Leberwurst and Schaumküsse being sold in the Delicatessen shop and to my delight the bakery next door had typical German cakes for normal prices ($ 1.29) which is about average in Germany too. Savaged two cakes with a happy face on me. Only let downer, not a single German soul in any of the shops which surprised me because of the emphasis they put on the village. Other than that, lovely place!

Very interesting place to go… it has little shops, lots of buildings with paintings outside, very very clean and quite area… nice place to walk around and have some german food… =)

What a pleasure it is to find such an honest «fake» place in the middle of OC right next to a cookie-​cutter shopping complex.
There are no Starbucks here — no California Pizza Kitchens — and no mutiplex movie theaters. Just a lot of good little indie stores — markets — and boutiques — all set in a Disneyland like environment of cobbled streets and 17^th century German style architecture.
It is ALL so fake — and yet all so wonderfully real.
And this place is hoppin’ during Octoberfest.

Old World Village has this cute little charm that makes you feel like you are in an Oktoberfest environment (October is more fun when spelled with a «K»). The little village here has outdated furniture and décor in their restaurants. And it’s always nice to see the bar wench outfits/​costumes and Bavarian lederhosen costumes worn here by employees (but during Oktoberfest, visitors also adorn such familiar costumes to get into the spirit).
But of course this place is pretty dead during the rest of the year which is quite unfortunate. Although Old World Village tries to hold other events here, those events are quite disappointing. There are only a few restaurants here and there is a bakery here. So just come here during Oktoberfest and you will most likely have a more enjoyable time here.
By the way, Old World Village is located across the freeway from the Bella Terra. There is plenty of parking but if you come during Oktoberfest on weekends at night, make sure to come early to avoid headaches with the parking.

I was soooooo looking forward to a nice German Christmas outdoor market and festival, alas, after convincing my family to attend, it was a complete let down! I felt so embarrassed to invite anyone to this dilapidated «festival». Old World use to be a cute, quaint little area of HB where you could walk through shops with a fake façade, reminiscent of the old world. Now, it is a run-​down community of one German deli, one German shop, one over-​priced German restaurant, a massage parlor, music shops, Hookah bar, burger restaurant, and several vacant storefronts.
The Christmas outdoor market was a hodgepodge of pyramid scheme sellers… You know, those companies that cater to stay-​at-​home moms that want to have a «flexible job» like Avon, Partylite candles, Sentsy wax warmers, and Miche bags. Again, approximately 2% of the stands had anything to do with Germany or German culture.
We hoped to at least grab a bratwurst or schnitzel but when we inquired at the Old World Restaurant, the wait was over an hour. We ended up getting in the car and driving back to Jagerhaus in Anaheim (a 5-​star German restaurant) to suffice our cravings.

The ONLY place for Oktoberfest in the OC. Friends and I have been going here for years. (KROQ Parties in the 80s) Yes years. Always a great time, awesome food, good beer and some of the best people I know.
See you there!

Oh Old World Village, they have so much potential. I have a difficult time with places that seem super fun, but are lacking so much in organization and customer service. Eeeek. Never coming here again…
This review is strictly for just Old World Village the service. HORRIBLE schrecklich! The disorganization of their staff and security is a total disappointment. Who does their hiring and Marketing? Thinking about re vamping your brand? Maybe better qualifying your staff? Ugh.
I was invited by friends who are Unilocalers to join in on German Heritage Day. Of course I understand since the World Cup was going on, and being in overtime, the time of the celebration was delayed. It claimed to start at 2pm. We all waited, and waited, with no information shared from staff or security. Then surprise! About an hour and a half later, we were informed. What a waste of time. People were belligerent, messy, staff was no where to be found and the food was bland and tasteless. So after my first ever visit, I will most likely not return here for any events.
**As for the German Band, Dancers, and Beer –All Excellent. They are what made my day. A++ for efforts! Bless you all and thank you dearly for not making me punch someone.**
KNOW before you GO: The rest of the village has individual shops and dining — which are inviting to check out. They probably have better service. All have different hours of operation, so be sure to check deets.
Weirdness: Outside of the Beer hall. the rest of the village is too quiet and a bit spooky. Nice setting for a scary movie.
Perks: The German Market and Deli is interesting. Worth a look and purchase of some German chocolate or knick knacks.
OverALL: Es tut mir leid. Seine definitiv Sie und nicht ich. Translation: I’m sorry. Its all you. not me. Auf Wiedersehen!

This is a fun little place that I had no idea existed until I was looking for a unique place to take my dad for Father’s Day.
The area was practically deserted on a Saturday early evening which I thought was odd. I’d love to see what this place looks like when it has a crowd. It looks like they have public events here throughout the year so I would definitely go back to see some of those (i.e. weenier dog races).
The restaurant was good, but I felt like I might not have ordered the best of dishes as it was a tad bland. But that’s on me. My dad loved his brattwurst.

I enjoy coming to wander around when it is NOT Octoberfest, because it is so quaint here. Rathskeller bar is great, the markets and deli’s and dining are worth a visit — and the charm… well, it’s charming.
Of course I love Octoberfest, too, and go every year, but don’t let that be the only time you wander over to Old World village. There are delicious treats lurking behind nearly every door. The gift shops are fun to browse — especially the daschshund store and the many shops full of beer steins.
If you have never been to the weiner dog races — you are missing out. And there is always good beer to be enjoyed.
Sometimes not much is open — but definately a place like to chill. Is it a novelty? YES indeed. I like a nice novelty now and again.