Gröninger Braukeller, Altstadt, Hamburg

Yesterday I spent with a big group my second time in the groeninger. 13 years later I think. It has an great self breawed beer and tradional bavarian food. For freaks of meet, it is a great place to stay. Vegetarians will get a little bit in trouble.

For me as an person that does not eat meat very often.
It was a little bit too much.

The beer comes in small beer barrel with self-service.
Great experiance and nice atmosphere.

I read at qype that 800 persons can spend good time in it.
huge place.

This place is amazing in a number of ways;

Firstly it’s the biggest restaurant/pub I’ve ever been to. It spans the entire block, probably something like 20m x 150m from looking at the map. Secondly it’s incredibly German. It’s all massive sausages, huge cuts of ham and pork and independently brewed pilsner.

The beer is not cheap at €3.60 for just 400ml, but it is very good. The same can be said of the food. We got a huge sharing platter, er, slice of tree, for €15.50 per person - it was good.

To top it all off they have some rather attractive waitresses :)

One thing worth noting is that it’s quite an experience to walk in from the Bei Den Mühren entrance, rather than the Willy-Brandt-Straße side, as then you’ll get to walk through the maze of rooms before you hit the bar. If someone tries to seat you in the fancy restaurant when you first enter, say that you want to go through to the brewery…

Note: Don’t come here for lunch, it’s an evening place. At lunchtime you’ll be sitting alone in a huge dark cellar and you won’t enjoy it half as much.

Lunch at Groeninger for me is hit-or-miss. More hits than misses, surely, but still some misses here and there. Other than the Hofbraeuhaus, I think this is the closest it gets to “traditional” German food. I really love the meat and potato combinations that they serve but I don’t like it when they drench the whole bit in sauce, especially if I don’t like the sauce to begin with. Where I’m from, sauce is normally served on the side, so at Groeninger I kind of feel like I’m saving my lunch from drowning.

I recommend Groeninger as a great place to take friends or family visiting from out of country as well as an enjoyable, filling and affordable lunch for those rainy days. The place itself feels like a warm cave found only in places like Disneyworld’s theme parks :)

This is Man food. Schnitzel, Pork Belly, thick cut potatoes and plenty of beer. A cavernous dining/drinking area which surely could accommodate +500 moustachioed, beer swilling Germans. Excellent food, quick service - I am VERY tempted to come back tomorrow night for some weizen guzzling, thigh slapping fun.

2 words: Pork Heaven. I knew we were onto a good thing when 2 whole roast pigs were carried past us on the way in. Salivating, and not just at the staff, we explored further. It’s a labyrinth of beer and meat, and mountainous potatoes. The sort of place you’d dreamed Germany was like, but if you’re in the North, have been shielded from.

I came away from here a lot fatter, and with 5 litres of finest Groninger beer on my shoulders, a very happy man.