Fritz & Franz Bierhaus

• Cuisine(s): Austrian, Brewery, European, German
  Hours: Sun 11:30am-11pm, Mon 4:30pm-12am, Tue-Thu 11:30am-12am, Fri-Sat 11:30am-2am
  Price: $$, $$$
  Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, cash
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Catering, Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Smoking, Takeout, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Dinner, Late Night, Lunch
  Entertainment: Live Entertainment
• Alcohol: Beer/Wine, Full bar
  Reservations: Accepted, Required for Large Parties
  Parking: Garage, Lot Available, Meters, Street

Description

After closing his short-lived upscale-food venture, Da Capo (an odd Floribbean/Creole/Mediterranean/Austrian joint), chef/owner Harald Neuberg redesigned this large room to serve the stuff for which he became beloved at the old Mozart Stube: traditional German and Austrian fare, in a convivial college-sports-bar ambiance complete with servers in St. Pauli Girl garb. Schnitzels are superior. So are sausages, available as entrées or in tapas-style portions. There's one special each night, and Wednesday offers a worthy haxen abend -- a roast pork shank roughly the size of Everglades National Park. But dieters are also well served with a mixed salatteller of three salads. Choice is up to the diner, but a combo of gurken (cucumber), shredded karrotten (carrot), and kraut (white cabbage) is highly recommended, owing to their balanced, not-too-vinegary marinades that allow the veggies' individual flavors to come through. Naturally, there's a good selection of hefty German beers, which makes Fritz & Franz's annual Oktoberfest party the most fun and authentic in town. Try the Koenig Ludwig Weisbier, the Warsteiner, or Das Boot -- two liters of the amber brew poured into a giant glass boot so coveted by regulars that you must leave your driver's license as insurance that the restaurant will get it back.