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Tue-Wed. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tue-Wed. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Thu-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Thu-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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This place gets a 5 star with capital f for "FUCK YEAH LETS GO TO SPEISEKAMMER!" which will forever be my response to inquires of where to go on Alameda.
So far I've been here twice. Once for Oktoberfest and once for lunch on a friday. The two experiences couldn't of been farther apart in terms of atmosphere, but the quality of the food and the beer there is first rate.
their sausages are wonderful. they make the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, and their sour kraut (which, as a rule, I despise) is not to be believed!
Finding myself with my first Thanksgiving off work in years, but also coming down with a cold, I begged off on a family Thanksgiving (or doing any cooking myself). There obviously aren't a lot of restaurants that offer service on Thanksgiving, and many of those that did were planning some grand festivities that I just lacked the strength for enjoying properly. Completely by accident, I happened to find on line that Speisekammer was open. What a happy turn of event! This place is amazing. I really enjoyed the ambiance and decor. It looks cozy and inviting. We sat in the front room, which a bit more dimly lit than the back. I prefer a darker dining environment, so I found it lovely there in the corner. I also really enjoyed the music. It was eclectic enough that I'm pretty sure it's somebody's iPod. It ranged from Trip-hop to traditional German music, all of it pleasant. If you're passionate about music a detail like that enhances your pleasure in the dining experience.
The waitress we had was wonderful. I wished that she was our dining companion, she was so nice. And she helped me decide what to order, which I really appreciate. It's very nice when your server is familiar with the menu and knows which dishes to recommend. I started with an apple cider, which was a bit too sweet for my tastes, but was very refreshing. They serve a seeded dark bread which is a perfect compliment to their herbed butter. While your goal here should be saving room for all the tasty food to come, the bread and butter is worth a bite. I had it with their gravlax, which was extremely good, and tasted very fresh. They advertise that it's house-cured and my server recommended it from the appetizer menu items. I noticed that earlier reviewers remarked on the cool potato pancakes. Mine were delicious, crunchy and served cold. I know potato pancakes can be served cold or hot, but if your preference is for hot, you may wish to convey that request.
My dinner, also on the advisement of our charming waitress, was the spatzle (off of the recession menu, which offers half sized menu items). They prepare their spatzle with cheese and caramelized onions. It is out of this world. If you like things like macaroni and cheese, this dish will make you believe in a benevolent higher power. It was so rich and flavorful, I didn't want eating it to end. Unfortunately, since it was so rich and flavorful, I could only eat half of my dish. If you go here, I really recommend trying this particular dish.
My dining companion had the schnitzel with potatoes and enjoyed it very much. I tried some of the red cabbage that he ordered with it and found it rather sweet, but he's European and assured me that's how it should be. We shared some brussel spouts, which were buttery and very good.
I finished with an excellent mulled red wine, that I believe they prepared for Thanksgiving. If it was solely a holiday item, it would be worth adding to their regular drink menu. It was perfect! To my great regret, I had no room left for dessert. This was particularly painful, as the waitress told me that their apple struedel is wonderful. By this point in the evening, she had a lot of credibility with me! I was also pleased to note that they serve Mr. Espresso coffee, so my next visit will be sure to save a spot for coffee and apple struedel. I recommend coming here with a group, so that you have other people to share menu items with.
If I were to think of one tiny, tiny little thing Speisekammer could do a just a bit better, it would be to turn the heat up just a tad more. On the particular evening we were there, I found it somewhat chilly.
You will not be disappointed here if you are seeking a German culinary experience. Even more so during the weekends in October where they sling the Oktoberfest experience out here in Alameda, equip with live music, communal benches, decent German grub and of course, outstanding German beers fresh from the tap.
France does wine, Scotland does whiskey, Japan does does sake, and Germany DOES beer. They have that reverent tradition which produces not in just one style but in many, a smooth, balanced, complex and straight up tasty goodness. I can drink liters of this stuff and not feel bloated and messed up. From the malty amber hued Spaten Oktoberfest (festival namesake brew), to a floral, spicy Franziskaner Weissbier to the dry but rich and roasty Kostritzer Schwartzbier (black beer), it all is so unique and pairs so well with German cuisine.
I tried their Jagerschnitzel (breaded pork cutlet in a mushroom gravy) and it was quite good especially with the homemade buttered spatzele (pasta-like dumplings). Also tried a little from a Smoked Trout platter and that too was very simple and good. Good smokey pink trout with skin, nice tomato wedges, some red onion and a mild horseradish cream.
This was so good I just might not be able to wait until next Oktoberfest for another German outing. Truthfully, I know I can't wait, my love for your tap selection and kitchen offerings should not be bound to an annual event. That said, see you next month.
Well, my mother would be horrified I went here but we won't tell her...
I finally found a friend who was willing to come here with me since I've been wanting to try it for quite a while now. We found a parking place close by and the woman who was sitting in the car in front of me came flying out of her car accusing me of hitting it. Neither of us thought I even came close to her car and she insisted that she felt my car bump hers. I turned my headlights on so she could inspect her car for a non-existent dent or scratch and finally, satisfied that her car was in perfect condition she, thankfully, went back inside.
But I digress...inside the restaurant we were greeted swiftly and shown to a table and moments later we had menus and water. And then a basket with 2 rolls and brown seedy bread and a little container of delicious herbed butter.
The waitress appeared (looking a little too much like a grown up Heidi in her braids) and asked if we wanted drinks or had questions. We needed more time with the menu and she gracefully reappeared right after we decided.
My companion had the full order of potato pancakes with apple compote and while she enjoyed them, she commented that they were barely warm. They were tasty and crisp and she was right about the temperature. I had a half order of the same and a half order of the spaetzle which was a cross between macaroni and cheese and a cardiologist's wet dream. I love spaetzle but this was too drowned in cheese for my taste. The spaetzle could have been cheapo pasta and it would have been hard to tell the difference.
I also had the cucumber salad and that was good and the red cabbage which I enjoyed. The lemonade was good and not too sweet.
Got some food to go for my wife - their gravlax with potato pancakes and a combo of their salads - her report wasn't so good - she thought that the salads were too vinegary and that the gravlax was too salty. She did like my leftover red cabbage. Most of it went into the garbage.
They had nice paper boxes for leftovers - nice not to cause more plastic waste.
I apologize in advance for all the parentheticals. This place was recommended by some friends who had just eaten lunch there, and it was pretty good.
I stuck to the standard menu, and had Reibekuchen (good, but not worth $8.50 in my opinion), and Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein (which was delicious and cooked perfectly, potatoes could have gone with a sauce on the side [I should have ordered some curry ketchup]). I had a great beer. My wife loved her food too (Gratinierte Kasespatzle). The side salads were tasty (pickled veggies), but not special. Only minor issue was our server was brisk in a weird way (it wasn't very busy). Lastly, I noticed they have a recession menu, which looked like good deals on their standard dishes, just smaller portions. A clever strategy for a restaurant. I will certainly go back to try more.
Stumbled upon this place one evening after working in the area a few years back, lucky find.
It was a pleasant evening, so we sat outside at the larger wooden family-style picnic tables.
There seemed to be a bunch of locals, with their kids, and dogs which really set the relaxed mood for this place.
We ordered up some beers and wine, from there very nice selection, and pondered over the extensive menu. All of it looked so good, wonderful home-style uber comfort food. The food was great, and it really made for a fun evening.
Haven't set food inside the place, but I am sure it's just as nice.
I don't know what I was expecting when I finally made it over there, but the total bill of what I had made me think twice about returning.
Originally, I felt pretty good about the beers and starting with the potato pancakes...we then ordered the bratwurst platter, and for the total cost to be about $60 for two sausages and some pickled veggies, I think I would rather fly to Wisconsin for some good sausage and make em myself.
Speisekammer is one of those places that has been on my list of places to try for a long time... but for some reason I just never made it out to Alameda. FINALLY gave it a try recently, and now I really want to go back. We all ordered off the recession menu (smaller portions for a smaller price) because we were doing more of a late lunch--great idea by the way. I tried what everyone ordered and it was ALL delicious.
We had the potato pancakes to start and they were fabulous... could have eaten a whole order myself. Then I had the sauerbraten--YUM! The meat was extremely tender, and the sauce was wonderful. Okay, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. Like I said, everything else I tried was really good... the Jägerschnitzel (pork cutlet with mushroom sauce) and the Weiskohlrolade (the cabbage roll). There is no doubt that I will be back here soon.
This is another one of those perfect patio spots to end the weekend.
The huge selection of beer and yummy german food have brought us back each Sunday and with friends. My boyfriend had just been to Germany and was not sure he'd like the food but at least knew he'd love the beer. He came away with a happy tummy full of hefewiezen and schnitzel. The owner and his staff are always friendly and amazing. Kudos to the server lady with glass earrings who said "You like my balls?" You can't make this up people.
The boyfriend's new favorite saying? "For schizzle my schnitzel." Corny yes, and all thanks to Speisekammer.
My Dad would be very proud. I went to a german restaurant and had two german beers, and a full german meal, including potato pancake with apple compote.
They also have added a "recession menu", which offers smaller portions and really low prices. I can't wait until the depression menu comes out. ooof.
The bartenders are very friendly, and will even give you a small sample of different things if you are undecided and total beer novice like me. They make some really cool mixed drinks there. I think the East Bay Express has voted this the place to get the best mojito (pre-Havana coming into town).
Then, in typical Will fashion, I listed to a 30s style band playing ukulele. Welcome to Alameda and Speisekammer. This place is host to the annual pirate night (?) on the first friday of the month, and I know have my calendar set to catch at least one of these.
With outdoor seating, you can hang out with your friends with a pitcher, or you can hang inside and listen to an ecletic mix of live music.
This. Place. Rocks! GF and I absolutely love this place.
Prices are great (check out the recession menu!), food is amazing, and plenty of beer to satisfy.
I've visited the Speisekammer three times now and found the kitchen to have improved upon each visit. The first two visits the flavors were a little bit flat and boring but on my third visit they nailed it.
You'll find your typical South German staples and a decent selection of beer on tap and bottles. For those on a diet I suggest taking advantage of the half portion menu.
Service is at a good pace. The ambiance screams rustic German comfort anno 1835. Well, there is the beergarden.
Must have been an off night - as fans of German food, each dish was a disappointment. Recession menu is nice idea, but portions very small. Spaetzle was cold and hard, made from a box instead of scratch. Vege strudel - no one washed the spinach so it was sandy. We won't be returning.
Would give it 3 and 1/2 stars if possible. Nice relaxed setting with decent German Food. They have a "recession menu" that allows for 1/2 orders so you can try more things, highly recommended and of course the beers are plentiful and huge!
Dishes tried, Wienerschnitzel, Sauerbraten, Curry Sausage, Potato Pancakes, Spaetzle, Sauerkraut. Wienerschnitzel was best followed by the Sauerbraten. Potato Pancakes were ok, but not great, but crispy on the outside.
Staff were friendly and accomdating and on a beautiful day like today we all enjoyed eating outside.
We had a alot of food for $30 plus drinks, good deal!
I treated one of my work colleagues to lunch here last Friday. He's currently recovering from shoulder surgery and readily accepted my invitation to get out and do something about his cabin fever during recovery. He actually lives on a boat in Alameda, and since I was in town anyway to pick my son up from school, we decided to conveniently meet at Speisekammer. It also happens to be a favourite place for he and his wife, especially when there's live music in the evening.
The front dining space itself is nice and comfortable, as is the outside deck. However, since parts of Alameda are prone to fog, outdoor dining and drinking can sometimes be cool and problematic (unless you're originally from the Midwest or Canada).
Our lunch experience was just OK. Although I though that the dark German beer I ordered was wonderful and the fries were tasty, the panini was only average. My colleague had a decent sausage dish and salad, but not before being served something else as part of an order mix up with another table. At the end our meal and a very nice conversation, we were somewhat underwhelmed by our experience.
But my friend is right in that Speisekammer deserves another chance, preferably at dinner and maybe by the fire place.
Well, I can't review the food, because I've never eaten here...
It's more of a love of their patio, and on tap beer, that brings me here.
Patio, yes...one less star because I think with minimal effort, this could be a bumpin' patio. Upgrade the rickety tables and benches, and add some flowerpots etc...and I'd really be feeling this patio.
Beer...yes. Great selection...nothing to complain about here.
Oh, and one other superb thing is that their patio is pup friendly...you can bring your dog right onto the patio and they'll even give fido a bowl of water.
Yay Germany!
So yeah Speisekammer. Relaxed, reminded me of home. Service was slow, about 1.5 h slow. Price was unbeatable=FREE. Because we had to wait a long time. They apologized several times.
I got the schnitzel sandwich and mixed pickled veggies salad. Both=AWESOME. I also got a Jegel Pils. Kind of flat, and could have been colder. Still very refreshing.
Anyways, I will go again to this place. Not because I got the food for free, but because the food was delicious. The prices are not bad at all. And above everything, the place has this atmosphere that makes you feel good. It feels like your grandfather is watching and saying: "Go ahead, it's ok to relax".
Only reason they're not getting 5 stars is because they were late with the order etc. But then again, maybe that's why I liked this place. Sometimes in life, you have to be late for the train to appreciate the beauty of the train station, while you wait for the next one to come.
Speisekammer displays good food &atmosphere also hosts a fun Oktoberfest located in a nice neighborhood compared to Hays Valley,SF. The owner is the former head chef & partner from Suppenküche he got the hell outta the city which is good for the customers because there's no hassles & plenty of parking in Alameda... Speisekammer is pricey but well worth it, its the type of place u go to on special accusations to relax & down some beers.So check it out hope this review was helpful,keep yelping....
Not for everyone, but if you are looking for good German food then this is one of the best in the bay area! My wife had the 1/2 portion of weinerschnitzel and it was like a full portion. I had some pork medallions and the sauerkraut was as it should be, SOUR!!! The recession menu gives you 1/2 portions for menu items at 1/2 price, and these portions are enough to fill me... a 250 lb guy! We are looking forward to our next meal at Speisekammer again soon!
Stopped in recently on a hot Sunday afternoon....it's still a great place to relax, enjoy a beer and some appetizers. The potato pancakes sure go down well with an ice cold beer. I traded some photos of Italy for a few beers with the waitress..sweet!
I like this place for more than one reason. The beer selection is great and the appetizers are… Read more »
So we went again for dining for life! My German food at home is better. But they do some good food and drink....
Pork shank!!! Very well done! A+!
The Nuernberger sausages with the sauerkraut are faboo!
They even have some Frankenwein.
It's just a little overpriced. $200+ with tip for 3. One appetizer, 4 cocktails, 1 bottle of wine, 3 main courses, 1 dessert, 2 coffees, 2 digestifs....
I was sure I had already written a review for this place, and I was going to edit it. But, alas, I… Read more »
Stopped by here for a friends birthday on Sunday. I was expecting a little bit more than I got.
Parking: On parking alone, I would give them 5 stars. Finding parking in Alameda during dinner can be pretty tough, but there was plenty of street parking.
Ambiance: The ambiance of the place was really nice, they did a good job making the place feel like you were really sitting in tavern in Germany, without over doing it. Another place where I had to give them 5 stars.
Service: This is where things feel apart. Maybe it's just me, but I would expect a waitress to a little bit more friendly, instead of saying "if you want anything just flag me down". I have to admit she was willing to put up with our questions in the beginning. But after we ordered, I never saw her again until she abruptly dumped the dessert menu's on our laps. A little smile wouldn't have hurt either... 2 Stars
Food: Not sure what to expect, but the food I got definitely wasn't it. My friends tri-tip looked good, and the pork cutlet dishes were huge. But other than that, I was definitely not impressed. My Venison Oso Bucco was a little to dry for my tasted. I liked the meat, but could have used more sauce. The sausage appetizers, that the table ordered looked and tasted like Farmer John breakfast sausages. I think the only think that saved the food was the bottle lychee soda.... 1/2 stars....
After going to a German Restuarant expecting to have meat and potatoes, I cam out hungry and very disappointed....
I took my dad here for Father's Day this year, just to try something different. He often hosts exchange students in the summer, and I think I may have found his new favorite place to take exchange students from Germany, Austria or Switzerland. They will all feel at home, and get to enjoy food they might be missing just a little bit.
I, being the vegetarian, ordered some spaetzle off the recession menu, and the half portion I received was more than enough for that rich, delicious dish of noodle dumplings smothered in asiago cheese. I also ordered a little beet salad, which was really just some roasted beets over iceberg lettuce, but that's pretty much how I remember European salads being, thus I deem it authentic and charming.
Other delicacies enjoyed by the family include sweinebrauten, saeurbrauten and wienerschnitzel, as well as several large glasses of german tasty beer.
This is a great little gem in Alameda; one of the city's many, I'm finding.
I went to Speisekammer a few years ago, and had my first taste of real German food. Being a noodle lover, I decided to go with the Jägerschnitzel, which has spätzle and pork cutlets - after 1 taste, I was in love. Everything was absolutely delicious, and just really unique. The restaurant itself is actually very cozy inside, especially if you come for dinner when they have a large fire crackling in the back room. They often have live music, and supposedly the beer here is great (although I've never tried any here myself).
Minus 2 stars, 1 because sometimes when I come the food tends to be on the salty side, so it seems really hit-or-miss, and another star for the higher prices. I also did not care for the beet salad that came with a dinner meal I had here once - I'm sorry, but I'm just not a beet fan, especially not in salad! I gave 1 star back, though because when my fiance and I went recently, we were pleasantly surprised to find that they now have a "Recession Menu", which is basically half the size of their dishes at half the price (although the portions are still very large) -- a great way to try out more of the delicious food here! We will definitely be back - I just hope that the Recession Menu will be there for awhile so that my wallet won't be in (as much) pain :p
Driving back from Napa, I wanted to hit up a German Restaurant for lunch. After a search on yelp, I found Speisekammer in Alameda.
I have to say for the most part I was impressed. My mom is German and I lived there for about 5 years and have to say it's pretty authentic. The sauerkraut was top notch.
Their recession menu is reasonable and the portions are just right. They have a nice interior and outdoor seating if you bring your dog. Service was pretty good considering there was only one waitress and it was surprisingly busy for a Sunday afternoon.
My only complaint was that I ordered the bratwurst sandwich and the bread was over toasted. Normally, I would have sent it back, but I wasn't super hungry, so I just pulled the brat and sauerkraut out and ate that with some bread that was on the table in a basket.
They list some bands that play on the weekends and wouldn't mind stopping by if I was in the area.
Loved this restaurant! My friend had his 40th birthday here and this was my first time. The food was traditional german with a bit of california influence. From the salads to the traditional dishes it all works.
And the beer list is perfect, amazing they actually served wine too. Good jazz music also. I will go back, again and again!
If you have any German lineage and like authentic German food and beer, you'll love this place! It's also got a great outdoor patio...great for drinking beer on a nice sunny afternoon!
I' not the biggest fan of German food. I find it super heavy, but I was pretty impressed and happy with the options at Speisekammer. The spaetzle was good, but the appetizers were great. So was the wild boar dish and the weinerschnitzel. I was a little disappointed in the potato pancakes--super small and not much flavor.
But, the issue was more service. We were seated by a very large group (there were 4 of us) and they were served first on almost every course--we came in about 20 minutes before them. We waited over 30 minutes for our main dishes and had many unsuccessful attempts to speak to our waitstaff. However, they did eventually apologize for the delay and for serving the other table first. They comped us desserts and dessert wine, which was a very nice gesture.
Excelent beer, good food and service. You can't go wrong with this German style restaurant. Family friendly too. Ask about the chest of toys in the back.
This place has great food, and an amazing beer selection. Service has always been friendly and fairly prompt. The sausage is amazing.
My only complaint is that the menu seems a bit small, but the food does taste great and is as authentic that I have come across here in the Bay Area.
Superior food. Don't miss the crispy potato pancakes. The hostess reseated us with no hassle and aplomb when we found our table to be situated in a draft. Our waitress was a little too efficient and aggressive, but her recommendations were knowledgeable and helpful. Found lots of different ethnicities dining there, so you know it's goo.
Death. by. sausage.
I ate an incredible salad with beets and carrots. It had caraway or rye seeds in it.
I must have eaten 6 different things ending with "worst".
I ate a piece of a pork chop
I had a ginormous pretzel
I had some spaetzle with a wood fired finish that was awesome
I had some mashed potatoes
I had half of a bread dumpling
I passed on the chicken, but it looked good.
I needed a lifeguard to watch me drink my beer in case I fell in the mug.
I think the tables are made of sausage.
Awesome service, very friendly and quick.
Good food. The fact that it's high in fat is to be expected. Eastern European food usually is....it's like comfort food. I like sausage and ordered from the recession menu. Lol...I thought that was a good title they gave. The portion was just right. The apple beer was nice too.
The hostess was okay and our server was great. But the young guy that refilled our waters and the busboy were weird.
Perhaps my biggest mistake was ordering from the Recession Menu. But who can help it when we're in a recession? Whenever I dine out, more likely than not, I will have leftovers so the fact that they were offering half portions for less than $10 was very appealing. Upon driving up to the place, I immediately liked the ambiance. The outside is adorned with lights and gives off a very relaxing vibe. On warmer nights, I would love to eat outside on the wooden deck! Okay, so we were immediately greeted by a friendly looking hostess. We were seated in the bar area at a round two-person table. I wouldn't say it was busy on a Friday night but it was probably around 60% filled and the noise level was still fairly low.
We started out with some bread and garlic herb butter. I couldn't stop eating this because the butter was quite addicting. For appetizer, we ordered the Reibekuchen mit hausgemachtem Apfelmus (two Potato Pancakes with house made Apple Sauce - $5.50). It looked like a hash brown but the consistency was like mochi. The outside was still lightly crisp which I enjoyed and it surprisingly went well with the apple sauce. I couldn't tell the difference between this apple sauce and the canned kind.
My main dish was the Jägerschnitzel in Champignonsoe mit Spätzle (Sautéed Pork loin in Mushroom Sauce served with Spätzle) $8.50. I thought this was just okay. Some bites of my pork were dry and some were not. The mushroom sauce was typical and the spatzle... I don't even know what that's supposed to taste like since it was my first time having it! It was cooked to an accurate consistency. My friend got the Schweinebraten in Biersosse mit Sauerkraut, Kartoffelbrei und Preiselbeeren (Roasted Pork in Beer Sauce with Sauerkraut, Mashed Potatoes and Cranberries $9.50) which I thought was much better. The pork was moist, the sauerkraut sour, and the combination of all the items reminded me of a Thanksgiving meal.
Most of the items on the dessert menu were $6 with the exception of sorbets, ice creams and coffee. I split the Gebackener Birne mit Eiscreme (Pear crisp with vanilla ice cream). This is such a lovely variation of the traditional apple crisp! It took a while to come out but I could tell it was carefully made. Each bite was delicate and put together wonderfully. I don't normally like American pears but this was tasty and went well with the vanilla BEAN ice cream.
Our waiter seemed normal--not overly friendly, not rude. I wonder if he was mad that we ordered the least expensive dishes. Even though tonight's meal was just okay, I would definitely give this place another try but having the items on the non-recession menu instead. Parking is available in the nearby neighborhood and there are meters with 2-hour time limits right in front of the restaurant.
INCREDIBLE food! The vibe and setup of this place is great! So simple and cute and, well, German! Not to mention they have a pretty fab wine list - totally unexpected! Came here with my aunt and her German hubby - wasn't expecting much, but was blown away! Mmmm... spaetzle!!!!
If you like German food, you must hit up Speisekammer!
Okay, I get it... you feel transported to Germany.
This place, however, doesn't make me all that thrilled to go to Germany any more.
My perception of Germany now is somewhere along the lines of: overpriced gut-bomby food with unfriendly and subpar service.
Food: yes, reasonably good. But SEVERELY gut-bomby. (Although you probably know this ahead of time when you walk in the door. They don't pretend to be otherwise.) And even when i'ts good, it's also at least 1.5x the price that it ought to be. You're definitely paying for the novelty factor. Or perhaps paying for the freight costs of delivering that much fat and grease to the restaurant.
The service here was my main issue. We came on a weekend afternoon and it was EMPTY... yet they put us in a far back corner and completely ignored us. We were placed so remotely we couldn't even catch the staff's eye because we couldn't see them. It took an act of god to get water and coffee refilled. (Thanks, big G, I was thirsty.) And it was a good ten minutes before anyone took our order. The two waiters really made it seem like a chore that they came to our table... the four people in our party really agreed that we were being made to feel really unwelcome. We're not unreasonable people, and we do understand how restaurants get when they're busy... however, it was EMPTY. When it's empty, stuff like water and coffee refills should be a no-brainer, because you can see four empty water glasses from across the room.
IF, that is, you surface from your German Waiter Cave quickly enough to look.
I wish I could give partial stars... Speisekammer does benefit from the fact that as a drinking establishment-- it's GREAT. And they do have live entertainment sometimes.
Just beware of the occasional Friday night "Pirate Night", where a batch of "we got tired of ren faires so we're now pirates" descend upon the place. Nothing's worse than a group that erroneously finds their own selves to be funny and charming. Speisekammer should discount food for people who endure this.
So all in all, Yelp's guideline here says: 3 stars is "A-OK", two stars is "Meh. I've experienced better", and 1 star is "Eek! Methinks not." I REALLY want to like this place, but the 4 or 5 times I've been here, it's been the same story and the same REALLY SHITTY SERVICE by a staff that really appears to not care. So... eek. Methinks not.
And that's not just pirate-speak.
Just makes Wienerschnitzel, one block away, all that more appealing. Seriously.
You want GREAT German food? Forget SF, get over to Alameda. Great food AND great service. A patio and beer... What else could you want?
Food: 2.75 stars
Service: 3 stars
Value: 2.5 stars
It's my first German food experience, so I didn't know what to expect. I was hoping to try out the authentic German pig feet, but they don't have that. We ordered the food from their recession menu, but the price was not that "recession" - only the portion was!
We had the potato pancakes with house made apple sauce ($8.5 regular price) and it came with four pieces. It was very crispy outside and moist inside. The potatoes itself didn't have too much flavor and the apple sauce was mashed with no apple chunks and not much apple flavor. Perhaps the canned one would taste better. Then we tried the sautéed pork loin in mushroom sauce served with spätzle ($8.5) and I didn't like it. The pork loin was cut very thin which was okay, but the taste was very average. The spätzle tasted just like overcooked pasta. The grilled fresh pork sausage with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ($8) was the best dish among all. The sausage and the caramelized onion was good. Then we had the black forest cake with vanilla ice cream ($6) for dessert. Unfortunately, it's just another average cake to me. I tried out my friend's bread pudding and it was hard and stiff.
The waiter service was average, not too friendly, no smile, not rude. My overall German food experience was not too exciting. It is certainly not my favorite cuisine. Once is enough unless there will be a famous pig feet dish next time.
This place is fun. I love the atmosphere. Big steins of beer served along side a dramatic hearth and high backed chairs. I have to admit I ordered the recession special which was a bratwurst, kraut, and mashed spuds for 8 bucks. Served with a yummy beer, that can't be beat! This is definitely a great spot when you want to go some place new, some place different, and some place fun!
We celebrated my father's 50th birthday here.
The best part is that we were the only Filipinos there.
The food was delicious and the service was amazing. We got a special deal where the beer was free-flowing. And the beer was GOOD!!
I'll definitely come back to this place!
Alameda, CA
Category: Food
Alameda, CA
Category: Mediterranean
Alameda, CA
Category: Greek
Alameda, CA
Category: Tapas Bars
Alameda, CA
Category: Dive Bars
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