You read the title correctly. Munich’s famous Hofbräuhaus has a location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Don’t ask me why, I couldn’t tell you. But they do: Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh. When I had the opportunity, I opted not to visit the original location in Munich for fear of it being a tourist trap. But, well, desperate times call for desperate measures. In other words: I’m, unfortunately, not planning to be in Munich anytime soon so I might as well take what I can get. So take, I did.
The location in Pittsburgh is an actual Hofbräuhaus which means they brew their beer on site. They’re not merely opening kegs of the brewery’s famous beer that are sent to them from Munich. Although, it should be noted, the Munich brewery does export their beer to the States in bottle form. But the fact that Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh actually brews the beer in their location based on the Munich original is pretty neat.
The restaurant is situated in a relatively quiet shopping/dining district of Pittsburgh called SouthSide. We went on a Monday evening and were able to get parking on the street and while there were other people out and about, it wasn’t overly crowded or busy. Inside, however, Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh is a lively and loud biergarten — complete with live entertainment from a nice Lederhosen-clad gentleman.
For the most part I was very impressed with Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh. While it certainly had some Americanized touches (Bavarian nachos?!), for the most part it was authentic. I had the Schnitzel Wiener Art and my husband had the Bavarian Jägerschnitzel. Both were good and came with German potato salad and fried cabbage. We then split an Apfelstrudel with vanilla ice cream. The dessert featured vanilla sauce and raspberry sauce drizzled in a pretty heart pattern. My husband also sampled a Dunkel beer and a Hefe Weizen. Both were good, I’m told. They must have been: we bought a Hefe Weizen half-liter souvenir glass to take home.
The visit to Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh was very nice. I set my expectations low and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Sure, pretty much everyone was taking photos of the novelty (myself included) but everyone was also having fun. Add to that good food. I’d definitely visit again. Too bad Philadelphia doesn’t have one. And, you know what, I think it gave me the encouragement to visit the Hofbräuhaus München next time we’re in the neighborhood.
Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh
Southside Works
2705 South Water Street.
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
(412) 224-2328
