Speisekammer

Recommends

nomadslime

Joined 7 years ago

A welcome blitzkrieg on the palate. love this place. Like in the old country, Fall offers the best delights: cream of mushroom, semmelknodel, jagerschnitzel...very welcome as the air turns cooler. Their beer sampler is second to none, the atmosphere is cozy and friendly, even for young ones, and the wine list is fair and full. The authenticity makes it second to none in the bay area.

Doesn't Recommend

pmaxim

Joined 8 years ago

Good food, terrible service. I have been to Speisekammer three times and agree that the food, particularly the spaetzle and sauerbraten is excellent; however, the service has never been a high point. At best, the wait staff and kitchen are slow. Recently though, the restaurant called us to cancel a Friday reservation for a party of 11 with a weeks notice. The reservation (and one would assume the reservations of everyone else) were canceled so the restaurant could be rented out for a last minute corporate Christmas party. Probably a good business move... in the short term... we won't be back, there is plenty of excellent food in the Bay Area.

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ibis42

Joined 9 years ago

Gotta try the Sunday Brunches!!. For a great Sunday Brunch, try this place. They have excellent potato pancakes, waffles, and portions are very good size. Definitely worth the trip; we'll be back.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Locals love this Alameda alehouse for its tasty twists on traditional German fare.. The Scene
Most evenings, this quiet Alameda hofbrau is packed with small groups of friends and families. Stark but spacious rooms are warmed by blond-wood floors and soft lighting. Seating is plentiful, and several long tables encourage family-style dining between strangers who don't mind mingling over a hearty meal. A casual, friendly waitstaff is happy to make recommendations.

The Food
The kitchen serves flavorful, less-filling updates on traditional German dishes. Tangy cucumber and sweet red-beet salads are light alternatives to heavier starters, such as bread dumplings in mushroom sauce. For a traditional dish, try tender, slow-cooked sauerbraten, which is nicely balanced with fruity cranberry relish and light, eggy spaetzle. Bacon-wrapped meat loaf dressed in savory onion sauce is a hearty entree, but for an inventive spin on time-honored favorites, try vegetarian strudel stuffed with red peppers, spinach and goat cheese. For dessert, go for tart berry compote.

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chuck69

Joined 8 years ago

Excellent. Wonderful food and beer in a very comfortable, friendly atmosphere. We dined at 8:00 on a Sunday night so the restaurant wasn't too crowded. The bread and water was served as soon as we sat down. Service overall was attentive and helpful. I enjoyed the giant bbq'd pork shank while my wife was equally satisfied with the pork and beer sauce - servings were plentiful and delicious. We plan on visiting again.

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chordata

Joined 11 years ago

Delicious, Classic German Food. A wonderful place to fill yourself with authentic German food and beer. You will leave feeling sleepy and satisfied. I'm confused by past reviews slagging the food (the bread is stale, there's too much pork). That person might not be familiar with German-style bread, which is thick and dry. Also, pork is the main meat staple of the German diet. A wonderful and delicious place to spend an evening, whether you're in the hall or at the bar.

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wwisefoole

Joined 8 years ago

wouldnt go there again. We came highly recommended to this place,and frankly,there were somethings not so great.like the service.as someone else mentioned, poor service,we all know can spoil a dining experience, and our almost did. the bread we finally got after waiting 15 minutes, was stale, almost inedible. the waitress passed us by at least 5 times before we got eye contact and service 15 minutes later.and not friendly.food came about another 25 minutes later.no follow up care from the waitress.forget water refills. we even had to wait 5 minutes at the register to pay our bill. ambience was stark,as described, and for all this,the price of the meals was on the high side. we expected better service at these prices.and lastly, i saw that about 80% of the entree menu was PORK.nice choices among 8 different pork dinners.so my friend had pork,and um...i guess i'll have the .... pork .the food was tasty.

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gelid

Joined 8 years ago

Hearty. Though I'm not a huge fan of German cuisine, we decded to make a visit. Menu was full of nice, filling food; I left completely stuffed. Waitress was informative. Considerable selection of beers. The table was large and there was more than enough room for the similarly large portions. Great to go to with a bunch of people, as long as you're fond of the type of food.

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kindai

Joined 9 years ago

Oh, yes!. This is more than German food, it is just good food. I had no idea what German food was before going there. It is really super delicious!

My friend and I had the Salmon special and the "Giant Pork Shank". The salmon pan fried and topped with a creamy cucumber dill sauce that was to die for - served with spinach and mashed potatoes (a tried and true combo). The pork shank was giant! It was cooked on a rotissierie which gave the skin a delicate crunch. I made sandwiches with the leftovers the next day.

Cocktails are large and deadly! Watch out for the caffettini - it went down a little too easy.

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owenseightbal

Joined 9 years ago

Go for the fun. I grew up in germany so I have fond memories of german food. Often times the speisekammer lives up to my memories but a couple of times they have fallen short.

The speisekammer is a fun place to go after a tough day. The atmosphere and the beer are a good perscription for the blues. I always get a good buzz and have a great time even if I have not totally agreed with the authenticity of the dishes.