Latest reviews from Portsmouth

“New venture a stone's throw from MoMac. In a nicely redone suburban bank setting (the cold locker is the old vault!). Our first visit was in their first month, so expected growing pains still exist. First beer samples were all pretty good though. Staff is super. Cool little joint. Definitely will revisit. Actually like the vibe better than the noise locker at MoMac. Brewery #958.“

Braudog 626 days ago

“Located in downtown Portsmouth where parking can eventually be found. They have a restaurant portion and a bar portion. We spent our time in the bar. They had a couple dozen taps but nothing to our of the ordinary. They had a solid bottle list, but I noticed they had a lot of newer things in the coolers that weren’t listed on the beer list which is annoying,. The food was solid but not outstanding. I can’t really think of a reason to go back..“

DiarmaidBHK 2482 days ago

“Visited a couple weeks after their grand opening. Located in a typical American, suburban strip mall, they actually did a pretty good job of reconditioning the space, complete with dedicated food truck parking and power hookups out front. There’s a small covered patio (dog friendly) and two indoor areas (one looks like it’d be available for private functions?). There’s even a neat little play area for the little squirts. There’s nothing grand here, and I think they’re struggling with an "identity" a bit. "MoMac" I think is derived from the Monitor-Merrimac battle, but there’s no real clear connection. Their logo is somewhat maritime-themed, but not much in the brewpub ties to that theme. Overall, it’s fairly sparsely appointed but full of light from the entirely window-fronted area. The brewery is visible thru some windows and is well equipped (they invested some money here). There were about 8 beers on tap, in a decent variety. They were all pretty good. I only got a little confused when I ordered the double IPA and got a Belgian dubbel instead -- could’ve led to a little bit of a confusing rating, but we figured it out in the end. Like most of these new pop-ups, I think they’re charging a bit too much for a draft pint ($6-8, plus the 12% VA tax, and it adds up pretty quickly). Food truck out front was OK, but typically over-priced. Friendly place, worth a visit. (AFTER SEVERAL VISITS: TOO LOUD! TOO EXPENSIVE! Decent beers, but starting to turn me off). Brewery #803.“

Braudog 2497 days ago

“Really cool German beer bar in Portsmouth. Fantastic selection of German and Belgian beers. Good service. I didn’t try the food but it looks great. A must if your in the neighborhood. “

50belair 3488 days ago

“Sweet vibe, bar is small and very old world feeling, lots of outdoor seating. Bartender was great, knew his stuff and was friendly as you could be. Selection was way better than I expected, European heavy, but that’s cool; st. Bon chien on tap! Food was great, amazing bar food with a German touch. Definitely worth the stop if you’re in the area.“

jbruner 3603 days ago

“This is a small but neat tavern that doesn’t overtly seem like a spot for lovers of quality beer. But they offer a rock solid rotating lineup of taps, with a good tilt toward local. And the bottle lineup is just as sturdy. Add the delicious and well prepared food, and you’ve got a winner. If you want imports and German food, the famous Biergarden is down the street. If you want American beer and food, this is your spot in Portsmouth.“

Braudog 3776 days ago

“Stopped here last night. Warm atmosphere on a chilly night. Wait staff was attentive, knowledgeable about the beer, and friendly. Food was good but not spectacular. Great beer list....all kinds of styles. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Stop here.“

jdb288 3820 days ago

“German inspired restaurant with all the traditional dishes you can imagine. Food is very good and in a typical homecooked style. The beer list have large selection of international and domestic brews. Heavy weight on German beer. In the bar in the back however, this all changes and you have a wide selection of any kind of microbrew you can imagine. Definitely a must visit place if you’re in the area.“

Beergeek23322 4065 days ago

“23 beers on tap, pretty decent bottle list, but nothing too rare. Outdoor seating is a plus in good weather. Didn’t try the food. Prices on the high side of reasonable. Overall a good bar, bit nothing i would go out of my way to find.“

bytemesis 4145 days ago

“Go here for some pretty good German food, and some good beer. Very good bottle selection, and the prices are reasonable.“

kindacold 4350 days ago

“Extensive bottlee beer list and great food. Has a out door garten with parking on the street. Very worth the trip if you are in Portsmouth.“

HopTsing 4465 days ago

“Quality beers with some fine food. Can get a bit cramped in the back bar, however.“

hubrew22 4466 days ago

“Food is great and the prices are great also. Beer selection is good but not much of a rotation.“

ekiel 4492 days ago

“Decent Beer selection, great food“

smegworm 4493 days ago

“The Bier Garden is a German restaurant in downtown Portsmouth with a rather extensive beer menu. The food is good to excellent from what I have had. I have found that the waitstaff is very knowledgeable about the beers they have. I have one annoyance, however, that continues to bother me everytime I visit The Bier Garden. For some reason this place never has enough beer menus. Instead they would rather recommend a beer for you and never give you a chance to view their extensive beer list. Eventually you may be able to track down a beer menu but it doesn’t seem like it should be so damn difficult to have enough beer menus at a place called THE BIER GARDEN.“

zizzybalubba 5114 days ago

“Friends brought us to The Bier Garden while we were visiting Norfolk. Great beer selection. The resto was packed so we sat in the bar. My husband is a German National and ended up striking up a conversation with the owner who in turn served us during our visit. Again, the beer selection was great. Food was nothing to write home about, but definately go for beer and atmosphere.“

ebmalon 5172 days ago

“A small bar in the back with a large restaurant. I sat in the bar with a couple friends so I didn’t have a chance to taste the food. Started the night off with a Dogfish Head 120 which made me a happy man. An excellent selection and the bar staff knew their beers, their pours, and their jokes. An excellent place and a step closer towards finding an exceptional Hampton Roads beer bar. Keep up the great work!“

avantcoreVB 5209 days ago

“Large place, bar at the back. Restaurant in the front specializes in German food, which is tasty and genuine. Beer list is very large, probably the best in the area. Restaurant staff know nothing about beers or how to serve them, but the bar staff may be better, I haven’t tried it. Restaurant is, miraculously, non-smoking. Worth trying.“

Travlr 5241 days ago

“Nice German restaurant in historic downtown, with separate bar and bier garden area. Food was about as good as a German restaurant in the US gets. Beer selection was great. Service pretty good too.“

nearbeer 5440 days ago

“Nice place in Portsmouth. Had few bottles there and quickly made few friends there. Friendly with good line up of German beers (and not only)“

Radek Kliber 5455 days ago

“Nice spot for beer. A reasonable draft list and certainly a nice bottle selection. Was a bit crowded the day I went, but it seems that everyone judging at the homebrew competition ended up here. Staff was friendly and knew a bit about beer. The food was tasty. Good spot to drop by if you’re near Portsmouth (and it’s the only place now...)“

maniac 5464 days ago

“I recently moved to the Hampton Roads area. After hearing about the Bier Garden for a good two months, I decided to give it a try. The beer menu is so large it is like being a kid in a candy store. They have anything you could want or something similar. Atmosphere is great and staff and food are good too. I am used to paying alot less for beer where I am originlally from, but after paying $20 for a Coors Light and a Malibu and coke for my wife, I’ll gladly pay $7-10 average for a great import. Get to this place if you are in the area.“

spanky167 5504 days ago

“Placed in downtown Portsmouth, VA and run by a German couple, this place has just about everything a beer lover could want. The menu is extensive and can satiate just about any beer appetite. The food is authentic (owner was peeling red potatoes as we were coming in) and good, as well as very reasonably priced. Recommended for anyone in the area.“

BeerIsMyGod 5810 days ago

“Went on a Sunday, the restaurant was quite packed but the bar was empty. A nice selection of bottles, would like to see more on tap. The food was fine not anything special, but the service was good. Enjoyed the time spent and was even worth the drive through the stupid tunnel.“

jcweaver 5875 days ago

“Good German food except for the German chocolate cake. Ate much more than I should have. Beer selection was quite good. Price was decent too. No one there on a Saturday morning, which was nice. Waitress took a long time to get back to me.“

molassesfan 6158 days ago

“If you like good german food and a great selection of imported beers than this is the place for you. Service, food, selection, and price was great. Hard to find beers live here.“

jeremytoni 6226 days ago

“If you miss this one if you are in the Norfolk, VA area it’s a huge mistake. The menu you can find here: http://www.biergarden.com/bg_menu.pdf The wait staff is fast, and very nice. Superb German dining for a fantastic beer place. Appetizers include Snitzel bites and pretzel rolls. You can get plates with up to four types of German sausage, with sides of Spatzle, German potatoe salad, cucumber salad. They actual have 356 bottles of beer alone so that 250 is inaccurate.http://www.biergarden.com/bier_page.htm If you want the beer list as of 3/29/07 send me a message and I will send you the list. I would list it here but it wouldn’t fit. “

fluids 6266 days ago

“Good place with good food and an excellent beer selection. Wait staff was pleasant and very knowledgable of beer and wine selection. I would recommend this place to anyone.“

OldRaspy 6426 days ago

“What a fabulous, quaint place. Every table felt secluded. Food was excellent, fast, delicious. sauerkraut was unique. Spicy, pepper and delicious. Service was all about attention to detail. Really kept my one year old entertained and happy so dad can enjoy the beer.“

Trooper11 6442 days ago

“Been here a few times and have always enjoyed it. The food is standard German, but good and filling. The tap selection always has something I want, Chouffe Houblon last time I was there. Sure it could be bigger, and the prices could be a little lower, but a must visit beer haven none-the less.“

gputty 6502 days ago

“Dreadfully small, make a reservation if you wish to venture to this place. I admit that this was one of the most frustrating resturant trips I have ever experienced. The first time we attempted, it was packed and we finally got fed up and left after 10 minutes of not even being waited on. The food was good, but too average for what you pay. Now to the beers. For a place that says they have over 250 bottles, and about 20 taps, they didn’t even have a beer menu to chose our beers from! How could a business who has that many beers not even provide an list of what we were supposed to chose from? I heard the question asked at least 4 times by different tables. Customers should not have to play "20 questions" and then have to ask about the cost before getting a beer. I give a low score for selection because, frankly, there is no way to actually know if they had the 250+ beers at the resturant. My food order was mixed up, but was fixed quickly. The men’s bathroom didn’t work, and before we left the women’s bathroom broke. The restruant had to close down. Thankfully we finished our meals before the water from the bathroom flooded the kitchen. The experience was tainted mostly by the lack of a beer menu. If they get a beer menu, I might return, though I don’t know if I want to give this one a second chance.“

radagast83 6509 days ago

“This place is awesome!!! The staff really know their beer! Owned by a german family, they make great food and have an awesome selection of beer! Ciar smoking was allowed outside the last time I was there years ago. And, if you want to take beer home, they have a take out license! Only draw back is the lack of good music! This place is a must visit! Emo“

emodx 6629 days ago

“Nice place....the food was very good, and the service was super. A very nice beer selection...especially on tap. A little Aventinus please, followed with a St Bernardus Abt....ya just gotta love that. Next trip to Langley will bring me back for more!“

BrockLanders 6755 days ago

“went here on my 21st birthday and they were more than happy to help me get wasted onsome of my new favorite beers.“

AcctError25141 6820 days ago

“Updated Oct 2006: They’ve completed fixing up a nice bar area here with an astounding array of taps and a dizzying offering of bottled selections. Beer choices lean heavily toward the imports, but quality imports all, plus a few of the better regional micros (Dogfish 90-minute the sole domestic on tap this night). Definitely the best beer bars I’ve found in the Hampton Roads-Norfolk-Williamsburg area. Good German cheer here and decent lineup of down-home German food as well. Try to avoid the busy weekend nights.“

Braudog 6823 days ago

“Went more to eat than to sample. What a reversal of surprises. The food is okay to better than average, the selection of beers outstanding. They may not have what you want, but keep trying they have a lot! Service is helpful & cheerful. The little bar area and entrance way add to the homespun allure.“

iratherbe 6846 days ago

“Fantastic place! The selection is amazing, and the service top-notch. I agree with the other reviewers wholeheartedly. Wife and I went with another couple. I was the only "beer snob" in the group, and the waitress asked pertinent questions and recommended perfect beers for everyone’s tastes. (She did make a pretty funny facew when my buddy’s wife asked for a Coors Light. I just sat there aghast and the waitress told her no, no Coors Light here. That adds point in my book...)“

Immy 6853 days ago

“I was in Norfolk on a business trip and some one clued me in on this little place. I fell in love immedately and the bar tenders were extremely helpful. What a cool hang out, it felt like Cheers but with a berret selection and nicer atmosphere. one of the greatest things is that you can smoke and it does not linger around. I agree with VA Homebrewer it is a must do. But don’t fell over whelmed with the list, if you are not a beer geek, just ask the bartenders they will guide you to a wonderful beer experience.“

beerisgreat 7331 days ago

“I concur with The_Beer_God that this is the best beer bar in Tidewater Virginia. Roughly 10 taps and 200-300 bottles available at any given time. They also have something on the handpump at all times. Food is excellent German cuisine. Bartender really knows his beer and most of wait staff is well versed as well. Beer list is frustrating for the beer geek because they are generally out of a few of the harder to find beers. It can also be frustrating for the non-beer geek simply because the uninitiated will not recognize the names of any beer on the list. A "must do" on the list of any beer geek in or visiting the area.“

VA Homebrewer 7394 days ago

“Best beer bar/restaurant in the area. The food is of German cuisine, obviously, but is beyond excellent. I've never had bad food here. From the sauerbraten to rouladen and the potato dumplings and sauerkraut, everything comes out wonderful. The beer selection is also excellent. Aventinus is always on draft here and I have had Samichlaus, 60 Min IPA, and 90 Min IPA among others along with bottles from 't IJ, Cantillon, Westvleteren and Rochefort. Service is generally good but can be lacking at times. It can also be frustrating just ordering a beer. It seems the list is never updated and even when it is, there can be several beers missing from the list. That's the only drawback in my mind. Worth going to if anywhere in the Tidewater area.“

TheBeerGod 7442 days ago