Hofbräuhaus Melbourne — Restaurant in Melbourne

I cannot believe it has taken me almost 4 decades and countless strolls through Chinatown to step into Hofbrauhaus. This unassuming tavern has stood the test of time and my first visit will most certainly not be my last. The Bavarian food we had on a bustling Friday night was so good, my favorite was the hot bretzel with butter...we had to order multiple serves as it was addictive. The HB platter was heavenly & hearty, so flavorful and quite good value considering $150 fed 6 people (technically 4 as 2 of us eat like birds), it had a whole juicy pork hock that fell effortlessly off the bone, crunchy melt in your mouth, perfectly roasted pork belly, savory flavor packed, plump sausages, freshly crumbed, crisp yet juicy schnitzels, bier sauce, mustard, sauerkraut, pickles, fresh, crisp cos salad ....but not to the point we were grossly stuffed that we could not fit in any sweets because it would have been a disservice not to order the desserts. The Apple Strudel and Bretzel Sundae were received well, considering half of us are lactose intolerant, we bit the bullet, it was too good to pass on, no regrets. All of it was faultless. Big Kudos to the staff, I'm pretty sure we caused a bit of an inconvenience with our countless questions and off menu cocktail requests, I'd also accidentally booked for 5 people but for some reason, a miscommunication among us led to our table of 5 being a group of 6. I felt terrible as we had to pull up a chair, but the amazing staff accommodated us with professionalism, grace & vigor and we were grateful for this display of warm and understanding hospitality which I have noticed has been lacking in the Melbourne dining scene as of late. There was a lively folk band which induced an atmosphere of joyful, festive merriment that encouraged guest participation. We would have stayed longer but we had tickets to a Comedy festival show and had to dash. The group loved dinner, the atmosphere and the entertainment and we cannot wait to return.

Update for return visit:

Service is top notch, 11/10 if I were being technical. We were quite early for a dinner booking but we were accommodated warmly by exceptional staff. Food and drinks are always fantastic here in both quality, quantity & presentation but service is what makes the experience memorable and definitely look forward to returning. There is a reason this place has withstood the test of time (and unrelenting economies), and I hope will be still bustling and thriving for many more years to...

Now the original flavours of a small state of Bavaria in Germany is hard to find anywhere else in Australia. But friends, @hofbrauhaus_melbourne is where you are guaranteed to find the authentic flavours, vibe, people, charm, decor, drinks and everything of Bavaria in this quaint little tavern style restaurant in an alley in Chinatown, Melbourne, Australia.

We had a gala feast at this fantastic German restaurant, with all the traditional Bavarian and German cuisine.

Weiner schnitzel, served with cranberry sauce, freshly crumbed veal, potato salad and slaw, so crispy, perfectly tender from inside and with that cranberry sauce, it tasted even more yum.

Biergarten Fisch, served with bretzel crusted cod with creamed Bavarian cabbage and fennel, buttered potatoes, lemon cream, such a divine main course, loved the bed of creamy veggies the code was served on more, has a very satisfying and mouth-melting flavour to it, highly recommend!

Biergarten Ente, served with pan roasted duck breast, duck leg croquette, fondant potato, roast beetroot and sour cherry sauce. The combination of all the flavours were so sensational in this dish, I felt very festive the moment I took a bite of this dish. The duck breast was very juicy and was cooked to perfection, the croquette of duck leg was the show stopper of this elegant and beautiful main dish. Definitely a must try.

We had a flatbread topped with bacon, cheese, rocket and onion with their creamy onion and leek soup of the day. This was a perfect winter gastronomic combo, so heart warming the soup was and the flatbread was absolutely delicious. Must try. And of course, the bretzels were perfect like always.

We also had a cocktail called Angela Merkel, which was very refreshing in taste, I would strongly recommend this, even though the German lagers are hard to resist here.

The prices are impossibly very reasonable and standard considering the generous portion size of their mains. The service is incredibly awesome, led by a team of friendly, cheerful and helpful team of staff.

So guys why not checkout this lovely tavern @hofbrauhaus_melbourne this weekend with your...

This is a really authentic Bavarian restaurant! I was born and raised in Bavaria until I was 18, when I walked into this place I had high expectations and they were certainly met! The servers are wearing dirndl and lederhosn ( traditional Bavarian attire), there's a Bavarian flag and lots of fitting decorations, the way the restaurant is built inside is like a typical 'Wirtshaus' too and there was even a LIVE BAND! I was stunned, I loved it, they were great! It was super loud inside which is typical for a place like that back home, so be prepared 😂 I bet not everyone expects that! Our server (Tim? Sam? Sorry i dont remember!) was very nice and he was german too, even better! We ordered Käsespätzle, lemon Schnitzel, a breze and of course beer. My partner was delighted, the Schnitzel and beer was great. The pretzel was as good as it could, I don't think they were selfmade but the frozen ones that you just throw in the oven for a bit. To be honest that didn't bother me, I know they're a lot of work and they still tasted good, I will order one again next time. Authentic pretzels are hard to come by in Australia and this one was very close anyway. The only thing I was extremely disappointed in was the Käsespätzle unfortunately. In Bavaria your Spätzle get roasted with butter, cheese is added and Crispy onions on top, that's it. The one I had was super saucy and oily(which can be seen on the photo too). It came with tomatoes and spinach but I ordered it without that because it doesn't belong in there anyway. While eating it all I could taste was oil, it was so overpowering I couldn't taste anything else. My partner tried and said it was delicious and we ended up swapping meals, he has never tasted the original though so doesnt have a comparisonlike I do. It wasn't a bad dish but it definitely wasn't authentic or what I am used too from home. Maybe that could be worked on. Would also love to see both kinds of Knödel on the menu as well as some kind of Braten, like Sauerbraten. Overall it was GREAT and we will be back to try other things on...