Hopfingerbräu am Brandenburger Tor — Restaurant in Berlin

Terrible experience from a tourist's point of view, which is bad for business, considering this restaurant gets a lot of tourists from the historic Brandenburg Gate being nearby. We stopped here for lunch on a weekday, wasn't very busy. We had just sat down and started looking at the menus when our waiter asked us what we wanted to order. I asked for another minute and he scoffed and walked off. We really only needed an extra minute or so to look at the options they had, especially since it was our first time there, but he didn't return for another 10 minutes (during which time he was mostly standing around or walking past our table to chat up other customers). Upon returning, he asked if we were finally ready to order. When I said yes, he sighed and said, "finally, good" while taking out his pen and paper to write down our orders. The food was fine, we both enjoyed it, but the menu's English descriptions could use some work since our meals weren't exactly as we expected. But that wasn't the main issue. Our waiter's rudeness continued when I went to pay. Our total came out to 26 euro - I handed him 30 euro. He asked me, "how much do you make?" I didn't really know how to answer this. Being from America, people don't just randomly ask you how much money you make, it's kind of a rude question. But I realize I'm in another country so I didn't want to be offended, because their culture is probably different. Before I could even respond to the question, he added, "The total is without tip. How much would you like to tip?" I currently live in Ireland, where tipping isn't really a thing in restaurants since their staff get paid fair wages, and so nobody expects a tip or even asks for it. Hell, even in America people don't ask for tips - they expect them because they rely on them as part of their income, but they don't ask because it's a choice the customer makes on their own, not something they should ask for. So when he asked me how much do I want to tip, I felt a little conflicted, but went with my initial feeling which was to tip. I told him, "3 euros." He repeated it back, "3 euros?" in a questionable tone, as if that wasn't acceptable. Then he added, "So your total is 26, 3 for the tip... so you get 1 euro back?" in a questionable tone again, so I just answered, "Yes." He then began to dig through a little sack he had with coins in it and proceeded to hand me 70 cents in mostly 10s and a couple of 5s. He said, "I don't have enough" and dismissed himself to return to his work. I was baffled - there were a lot of coins rustling around when he was fetching the change, I'm sure he had enough to give me the proper amount back. But I didn't push it, we just left because we were fed up from the whole experience of being there. We would not go back to this restaurant, even though the food was good, because the service was rude and...

Absolutely appalled by the customer service at this restaurant. The food was decent and it has good beer however, the quality of the staff at this restaurant have to be amongst the lowest I have ever experienced from any establishment, which is ridiculous. Sat down with some friends who had already ordered and asked the waiter if we could order food only to be told that someone else would come to take our order, which was odd but I assumed he may have been busy, but clearly not, as he spent the next near 15 minutes standing around, customers who had come in long after us had already gotten their food before my friends and I had even ordered. Multiple times we were ignored by the waiter who seemed more interested in standing around looking busy rather than actually serving customers.

When it came time to pay we waited at the till for several minutes before we asked the same waiter if we could pay the bill, to which he didnt even respond, but instead a couple minutes later came over, but not to sort out payment but to get one of the other waiters to sort it out. We all payed and when I got to the till I asked if I could pay on card and was told no only cash even though my friend before me had paid with his card. Not only that but I was given less change than meant to, whilst I don’t consider it to be a significant amount it is not my responsibility to make myself whole afternoon payment, that falls on the establishment, if you don’t have the correct amount you give them the next closest, not next lowest. I don’t typically read or write reviews but when you have a dining experience that absolutely shocks you like I did, then you hope that others will read the reviews in the hopes they understand what sort of restaurant this is. Shockingly poor...

Food was decent, but the waitress could really something about service! Started out telling I only got credit card, and asked for directions to the nearest machine, so I could get some money afterwards..

While waiting for the food and drinks, my girlfriend went to the loo, and was asked 2€ for that service - even for paying customers.. she arranged that I would come down and pay, when I should go afterwards.. I went and paid the now 4€, my last coins..

We got our food and drinks and enjoyed it.

When we had to pay, it was by card, I was expecting to add some tips while paying, as you should, but the machine apparently didn't have that option - It was hard to see while the sun was reflected in the screen - the waitress then took the machine out of my hand and presented a note, saying something really fast.. I could read something whit tips, total and signature. I asked my girlfriend how they could get a tip this way, since the card already had been through the machine.. We tried to communicate whit the waitress, so I could ask what to do - but we were worthless to her, we had paid - and when see saw the signature, she took this piece of paper, screaming up that "tips was not included" ..

She actually ruined the next couple of hours whit her attitude, but luckily we found some real service elsewhere.

I wouldn't...