Mr. Dunderbak's Restaurant and Brewery — Restaurant in Temple Terrace

There is celebrated history for my family aligning with German culture as my oldest daughter was born in Bavarian Germany. So naturally, we try our best to find the local German cuisine and festivities everywhere that we travel and live. Luckily for us, we discovered Mr. Dunderbak's, which wasn't incredibly too far from Lutz.

We came mid-afternoon on a Sunday and the parking lot was full - fortunately, we were able to find some spots without waiting too long. As it was the end of September, Mr. Dunderbak's also hosted some Oktoberfest observations and festivities. This meant a bit of a wait for our family of four to be seated inside, but it was worth it!

As you walk up to the restaurant, you are greeted with the unique Bavarian-esque calligraphy of its name in bold, golden hue. There was still outdoor seating available when we went in the form of tables and benches that situated in the parking spaces in front of the venue. Approaching the entrance, you will encounter a set of oaken doors that set the stage for your welcome. The doors then open up to a short corridor that which is adorned with wall hangings and lined with cases of beer along its walls, while the incandescent lighting contribute to the tone and ambiance of the restaurant before opening up to the immersive dining space.

Immediately, we were reminded of our time spent living in Germany, as well as our travels to Austria. The noise-level was definitely suited for the space and environment that you find at a Biergarten. While the lighting was somewhat dim, the atmosphere was lively and vibrant which didn't rely on the light musical faire playing in the backdrop. There was a playful arrangement of seating areas - from biergarten benches and tables to formal tables with even a dining table under a gazebo centered in the dining space - making Mr. Dunderbak's even more festive. Flanking either side of the main dining space were two smaller rooms, with a full bar.

What makes Mr. Dunderbak's even more unique is the mini-store that lines around the main dining space, along with a fully operational deli, offering an assortment of German meats/sausages and groceries (comparable to the Cracker Barrel concept, but better and without the negative media).

As for the food, we definitely were able to satisfy our German-cuisine cravings. The menu was rather robust offering a variety of schnitzels and wursts (yes, they have currywurst), while offering a unique American flare with their other menu items. While I did not get any beer to accompany my meal, my wife ordered a Radler - and a grapefruit one at that - which arguably made her day. The jagerschnitzel, sauerkraut, and potato salad were solid, while the nurnberger (wursts) and spatzle were a hit with my kids.

Overall, we had a great experience at Mr. Dunderbak's and will definitely be back again. This is a great place to go with groups and to simply enjoy...

The reasons for the overall and atmosphere ratings:

Went with my wife, son, and his girlfriend to what I thought was going to be a relaxing afternoon to watch Germany play Espanola. Almost from the moment we got there a guy in front of us was loud and grew more obnoxious as the game went on throwing F-bombs, GDs, and the “B” word so loud that people all around us, including three families with young kids, could hear him. At one point, when Germany scored, this person jumped up on his chair ranting a raving while inebriated almost falling backwards on our table. His friend had to grab him by the belt loop to keep him stable. In the process, our table tipped, knocked all of our drinks over, and spilled beverages onto my son’s girlfriend. I did confront the young man at that point…and though he offered to pay for the drink, he did so with a bit of an attitude, didn’t apologize to the lady, and didn’t help clean up our mess. What surprised me the most was that they still kept serving this guy beer and never pulled him aside to ask him to calm down.

I called the manager today to let him know about the situation and even though he said he was sorry we didn’t enjoy the time there, it came across half-hearted with no incentive to come back after a very challenging experience. He did say if I had mentioned we lost our drinks that we would have been given another round. What the manager fails to understand is that after nearly an hour of putting up with obnoxious behavior and no one doing anything about it, we didn’t want to be there any longer since I was on the edge and close to taking the situation into my own hands (which is what happens when an establishment doesn’t intervene when drunks get obnoxious). When I challenged the manager on how he nor his staff could not have heard the young man loudly shouting expletives with women and kids around, he just said everyone was having fun, staff was busy, and no one complained. This answer is very disconfirming as if to say it wasn’t a big deal because no one else said anything about it. Not the right answer.

The manager needs to alert his staff to be more perceptive and stop ignoring what many others would consider offensive behavior if he wants to maintain a family friendly environment. If he wants to run a biker bar, that’s a different story. Additionally, the young man should not have been served any more beer until someone in the establishment addressed and assessed the person’s...

Guten Tag Y'all!

Started our day with a late morning walk through Lettuce Lake Park on the boardwalk. Had to get a small Volksmarch in before the temperatures reached boiling point.

We were referred here by a co-worker, and I am seriously happy we followed up on it.

I was stationed in Germany from 1984-1987 with the US Air Force at a place called Borfink (no longer in service). Lived in Nuebrucke and Birkenfeld.

So obviously, I spent a lot of time eating true German cuisine over the 3 year period.

We also moved here from Columbus, Ohio 5 years ago which has a very large German population that includes an Oktoberfest that is second to none in the US; and also has several German eateries that are simply amazing.

So, it is interesting that we have found an abundance of German themed restaurants down here in Florida; and all have been remarkably good.

Today was no exception. Great food, great service, and great atmosphere. Yes, it is cramped and not easy to navigate the on site market, but that means a packed house, right?

Food. I had to have Saurbraten. I think a good one is an indicator of the restaurants German quality. Mine was simply Wunderbar! Probably one of the best since I was in Germany.

Others in our group had Jagerschnitzle, Nuremberg Sausage Plate, and a Reuben.

We did have a Pretzel and fried mushroom as as a starter. Both good. Also had Black Forest Cake and Apple Struedel for dessert. Amazingly good.

A couple house brewed Maibocks were also consumed. Very good and true to the style with that sweet sticky mouthfeel and slightly bitter pop before relaxing into a long dry finish.

Prices were fair for the times we are in. Bartender was our server and he was excellent.

We sat in the bar and watch a little Fussball while dining and it was nice and relaxing. Out in the main room it was a bit more noisy, but that is to be expected.

As far as getting a "true" German gasthaus experience or feeling like a moment reflecting on the visits to Muchen...this does fall a hair short as most of the workers appeared to be students from nearby USF. That is to say, that there were no German accents from the staff. There's a place across the bay that has that part nailed with 2 sisters from Germany.

The true question of the day...will we come back? Ja!

Sind sie haben eine guten...