Checkers Old Munchen — Restaurant in Pompano Beach

I have wanted to try this restaurant forever but never got around to it. It came back on my radar when I visited Untapped which is the outdoor food and art festival that Pompano holds on the first Friday of the month. Checkers always has a tent in the back where for a very reasonable price they serve up bratwurst and a few other items. When I found a Groupon for $15 for $30 worth of food at the restaurant plus with an extra 20 percent off because of a sale and Roy and Julie said they would go it seemed like the stars had finally aligned for a visit.

I was a little late for my dinner because of parking. There are a couple of restaurants and stores in this area and only a small lot out back. Parking is so bad that certain spots are marked with names and tow signs. At night almost all of the other businesses are closed which I wasn't aware of so it seems like people take their spots. Since the lot behind the restaurant was full after a lot of discussion with my daughter I took the chance and parked at a closed realty office. I was kind of worried about it the whole night but it worked out okay.

Once I entered the restaurant I was immediately charmed by the interior and some of the stress of the parking situation started to melt away. The restaurant is two small rooms with a bar that spans both of them. The walls are lined with various beer steins and other German kitschy touches. As my daughter said it looks the Germany pavilion at Epcot. Thankfully Julie had the foresight to make reservations. If she hadn't we wouldn't have had a table and it was a weeknight.

On the table when I arrived was a bread basket which always takes me to my happy place. it was filled with a fresh brown bread, soft pretzels, butter, and mustard. Roy was drinking a grapefruit beer which after he generously let me taste I immediately ordered. The menu had some many mouth watering beef, chicken, and pork choices it was hard to pick just one. I even saw a fish dish. After a lot of deliberation I settled on the Sauerbraten and my daughter had the pork Schnitzel. My pot roast was tender and covered in a vinegary sauce. For my sides I chose the spatzel and warn German potato salad with it's tangy mustard dressing. Other side choices include mashed potatoes, potato salad, vegetable of the day, red cabbage, and sauerkraut. The pork Schnitzel had a crispy exterior with a flavorful brown sauce. I loved both dishes. The portions were huge and I had some leftovers to take home. My daughter who wasn't even sure if she liked German food before coming here cleaned her plate. I was glad that she got to experience some of the food of her heritage and that she enjoyed it so much. I loved my dinner so much that I couldn't leave without sampling their dessert. They had what you would expect to find like Black Forest cake and apple strudel with ice cream. My daughter loves chocolate cake so we went with the German chocolate. They thoughtfully provided a fork for everyone at the table to have a taste. The cake was delicious with an interesting sugar crunch in the frosting.

When it came to pay there was no problem with using the Groupon. They didn't even mind that we used two separate ones at our table. Our server just scanned them and applied the discount to the bill. While we were waiting to pay the table behind us celebrated a birthday. The birthday celebrant was brought gifts from Checkers in the form of a T Shirt, a glass, and a shot of Jägermeister. The restaurant turned off the lights and everyone sang Happy Birthday. This looks like a really fun place to celebrate your birthday.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Checker's. It was worth the wait but I don't intend to wait long to visit again thanks to the fact that they even provided us with discount offers for a future visit. Even if you aren't a German food connoisseur the menu here has dishes that would appeal to anyone. I am so glad Julie and Roy gave me the push I needed to finally dine here. Between the company and the mouth watering food I had a memorable...

I love everything about Germany; I also lived there many years ago and still crave their food, even though… I’m Italian (so please, don’t repeat this to my Italian family and friends!).

I was therefore very happy to find out about this restaurant and to hear good reviews about it; and of course, I went to try it as soon as we could.

The restaurant was opened back in 1982 by a German chef, and the tradition is now continued by his nephew.

We came here on a Saturday for lunch: it was barely noon and the place was already packed (they open at 7am). Their parking lot is very small and was already full when we arrived, but we did manage to find a spot across the street. You first enter their long and narrow bar, and from there a door takes you to the dining room.

In the dining room you feel as if you were in a German restaurant, and their walls are literally covered by German Beer Mugs and Boots – all of them with plaques with names on it. These plaques are part of the “German Beer Tour” that the restaurant began in 2012, which sounds like fun! What you have to do to participate is first to request a “German Beer Tour Passport”, which list all of the 30 draft (imported) beers offered by the restaurant. This passport will keep track of your drinks: once you have drunk all the 30 German beers, you become a “Deutsche Bier Meister” (German Beer Master) and receive your own plaque on the wall, a German beer tour T-Shirt, and “Das Boot” to take home. Apparently you can complete your “journey” at your own pace, so even if we don’t live very close to this location, I may request my passport next time we go!

I love “Leberwurst”, so once I saw it on the menu, I ordered it without even checking the other dishes. Even if I ordered it in the size of “appetizer”, the portion was really big. It was so good that I ate it all nevertheless. I also tasted some of the food that our friends ordered (pancakes and various sausages), and liked them all!

The service is very good and fast, and the prices are very decent, above all considering the big portions. They also have HH from Sunday to Friday, offering ½ off all their imported draft beers.

I look forward to...

Family celebrations to me always mean a good meal out somewhere. To celebrate our wedding anniversary this year the whole family met at Checkers Old Munchen in Pompano. It was my first time in, and they certainly impressed our entire party! Since we are a group of 8, I had made a reservation online ahead of time, and a nice large table by the front window was waiting when we arrived. Instantly you can feel the "comfort of home" vibe in this place. Our server, Rodrigo was great and offered lots of personal choice experiences to help us navigate the menu. We started with a "Kombinationen Platte" appetizer with a potato pancake, sauerkraut, bratwurst, and knackwurst. Before we could even order that, basket of freshly baked pretzel bites was delivered to the table along with a nice side of whole-grain mustard. That could be the best "bread basket" I've ever had! Of course we had to order a few drinks while we waited for the rest of the family (we arrived early) and one entire side of the menu is beers, wines, and specialty drinks. Once the whole family assembled we needed a few extra minutes to narrow down our entree choices -- there were more entrees that we wanted to order than we had adult mouths to feed! In the end, we tried the Chicken Paprika, Pork Stroganoff, Stuffed Schnitzel, Chicken Schnitzel (x2), Kids Brats & Knocks, and a Sauerbraten. The food came up quickly, and the portions were HUGE... we all had leftovers to bring home, but that didn't stop us from sampling the dessert menu! Homemade Apple Strudel, German Chocolate Cake, and Strawberry Sponge Cake. The only problem with the desserts was that it now meant we had to ask for MORE boxes to take the rest of the desserts home, too! This was the largest savings I've ever had with my Kind Diners Card - $59! (In hindsight, that should have been limited to $50, but I didn't notice it in time)

Special thanks to the whole crew at Checkers Old Munchen - they did a fantastic job! I know we will be back many times...