Künstler Brewing — Restaurant in San Antonio

What a fun evening here overall! Alas, there was definitely lost potential.

Reasons this place is a winner? Readers will want to come for the ambiance, scrumptious German fare, and crafty drinks (pun intended). Sadly, in glaring contrast was the paltry service we received, as well as some higher than expected prices without the food quality to match.

Not a big drinker when it comes to alcohol, but the sips sampled were good. The drink connoisseurs with me, though, did give me their approval and recommendations! They seem to have rotating drinks and specials on tap, as well as wine options.

Food was well prepared and ranged from average to excellent. Minor complaints only as far as taste, but some pricing was a little on the expensive side, especially for a gastropub setting, meant to be casual dining. We had the Spaetzle Macaroni and Cheese, not as cheesy as it could be but the spaetzle was tasty. Relatively easy dish done competently! Shrimp Roll on a pretzel bun was fine. Maybe $10 fine, not $18. Pretzel roll was a tad dry, shrimps seemed likewise dry even though they were dipped in a mayonnaise sauce. It came with toasty fries that weren't soggy and had a crisp texture, so that was nice. In contrast, the Schnitzel was impressive, glad the aptly named Künstler knows how to do German cuisine! Lightly breaded, the pork meat was succulent and tender, infused with the orange and their special sauce. Last but not least, The Big Haus from their specials board. Definitely big. But ultimately, really it was a huge pot of cabbage, potatoes, and sauerkraut, with some pork cheek pieces and the 3 large bratwurst. With a large bread roll on the side, nicely toasted. Readers want to know, was it good? The vegetables were roasted in some tasty seasoning and sauces, and the pork cheek pieces, although buried in there, were flavorful. Bottom line, yes, good. But not almost $40 good. Probably would have preferred getting the single bratwurst, on the regular menu, because those were the highlights.

Ambiance. One of the few places I can say without much hesitation that outside dining is actually better than inside. The inside was pretty dark, relatively small with open kitchen and a small area displaying Künstler merchandise. Nice to see they try to be involved in the community. There were some brochures out for other local breweries, plus the city's Fiesta celebration medals. Outside includes the large patio as well as the beer garden complete with a playground to distract the children and a stage for live performances!

This brings us to the largest disappointment. We walked in and out took almost five minutes before anyone even came to greet us, despite not being extremely busy on a weekday night. Patrons were mostly outside, where you can actually order online through their application. Eventually, we were told we could seat ourselves if we wanted to dine on the patio and that someone would come out shortly with menus. Ten minutes later, had to go in and get menus ourselves. Another five minutes later, someone came out to see whether we had been assisted. Waitress was friendly, took our orders. Drinks came out in a reasonable amount of time. For the food, we had to wait another twenty five minutes for some, almost forty for the rest. My description for the service provided here: cordial, but only the minimum required.

Are we return patrons? Although it would be a pity to lose such a great hang out ambiance, as tasty and welcoming gastropub locales are not easy to find, one must consider their expectations. An exemplary dining experience with superior food and drinks, as well as ambiance and service, in a timely manner? Maybe not. A return visit would probably require expecting a mostly selfserve dining experience, perfectly fine for some. To each...

Visiting San Antonio for a weekend meant an opportunity to discover new breweries. I have been to San Antonio dozens of times and have already visited about five or six breweries in the city. I like what I have tried, but I wanted something new and my quest for a fresh beer adventure led me to Kunstler Brewing.

Located in a residential neighborhood, Kunstler Brewing is different from the average craft brewery in several ways. One is the theme. Yes, it does have German elements, but there is a blending of Mexican influence here that sets it apart from the typical brewery. The same could be said for the beers. When I visited, they were serving such options as hefeweizen, porter, Belgian tripel, brown ale, Helles lager, and others. Some beers are traditional German, others are not. And it was a refreshing change to not find the beer offerings completely dominated by IPA variations- something I have experienced at many breweries over the past several years.

Kunstler Brewing is a brewpub and they have a limited menu that includes shareable plates, brats, lobster rolls, salads, and other items. One cool thing I didn’t expect is the wine options. Yes, this establishment does brew beer, but they also serve wine. I wasn’t here for the wine and in fact, I do not prefer wine. But I like that they offer an alternative beverage like this because, for some customers, this is exactly what they want.

This brewpub has a large front porch and a side beer garden. Both are dog friendly and they have games like cornhole, jenga, and other options. The front porch and neighborhood setting make you feel like you’re attending a party at a friend’s house. In many ways, you are, since the people and staff are just as friendly as those whom you would normally consider your close friends.

I love visiting new breweries and Kunstler Brewing is certainly a brewery I recommend. It’s a refreshing change from the usual craft brewery in multiple ways and its neighborhood vibe adds to its coolness. Check it out the next time you’re in San Antonio and in need of a beer adventure...

My first impression upon walking in the door was how friendly the staff was - really!

Second impression was the BEER! They have between 10 and 13 beers to choose from, depending on the time of the year, etc.

They are pretty close to Southtown and the Blue Star Art Complex on the southern part of the Riverwalk - you can walk to it if you have to folks. If you do end up driving here, the parking situation doesn’t seem too bad if you’re ok parking on the street since their lot is not very large.

There’s no table service, so you have to walk up to the bar and order (first world problems, I know - lol). But the cool thing about this place is, there is a LINE to order from. Not like a lot of bars where you don’t know if someone is just hanging out, or if they are in line to order. They have a very smooth ordering system at Kunstler’s, and I like it!

They have some covered seating outside and plenty of seating inside in the COOL AC! They have a good selection of growlers for purchase - from the traditional glass growlers, to two different sizes of “river safe” insulated growlers. Yes, they will refill a growler from another establishment. I ask a lot of questions folks - i just want to make sure y’all are prepared before you go strolling into these places, lol

They have a half dozen food choices - mostly German, and a couple of New England style dishes for some reason - not that there’s anything wrong with that LOL.

Take a moment to read the descriptions of the different beers they have on tap. I was literally LOL’ing as I read each of them. I asked the owner who wrote them (I told you I ask a lot of questions), and he told me his wife did. I have included a photo of the description of the Cashmere Hefeweizen - which is an AWESOME brew!

My hat is off to the good brew, the friendly staff, and the hilarious descriptions of the brews.

P.S. they...