The Bier Garden - Portsmouth

It has been a few years since we have eaten at the Bier Garden. I should have realized what we were in for when, on a Friday night, there was no crowd and no one ahead of us in line to be seated. We almost left when we entered as my wife cannot stand the smell of Fabuloso cleaner and that smell was overwhelming as soon as we entered. We were immediately seated just inside the entry-way dining room. Unfortunately the door closer does not work and every time the staff passed thru the door it slammed with a loud noise that was more than annoying. It is difficult to believe that folks who work there have not learned how to ease the door shut or found some way to cushion the blow. With some dietary needs, we asked about gluten-free options and the hostess offered an allergy information sheet. This was immediately forgotten and only arrived after we had ordered. However, that was just as well because the print was too small to read. Service was slow. As such it gave more than enough time to study all the decorative items and surroundings. Thankfully the A/C made for a pleasant temperature. However, it was less than appetizing to see the black stains surrounding the vent. Had there been a wood stove, I would assume that it was soot from smoke but around an A/C duct, it only brought black mildew to mind. As far as the meal, my schnitzel was about 1/4 in thick and so tough it had to be cut with a knife. My wife 's brussel sprout salad was just that. None of the other ingredients were there except for one sliver of a radish. The dressing was almost absent. 90% of it was left. Need a box to go? No thanks. Wish we had read the reviews before we went.

As a German, I was excited to eat at this restaurant with my bf on our way to the Outer Banks. It took a long time for us to get our food although it didn’t seem busy but the waitress apologised for it. I ordered Käse Spätzle and my boyfriend had Jägerschnitzel with mushroom gravy. It might be helpful to say that what he had was not a Jägerschnitzel but a Zigeuner Schnitzel. He said the gravy was delicious tho. My Spätzle were ok but there was almost no flavor to it. Definitely needs more cheese. The Brötchen served with our meal were perfect and as German as it can get. I was also happy to see that they had Radler or Shandy. Overall quite nice. :

The food and service are great, beer selection is large and the waitstaff actually knows their stuff and overall a great place to eat

We ordered the schnitzel which was to be pork lion. It was so chewy and tough that it was not eatable. We also ordered noodles which were cold. We mentioned to the waitress that we were unable to eat the meal as it was so tough and chewy and the reply was “yeah, sometimes that happens” which means we were not the first people to complain. We were not looking for money back or a discount, but was very surprised in the response we did get. Sorry, but we will not be back for dinner.

Love this place, family owned, very welcoming and a great selection of German beers!