Sydney Eat Street: How to celebrate Oktoberfest
It’s Oktoberfest season and with 200 years in the making this festival has crossed ocean to be celebrated around the globe, including Sydney. Prost!
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MUNICH BRAUHAUS
While it’d be a real hoot to raise a stein and belt out folk tunes with complete strangers in the grand beer halls of Bavaria, you can still share in the Oktoberfest spirit (or beer) with a mere visit to The Rocks.
Taking its is name from Munich, Germany, the home of Oktoberfest itself, Munich Brauhaus will have all of the communal tables you can handle. But wait, there’s more.
Oktoberfest traditionally lasts just 16 days but not here … the festival will run until October 27.
The heritage listed-building and cobblestoned walkways add the final touch of authenticity.
If you sign up for the Oktoberfest Package ($79) you’ll be more than covered: a salted pretzel to start; a Bavarian main; and a decadent dessert, plus a one-litre stein of Oktoberfestbier and a shot of Schnapps.
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Of course there are schnitzels and snags but Munich Brauhaus also has a more specialised second set menu ($45pp) that includes Wurstsalat, a shredded sausage salad with pickled cucumber, onions and Swiss cheese; corned beef brisket, baby potatoes and sauerkraut with a horseradish sauce; and Kaiserschmarrn, bits of pancake topped with butterscotch and almonds.
Come back each Saturday for themed-fancy dress parties, games and competitions or just grab a seat, chat up your neighbour and enjoy the infectious deep bass sounds of live Oompah music.
— 33 Playfair St, The Rocks; thebavarians.com/venue/the-rocks-sydney
THE BAVARIAN
Oktoberfest in God’s Country? Yes! While Germans begin to rug up for winter, Sydney-siders are shedding their sweaters to soak up the sun, and where better to do than Manly Wharf.
The Bavarian German restaurant, there’s plenty of outdoor tables and seating overlooking Manly Cove and, really, it doesn’t take much convincing to enjoy a cold stein on a hot day.
Munch on plate-sized soft German pretzels or go all out with the Oktoberfest package meal, which like its sister venue in The Rocks, includes the likes of their famous crispy pork knuckle plus a fun-filled Oktoberfest showbag with mini-steins, bottle-openers, an ‘Oktoberfest 2019’ T-shirt, free venue vouchers, discounts, giveaways and more.
All in all, through the month of October, Manly Wharf is your destination for great beer, great food and of course, that stellar view.
— Manly Wharf, Shop 2-5, Manly Wharf, Manly; thebavarians.com/venue/manly-wharf/
STUYVESANT’S HOUSE
Brothers Rudi and Max Dietz are what you’d lovingly describe as the epitome of jolly with their huge handle-bar moustaches and ear-to-ear smiles that just light up the dining room at Stuyvesant’s House.
They came to Australia from southwest Germany and have been sharing their gregarious German hospitality with Sydney for more than 50 years.
With Rudi working the kitchen and Max overseeing the drinks, Stuyvesant’s House has made a name for itself as a go-to for delicious and authentic German food, beers and Max’s pride and joy, a 4000-bottle wine cellar.
“While Australians are enjoying more wine overall, Oktoberfest is still a celebration of beer, great company and good food,” Rudi says.
“So, Prosit — let’s have another beer.”
There’s a special Oktoberfest menu, which thankfully includes their renowned crispy pork knuckle (for two).
Other share options are the Schlacht Platte — a hearty plate of various sausages and meats served with sauerkraut and the traditional Kaiserschmarren a mouth-watering dessert of baked pancake, marinated raisins, almonds with fruit compote and vanilla ice-cream.
— 45 Alexander St, Crows Nest; stuyvesantshouse.com
OKTOBERWEST
Sydney’s inner west may be a long way from Munich but the founder of Wayward Brewing Co and president of the Inner West Brewery Association, Peter Philip, says: “The inner west is the new craft brewing capital of Australia and Oktoberwest is set to become the premier beer festival for showcasing the fantastic beers being produced here, add to that the amazing local bands we have lined up and you’ve got the recipe for one of Australia’s best beer festivals.”
Beer is the major act of Oktoberfest, but it’s not the only thing that lures the crowds year in and year out.
There’s great food, lively entertainment and the chance to party with, well, other beer lovers.
The place to meet with like-minded aficionados is at Marrickville’s Factory Theatre for Oktoberwest, in which the venue will be transformed into an epic beer garden and beer hall with entertainment, food trucks, loads of games, and of course, frothy goodness from nine of Sydney’s best breweries including Young Henry’s, Willie the Boatman, Wayward Brewing Company, The Grifter Brewing Company, Batch Brewing Company, Sauce Brewing Co., Philter Brewing, Malt Shovel Brewery (James Squire), and Stockade Brew Co.
Be there on October 12 from midday. Tickets are $45.
— The Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Rd, Marrickville; oktoberwest.com.au
BANKSTOWN SPORTS CLUB-BAVARIAN EXPRESS
All aboard the Bavarian Express at the Bankstown Sports Club where executive chef Helmut Gundendorfer has harked back to his German upbringing to present a month of food not to be missed.
“Oktoberfest is all about pork knuckles cheese kranskys, Sauerkraut, steins of beer, schnapps and dressing up in Lederhosen and Dirndl and dancing to the traditional music of Germany,” he says.
“One big party that goes for days. It’s a tradition I always celebrate at my home and at Bankstown Sports.”
Under his guidance, Helmut has brought Bankstown Sports’ eateries to award-winning levels including Platform One; two vintage railway carriages have been restored to fine-dining luxury and which have been transformed into the Bavarian Express, a German pop-up restaurant.
For the month of October, Helmut has created an Oktoberfest menu which includes traditional pretzels, cheese spaetzle and Alpen camembert, mains of a classic schnitzel, crispy pork knuckle and grilled Snowy River rainbow trout fillets.
And for desserts — traditional Palatschinke pancakes and apple strudel. To make it a family affair, kids eat free. Wunderbar!
— 8 Greenfield Pde, Bankstown; bankstownsports.com/bavarianexpress
MUST TRY
OKTOBERFEST IN THE GARDENS
Get your lederhosen ready folks. There’s a massive line-up of fantastic German Food vendors, with more than 30 food vendors coming to The Domain.
And if last year’s sales of 15,000 bratwursts, 1250 pretzels and 75,000 beers, this event looks to have a sell-out crowd.
What has become Australia’s largest touring cultural festival will be channelling the energy of the iconic Bavarian fest with live music three stages as well yodellers, roving accordion players, pretzel fräuleins plus games and competitions.
It runs on October 26, from 1-9pm.
— The Domain; sydney.oktoberfestinthegardens.com.au
LIVERPOOL — LOVE LIVO NIGHT
Liverpool laneways are set to see some action with the Love Livo Nights series. On the first Thursday of every month, from 5-8pm, a laneway will be converted into a pop-up bar with food and live music.
The upcoming event on October 3 will see the laneway of Moore Coffee; celebrate Oktoberfest with German-style beers and satisfying bites including smoked bratwurst served by Fritz’s Wieners.
— 1 Moore St, Liverpool; liverpool.nsw.gov.au/community/major-events/lovelivo-nights
FRENCHIES BISTRO AND BAKERY
For the love of beer, this French bistro is calling on head brewer Vince de Soyres’ German roots to create a beer hall with a bounty of food and their very own traditional Oktoberfest brew — Frenchies Festbier made with Bavarian ingredients.
While head chef and co-founder Thomas Cauquil’s standard menu features a casual approach to French food; this time around he’ll be bringing his Michelin-star experience to work towards a menu designed by Vincent that includes traditional Oktoberfest food such as pretzel, sauerkraut, spaetzle with mushroom cream sauce or crispy pork belly with knoedel.
For dessert, you’ll be able to taste apfelstrudel, kaiserschmarn, or the popular gingerbread hearts, which also complements their bespoke beer.
This family-friendly event will include live entertainment, games, competitions and more on Saturday, October 19. Pre-sale tickets $20, door price $25 and free buses to and from Green Square.
— The Cannery, 6/61-71 Mentmore Ave, Roseberry; frenchiesbistroandbrewery.com.au/frenchies-oktoberfest
CRUISE BAR
Here’s an Oktoberfest special that only Sydney can provide — a harbourside seat along Circular Quay with a picture perfect view of our beloved Opera House with beer in hand.
Running through to October 7, Cruise Bar will be selling $10 Four Pines Kolsh Pint with complimentary side of mini pretzels.
— Level 1, 2, 3, Overseas Passenger Terminal, Circular Quay; cruisebar.com.au
WHAT’S FRESH
MsChief Bake Brunch Brews
The curtain has finally been lifted on Crows Nest’s latest cafe and a mere three weeks in, it’s already seeing packed tables, sold-out pastries and 50kg of coffee beans every seven days.
The menu is filled with dishes that co-owner Adelle Ly describes as “healthy but just a bit naughty” such as with the oats which she makes with more of a savoury Asian influence rather than the sweeter Western version.
For her and husband Trung, this charming space is also a way for them to give back to their community — be it the fresh flowers from the shop downstairs and personalised artwork (it’s these really cool renditions of their kids’ thumbprints) from an artist in Gordon.
“It’s not about us,” Adelle says.
“This is a platform for everyone else to shine.”
While the two of them may come from a corporate background, food runs in the family — from the hospitality business her mother ran before emigrating from Indonesia, her sister Ike Malada’s pastries with KOI and TiNi Croissant; and her nephews, Reynold, Ronald and Arnold, the gents behind the uber-dessert venue in Chippendale, KOI as well as the adjacent bar, Monkey’s Corner. Wow.
Together, they’re taking Sydney’s culinary world by storm.
— G03/105 Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest
Originally published as Sydney Eat Street: How to celebrate Oktoberfest