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Bock Bar and Biersal revive a favorite beer haunt
The businesses of South Park Commons are now open, with bratwurst
Bratwurst, potato salad, chicken schnitzel sandwich, and pretzel from Biersal
I've spent a lot of hours in this room. Except not quite this room.
It's been more than four years since flames consummated the decline and fall of Hamilton's Tavern, the South Park pub that stood as a local institution throughout craft beer's golden age. All this long while, the building that housed it has sat waiting for a next chapter.
Now, the suds have started flowing again, with the emergence of a new, Euro-styled beer hall concept called Bock Bar. And inside the new pub — for the hungry as well as thirsty among us — resides a German fast food counter, Biersal Kitchen.
South Park Commons is home to several businesses, including Bock Bar and Biersal Kitchen
In German folklore, a biersal was a gremlin that cleaned glasses in beer halls and breweries in return for beer. This particular Biersal may already be known to San Diego beer fans, as the concept has already been at it for a while as a food truck, frequently found parked outside local taprooms.
Which means fans of its chicken schnitzel sandwich ($14) are in luck. The chicken is hammered thin, panko crusted, and can't be contained by a bun. Ditto the flap of lettuce that tops it. Satisfying pub grub, without a doubt. Other German-inspired options include a pork belly-topped burger ($14) and flatbread wraps featuring either a ground beef and lamb kofta kabob ($14) or zucchini falafel ($12).
Chicken schnitzel sandwich and German potato salad
If you're looking to satisfy more nostalgic German tastes, stick to the big, soft Bavarian pretzel ($12 with beer cheese and mustard), or, best of all, a grilled bratwurst on a roll ($12). The tasty (and optionally vegan) sausage is loaded with pickled onions and mustard, but what puts it over the top — not unlike the schnitzel sandwich — is a good bun. Though I'm not sure the $5 potato salad is enjoyable enough to bypass the $5 fries.
The Biersal counter is set up on the far right as you enter Bock Bar, and it has its own door at the right side of the storefront, in order to facilitate take-out orders. If you're dining in, they'll give you a buzzer to let you know when your food is ready. Kinda like Hamilton's used to do.
A beer venue, reimagined
During the seven years I worked as a beer columnist, I lived in this neighborhood. By time Covid struck, I could probably have walked through Hamilton's blindfolded. Or at least, inebriated. But if I expected nostalgia upon walking into Bock Bar, I quickly realized I wouldn't find it. The room has been entirely rearranged. The bar has flipped sides, with high wooden booths sectioning off a dining area to the left. There are still both pool and shuffleboard tables, but they're now arranged along the back wall. The resulting space is a bit smaller, and feels a little snugger. This much remained the same: it was still packed on a Sunday afternoon.
In case the name Bock didn't spell it out for you, the place serves plenty of German beer. Actually, the entire left side of 32 tap menu features "Old World" beers. I noted a variety of European styles, including German (helles lager, hefewiesen), Czech (pilsner), Belgian (geuze, tripel), and Irish (stout). And not always from the most expected names in European beer. The right side of the menu features American craft beers, including many from San Diego.
The beer menu (and goat head) at Bock Bar
Another thing that's not like the old days is that beers on both side of the board go for about a $9 a glass. If there's an inflationary silver lining here, it's that these are half-liter glasses, meaning .9 ounces more than a pint. If you prefer your lager in full liter stein, you can do that, too.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Bock Bar and Biersal revive a favorite beer haunt
The businesses of South Park Commons are now open, with bratwurst
Bock Bar and Biersal revive a favorite beer haunt
The businesses of South Park Commons are now open, with bratwurst
Bratwurst, potato salad, chicken schnitzel sandwich, and pretzel from Biersal
I've spent a lot of hours in this room. Except not quite this room.
It's been more than four years since flames consummated the decline and fall of Hamilton's Tavern, the South Park pub that stood as a local institution throughout craft beer's golden age. All this long while, the building that housed it has sat waiting for a next chapter.
Now, the suds have started flowing again, with the emergence of a new, Euro-styled beer hall concept called Bock Bar. And inside the new pub — for the hungry as well as thirsty among us — resides a German fast food counter, Biersal Kitchen.
South Park Commons is home to several businesses, including Bock Bar and Biersal Kitchen
In German folklore, a biersal was a gremlin that cleaned glasses in beer halls and breweries in return for beer. This particular Biersal may already be known to San Diego beer fans, as the concept has already been at it for a while as a food truck, frequently found parked outside local taprooms.
Which means fans of its chicken schnitzel sandwich ($14) are in luck. The chicken is hammered thin, panko crusted, and can't be contained by a bun. Ditto the flap of lettuce that tops it. Satisfying pub grub, without a doubt. Other German-inspired options include a pork belly-topped burger ($14) and flatbread wraps featuring either a ground beef and lamb kofta kabob ($14) or zucchini falafel ($12).
Chicken schnitzel sandwich and German potato salad
If you're looking to satisfy more nostalgic German tastes, stick to the big, soft Bavarian pretzel ($12 with beer cheese and mustard), or, best of all, a grilled bratwurst on a roll ($12). The tasty (and optionally vegan) sausage is loaded with pickled onions and mustard, but what puts it over the top — not unlike the schnitzel sandwich — is a good bun. Though I'm not sure the $5 potato salad is enjoyable enough to bypass the $5 fries.
The Biersal counter is set up on the far right as you enter Bock Bar, and it has its own door at the right side of the storefront, in order to facilitate take-out orders. If you're dining in, they'll give you a buzzer to let you know when your food is ready. Kinda like Hamilton's used to do.
A beer venue, reimagined
During the seven years I worked as a beer columnist, I lived in this neighborhood. By time Covid struck, I could probably have walked through Hamilton's blindfolded. Or at least, inebriated. But if I expected nostalgia upon walking into Bock Bar, I quickly realized I wouldn't find it. The room has been entirely rearranged. The bar has flipped sides, with high wooden booths sectioning off a dining area to the left. There are still both pool and shuffleboard tables, but they're now arranged along the back wall. The resulting space is a bit smaller, and feels a little snugger. This much remained the same: it was still packed on a Sunday afternoon.
In case the name Bock didn't spell it out for you, the place serves plenty of German beer. Actually, the entire left side of 32 tap menu features "Old World" beers. I noted a variety of European styles, including German (helles lager, hefewiesen), Czech (pilsner), Belgian (geuze, tripel), and Irish (stout). And not always from the most expected names in European beer. The right side of the menu features American craft beers, including many from San Diego.
The beer menu (and goat head) at Bock Bar
Another thing that's not like the old days is that beers on both side of the board go for about a $9 a glass. If there's an inflationary silver lining here, it's that these are half-liter glasses, meaning .9 ounces more than a pint. If you prefer your lager in full liter stein, you can do that, too.
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