Radegast Hall & Biergarten

113 N 3rd(@ Berry)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
http://www.radegasthall.com/

For our first Williamsburg bar review, we might as well go with the best one. This is my favorite bar in the city right now, no doubt owing to the giant steins and communal drinking atmosphere. Radegast is split in two, with one side having a gorgeous solid wood bar that snakes around the center of the room, surrounded by booths and tables tucked into every available corner and serviced by expert bartenders dressed in white dress shirts and black ties. A very classy affair on this side. Your choices are pints($7), liters($13) and pitchers($18) of the 10-12 rich and tasty Central European beers on tap or about another three dozen beers in bottles. Your faithful reviewer is a particular fan of the Hofbrau Dunkel, as his roommates can attest to times when he has mumbled "Dunkel....Dunkel..." in his sleep. A full bar is available, but frankly you didn't come to the Biergarten to drink Jack & Coke(you know who you are). No, you came to pick up a pint and walk to the other half of the bar, where two rows of wooden beer hall tables run the length of the building. This is where the real drinking happens. Seating is generally tight which makes it easy to make new friends and drinking buddies. At the rear of the building is a grill where bratwurst, weisswurst and many other types of schnitzels and kraut are available until 2am. There is a full menu available of German and Czech dishes from the kitchen until 1130. Prices are a little steep(~$10 at the grill, $13-$18/entree from the kitchen), but its not likely you will notice when you are fork deep in kielbasa and sauerkraut. Up above the Biergarten room is a glass celing with louvers open in the summertime that let fresh air in and beer breath out. It also creates a cheery atmosphere in the afternoon, with lots of sunshine. The music of the establishment generally tends toward traditional German oompa "Lets invade Poland" tracks with the occaisional dance tune thrown in. In the end, this is not an everyday bar, unless you make 100k/year, its more of a destination bar(as in, I feel destined to go every other week). A great place to start off the night with a couple liters of fantastic brew.


Atmosphere- 5
Between the music and the giant beers, it makes me wonder why my ancestors left Central Europe. Oh yeah, all those wars....

Clientele- 4
I heard someone call it "fratty" and I have noticed more collars recently, but mostly its a mix of people who like drinking beer, aka my people.

Value- 3
Ordinarily $7 pints would get an angry penguin, but the beer is great. The grill could be cheaper as well.

Location- 5
There are plenty of other bars a stones throw away, and its 3 blocks from the L.

Service- 4
Waitress(Beer Wench?) service is strong, but suffers from packed houses. Bartenders are consummate professionals.

Overall Bar Penguin Rating- 5 penguins