Esther's Kitchen & Beer Garden

Overly priced for breakfast

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 3

Once upon a time a solid 3.5 stars. Now? A dismal 2 stars. I think either they changed ownership or recipes.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

Their Bratwurst Plate & Beef Rouladen were ok, fresh but quite basic. The seasoning seemed ok, maybe it was that the meats were not as juicy as other German restaurants or even Polish restaurants.

Very disappointed they don't offer Sauerbraten at all. NYC German Restaurants serve amazing Sauerbraten, meat is actually soured for days! Can't find good, authentic, actually soured Sauerbraten in the Bay Area.

They used to have these delicious chocolate dipped marzipan cookies which they no longer have. They should bring them back.

*Note: Beer in Germany is served at cooler temperature than room temperature but not cold like here in the US.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

Great food and excellent prices

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

We arrived at 9:18 am Saturday and the place was closed.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I ordered 2 main dishes to go for $34 and got the values of max $20. (käsespätzle $14, Pork Schnitzel $20) A bit disappointed since it had good reviews! Won’t go again!

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 3

The D’Lox Omelet was so delicious. I highly recommend this item on the menu to all salmon-in-eggs lovers out there.
Serving it with a cup of fruits made is so much more pleasant to taste!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Good food and nice portions, however I do think it is a little on the expensive side.

We tried the chicken schnitzel, the house potatoes, spaetzle and mushroom sauce. I really enjoyed the chicken and potatoes. The mushroom sauce was also very good.
I don't know why I keep ordering spaetzle, I think it is quite bland and oily/greasy. Not a fan

They have outdoor seating, indoor seating and a back patio. The staff was nice, I just wish they had a lunch menu option.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 3

Delicious German dishes in a casual setting. All delicious. The schnitzel is a bit chewy but makes up for with a good portion. The beef stew with ribbon pasta in sour cream is delightfully tender and tasty. The sausage plate with potato salad and red cabbage is a great mix of unhealthy and healthy diets.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 3

Hmmm this place is interesting. I’ve come here a handful of times over the past years. They used to have these wonderful cheese pretzels, not anymore sadly! There’s a feeling they value German food, and any German food I’ve had does taste good, so I’ll give them that! Expect it to be pricier for the portions than other cuisines.

Vibe wise, the place doesn’t feel deeply cared for. No napkins at the table, service seems disinterested, but it’s simple and gets the job done if you’re just looking to come in for a snack. I probably wouldn’t go near the bakery, the mini cookies were $1 and didn’t taste very fresh.

I do love bratwurst so I do appreciate this place! Just not as cozy as I’d like :)

Service: 3

They used to have good, pretty original Bretzeln. Now they sell you the US stadium version. Was my last time there

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 4

Very friendly and food is great too

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll, French Toast, Apple Pancake, German Pancakes

Not the same quality of food anymore.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

The Jägerschnitzel was absolutely delicious. The cream of mushroom sauce was light and perfectly complemented the homemade spätzle.
What I love about this place is that the food tastes truly homemade, not like something out of a jar.
While the staff was very friendly, I do feel there’s room for improvement in their training.
I’m definitely planning to return to try their German breakfast!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Great food and coffee. I recommend trying the biscuits. Alex’s salad is the bomb. Now that Starbucks has fewer seats it’s nice to have Esther’s as a place you can sit and have coffee while you work or study. I would come here more often if there was a price break on coffee refills or bottomless coffee.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5