Gottscheer Hall

One of my favorite bars in Ridgewood! Basic German beer selection, (I miss the Hacker-​Pschorr that they sadly don’t have on tap anymore). The food is great for soaking up all the giant mugs of beer. Between a few pretzels and some three cheese baked spaetzle, who couldn’t down a boot of frosty German beer?

Gottscheer is personal for me. :) I’ve been coming here a lot through the past fall & winter, probably twice a week. And for all its awkward shabbiness — the staff that is clearly too little too late and doesn’t manage to keep up with the amount of crowd that place occasionally gets, the occasional complete lack of music :) — I actually really LIKE it :). It has a neighborly feel to it and feels genuinely German. Also, the few food items that they actually serve are not bad. I like the spatzle and potato pancakes that come with apple sauce. You wouldn’t think their kitchen would turn up anything decent, but they do :).

I love Gottscheer Hall. It is such a local gem in Ridgewood. The prices are great, would highly recommend a pretzel and any of the German beers on tap. My favorite part about this place is the mix of locals and new to Ridgewood crowd and the authentic unpretentious attitudes. The Miss Gottscheer Hall photos dated back until the 1960s are amazing too. They have the Ridgewood Market here on the weekends which is fun to check out as well.

Gottscheer Hall seemed like an interesting place to check out, especially for fans of Zum Stammtisch. But the two are very far apart.
We stopped by here one busy night during a Ridgewood Eats event. The venue was crowded, but we were lucky (or so we thought) to get seats at the bar. That’s mostly where our first Gottscheer Hall experience ended.
We waited to order drinks for some time – it was more than 15 minutes but I don’t want to say as much as a half hour. One member of the bar staff spent the duration of the time going through past checks, while another was taking orders from patrons all over the place. I was willing to continue waiting, but then a waitress put several stacked plates of used dishes (with half-​eaten food still on them) right in front of one of my friends sitting at the bar.
Our order still wasn’t taken and the dishes sat there for a few minutes. Since those didn’t seem to be moving, we did.
We opted for Julia’s, which isn’t at all the same at Gottscheer, but it was a far more enjoyable experience.
I understand some places move at a slower pace than others, but the service was downright awful and rude. Don’t host large events if you can’t keep up. And use the kitchen to stock dirty dishes, not bars where patrons are looking to pay.

3 stars for the atmosphere, minus 2 for the crappy Ridgewood Market.

Love this place, feels like something one would only find in New York. Originally a club for Gottschee Germans they are super friendly and welcoming to all the neighborhood (Ridgewood) folks. Old school, funny, brash but nice barmaids serve steins of beer and super tasty, perfectly greasy spätzle ‘n’ cheese. Also, some kind of amazing mini liqueur bottles that hang on what looks like a bullet holster… To top it off, the entrance hall is pack with photos of «Miss Gottschee» winners dating back to the ‘50s. FREE, super fun jukebox. Kind of a perfect place!

This place is a fantastic place to drink German beers on the cheep and they even have great German food. I only just realized that they’re open to the public. I had always thought they were a private club.

Ive had my baby shower, 30^th Birthday and this month I had my daughter’s sweet 16 here.
The experience have been great. The manager Alvita who takes care of the parties was so sweet. She is very accommodating which made the experience even better. We chose to use them to cater my daughters party and the food was great. The kitchen was spotless and the food was made the morning of the event. The mashpotatoes and ribs were a hit. The staff were very polite and on top things. The bathrooms spotless, the place was clean. I was very happy with everything.
We felt at home, thats how welcoming it was throughout the evening.
My next visit will be to try their food by the bar. Its a different menu and from what I saw coming out the kitchen the food look good. The staff very friendly and the atmosphere very comfortable.

This place… It’s not where I want to go all the time, but it’s a delightful break from the monotony of all the new found hipster bars in the area that all look like they were designed by the same person, and have exactly the same customers. Gottscheer has history. You will not be entirely surrounded by hipsters. There will be polish people old and young. You might see an older guy in a suit, a younger guy who looks like he works construction and is so drunk he’s about ready to pass out on the bar. A spunky senior citizen lady might strike up conversation with you. The bartenders have worked there forever, and to them it’s just a business deal. No waiting for them to finish up a twenty minute conversation to notice you have an empty beer. Decent bathroom!!! I really want to try the food. It doesn’t look all that fancy, nor is it priced as such, but it smells amazing, and the woman bringing it out looked who I would want cooking my German food. It truly looked like food you might get at your German aunt’s house. A nice big sausage and some kraut, but with a side of wonder bread. Unpretentious. I’m a f
an. You could also walk in wearing your pajamas and nobody would give a shit.

Wow, what a Gem. This is a one of a kind bar in New York City.
Me and my friend just happened to stumble by this place right after the Germany vs USA world cup game. Everyone was friendly to one another, everyone was up for a conversation. It’s one of those place where everyone is constantly talking without missing a beat, but somehow the noise level never gets too high. Everyone knows how to behave because it is a mature crowd, and they are all regulars from the area who show respect to their community neighbors.
It’s unfortunate that the bar will be closed temporarily for renovation for 2 weeks, which is right in middle of World Cup season when Germany is heading into the round of 16, and probably advance. Oh well, guess plans are plans. Too bad I wouldn’t find a bar that’s as mature and friendly as Gottscheer.
We’re lucky to have these gentlemen still in this city, keeping the neighborhood safely drunk :) Thanks to Roland who showed so much love for people and for this bar.

Great establishment. Trina (the bartender) is kind and welcoming, especially to newbies. The feel is that of a German VFW hall, and it works, making you feel at home. The menu is fairly extensive for bar food, is reasonably priced ($ 6 burger + fries) and tastes great. We also ordered chicken fingers, which we murdered, seriously good food. The chef brought our meal out, and was also very sweet. Don’t come here looking for a wall of draft beers (they have 3) but do come here if you like German beers in huge glasses for $ 5. Don’t forget karaōke, live music, flea markets, and warm vibes, this place rules.

Gottscheer Hall how do I love thee?
Let me count the ways!
1. You have the Ridgewood Market there with brunch
2. Elfriede is the best and sweetest manager ever
3. Trina the bartender will become your second mom
4. Marcell is a badass bartender who fights crime with alcohol and smiles
5. German food off the hizzay
6. All the kitchen staff and other staff who have become family.
7. Bi-​monthly Karaōke nights with a packed room and no judgements
8. No pretentiousness and just great vibes.
9. Affordable everything!
10. The Jukebox is Free and you’ll sing along!
XX
Sarah

Such a cozy and welcoming place. Outstanding customer service, and very affordable. In 2 hours, I spent $ 15(including tip) on 3 Blue Moons and a delicious pretzel. That’s a steal if you ask any NYC resident. Definitely will come here again.

Went here to check out the Ridgewood Market when it was there back in December. We enjoyed our food and beer more than the market!
The potato pancakes were crisp and delicious. The three cheese spatzelle was surprisingly good but one order is probably enough for two people if your sharing an appetizer before hand.
The bar is small but you have a great selection of beer, german beer on draft! Prices are also very good. Definitely a spot I’ll be going to again!

Love this place! It’s been here my whole life (actually, it’s been in the same place since my grandmother was four yrs old), and only started really going there. The bartenders are hysterical! If you go when it’s busy, you lose the opportunity to make conversation with them, but if it’s a slow or empty night, they are the best.
The food is surprisingly good for a bar, completely reasonable portions, also have the best prices for liquor, and a good jukebox. I went there on a Fri night and met the scenesters and hipsters that are moving from Williamsburg and Bushwick into Ridgewood. It was a fun night, lots of music, dancing, conversation and drink!

I come here from time to time with my wife to eat bratwurst or krainerwurst with sauerkraut or potatoes. The prices are ridiculously cheap for the quality of the food.
The beer selection isn’t as good as other beer houses but it’s enough. Service has always been excellent and in terms of friendliness of staff it’s the best I’ve had in Ridgewood so far (I’ve lived in the area for 2 years now).
Iv’e never witnessed the extended menu they sometimes mention but the basic one is good enough.
The wife and I will keep visiting this place for dinner from time to time.

I’m torn.
I love this place. I had never been here before, but my dearest friend recently moved around the block, and as she’s aware of my fondness on all things German (beer, men, food), she suggested we go here the weekend my (now estranged) wife and I visited her in her new hood.
This place is great. It smells like sauerkraut, the bar is small and simple, they have a short tap list but the beers are varied enough to cover your taste (miller lite: vom, spatan, hoeegarden), a decent bar selection and a lot of bottled beer.
The menu is German (YUM), and even though I had just destroyed two slices at Rosa’s I was tempted to go Lt Aldo Raine on some brats. The bartender was friggin adorable AND — here’s the kicker kids — the 1.5 pints are 5 beans. Peanut sized beers are like 3 bucks. Boom. I can get lit up here nice and cheap. And there are tables where I can attempt to teach my «special» friends how to play cards.
**note: if the friggin card in the middle falls between the two outer cards YOU WIN Blondie. For the Love of God I’m not even the Brains of the group and I know how to play acey-​deucy**
Anyway, I’m hesitant to give this 5 stars simply because as we were enjoying some delightful banter and beer-​swilling card play, we were legit over run by hipsters.
I’m not even joking, it was pleasant, and nice, and we were having a great time, when BAM! Three came in. Before we knew it, they were everywhere. Like f-​ckin cockroaches. One tried to take my seat and I had to shoo him away (hit the bricks Jesus, or I will brain you). Another tried to eat her brat at our table and I had to block her (sit down here and lose your food, hipster)
Hopefully it’ll start being cool to drink at the places I like so they’ll go back to Williamsburg where they belong. Or maybe they can head over to Bushwick and see how the boyz in the hood feel about hipsters. They’ll eradicate them faster then…(insert classless German joke here).

Checked out the holiday party the bartender invited me too. Another Unilocal reviewer also sent me a message inviting me to come on down.
So I tried the food. I had the German potato pancakes with apple sauce. I liked the way the apple sauce was generously sprinkled with cinnamon. The dish overall was okay. However, both bartenders were extremely kind. The female bartender asked me how my food was. But I hope Gottscheer doesn’t stop serving food. It’s nice to find a place where you can eat and drink within your means. So I’ll probably order some dishes from here again.
The best part of this whole entire place is the vibe. From the sweet employees, chill locals, and people just enjoying themselves. This place can easily be your home away from home.
The result?
I bumped this up to five stars. Had an awesome time last night.

The tap room at Gottscheer Hall is the type of place that probably has looked the same for at least a decade. The same five to ten men are there every night, ordering the same beers, telling the same jokes, and popping quarters in the jukebox to play the same 80’s rock favorites.
The night me and a friend decided to go was just before Halloween, and the main ballroom (if you can call it that) was filled with a party for children all dressed up in their cute costumes. Although not much dancing was taking place, I could hear the chicken dance and electric slide coming from the hall.
That finally cleared out on this Friday night around 9:30pm, but the tap room stays open until at least midnight on weekends, depending on the crowd. They serve dinner from Wednesday through Sunday, and it is worth coming here for the experience of the whole place, even if the German food will not completely knock your socks off.
Although he became annoying to the point of anger, our neighbor at the bar began a conversation with us before we had even sat down. It is just that type of place, where even two young kids living far away from Ridgewood can come in and feel very welcome immediately.
They carry a couple bad US beers and a few good German beers, usually poured in the correct glassware in metric sizes. You will notice small signs on the tables advertising a $ 1 beer in the 0.3L size with any food purchase. Make sure to take advantage of this at some point during the evening.
On the specials the night we went was the sauerbraten dinner ($ 12.50), a big plate that comes with potatoes and red cabbage. The potatoes will be enjoyed, especially with the tangy gravy poured over the meat. The red cabbage is so-​so, while the meat itself is on the dry side. It’s fine with that sauce, but I found that a bite should probably include the potato as well.
Did someone say three-​cheese spaetzle ($ 8)? When the bartender did in fact say these words, we jumped at the chance to eat it. Unfortunately it did not live up to expectations, as the noodles were soft and dead and the whole thing just tasted too similar to macaroni and cheese. That being said, it was not terrible, it just was not like spaetzle.
Between courses we enjoyed another round or two of $ 5 beers in half-​liter mugs, an absolute steal even for Ridgewood. Eventually the promise of apple strudle ($ 3) came, but even this disappointed. Besides coming about 30 minutes later, it was just a microwaved dish. Unfortunately the black forest cake ($ 3) that was on the menu was not available.
Despite the fact that I have not said so many nice things about the food, I would come back here in a heartbeat. The place has charm, and the experience of it is definitely worth any distance and time you have to take to get here. The service is friendly and you are treated like family on your first visit. They have a bunch of memorabilia on the walls that is worth a look, and a big map of the Gottschee region, where the first immigrants who started this place were from. That region is now in current day Slovenia, and this place has no German accents, but it is all still very pure somehow.

I almost don’t want to write this review. Why? Because I love this place so darn much and the thought of not being able to get a seat at the bar or the bartender forgetting my name, makes me shudder. Then again, the thought of it going out of business makes me weep, so here we go…
It is the middle of December, the M train isn’t running to Ridgewood and mounds of snow are still piled in the streets from the last big nor’easter. And it is my birthday. My 30^th birthday to be precise. Despite the overwhelming odds, I held my party at Gottscheer Hall and those who came were rewarded with not only my best birthday ever, but one of the greatest nights out of their lives (I’m assuming).
When we arrived, we were told that the chef wanted to go home so instead of leaving us to go hungry, we were given a tray of sausage and peppers and rolls on the house, more than enough for all of us to share. We then spent the night sharing a few dozen pitchers of good German beer, bought for well below Manhattan prices and taking advantage of their free jukebox, which filled the room with classic rock and polka music. Sometime near midnight, a friend sat at the baby grand in the back and an impromptu karaōke session began, creating a scene that would have made Chris Columbus jealous with its cliched cheesyness.
I’ve been back many times since for dinner, which is always wholesome and never disappointing, and cheap weekday drinks. It is my go-​to spot and should be yours, just save me a seat at the bar.