Schaffer’s Tavern

My friends and I gather at Schaffer’s about three or four times a year for an evening of sandwiches and beer. Wait staff is wonderful and friendly and the atmosphere is engaging. I always get the Liverwurst sandwich on pumpernickel with a little onion and mustard, and I always bring one home for my wife! Schaffer’s is a good old fashioned pub. Try it

Best corned beef I’ve ever had. Super tender and delicious without an overload of fat. And the fat that is on the meat is very melt in your mouth, not the gross chewy kind. Always stop by on St. Pattys and whenever I get a corned beef craving. Potato soup is delicious too!

On the menu for today was a Reuben sandwich. I ordered the regular sandwich, not the larger (and more $) open-​faced version. My pal had a plain corned beef. We each had 1 good sized stein of German beer. The meat was of good quality, although certainly not abundant. The sandwiches come with only a (very) small cole slaw and a pickle. At $ 10.75 it is difficult to get your money’s worth. If a plate of fries was included it would make a difference, but they don’t have fries. Total bill came to $ 35.50 without tip, so we paid $ 21 each. Having been to the 2 other German restaurants on Staten Island, I would recommend either of those as a first choice.

Small and simple menu.
Everything is extremely well done.
Good selection of German beers on tap.
A throwback to a simpler time in life.
My personal favorites are a Reuben sandwich, potato pancakes, and a nice tap beer.

This place is a nostalgic gem! My family and I have been coming here for years. Old school, almost 70s atmosphere. It’s definitely considered an ‘old mans’ bar. German beers on tap, birch beer, but most importantly, the MEATS! The pastrami, the roast beef, the corn beef! Everything stacked high on bread… and a side of potatoe pancakes, yum! (My fave is the pastrami on rye) also make a really good open faced turkey sandwich which my mom loves. Parking lot is a little tight, but definitely worth going.

I go here from time to time when I’m in the neighborhood. Nothing fancy, but good, friendly service. A nice beer selection, and while the menu is limited, what’s there is done well. Looks like an old neighborhood mainstay frequented by regulars who all know each other. Not a bad thing.

Even though it was busy on st. Paddys day.. And just to take out food. Had to wait a half hr. It was worth even minute to get the food. The waitress was so nice. The food was insanely good. Had the pastrami sandwich on a roll and hot turkey plate. And 2 split pea soups. Delicious. Will be going there again.

My fiancé and I stop by at this joint again 5 days after our first visit. This time, our waitress is a little bit older than the one we had on Sunday.
The food was great! We ordered hot pastrami sandwich and Rueben. Both dishes can out just as juicy as last time.
The only thing we weren’t entirely happy was the service! She was not as on top of things as the other young girl.

Went there Friday eve. for the first time and it did not disappoint. Had the Reuben plate and it was off the charts! My compliments to the chef. Haven’t had such good Corned Beef since they closed Goldens Deli. I suggest ordering the platter instead of the sandwich because you get a little more. I am not a beer drinker so I can’t give you any reviews about their alcohol beverages, sorry. (I am what you call the designated driver, lol) Very nice ambiance about the place. It seems to have an older clientele which is just fine with me. No young kids in baggy or trendy clothes and not a single person texting on a phone anywhere about the place. Just mature adults out to have good conversations, good food, good drinks and spend some quality time with good friends. I am going again this Wed. so that should give you a good indication of how I enjoyed this place…

I haven’t been here in such a long time, so long that I forgotten why I never went back. The server was such a grump, almost totally ignoring us. The quality of the sandwich was just fair at best. The bread was soggy so that the meat came through. The price for the sandwich was OK, it came with a half pickle and you need a magnifying glass to see the cole slaw. I rather spend the extra time going to Harolds in Jersy than go back again.

Schaeffer’s is a Tavern and a restaurant with two rooms. On one side you have the tavern with a bar and few tables and the other room has only few tables setup in it. The place is very basic but offers great food and a good selection of beers. The kielbasa meal or sandwich is absolutely delicious. There is good amount of parking and I don’t usually see the place packed so you can always get a table. You can also call in your order for pickup. The few times I visited I found the waitress to be very «cold». I go back for the food but don’t care for their wait staff. The place would be a 4 if the service was better.

Best corned beef sandwiches I’ve had on Staten Island, and some of the best in the city period. The beer selection’s okay — not too many choices, but they’re all good German brews.

Great little German lunch spot, not a full service restaurant but they have very fresh, quality ingredients and a great German beer menu.

Good sandwiches, cold beer… nice people… A neighborhood place that has been around a VERY LONG TIME.

Food was great, service was horrible. Upon entering, the waitress began taking our order, but stopped and walked away to have a conversation with one of the regulars. We waited a long time for our drinks, and even longer to get a refill on our waters, while another regular came in the bar and was immediately served and given a beer. The waitress was inattentive, never proactively came for refills or to check up, while at the same time, paid a ridiculous amount of attention to the regulars. In addition, it is not advertised well, but this place is cash only. We ordered the sausage platter, which was tasty though slightly overcooked. The side dishes were all excellent.

We walked in on a cold day hoping for some warm comfort food and atmosphere. It was dead empty and FREEZING. We even complained to the waitress that it was too cold. We could not even take our jackets off. She just shrugged her shoulders and walked away.
I ordered a beer and when I lifted the glass to my mouth I got a whiff of something awful, smelled like rotten eggs.
The whole place reeked of bleach. The place has a run down feel. Ceilings in the bathroom all stained and falling down. I couldn’t even finish my beer the smell was so awful. We just left.

You would think with the snow their would be no one occupying this place. Nope! People were drinking, laughing and eating. We stopped in to get some sandwiches after digging out after the blizzard. They have a limited menu and some sides a few specials and a bunch of beers to choose from. We ordered a rueben, lean corn beef on rye and a pastrami sandwich. We ordered potato pancakes and potato salad. Everything was super fresh and so yummy. The potato pancakes were even crunchy when we got home. They came with apple sauce. Of course we got pickles and slaw.
This place wreaks of an old world staten island bar. It hasnt been redone in years but thats okay, thats what gives its unique charm. Staff is really friendly and helpful. This place is def an asset to the neighborhood.

Best corned beef on Staten Island. Old School bar, serving beer in frosted mugs. They seem to have every stein in creation displayed. No paper menu, you have to look at the blackboard. Wait staff is very pleasant and helpful. Prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get. When we go with my mom we each get a different sandwich and share.

I’m a fan of German food (and beer), so I want to try all the German places I can!
Walked in here on a Sunday afternoon, and the only people there were a half-​dozen or so older guys at the bar, watching the game. There’s two rooms, one’s more the bar room, and one’s more of a dining room. The restaurant’s been there since 1933, but the decorating seems to have happened sometime in the 70’s: faux-​wood paneling and floral wallpaper. A couple more tables came in while we were eating, but I still got the impression that they concentrate on the «Tavern» portion of the name…
They have German beer, but not a very extensive selection. We got a couple of Franziskaners.
The menu is up an a board in the dining room, and basically consists of different kinds of meat either as a sandwich or as a platter. We got: the sauerbraten, which came with 2 potato pancakes (which were tasty and buttery), red cabbage and a slice of pumpernickel bread. The sauerbraten was all right, but a little dry.
…and the roast beef platter. I kind of expected that «platter» meant it would come with some sides, but it was just sliced roast beef, served over 2 slices of plain white bread, with gravy, a pickle, and a tiny cup of cole slaw.
We also got a side of potato salad, which was good but kinda tasted like grocery store potato salad (much like the cole slaw).
The portions were extremely large and hearty, but it was not gourmet food by any means. It was more like a German diner. I didn’t really get the impression that they were making anything by hand… That said, there’s still something to be said for huge platters of meat, and beer! The waitress was friendly and attentive.
They should definitely convert one of their parking lots into a beer garden. That would be nice.

I’ve been to all three of the German restaurants in Staten Island which are listed on Unilocal.This was the WORST German joint I’ve ever been to and for multiple reasons. The main reason being service, thanks to the horribly rude and unprofessional waitress. I was told the kitchen would be closing at 11pm and my party got to the restaurant around 10:15, the waitress rudely rushed our orders and barely gave us any chance to ask questions on the menu (there is no menu actually, it’s just a chalkboard and print outs attached to a wall). It seemed like she had some personal issues as to why she seemed so unhappy to be working at the time, but she had no problem loudly complaining about it in the middle of the restaurant. That made it the most uncomfortable meal ever. Not to mention she slammed our beers on the table and when she forgot to take off something on our check, she just told us to deduct it ourselves… WTF? I don’t think she realizes how much of an impact she has on the business but then again, I honestly don’t think she cares. Oh yeah and the menu kinda sucks too… they don’t have potato pancakes or schnitzel?
I highly recommend going to Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn on Arthur kill road which is a much bigger venue, has a great international beer selection, an authentic German menu, and most importantly GOOD SERVICE. Not to mention, the waitresses have on traditional German clothes.
If I could give this place no stars, I would. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, SUB-​PAR FOOD.