King’s BierHaus ready to host good times
German restaurant ready to show Heights families and beer lovers a good time and the best of wurst
THE CONCEPT
A fun-loving German/Austrian restaurant in the Heights from Hans and Philipp Sitter, the father-andson team that turned the original King’s Biergarten in Pearland into a smash hit.
THE SPACE
A sprawling, 9,000-square-foot wonderland where the waitstaff consists of beer-stein-toting frauleins in colorful dirndls and wurst-slinging, lederhosen-clad herren. The entrance, which is stocked with take-home goods (sausage, jars of mustard) and beer-ready steins, opens to an enormous dining hall — colorful, cheery and set with tables, booths and communal picnic tables. The 400-seat restaurant also includes a tree- and flower-filled beer garden with hammocks, a fountain and pond, and a live-music stage.
THE FOOD
The menu offers appetizers (beer pretzels, smoked wings, Bavarian fried pickles), soups, salads and burgers, plus gourmet sausages (traditional German bratwurst, Polish sausage, cheese sausage, spicy kielbasa and exotic varieties such as elk, venison, alligator, wild boar, rabbit and rattlesnake). Specialty entrees include wiener schnitzel, Jaeger schnitzel, Hungarian stew, Vienna goulash, fried chicken and crispy pork shank.
THE DRINKS
Expect 31 draft beers (26 German, five local) and two exclusive beers (Weltenburger Dopplebock and Andechs Weissbier Dunkel) not sold anywhere else in Texas. There’s also an Austrian and German schnapps menu — the largest schnapps collection in Texas, the owners say. Clever cocktails and wine on tap round out the mix.
THE WORD
“We became successful not by fine dining but by atmosphere and the value of the experience the servers bring you,” Philipp Sitter said. “(King’s) is all about having a good time.”
ONE MORE THING
Austrian-born Hans Sitter originally purchased his Pearland property to start a car wash in 2009. He soon began giving away free bratwurst, made from his own recipe. That led to the construction of King’s Biergarten, which opened in 2011.
THE DETAILS
2044 E. T.C. Jester, 281-990-3042; kingsbierhaus.com. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. MondaysWednesdays, 11 a.m.midnight Thursdays, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays. Live music on weekends.