San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Lively beer and bratwurst hall returns
Leopold’s Gasthaus is back with German brews in San Francisco
A boisterous San Francisco destination known for its fresh bratwursts and bootshaped glasses of beer has come back to life after a threeyear closure.
Leopold’s Gasthaus in Russian Hill recently reopened, with a classic menu of Austrian dishes and plenty of imported beer. The interior got a small cleanup — the dark brown wood has been refinished and the walls have a fresh new coat of buttercup yellow paint — but its new owners are hoping to keep the vibe inside just as warm and buzzing as it was before the pandemic.
Taking the reins are Michael Lamina, the restaurant’s original chef from 2011 to 2013, and partner Carla Suntjens. It’s the latest instance of an old neighborhood favorite passing the torch to a new generation. Lamina has maintained a close relationship with Leopold’s original owner, Albert Rainer, who opened the restaurant along with his brother Klaus in 2011. (Originally, waitresses wore traditional dirndls.)
Leopold’s shut down in 2020, and its return was uncertain. Rainer hoped to reopen the restaurant himself, but he was thwarted by a second wave of pandemic-related shutdowns and the required seismic retrofitting of the building. Lamina, who had spent the last seven years working for restaurant and catering management company Bon Appetit, had no plans to open a restaurant of his own, but jumped at the opportunity when Rainer approached him and Suntjens last July.
There was just one condition for the new owners: the name.
“Leopold was Albert’s grandfather, that is why it’s so important that the name carry on,” Suntjens said. (Leopold was Austrian; Rainer is from the Alsace region of France, bordering Germany.)
After a months-long renovation and a new beer and wine license to operate, Leopold’s began welcoming diners into its 45-seat space earlier this month. Rainer was involved in the work to revive the venue, ensuring the reborn Leopold’s stayed true to its roots, with the same long communal table in the heart of the dining room and polka music on the stereo.
Returning patrons will find their old favorites on the menu, too, like the housemade bratwurst served with sauerkraut ($16). The rich and cheesy käsespätzle ($20) and a hearty wiener schnitzel with lingonberry jam and a potato-cucumber salad ($27) are also back. Daily specials include items like tafelspitz, a Viennastyle steak prepared in vegetable broth, and smoked duck.
Austrian fare can be a bit heavy for some, so Lamina added lighter dishes, like smoked trout tartare over kohlrabi slaw ($18), and vegetarian items like a roasted beet salad ($16), to the menu to accommodate more customers Beer, of course, is still a major part of the experience, with eight options on tap like Franziskaner Hefe-weissbier and Benediktiner Helles lager in traditional .3-liter and halfliter glasses all the way up to 2-liter boot glasses. As many as 20 beer selections, leaning predominantly Austrian and German, in cans and bottles, are available. Some Belgian brews and others from Eastern Europe also appear on the beer list. “It’s all European. There is nothing American in our beer fridge,” Suntjens said with a laugh. Wines from Austria and neighboring regions of Germany, Slovenia and Italy will also be available, she said.
Upon reopening, Lamina and Suntjens hope longtime visitors will be able to pick up right where they left off before the pandemic shut down the restaurant.
During a recent dinner with former owner Albert Rainer present, the restaurant was raucous, abuzz and full of energy.
“I think we made Albert proud,” Suntjens said.
Leopold’s 2400 Polk St., San Francisco. 5-10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday. 5-11 p.m. Friday. leopoldssf.com