Celebrate Oktoberfest At Home With Otto’s Bierhalle
Oktoberfest At Home With Otto’s Bierhalle
Want to enjoy the delicious food and drinks of Oktoberfest — without the crowds? If you’re in Toronto, you can get everything you need from Otto’s Bierhalle. This popular restaurant serves up quintessential German cuisine and craft beers that will do just the trick.
Here are our picks for a tasty, not-so-traditional Oktoberfest meal at home:
Starters
Instead of having our starters first, followed by our main courses, we laid every dish out at once so we could dive into a smorgasbord of delights — which felt more in line with the casual vibe of Oktoberfest.
For our sides, we picked up two (very large) soft pretzels topped with kosher salt and accompanied by a creamy honey mustard dipping sauce ($3.00) as well as some potato salad with celery, pickles, scallions, and mustard seeds ($4.50).
I consider soft pretzels a must-have at any German institution — or anywhere they’re offered, really. Salty, warm, and comforting, they’re the perfect addition to a meal, especially when dipped into that savoury honey mustard. Their potato salad reminded me of the one my mother makes (based on a recipe from my grandmother) which means I instantly loved it. Maybe it was the potato-induced nostalgia that made it so good, but I also give credit to the simple, well-balanced flavours. We also ordered their assorted house-pickled vegetables ($4.50) to add some acidity and crunch in between soft, carby bites.
Pretzels, honey mustard, and dijon mustard sit on a wooden cutting board beside a small white bowl of potato salad from Otto’s Bierhalle.
Mains
Our mains included the Beyond Wurst ($11.99), served a la carte with mustard, and the Fried Green Tomato and Halloumi Sando ($12.99), served on a potato bun with house hot sauce, buttermilk ranch, and slaw.
It may seem sacrilegious to celebrate Oktoberfest without a traditional Bratwurst or Schnitzel, but we saw it as a true test of Otto’s menu — and they passed with flying colours. The Beyond Wurst, made with a Beyond Meat plant-based sausage, tastes incredibly close to the real thing. The Fried Green Tomato and Halloumi Sando, although a bit of an unorthodox choice, was a creamy, tangy, mildly spicy addition. As a huge fan of fried green tomato sandwiches, Otto’s version quickly made it to my list of local favourites.
A beer growler, two glasses of Grapefruit Radler, pretzels, Beyond Wurst, potato salad, pickles, and a Fried Green Tomato and Halloumi Sandwich from Otto’s Bierhalle served on a table.
Drinks
We also grabbed a 32 oz growler of the Schofferhofer Radler ($14.80). Not only is the growler itself adorned with a cute and quirky design, but the Grapefruit Radler wheat beer inside is juicy and refreshing (a win-win). This drink leans heavily on the grapefruit flavour to provide a light and crisp drinking experience, even when paired with mountains of carbs. Outside of Oktoberfest, this Radler would also make the perfect summer patio drink.
Brookie Rating: 5/5
Otto’s has a solid reputation for their delicious food and drinks, and they live up to the hype. Whether you want to go with a classic Oktoberfest meal in-restaurant or try one of their plant-based variations at home, they have everything you need to enjoy Oktoberfest, wherever you’re celebrating. Prost!
What goes great with a delicious meal? A book that’s just as satisfying! Pick out your next read by shopping our latest picks here.
Shannon Hodgen is a lifelong writer, DIY enthusiast, and homebody. She satisfies her need to put pen to paper–or, more accurately, fingertips to keyboard–as an agency copywriter, blog contributor, and freelance editor in Toronto.
Favourite Book: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Favourite Brunch Spot: Dirty Food Eatery in The Junction
