A 2-1/2 is what I want to give this place, but it doesn't deserve a 3, so I'll stick with the lower number. We really thought we had located an 'authentic' German restaurant, but this place is half-assed about most everything. Inattentive service, incomplete drink menus, and smaller than expected meal portions made this a disappointing visit. The food was tasty enough...my wife and I both liked the German potato salad side, but her reuben wrap was miniscule, even it was a special lunch menu item, and my sausage sliders were on the small side as well. My biggest beef was that the beer selection was a mystery...no beer list - there seemed to be a plentiful selection at the bar, but who's to know? It was very disappointing especially when you're counting on sipping a nice German import. If you want an 'authentic' German dining experience, then head to Bayern Stube in Gibson City, Illinois. They do it right.
(2)
Rick J.
So much potential, yet continues to disappoint. Went there to watch England/Italy WC match, expecting great atmosphere for this great matchup. 5 people total seemed remotely interested in the match. At least they had the match on all tv's and the sound on....until halftime, that is. Then, they switched over to AC/DC on the juke box, with a lame excuse "the juke box wins". We left...ruined the marginal atmosphere. Very good german beer selection on draft, with others as well. Food is mediocre at best. Sausage are really lame, spatzle is passable, sauerkraut is embarrassing, red cabbage is edible. This place could be awesome and what the QC needs. Community can't seems to support a "world" pub, and unfortunately this place is just not a great example of what one could really be. I so wish it did.
(3)
Jami Jo H.
My sister and I ventured here after doing The Race for the Cure, and really enjoyed our visit. They have a huge patio with outdoor seating. Perfect for a nice day! Our server was awesome. She recommended some great German beers for us to try. We ordered the Reuben Rolls as an appi...just be warned they could be a meal themselves! I tried the sausage meal, where I picked two cheeses and three different sausages. It was delicious.
(5)
Mike M.
I love this place! I did not come in expecting an authentic German food restaurant. My expectation was a huge Beer selection which they had with a German tilted menu which is exactly what was delivered. Allie was my server and she did an outstanding job! I recommend the German Potato Salad. My wife had the Rueben which she said was delicious. I enjoy a bar atmosphere and this place nailed it with great service, food and Beer selection. I love the many little restaurants popping up in Downtown Moline and will definitely return to try this and other as I travel through the Quad Cities.
(4)
Brandon C.
Great tap selection. Although, be weary of some of the more "out there" beers... they usually seem like they've been sitting in the keg a little too long. If you haven't had your life changed by a soft pretzel.. this place will do it for ya. Other food is great too. Love their potato pancakes and spetzle.
(4)
Jacob M.
Great German style food and bier! However, they were out of a few of my favorite kinds. Great outside area for warm summer nights! The waitresses didn't seem as bad as the comments allude. I will definitely be going back sometime this summer.
(4)
Hali R.
The food here is always great. Trust the other reviews... the service is always awful. It's one of those 'hire some pretty girls and who gives a shit if they can wait tables' places. The female servers act like every request is an inconvenience. The bartenders on the other hand are always friendly. You'll have better luck walking a few doors down to Bent River.
(3)
Jessica D.
Although the food is wonderful and taste amazing, but the service was a major downfall. My drink went empty and the server never came by to check up on us, or ask how the food was or if she could get us anything else. I could understand if it were busy but it wasn't we were one group of 4 out of a total of maybe 20 people. The food was the only reason I gave them a 3/5 otherwise based on service it was defiantly a 1/5 and don't even know the servers name because she never bothered to tell us.
(3)
Kathy P.
Best Reuben sandwich !! Marble rye, lean corned beef- delicious. Great beer selection. Great service! Would come back again!!
(4)
Cindy H.
Love the German Food here! Sometimes they run out of things but they always have every kind of beer your heart desires. Come the last weekend in September for Octoberfest!! Music , contests, dancing!!
(4)
Gern B.
Great food and great service. Awesome beer selection. Very busy tonight but service was great
(4)
Robin R.
Crappy service. Go to a real brewery where you get honest people who actually care that you chose their establishment to spend your money!
(1)
Brandon M.
The Best veal I have ever had.... Make that the only Veal I have ever had. I did not stop here on Just any normal night I stopped out during Oktoberfest! We had a large group so we had to sit by the bar, but seeing as though it was the only table that could seat 8 you take what you can get, our orders where taken quickly and they have a large extensive tap line more than I could handle in one night. Be forewarned however they only allow 4 draft samples per table :-( We where in a sharing mood and shared our beer samples across the table and we even shared our food, I can not remember what every one had I order a sausage sampler platter that came with more cheese than sausage! however it was still a very solid amount of German sausage that I was more than happy to pass around, my date had the veal which was amazing I think I had more of it than she did. There are only two real complaints to the evening only food complaint was the sauerkraut, and the other issue was the service was a bit slow, though they where a bit busy it appeared to me that they did not prioritize the work load well. The Oktoberfest activities were grand a 100% pure German band was imported for the event and there where contests galore. Granted I visited on a special evening I would be more than willing to stop back for the food slow service or not.
(4)
Nick B.
Great selection of beer. Food is above average but nothing special. Service at the bar is usually sub par. Takes WAY too long to get a drink while standing at the bar. Decent place to hang out though.
(3)
Edgar P.
I expected a little more... I don't want to jump the gun here and say this place is terrible, but for my small sample of the place, it could be better. Maybe it is. This German Beer hall looked very promising and my friend who lives in the QC said it was fairly decent place to have a couple of beers at. My memory is a little off from that long night and I don't remember exactly what I ordered but I know I was asking for certain beers that were on tap but that they didn't have any of. I think I ended up settling for a couple styles of their Oktoberfest beers and they had to taste to them. I never throw/dump beer away, even Budweiser/Miller products, but I actually ended up throwing out about three different kinds that I had ordered. Every sip flowed right paste my taste buds without stopping to say hello and they were quite upset about it as well. I actually asked the nice bartender if she could possibly exchange the third one I had for a different one but I experienced more of the same lifeless taste to the beer. I ended up settling for what I ordered and continued my night. I think I might have caught them on a bad night and I am willing to give the place another chance. There are so many options to choose from in the QC that if one place isn't cutting it one night, you can easily find another place not too far away. Try it out! -Papa Bear
(2)
Andrea T.
If you are looking for authentic German food, go somewhere else. We took my German exchange student there and we were really disappointed. He said nothing looked or tasted anything like home. The waiter was really rude when my exchange student asked if anyone spoke German, and replied in a very snarky, sarcastic tone.
(1)
Jesse S.
This German-influenced beer hall offers a pretty good selection of import beers on tap, particularly compared to most QC establishments (daaaaaa, what's an import?) The music can get a bit loud sometimes, which leads to excessive yelling (is there such a thing?) but I can't seem to recall WHAT the music was on either/any of the 2 or 3 times I've been there. Not the greatest, but if you're cruisin' Downtown Moline, you might as well stop in. What else are you going to do? Catch a show at the *ahem* i Wireless center?
(2)
Ron R.
Good beer selection, check- Lot's of Bavarian crap on the walls, check- German music? Well.. only until some drunk-ass named Ron plays a bunch of crap on the jukebox- German food? -Not a chance. Anyone who claims this food is even remotely authentic needs to expand their choices. Sauerbraten sucked, bartender offered up that a lot of people don't like it because it's sour. Well, maybe they don't like it because it's NOT sauerbraten? Sauerbraten should be marinated at least a whole day, (That's 24 hours, not 8) I'm not sure this would have even qualified as anything other than roast beef. The currywurst was Berliner style, but had wayyyyyyy to much curry sauce. I will give Kudos for replicating a true Berliner Gewürz Ketchup in house. The potato pancake had a very strong flavor of margarine. 2$ dollar 16oz cans of Bitburger were cheap, but expired by three weeks. A pilsner should NOT be cloudy, save that for the hefe bier.
Great beer selection but slow service and wicked loud music played on crappy speakers makes staying for more than one or two beers painful.
(2)
John H.
I can't figure out if the Bierstube is way ahead of its time or just a novelty. They probably have four or fives times more beer on tap than anywhere else in the QC. And no, this does not mean they have eight or ten beers on tap. I'm in the "ahead of its time" camp. Any place that can convince the QC that there are more than a couple of draught beers in existence is a plus in my book. I may not want a Hofbrau or Franziskaner, but it's damn nice to know that it's there. Most places around here, it's Bud, Bud Light, and Miller Lite. The Bierstube has also been a vital component in the revitalization of downtown Moline. There used to be nothing down there, but it's finally picking up. The Bierstube has been a real good neighbor to Bent River. There's no reason you can't enjoy yourself in downtown Moline, and the Bierstube has certainly helped.
(4)
dan d.
A fine place at which one can consume beer from a glass boot, though the music can be a little too loud to facilitate casual conversation. Be careful not to break the boot or you'll be out $55!
(4)
Dean K.
The first time I walked into the Bier Stube, the dining room was packed full of people singing German drinking songs. I assumed that sort of thing must happen all the time here, but, alas, it is not so. I just happened to visit the restaurant at the same time as a large group of tourists from Germany. As you might guess, they have a German theme going here, with very good German food and an extensive collection of German beer and wine. Guten Apetit!
(4)
Adrian E.
I'm going to give this place another try and hope to give more stars. For a German beer bar, the large number of German speaking drinkers sitting at the bar seemed to lend credibility to this joint. I'm no expert so I'll stick primarily to a review of the service and atmosphere for now, both of which are lacking but can be easily improved. After ordering my 'gut buster' sandwich the waitress asked me which side I wanted. She then recited a very long list. I ordered the soup. When the bill came, I was charged $1.50 for this 'side' which I inferred was included with my meal. Perhaps more disappointing was the bartender's selection of very loud, very hip-hop, very out of character songs which blared throughout the restaurant. The restaurant claims to serve authentic German foods and beers. And judging from the unfamiliar menu selections I'm sure this claim is accurate. But I don't need to attend a rap concert while I'm enjoying some sauerbraten. A bit more disclosure on the part of the wait staff, and a German themed music selection played at half the current volume will earn 5 stars from me.
(3)
Brandon V.
I visited this bar just the other day with the rest of the wedding party. The groom's sister ordered a round of shots for everyone and it was crazy cheap! 50% off the price of shots in the Los Angeles area!! It was like a BOGO free event! The entrance has two doors that you have to walk through (one right after the other) and the first door has a small sign that says "AUGUSGANG". I don't know what that means. So you walk through the bar and it's a normal looking bar. They have an electronic juke box, bar stools around, tables, and a main bar. But if you carefully look around, you'll notice a tree stump with nails in them. So there's a little box of nails and a hammer. I guess it's a game to show how good a person is in hammering a nail straight into the stump with one good hit. Now that's something I've never seen at a bar! The dining room has two levels. In a back room, there's a private table in the back corner. The table is inside a birdcage looking thing. I thought that was pretty awesome! Upstairs is more like the gaming room. I didn't get a chance to taste the beer here, but I heard it was good. I was already loaded up with hard liquor and couldn't stand the thought of drinking beer at that point. I'm giving this place 5 stars for their service, prices, and for having that tree stump game and a birdcage booth. Plus they sell cigarettes!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Accepts Bitcoin : No Good For : Lunch Parking : Garage, Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : No Coat Check : No Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Timothy M.
A 2-1/2 is what I want to give this place, but it doesn't deserve a 3, so I'll stick with the lower number. We really thought we had located an 'authentic' German restaurant, but this place is half-assed about most everything. Inattentive service, incomplete drink menus, and smaller than expected meal portions made this a disappointing visit. The food was tasty enough...my wife and I both liked the German potato salad side, but her reuben wrap was miniscule, even it was a special lunch menu item, and my sausage sliders were on the small side as well. My biggest beef was that the beer selection was a mystery...no beer list - there seemed to be a plentiful selection at the bar, but who's to know? It was very disappointing especially when you're counting on sipping a nice German import. If you want an 'authentic' German dining experience, then head to Bayern Stube in Gibson City, Illinois. They do it right.
(2)Rick J.
So much potential, yet continues to disappoint. Went there to watch England/Italy WC match, expecting great atmosphere for this great matchup. 5 people total seemed remotely interested in the match. At least they had the match on all tv's and the sound on....until halftime, that is. Then, they switched over to AC/DC on the juke box, with a lame excuse "the juke box wins". We left...ruined the marginal atmosphere. Very good german beer selection on draft, with others as well. Food is mediocre at best. Sausage are really lame, spatzle is passable, sauerkraut is embarrassing, red cabbage is edible. This place could be awesome and what the QC needs. Community can't seems to support a "world" pub, and unfortunately this place is just not a great example of what one could really be. I so wish it did.
(3)Jami Jo H.
My sister and I ventured here after doing The Race for the Cure, and really enjoyed our visit. They have a huge patio with outdoor seating. Perfect for a nice day! Our server was awesome. She recommended some great German beers for us to try. We ordered the Reuben Rolls as an appi...just be warned they could be a meal themselves! I tried the sausage meal, where I picked two cheeses and three different sausages. It was delicious.
(5)Mike M.
I love this place! I did not come in expecting an authentic German food restaurant. My expectation was a huge Beer selection which they had with a German tilted menu which is exactly what was delivered. Allie was my server and she did an outstanding job! I recommend the German Potato Salad. My wife had the Rueben which she said was delicious. I enjoy a bar atmosphere and this place nailed it with great service, food and Beer selection. I love the many little restaurants popping up in Downtown Moline and will definitely return to try this and other as I travel through the Quad Cities.
(4)Brandon C.
Great tap selection. Although, be weary of some of the more "out there" beers... they usually seem like they've been sitting in the keg a little too long. If you haven't had your life changed by a soft pretzel.. this place will do it for ya. Other food is great too. Love their potato pancakes and spetzle.
(4)Jacob M.
Great German style food and bier! However, they were out of a few of my favorite kinds. Great outside area for warm summer nights! The waitresses didn't seem as bad as the comments allude. I will definitely be going back sometime this summer.
(4)Hali R.
The food here is always great. Trust the other reviews... the service is always awful. It's one of those 'hire some pretty girls and who gives a shit if they can wait tables' places. The female servers act like every request is an inconvenience. The bartenders on the other hand are always friendly. You'll have better luck walking a few doors down to Bent River.
(3)Jessica D.
Although the food is wonderful and taste amazing, but the service was a major downfall. My drink went empty and the server never came by to check up on us, or ask how the food was or if she could get us anything else. I could understand if it were busy but it wasn't we were one group of 4 out of a total of maybe 20 people. The food was the only reason I gave them a 3/5 otherwise based on service it was defiantly a 1/5 and don't even know the servers name because she never bothered to tell us.
(3)Kathy P.
Best Reuben sandwich !! Marble rye, lean corned beef- delicious. Great beer selection. Great service! Would come back again!!
(4)Cindy H.
Love the German Food here! Sometimes they run out of things but they always have every kind of beer your heart desires. Come the last weekend in September for Octoberfest!! Music , contests, dancing!!
(4)Gern B.
Great food and great service. Awesome beer selection. Very busy tonight but service was great
(4)Robin R.
Crappy service. Go to a real brewery where you get honest people who actually care that you chose their establishment to spend your money!
(1)Brandon M.
The Best veal I have ever had.... Make that the only Veal I have ever had. I did not stop here on Just any normal night I stopped out during Oktoberfest! We had a large group so we had to sit by the bar, but seeing as though it was the only table that could seat 8 you take what you can get, our orders where taken quickly and they have a large extensive tap line more than I could handle in one night. Be forewarned however they only allow 4 draft samples per table :-( We where in a sharing mood and shared our beer samples across the table and we even shared our food, I can not remember what every one had I order a sausage sampler platter that came with more cheese than sausage! however it was still a very solid amount of German sausage that I was more than happy to pass around, my date had the veal which was amazing I think I had more of it than she did. There are only two real complaints to the evening only food complaint was the sauerkraut, and the other issue was the service was a bit slow, though they where a bit busy it appeared to me that they did not prioritize the work load well. The Oktoberfest activities were grand a 100% pure German band was imported for the event and there where contests galore. Granted I visited on a special evening I would be more than willing to stop back for the food slow service or not.
(4)Nick B.
Great selection of beer. Food is above average but nothing special. Service at the bar is usually sub par. Takes WAY too long to get a drink while standing at the bar. Decent place to hang out though.
(3)Edgar P.
I expected a little more... I don't want to jump the gun here and say this place is terrible, but for my small sample of the place, it could be better. Maybe it is. This German Beer hall looked very promising and my friend who lives in the QC said it was fairly decent place to have a couple of beers at. My memory is a little off from that long night and I don't remember exactly what I ordered but I know I was asking for certain beers that were on tap but that they didn't have any of. I think I ended up settling for a couple styles of their Oktoberfest beers and they had to taste to them. I never throw/dump beer away, even Budweiser/Miller products, but I actually ended up throwing out about three different kinds that I had ordered. Every sip flowed right paste my taste buds without stopping to say hello and they were quite upset about it as well. I actually asked the nice bartender if she could possibly exchange the third one I had for a different one but I experienced more of the same lifeless taste to the beer. I ended up settling for what I ordered and continued my night. I think I might have caught them on a bad night and I am willing to give the place another chance. There are so many options to choose from in the QC that if one place isn't cutting it one night, you can easily find another place not too far away. Try it out! -Papa Bear
(2)Andrea T.
If you are looking for authentic German food, go somewhere else. We took my German exchange student there and we were really disappointed. He said nothing looked or tasted anything like home. The waiter was really rude when my exchange student asked if anyone spoke German, and replied in a very snarky, sarcastic tone.
(1)Jesse S.
This German-influenced beer hall offers a pretty good selection of import beers on tap, particularly compared to most QC establishments (daaaaaa, what's an import?) The music can get a bit loud sometimes, which leads to excessive yelling (is there such a thing?) but I can't seem to recall WHAT the music was on either/any of the 2 or 3 times I've been there. Not the greatest, but if you're cruisin' Downtown Moline, you might as well stop in. What else are you going to do? Catch a show at the *ahem* i Wireless center?
(2)Ron R.
Good beer selection, check- Lot's of Bavarian crap on the walls, check- German music? Well.. only until some drunk-ass named Ron plays a bunch of crap on the jukebox- German food? -Not a chance. Anyone who claims this food is even remotely authentic needs to expand their choices. Sauerbraten sucked, bartender offered up that a lot of people don't like it because it's sour. Well, maybe they don't like it because it's NOT sauerbraten? Sauerbraten should be marinated at least a whole day, (That's 24 hours, not 8) I'm not sure this would have even qualified as anything other than roast beef. The currywurst was Berliner style, but had wayyyyyyy to much curry sauce. I will give Kudos for replicating a true Berliner Gewürz Ketchup in house. The potato pancake had a very strong flavor of margarine. 2$ dollar 16oz cans of Bitburger were cheap, but expired by three weeks. A pilsner should NOT be cloudy, save that for the hefe bier.
(2)Jacqueline W.
Love the German vibe from the décor and the music. I went at lunch and it wasn't very busy. I ordered the landjaeger (sp?) and cheese one day, and the Rueben sandwich the next. They were both very good. The landjaeger sausage wasn't anything like the kind I had in Germany. Maybe the place I frequented in Germany didn't make it very typical? Anyway, the menu compares landjaeger to a summer sausage, and I agree, Bierstube landjaeger tastes exactly like summer sausage, just smaller. The Reuben was very cheesy and messy, but delicious. I may order it without cheese next time. Service was okay. Four stars for the novelty of it since it's hard to find places like this, and for the tasty food. Fair prices.
(4)Joshua B.
Great beer selection but slow service and wicked loud music played on crappy speakers makes staying for more than one or two beers painful.
(2)John H.
I can't figure out if the Bierstube is way ahead of its time or just a novelty. They probably have four or fives times more beer on tap than anywhere else in the QC. And no, this does not mean they have eight or ten beers on tap. I'm in the "ahead of its time" camp. Any place that can convince the QC that there are more than a couple of draught beers in existence is a plus in my book. I may not want a Hofbrau or Franziskaner, but it's damn nice to know that it's there. Most places around here, it's Bud, Bud Light, and Miller Lite. The Bierstube has also been a vital component in the revitalization of downtown Moline. There used to be nothing down there, but it's finally picking up. The Bierstube has been a real good neighbor to Bent River. There's no reason you can't enjoy yourself in downtown Moline, and the Bierstube has certainly helped.
(4)dan d.
A fine place at which one can consume beer from a glass boot, though the music can be a little too loud to facilitate casual conversation. Be careful not to break the boot or you'll be out $55!
(4)Dean K.
The first time I walked into the Bier Stube, the dining room was packed full of people singing German drinking songs. I assumed that sort of thing must happen all the time here, but, alas, it is not so. I just happened to visit the restaurant at the same time as a large group of tourists from Germany. As you might guess, they have a German theme going here, with very good German food and an extensive collection of German beer and wine. Guten Apetit!
(4)Adrian E.
I'm going to give this place another try and hope to give more stars. For a German beer bar, the large number of German speaking drinkers sitting at the bar seemed to lend credibility to this joint. I'm no expert so I'll stick primarily to a review of the service and atmosphere for now, both of which are lacking but can be easily improved. After ordering my 'gut buster' sandwich the waitress asked me which side I wanted. She then recited a very long list. I ordered the soup. When the bill came, I was charged $1.50 for this 'side' which I inferred was included with my meal. Perhaps more disappointing was the bartender's selection of very loud, very hip-hop, very out of character songs which blared throughout the restaurant. The restaurant claims to serve authentic German foods and beers. And judging from the unfamiliar menu selections I'm sure this claim is accurate. But I don't need to attend a rap concert while I'm enjoying some sauerbraten. A bit more disclosure on the part of the wait staff, and a German themed music selection played at half the current volume will earn 5 stars from me.
(3)Brandon V.
I visited this bar just the other day with the rest of the wedding party. The groom's sister ordered a round of shots for everyone and it was crazy cheap! 50% off the price of shots in the Los Angeles area!! It was like a BOGO free event! The entrance has two doors that you have to walk through (one right after the other) and the first door has a small sign that says "AUGUSGANG". I don't know what that means. So you walk through the bar and it's a normal looking bar. They have an electronic juke box, bar stools around, tables, and a main bar. But if you carefully look around, you'll notice a tree stump with nails in them. So there's a little box of nails and a hammer. I guess it's a game to show how good a person is in hammering a nail straight into the stump with one good hit. Now that's something I've never seen at a bar! The dining room has two levels. In a back room, there's a private table in the back corner. The table is inside a birdcage looking thing. I thought that was pretty awesome! Upstairs is more like the gaming room. I didn't get a chance to taste the beer here, but I heard it was good. I was already loaded up with hard liquor and couldn't stand the thought of drinking beer at that point. I'm giving this place 5 stars for their service, prices, and for having that tree stump game and a birdcage booth. Plus they sell cigarettes!
(5)