Dacha Beer Garden

Dacha Beer Garden located in the Shaw neighborhood offers an inviting smoke-free garden setting with a carefully curated selection of world-class German, Belgian, and American craft beers along with wines, meads, ciders and other refreshments. The food menu gets its inspiration from traditional Bavarian beer gardens – hardy and tasty, but falls short with execution.  Closest Metro is Dupont Circle.

On this first Fall evening, we thought it would be fun to check out this beer garden, as we had friends visiting us from out of town.  It was pretty crowded when we arrived with many dogs on leashes, but after ordering a beer we nabbed benches by the wall.  Soon after, we spotted an open space at the tables and settled there.  I enjoyed the Pilsner Weihenstephaner on draught.  This "true craft pilsner is extremely refreshing and moderately dry with a great long finish."  I found it had a slightly sweet finish, which made it easy to drink.  Keith tried the Hefeweissbier Weihenstephaner that was and unfiltered wheat beer.  He later tried the seasonal Oktoberfest - a darker lager - then settled on the pilsner.

Of course we had to order some German food with our beer.  The strange thing, though, is that you place your order at the bar then wait 20 minutes or so.  After the requisite time has elapsed, you walk up to the window to check if it's ready.

We ordered Eine Pretzel - a traditional pretzel with coarse sea salt and grilled over open flame, and served with beer cheese.  I liked the flavor of the beer cheese and the pretzel was a good snack to munch on.  Keith also wanted to try the Austrian Meatballs.  These gluten-free pork meatballs are served with celery mash, buttered sauerkraut and mushrooms with a touch of paprika.  They had an unusual flavor, that was not very appealing.  I also tried the Smoked Brat - a pork sausage served on a warm pretzel bun.  We got the extra 'platter' which came with a side of sauerkraut and German potato salad.  The sides were not worth it, and the sandwich alone would have been enough.  For a larger plate, Keith ate the Dacha Pork Schnitzel infused with garlic, black pepper then battered and fried served with chips, sauerkraut, and cooked carrots.  The pork was a little soggy, but was seasoned well.

Overall, we were a little disappointed with the food.  Being Oktoberfest season, I also expected to see more German beer options.  The best part is the open air garden, though be warned it will be crowded with plenty of hipsters.  However, apparently the neighbors made a noise complaint, so by 9pm they no longer let anyone inside.  Quite lame, so we left to go to another bar.

Total Rating: 2.88
Food: 2.5, Price: 3, Service: 2, Ambience: 4.5, Accessibility: 5

What I ate:

Eine Pretzel
traditional Dacha Pretzel with coarse sea salt and grilled over open flame
served with our signature beer cheese

Smoked Brat
served on a warm pretzel bun
platter served with side of sauerkraut and German potato salad

Plus Keith ate:

Austrian Meatballs
gluten-free pork meatballs served with our special celery mash,
buttered sauerkraut and mushrooms and a touch of paprika

 Dacha Pork Schnitzel
infused with garlic, black pepper then battered and fried
served with home fries, sauerkraut, and garden salad