Bazaar Beer Cafe

Czech beer. That’s the best thing I can say about this place. It has a great selection of Czech beer on tap.
Grab a long table and start knocking back the litres. The snacks are OK, but look and taste reheated and are presented without any flair. But they are often a salty counterpoint to the Czech beer that is, let’s face it, why people come here.

I like this place a lot. The ambience isn’t as cheesy or canned as the Bavarian Bier Café on the main drag round the corner. And they have a solid selection of good food and beers. I prefer the schnitzel here: it’s not as greasy or overwhelming. And their beer selection is genuinely higher quality.

Let’s all be honest. Czech beer is the best beer. We’re not talking sickly Belgian blondes, bitter boutique brews or local slosh: these Pilsner-​style lagers are the real deal, malty and full-​flavored with maximum drinkability. What’s so surprising is to find it cheap and on-​tap in an unsuspecting commercial quarter of St Leonards, just off the highway.
The food here is real good too, but that’s not the reason to come: as the slick wooden benches by the bar suggest, this place is built for the beer and the menu is there to service that in the best way it can. As such expect moreish pretzels, epic schnitzels and sauerkraut with everything.
A Bavarian Beer Café just opened up around the corner, which is a damned shame. At Bazaar the beers are better and cheaper. Let’s hope it lasts.

From the exterior, a short glance wouldn’t be able to discern that this is a German beer café. The Bernard beer sign would give a little tip-​off and perhaps the comely lass serving brews in the Oktoberfest ad would push you a little further in that direction. It is, however, a beer café and we stepped inside to sample their wares.
Our dining party was about 15 or so and the staff handled our myriad order quickly. I think they must have Doc Ock out the back, because there was also very little wait or lag between the delivery of our plates. I opted for the burger on the specials menu while others ordered off the regular menu. The main menu prices were a little steep for the portion sizes, although all concern testified to the general tastiness of their selected meals. There are also deals on interesting flavoured Eastern European vodkas and other liquors, so clear your afternoon schedule. The hearty German cuisine, when combined with a spot of drink, will make you disinclined to continue working.
Not a bad option for a group event and I was impressed by how efficiently it was all handled. I would book ahead to be safe, but on this weekday lunch, the restaurant was fairly quiet.