Essen Restaurant & Beer Cafe

Chicken jäger schnitzel with extra mushroom sauce!
Say these words with an accompanying beer and you can’t go wrong.
Best schnity in Sydney!

I have been coming to Essen for years, since before when it used to be Unas, through their various menu changes, dramatic price changes, their dishes have always been great, their spätzle is amazing, their schnitzels were amazing, and I am a huge fan of their hazelnut strudel (even though it’s not traditional, it’s is a brilliant dessert).
I like how they introduced delivery, although it is ofcorse better to eat in. I like their range of drinks. But my dislike with Essen is when they changed their schnitzels in both quality and price. I do rather the old way they made their schnitzels more even though it also cost a lot more, but maybe being situated near the universities where students are looking for a cheap feed has spurred this change. Don’t get me wrong the schnitzels are still good and because they are cheaper I think they are good value for money.
But I am upset they have discontinued the pork schnitzels, in my opinion a little bit of your German restaurant appeal was the German style of food, and opting to delete pork schnitzel in favour of trying to get more people to chicken is a pretty poor move. It is a move that any old Australian pub would do. I have not been back since pork schnitzel was removed from the menu, I just don’t think an European restaurant should do that, is this a European restaurant or an Australian restaurant? By changing a key meal that people who actually care and know about Germanic foods will order (and in my opinion you did the pork schnitzel much better than the veal, and chicken schnitzel is just a bogan meal) you are loosing some of your old and loyal customers. Including myself I know of 5 close friends who have not been back to Essen because of that one deleted option.
Sure the rest of the food/​service/​drinks and price are great, but a Germanic restaurant removing a pork schnitzel on the menu is like a MacDonald removing burgers from the menu…

Came here with a Groupon…
Man their portions here are huge… you will not be hungry if you order any of their main’s. Service is fine and beer is good. I had the sausage platter and have no complaints, enjoyed the cheese kransky but everything else is just OK. The pork knuckle is just obscene. The desserts were the highlight for me though.
Can’t say much else, it’s alright and will do the job if you want some German food.

I have to admit I like this place.
It is in a beautiful location and it is absolutely spectacular inside!
The staff are really friendly. When we arrived we got greeted we got immediately seated. we go to asked what we would want to drink. Drinks arrive shortly after. Then we ordered some dinner. The dinner was amazing my dad had pork knuckle as did my mother. I Tried some chicken dish and it was
parents are very impressed with the food and we were all very impressed with the wine list. The staff were really friendly and super fast. Well priced and worth the money.
Will be back!!!

I have eaten here twice. It was good each time. Parking is a case of luck of the draw. The beers are slightly overpriced.

All I have to say is Pork Knuckle! Pork knuckle bigger than my fist… pink and delicious. And the cherry on top of the cake is the side of pickled apple salad. Seriously awesome. Also you need to try the fried mushrooms for the starter — different, in the good way.
I know that a lot of people prefer the Lowenbrau for German food, but that is touristy German food. However, if you are looking for more authentic German food then come here to Essen. Yes, the décor is a lot better in the Lowenbrau, but Essen is more of a restaurant then a place to drink. Saying that they still have awesome German beer on tap in and bottles. So if you are looking for a place to hang out and just drink, this will not have the right atmosphere for it. However, if you want some awesome meats, then look no further.
If you are going to get dessert make sure you try the strudel — awesome. They apple is amazing, but if you want something different they also have a hazelnut and chocolate one.
The staff here are friendly, and all have thick European accents. European as a lot of them are not from Germany. But hey, what do we care, with pork like this who gives a crap who is serving it.

We ordered the pork knuckle and lamb shoulder for @ $ 30 each. The knuckle looked like yesterday’s leftover which was deep fried to crisp up the skin. The shoulder was nothing special, just a slice of roasted shoulder with some gravy. The knuckle came with a large spoonful of salad which was grated apple, some other green vegges like celeriac and a lot of mayo – Marginal. The shoulder came with a beet root salad with sour cream and walnuts – Just okay. The waiter asked me to add a tip on the bill, which I also complied with, but there was no real reason other than he asked. There’s no compelling reason to return to this place.

This joint is arguably one of the better German restaurants in Sydney. I can’t sing praises about their entire menu but there were some ups and downs.
Location wise it’s smack bang in the middle of Broadway so incredibly easy to get to on foot from Central or the shopping centre parking (2hr free). You can’t miss the wooden designed outside décor.
Inside they have the traditional group themed dining of bench like tables, so you can either enjoy the convenience of chowing with your mates or sit next to other awkward couples and try not to overhear their conversations.
The food was okay, just okay. But the pork knuckle was insanely good. It seems like one of those restaurants where you have to wade through a lot of shit before you hit gold. The menu didn’t really reveal much in food descriptions so you have a picture in your head of roughly what you believe it’ll turn out to be and you’re completely wrong. I. e I ordered the matjes herring for entrée because I like herring. What I expected was bread, herring seperate and then small jar of sauce, kind of like how the waitress described it. But no, it was terrible bits of herring chopped up and mixed into a beetroot vodka gherkin apple sourcream spreadable sauce in a jar with bread on the side. Which was essentially fish paste and bread. Probably the most disgusting way one could ever serve up this dish. It looked like one of the least ordered options on the menu so when crunch time comes and someone is stupid enough to order it you get the sauce that was made months ago when they first made it.
That aside, the pretzel was decent, the salads were not and I wish we had room for dessert because they looked good.
Also you can order beer and alcohol delights here, go for any of their European options, they’re always good.
The service was adequate. Not sure if we’ll come back, maybe in another few months time and they can re-​serve me the same matjes herring sauce which they saved from my last visit.

Decided to go this German restaurant with three of my friends for dinner as we have been planning to visit here for quite some time.
We all tried their three different schnitzels with the creamy mushroom sauce. I must admit it was a great meal. The size of the meal felt perfect with a nice potato hash.
The ambience is nice and cosy with allot of timber and rustic finishes.
The staff is quite friendly and the service was impressive as well.
Located right on Broadway closer the Broadway shopping Center.

Ate here tonight with about 10 friends for a birthday dinner. I’ve been before and was impressed by the décor, relaxed homely feel (euro style), and the service. And on this occasion was not let down.
The wait staff are knowledgeable and friendly, not overtly imposing but accessible, and the tap beer fresh. They have a Bavarian weissbier and a pilsner on tap, and an extensive selection of bottled beers in various sizes.
Wiener schnitzel was smaller than I remembered but definitely adequate, and served with mushroom sauce (you have a selection of 4 sauces) and nicely cooked crispy potato hash. Keen to try out the knuckle next time.
Satisfying meal in convincing surroundings shared with good friends. A good place to go with mates/​partner, and the setting does well for group dinners too as you can chill out with quality beers and you are not crammed in like sardines.

It’s always a big pleasure to dine in Essen. Honestly, I’ve never had a better schnitzel (pork gypsy ftw!) down under than in here (and it would be neck on neck even with my grandma’s famous schnitzles). Nevertheless, last time I went for a pork knuckle and omg — that beast was big as my head and tasted like heaven with jus. I felt very ashamed, leaving some bits on the plate, but I was simply defeated… Schnapps called Bergfeuer (yum!), was very helpful after getting so ridiculously stuffed.
Waitstaff go always the extra mile and they excel especially in recommending the right beer for your dish. Speaking of which, they’ve got heaps of them! If you’re a fan of a dark beer, make sure you will not leave Essen without having at least one Cernovar. Seriously.

Such a great place for a dinner. Very good starters, I would recommend deep friend camembert and later on some apple strudel. Thanks for having me and my friends early this week! :-)

I love the rustic deco in this hidden gem. You’re transported into an old bar in the middle of Germany the instant you step through the door. Then you’ll most likely be greeted with a friendly face (kudos to the managers of this shop — I’ve rarely seen more enthusiastic staff that are genuinely happy to help you!).
The food is equally as fantastic as the service. They have a fine selection of Germanic wheat beer on taps to go with your choice of meal.
I went for the veal schnitzel and added a side of Swiss garlic bread (cheesy goodness omg!). I was very well fed after that and couldn’t even fit in a dessert after that. Maybe I should share the meal next time.
Definitely would come back with friends!

I hate giving low stars, I really do. But the food here left me so… disappointed that I can’t not.
I had such high hopes — and maybe it’s because I’ve eaten in some authentic European feast type places that my tastebuds were expecting more of a choir than what was served.
The food came out looking amazing. Unfortunately the taste was somehow lacking.
The chicken schnitzel was stringy, chewy and a wee bit soggy. There was no crunch to the batter. The hash browns weren’t really crisp at all either, they tasted more like damp potato.
Out of the 5 sausages on the plate that came out, the only edible one was the one that was somewhat chilli.
And the best dish was the jar of mustard.
If you slather your food in this magical mustard it all tastes a whole lot better. But you shouldn’t have to slather your food in anything to be able to make it edible.
The pork knuckle came out looking mouthwatering, even to someone who doesn’t eat pork. But from what I gathered from my dining companions the taste was a bit off on this as well.
The deserts on the other hand were amazing.
And the beer was lovely and refreshing too.
But you can’t make a restaurant on beer & desserts. Well, I guess you could… effectively. I’d go there. But I’m not sure many others would.

Okay, here goes *compliment sandwich, compliment sandwich*
A positive: The staff are very helpful and knowledgable, and were more than willing to tell me about their wide selection of beer. Service was attentive, and the ladies helpfully described most dishes as they were delivered.
The food however, was rather underwhelming. The pretzel was under-​salted, the spatzle was bland and mushy. the schnitzel was soggy and flavorless, the underlying hashbrowns were undercooked and under seasoned, the pork knuckle was too fatty and the meat itself (once you found some) was too… hammy (for lack of a better description). One of the 5 sausages on the platter tasted pretty good, the rest were bland and unremarkable.
The European at our table said the food was similar to the home cooking she grew up with, which, although making me respect the food a bit more, didn’t make it taste any better to me. I’m told the German food I enjoy at other Bier Cafés has been westernized, but hey, I’m a western girl.
Another positive: both the apple and pear and the chocolate hazelnut strudels were delicious. If I found myself in the area hankerin’ for something sweet, there’s a good chance I’d duck in for a strudel.

Great German food! I was expecting sausages but there was so much more. Of course the sausage platter had a great variety and the sweet mustard went well with the white sausage. I would have been happy right there!
The schnitzel was crisp and delicious and thin! The potatoes and sauerkraut with it was perfect. But that’s not all. What I found surprising was the spiciness in the spatzle! The pulled pork spatzle was excellent — Germany’s pasta. For the pork knuckle, the meat fell apart beautifully yet the outside was crispy — a perfect combo.
You might think there is no room for dessert after all that but no — actually managed to try the strudel. It was warm and delicious.
The beer selection is enough to bring you to Essen as well! The wait staff know their beers (real Germans!) and i described what I liked and they came up with two suggestions. I liked the first one so much I had a second and didn’t deviate from the decision. Obviously I have to go back to try more beer.
I’ve been disappointed with other German restaurants in Sydney in the past so I set my expectations low and the experience at Essen was great! I didn’t think I could eat that much so really glad to have been sharing and sampling. I will definitely be back for the beer and especially the food!!!

The authentic German homely atmosphere given off by the furniture is definitely something to appreciate. The hand painted chairs, old stone walls and the jars and jars AND JARS of pickled foods is something that really made it feel like I was in Europe.
The food was nice, the sausages were very tasty but the platter was not very large. Some standouts were the potato salad which was great, and that delicious apple strudel. I would’ve liked to try a few of the other desserts on the menu, which also looked amazing. There weren’t many choices for the biers as other similar places I’d been but the cider I had wasn’t bad.
While we ate there seemed to be a few small flying bugs hovering over our food which was a bit concerning.
Still, the bugs were friendlier than the staff who barely came near to our table unless we called them from across the room. The waitress we had couldn’t speak English very well and seemed to get annoyed with us as we asked her questions about the menu. Then during the rest of the night, she paid more attention to cleaning jars than she did to the very few customers in the restaurant.
Poor staff is a bit of a deal breaker for me, so I don’t think I would come back here again.

My co-​diners as I entered the restaurant: Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel Get The Brezel .
So I got the brezel. And a bier. And a sauerkraut. And a deep-​fried camembert. My heart clogged audibly with each passing round.
All around me, carnivores stretched their seasoned bellies to accommodate a variety of schnitzels each with it’s own mysterious and delicious gravy/​sauce.
Essen serves your standard eastern European classics with no particular flare or stand-​out star. The décor reminds me of my grandmother’s European paraphernalia laden shelves, complete with the ever-​present fear of a collapsed shelf leaving you fighting for survival under a mountain of kitsch souvenires.
Playful banter may be wasted on the wait staff, if like my experience they fail to understand your probably unique and gifted sense of humour.
Go for the brezel, stay for the bier. Leave feeling full and adequately satisfied.

I attended Essen last night with my partner and two friends, we were looking for something a little different and Essen produced the goods, having eaten there before I was glad to see the same level of service, staff were attentive and were incredibly helpful with questions relating to allergies and modified aspects of the menu to suit multiple requests. The portion sizes were very generous and the food was great, the only low point was that my dining companions veal schnitzel was a little tough, I had the same meal and it was lovely, definitely worth a visit for nothing else than to watch the food challenge. Great food, great night, great to be in Sydney

Very good German food. Huge serving sizes and excellent value: for about $ 30 pp you can stuff yourself silly.
Stuff I had here recently:
— pork belly with rosti and sauerkraut = delicious
— pork knuckle with bread dumplings and sauerkraut = also delicious, but VERY fatty — like a pork version of KFC but ten times more fattening
The entrees I’ve tried here haven’t been too impressive. The crumbed mushrooms were a bit of a rip-​off at $ 8.50 as they were just a small plate of champignon mushrooms covered in breadcrumbs. The Swiss garlic bread was also a bit steep at $ 5 for two tiny pieces. They did taste good though and were something a bit different as they had melted cheese on top.
Service is very friendly. Our waiter on our most recent visit was a handsome, hulking blond German man — quite a sight to behold.