Gerst Haus Restaurant

Gerst Haus RestaurantGerst Haus Restaurant
Gerst Haus RestaurantGerst Haus Restaurant
Bar, Eatery

301 Woodland St
Nashville, Tennessee, 37213-4200
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.74
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
5
pDev:
5.88%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by greencovesteve:
Photo of greencovesteve
Rated by greencovesteve from North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.25

Apr 12, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.75
The Gerst Haus is a Tennessee institution, but you don't have to make it a destination if you're just visiting. It's basically a restaurant full of old people who are used to getting the same exact dinner that they've had there for the last 50 years ago (well not exactly, it relocated under its first ownership in 1970, and then was demolished in 1998, only to be re-located again with a new building in 2000). If the food was good that would be great, but it's not, it's just restaurant food from 50 years ago; and in all honesty it doesn't nearly meet the quality that I've found in Germany and Austria even at the cafe level.

So why go? Well, it's fun. There's some charm to it. It's nostalgic. It's a learning experience, and it's not just old people (I was kind of kidding about that), they have their families with them too, and there are younger couples as well. But for the food? Uggh, it's fairly inexpensive, but I don't care what it costs I just don't want to eat mediocre food regardless.

The beer then is the draw, and yet they don't really have a very good selection. They have the Yazoo brewed Gerst Haus Amber but you can find that almost anywhere in Tennessee. And the other taps offer mainly German beers, but also mainstream domestic beers as well. One note, if you don't want a big beer be sure to ask for a mug or you'll get "the fishbowl"; although I'm pretty sure all of the glassware is frosted.
Oct 01, 2015
Photo of Dreizhen
Reviewed by Dreizhen from District of Columbia

3.6/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.75
Old school German bierhaus. They have opa music on occasion. Food is probably some of the more authentic German food you'll find in the city (at least commercially). Fun place to go with a group and tip your toes into some of Nashville's old Germanic culture that's now rather assimilated. Cool story about the Yazoo Gerst beer, too. Ask your server about it.

Usually crowded on Titans game days.
Mar 27, 2015
Photo of sommersb
Reviewed by sommersb from Tennessee

4/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
This week I went to the Gerst Haus for the second time. The first visit was on a busy weekend night, the last time was late on a weeknight, so the place was fairly empty and near closing time.

The atmosphere feels a bit dated, but in an OK way, due to the decor that looks like an Old World brew hall. I like the German posters and flags and all. On the weekend night we were there, they had their house Oom-pah band, complete with tuba, playing enjoyable polka-style music. A real fun time!

I had 2 of the fishbowl glasses (really a chalice) of the Yazoo Gerst amber. Seems like a good price for a craft beer at $4. I'm guessing it was about a 20-ounce serving in the glass. My only gripe was that the glass was chilled/frosted. But I like the house beer and think it is a great match for the German food. They also have a good selection of other beers, including (not surprisingly) many German styles and brewers.

Service was good. The general pace seemed kind of slow, so maybe don't go if you're in a big hurry. Our server was attentive and pleasant.

They have a good amount of German food to choose from. I got the wiener schnitzel and my wife got a wurst plate and we shared them. Overall I'd say it was pretty good, but not great, cooking. The prices seemed a tad on the expensive side for the entrees.

Overall I've been pleased with the Gerst Haus and I'm sure I'll be going back. Guten Appetit!
Jun 30, 2011
Photo of volanova
Reviewed by volanova from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
A: Styled like a Bavarian bierhalle, and it actually does a half decent job of pulling off the vibe (speaking from someone who's spent a significant amount of time in Germany). Decorated with German flags and whatnot, taxidermy, and German-theme tchotkes.

SVC: Attentive service, but the server was by far not familiar enough with the beer selection available. Luckily I was familiar with most of the beers on tap, but it would be nice to have a server that's able to understand what I order when I pronounce Weihenstephaner. It is a German restaurant, after all. Service was a bit slow too, but I've never been to a restaurant in Germany where the service was fast, so I'll chalk it up to authenticity.

SEL: Great beer selection, lots of types I've not seen in ages, and rarely seen in the United States. Smaller mugs (look to be 10-12 oz) run around $2-$3, so it's a great place to go if you want to try a few new beers.

F: My Jägerschnitzel was good. A bit tougher than I'd expect, but still very tasty and would order again. Sides of German potato salad and spätzle were great, too. It would have been nice though if the waitress had known what I said when I pronounced the items correctly. I don't expect the server to be fluent, but you should know what the items are.

V: Excellent value. Perhaps I had forgotten just how cheap food and beer can be in Nashville, but this place was great. Solid food for a very decent price, much lower than a typical German establishment, and unbeatable prices for their import beers.

In short, definitely check this place out if you're in Nashville and have a hankering for some good German food with some friends or are wanting to taste new (old?) German beers.
Nov 06, 2009
Gerst Haus Restaurant in Nashville, TN
Place rating: 3.74 out of 5 with 5 ratings