The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture. The Oktoberfest tradition started in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese. It is an annual Fall festival that takes place in Munich, Germany. It is associated with the consumption of large amounts of beer, traditional German food and merrymaking. The Oktoberfest, generally starts in late September till the 3rd week of October.
Recently, I was invited to attend the Oktoberfest at the authentic German restaurant and bar-Hofbrauhaus at the JW Marriott Hotel in Deira.
Hofbrauhaus at JW Marriott has been licensed from the original Hofbrauhas in Munich. So you can expect an authentic German experience, whether it is the food, drinks, music or the decor.
As my friend and I reached Hofbrauhaus on Sunday evening the place was lively and buzzing. We were greeted by the staff who were clad in the traditional Bavarian costume of Dirndl and Lederhosen.
The interiors of Hofbrauhaus will transport you to Munich. It is an unpretentious place with homely decor, dark wood furniture and Bavarian paraphernalia.
Hofbrauhaus is the popular Oktoberfest venue in Dubai where you can enjoy a month long celebration. The German band had the diners enthralled with their energetic renditions of the popular German songs sung during Oktoberfest. Their vibe was infectious and we also started singing along with them…Eins, Zwei, Drei…
As it was a weekday, we tried their à la carte menu. During the weekends, you can enjoy buffet during Oktoberfest promotion.
We started off with a round of beer. My friend had the Original Hofbrauhaus Munchen beer and I had the Munich Wheat Beer. My friend enjoyed his beer, and I tried the wheat beer for the very first time and I loved it. I am more of a wine person, I don’t like beer much, but I was suggested to try the wheat beer. It didn’t have the bitter taste.
Hofbrauhaus is one of the very few places in Dubai, where you get a freshly baked Pretzel. Make sure you order their delicious Pretzels.
German cuisine is mostly meat centric, vegetarians have limited options. They also serve lot of dishes made from pork. I am sure pork lovers would be spoilt for choice.
Here’s a list of some of the dishes we tried:
- Obazda, a traditional Bavarian cheese spread, garnished with onion rings.
- Pilzpfanne, that is the sautéed mushrooms.
- Kartoffelklose, the very popular and delicious potato dumplings.
- Halbes Grillhand’I, was the half Bavarian style roasted chicken that came on a bed of potato salad, fresh veggies and greens. It was a big portion.
For dessert, we ordered the Apple Strudel. It was a freshly baked apple strudel served with vanilla sauce in the side. It was a great way to end the meal with this divine tasting dessert.
Overall, we had a great experience. Hofbrauhaus is the best place in Dubai to celebrate Oktoberfest.
Some details about Oktoberfest at Hofbrauhaus in JW Marriott:
Oktoberfest promotion from-September 29th-October 28th, 6pm-2am
Live band daily, from 7pm-2am
À la Carte menu on weekdays and buffet on Thursday and Friday.
AED 295 per person (soft beverages)
AED 395 per person (house beverages)
From 23rd-29th October, Guest Head Chef J. Hellner from Hofbrauhaus Munich will be running the show. So don’t miss out!
For reservations call- 04 607 7977
Oktoberfest Trivia
- Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Folk Festival.
- 19% of visitors come to Germany from other countries during the festival.
- Approximately 1.8 million gallon of brew is consumed each year.
- Albert Einstein once worked as an Electrician and helped set up one of the festival tents in 1896.
- 144 food and beverage outlets participate during the festival.
- 37 tents with 119,ooo seats across all tents.
- 13,ooo staff work at the festival.
- Party goers are not allowed to drink before the Mayor of Munich has uncorked the first keg of brew. This traditional ceremony is called ‘O’zapft is’ -‘They Untaps!’
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