Speisekammer

Citysearch says that they serve brunch, but the resaurant's website mentions only dinner. I'll have to try going there for dinner sometime. The place sounds really fun! more

Citysearch says that they serve brunch, but the resaurant's website mentions only dinner. I'll have to try going there for dinner sometime. The place sounds really fun! more

After 10+ meals at Speisekammer, my girlfriend and I decided not to go back. It was no single problem, but a cumulative effect over time. The pros of this restaurant are the family orientation, the great beer, and the cozy interior. The cons are the food and the staff attitude. If you get the sausage and potatoes, your meal will be very good and you will be happy. If you order anything else, you will pay more than average, and your chances of a tasty, well-prepared meal are about 66%. Someone in our group is always at least mildly disappointed with the meal. (At Suppenkuchen, no one is ever disappointed.) Your chances of having a nice waitress are also about 66%. But the overriding reason that I decided not to go back is that the staff, especially the manager or owner (not sure of his role), never makes us feel welcome. Sometimes the mood of the place is outright indifference. I have heard other people say similar things. Speisekammer is just not the friendly, consistently good neighborhood joint that it presents itself as and which I kept hoping it would turn into. My girlfriend agreed completely. We may go back for beers some evening, but that's it. Speisekammer, Alameda needs a good restaurant, and you can do better. Pros: good for families, cozy, great beer Cons: variable quality in food and service; a little pricey; not welcoming more

love this place. Like in the old country, Fall offers the best delights: cream of mushroom, semmelknodel, jagerschnitzel...very welcome as the air turns cooler. Their beer sampler is second to none, the atmosphere is cozy and friendly, even for young ones, and the wine list is fair and full. The authenticity makes it second to none in the bay area. Pros: food, beer, wine Cons: service could use a little work. Not bad though more

love this place. Like in the old country, Fall offers the best delights: cream of mushroom, semmelknodel, jagerschnitzel...very welcome as the air turns cooler. Their beer sampler is second to none, the atmosphere is cozy and friendly, even for young ones, and the wine list is fair and full. The authenticity makes it second to none in the bay area. Pros: food, beer, wine Cons: service could use a little work. Not bad though more

If you are looking for a heavy meal on a cold evening, this is the place in Alameda. The food is very good, a great selection of beer, and a warm comfortable atmosphere. It can get noisy on busy nights. PROS: beer selection, comfort food CONS: more

I have been to Speisekammer three times and agree that the food, particularly the spaetzle and sauerbraten is excellent; however, the service has never been a high point. At best, the wait staff and kitchen are slow. Recently though, the restaurant called us to cancel a Friday reservation for a party of 11 with a weeks notice. The reservation (and one would assume the reservations of everyone else) were canceled so the restaurant could be rented out for a last minute corporate Christmas party. Probably a good business move... in the short term... we won't be back, there is plenty of excellent food in the Bay Area. more

I have been to Speisekammer three times and agree that the food, particularly the spaetzle and sauerbraten is excellent; however, the service has never been a high point. At best, the wait staff and kitchen are slow. Recently though, the restaurant called us to cancel a Friday reservation for a party of 11 with a weeks notice. The reservation (and one would assume the reservations of everyone else) were canceled so the restaurant could be rented out for a last minute corporate Christmas party. Probably a good business move... in the short term... we won't be back, there is plenty of excellent food in the Bay Area. more

I really enjoyed the food here.Six of us went here for dinner on a Friday night and all tried something different.All the dishes were well prepared and the portion size was really enough for two people.We ate so much we did not have dessert,but the dessert listing sounded great.The atomsphere was enjoyable and looked sort of traditional.Reservations are highly recommened.The prices were average for a dining place of this level.I will go there again for sure. PROS: Good large portions CONS: A little too loud more

For a great Sunday Brunch, try this place. They have excellent potato pancakes, waffles, and portions are very good size. Definitely worth the trip; we'll be back. more

For a great Sunday Brunch, try this place. They have excellent potato pancakes, waffles, and portions are very good size. Definitely worth the trip; we'll be back. more

Wonderful food and beer in a very comfortable, friendly atmosphere. We dined at 8:00 on a Sunday night so the restaurant wasn't too crowded. The bread and water was served as soon as we sat down. Service overall was attentive and helpful. I enjoyed the giant bbq'd pork shank while my wife was equally satisfied with the pork and beer sauce - servings were plentiful and delicious. We plan on visiting again. more

Wonderful food and beer in a very comfortable, friendly atmosphere. We dined at 8:00 on a Sunday night so the restaurant wasn't too crowded. The bread and water was served as soon as we sat down. Service overall was attentive and helpful. I enjoyed the giant bbq'd pork shank while my wife was equally satisfied with the pork and beer sauce - servings were plentiful and delicious. We plan on visiting again. more

A wonderful place to fill yourself with authentic German food and beer. You will leave feeling sleepy and satisfied. I'm confused by past reviews slagging the food (the bread is stale, there's too much pork). That person might not be familiar with German-style bread, which is thick and dry. Also, pork is the main meat staple of the German diet. A wonderful and delicious place to spend an evening, whether you're in the hall or at the bar. Pros: Great beer selection, Huge portions, Delicious, authentic Cons: Slow when busy, Service can be cold, Easy to spend a LOT more

A wonderful place to fill yourself with authentic German food and beer. You will leave feeling sleepy and satisfied. I'm confused by past reviews slagging the food (the bread is stale, there's too much pork). That person might not be familiar with German-style bread, which is thick and dry. Also, pork is the main meat staple of the German diet. A wonderful and delicious place to spend an evening, whether you're in the hall or at the bar. Pros: Great beer selection, Huge portions, Delicious, authentic Cons: Slow when busy, Service can be cold, Easy to spend a LOT more

We came highly recommended to this place,and frankly,there were somethings not so great.like the service.as someone else mentioned, poor service,we all know can spoil a dining experience, and our almost did. the bread we finally got after waiting 15 minutes, was stale, almost inedible. the waitress passed us by at least 5 times before we got eye contact and service 15 minutes later.and not friendly.food came about another 25 minutes later.no follow up care from the waitress.forget water refills. we even had to wait 5 minutes at the register to pay our bill. ambience was stark,as described, and for all this,the price of the meals was on the high side. we expected better service at these prices.and lastly, i saw that about 80% of the entree menu was PORK.nice choices among 8 different pork dinners.so my friend had pork,and um...i guess i'll have the .... pork .the food was tasty. more

We came highly recommended to this place,and frankly,there were somethings not so great.like the service.as someone else mentioned, poor service,we all know can spoil a dining experience, and our almost did. the bread we finally got after waiting 15 minutes, was stale, almost inedible. the waitress passed us by at least 5 times before we got eye contact and service 15 minutes later.and not friendly.food came about another 25 minutes later.no follow up care from the waitress.forget water refills. we even had to wait 5 minutes at the register to pay our bill. ambience was stark,as described, and for all this,the price of the meals was on the high side. we expected better service at these prices.and lastly, i saw that about 80% of the entree menu was PORK.nice choices among 8 different pork dinners.so my friend had pork,and um...i guess i'll have the .... pork .the food was tasty. more

Though I'm not a huge fan of German cuisine, we decded to make a visit. Menu was full of nice, filling food; I left completely stuffed. Waitress was informative. Considerable selection of beers. The table was large and there was more than enough room for the similarly large portions. Great to go to with a bunch of people, as long as you're fond of the type of food. Pros: Welcoming, Bright Cons: Loud more

Though I'm not a huge fan of German cuisine, we decded to make a visit. Menu was full of nice, filling food; I left completely stuffed. Waitress was informative. Considerable selection of beers. The table was large and there was more than enough room for the similarly large portions. Great to go to with a bunch of people, as long as you're fond of the type of food. Pros: Welcoming, Bright Cons: Loud more

This is more than German food, it is just good food. I had no idea what German food was before going there. It is really super delicious! My friend and I had the Salmon special and the "Giant Pork Shank". The salmon pan fried and topped with a creamy cucumber dill sauce that was to die for - served with spinach and mashed potatoes (a tried and true combo). The pork shank was giant! It was cooked on a rotissierie which gave the skin a delicate crunch. I made sandwiches with the leftovers the next day. Cocktails are large and deadly! Watch out for the caffettini - it went down a little too easy. Pros: fireplace, music, cocktails more