Tucked away in the Fishtown neighborhood northeast of Center City is a new biergarten that should excite even aficionados. Frankford Hall, located near the junction of Frankford and Girard Avenues, offers a fine selection of quality German beers and fare in a relaxed atmosphere perfect for chilling out after a long week.
The biergarten offers both indoor and outdoor seating; the latter has a fire pit where friends can sit
to chat on temperate evenings. Two ping–pong tables adorn the space, and patrons can be seen playing board games alongside mugs of German beer and plates of hot food.
Frankford Hall’s beer list is undoubtedly the highlight. Though offerings are not as extensive compared to those at Cav’s and Tap House, Frankford Hall lists more than a dozen German beers, both bottled and on tap. Plus, the prices are reasonable; pints start at $6.
On recommendation, we tried the Franziskaner Hefeweizen, a weissbier (a wheat beer, its name is German for “white beer”). We like
d its unintimidating flavor: laced with notes of banana, the beer was served in a traditional tall Weizen glass and poured a brilliant light gold. On the other hand, the Spaten Oktoberfest was a mixed bag. This darker beer had a less complex flavor dominated by malt candy, which, perfect for sipping, may be disappointing to those who yearn for sophisticated, layered flavors in their booze.
The bottled offerings included some highly rated options, ranging from the Weihenstephanedr Hefeweissbier — an unfiltered wheat brew — to higher ABV labels such as the Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock and the Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock.
Two excellent domestic brews, Dogfish Head’s My Antonia and Great Lakes’ Dortmunder Gold, were also on tap during my visit. Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA was available as well. While I would think it a shame to pass over the unique imported offerings for mainstream brands, Narragansett, Yuengling and Miller are of course available for order.
Frankford Hall’s food selection is somewhat limited, offering salad and pretzel appetizers ($5 to $12) and unsurprisingly, a range of sausages ($5 to $7). The Jagerschnitzel pork cutlet ($15) was tasty, the accompanying potato salad ordinary. The daily special was the BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($8), which we found to be flavorful and well–textured. Be warned, though — the serving sizes may underwhelm hungry stomachs.
While its Fishtown location makes the biergarten slightly less accessible, the outlying site offers visitors respite from the noisy environs of our on–campus watering holes. The outdoor seating is a wonderful novelty, and those who fancy nursing a bottle of good German bier will find this place to be a little hidden gem.
