Time was that Glendale and the surrounding neighborhoods were the place to go if you wanted to have a few beers and some old-fashioned German food. Now that the venerable Niederstein's has closed, and been turned into an Arby's no less, it would seem that the only place in the nabe to have some brats or a meaty hunk of kassler rippchen is the antediluvian Zum Stammtisch.
There's nothing wrong with Zum, but if you want a slightly more modern experience head down Cooper Avenue, where in a mall not far from the original Archie Bunker House you'll find Manor Oktoberfest. Incidentally, The Shops at Atlas Park with its combination of pedestrian walkways and interior stores looks rather out of place in central Queens.
Sure the German beer festival ended as of the first, but we can't think of a better place to keep the party going than Manor Oktoberbfest. Given it's tiny size, Manor is a bit misleading as a name. The place takes its name from owner Mark Gallagher's Manor Delicatessen in nearby Woodhaven.
Despite its tiny footprint, the bar is plenty big enough to support a liter of Spaten Oktoberfest. Supplement your gargantuan glass of beer with a few slices of Black Forest bacon served with lettuce, tomato and onion and let the suds act as a bread substitute. We like to think of it as a Teutonic BLT. If you're still feeling peckish you can stave off your hunger with a huge plate combo consisting of a bratwurst and a kassler rippchen, or smoked pork chop, nestled atop potatoes and kraut. If you're concerned about working off the calories, just order liters and think of lifting your one-pound plus brew to your lips as low-impact weight training.
Manor Oktoberfest, 80-28 Cooper Avenue, Glendale, 718-326-2201
