A traditional Bavarian Beerhouse is one of the places where you actually might encounter people speaking Bavarian - or at least using certain Bavarian expressions.
However, as far as our Bavarian Beerhouses are concerned, Bavarian expressions are mainly confined to the menu and entertainment. After all, they are part of what makes the experience more genuine. And using them can also be fun - provided you know what they mean! That's why we have listed a few typical Bavarian words/expressions that you might encounter - either at a Bavarian Beerhouse and restaurant or perhaps at your next Oktoberfest visit. So, here's a bit of:
Bavarian Restaurant Vocabulary to better understand a Bavarian Restaurant Menu
1 - Bavarian name
2 - Variation of the name in other parts of Germany
3 - English name and/or explanation
4 - "Our attempt to spell it phonetically to give you an idea of how to pronounce it"
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1 - Brezn
2 - Bretzel
3 - a soft pretzel
4 - "breytsn"
1 - Fleischpflanzerl
2 - Frikadelle/Boulette
3 - burger/meatball
4 - "Flyshflantserl"
1 - Hendl
2 - Huhn/Hähnchen
3 - chicken
4 - "handle"
1 - Schnitzel
2 - Schnitzel
3 - Schnitzel/steak - a slice of fried meat (veal, pork, sometimes chicken or turkey)
4 - "shnizl"
1 - Weißwuascht/Weisswurst/Weißwurst
2 - Weisswurst/Weißwurst
3 - Bavarian/German Weisswurst (literal translation: white sausage) - made from minced veal and pork bacon with various spices
4 - "vicewuasht"/"vicevurst"
1 - Blaukraut
2 - Rotkohl
3 - red cabbage, shredded and cooked
4 - "blouwkrout"
1 - Knödel
2 - Knödel
3 - boiled dumplings, depending on the recipe, made from either potato (Kartoffelknödel) or bread/buns (Semmelknödel), sometimes with added bacon or spices
4 - "cnoedl"
1 - Pommes/Pomes Frittes
2 - Pommes/Pomes Frittes/Fritten
3 - French fries - as the name suggests, this is not a traditional Bavarian dish. However, you will often find French fries on a Bavarian restaurant menu, usually as a side dish served with Schnitzel
4 - "pommez"
1 - Schweinshaxn, Sauhaxn
2 - Schweinshaxe, Eisbein (a pickled and boiled variation)
3 - ham hock, part of pig's leg between the ham and the ankle
4 - "shvinzhuuhksn" (the "i" is pronounced like in the pronoun)
Beyond the Bavarian Beerhouse Menu...
We hope this gives you a better insight into the specific vocabulary of a Bavarian Beerhouse Menu (and menus of many other German restaurants, for that matter.)
However, should you need consulting that goes faaaaaaar beyond just a bit of vocabulary, check out our services for restaurant consulting!