Don your dirndls and lace up the lederhosen: September is the month of Oktoberfest, the celebration of beer first held more than 200 years ago to honor the prince of Bavaria's marriage. Though the main event is about 4,000 miles away, Cleveland has plenty of its own Eastern European heritage to celebrate. So we've asked our favorite German taverns for traditional food and beer pairings you might not have tried. "People are more adamant about drinking specific wines with specific foods," says Josh Jones, Hofbrauhaus Cleveland brew master. "Beer is a 180 to that. You drink what you like to complement the food that you like."
Das Schnitzel Haus
Eat This Das Schnitzel Haus owner Branka Djurin, a native of Stuttgart, Germany, insists on the old-fashioned methods. Try her from-scratch cherry streusel ($4.50), made with sweet and sour black cherries and served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. "I do stretch the dough," she says."I make a mixture of cherry pie filling with sweet cherries and breadcrumbs." Drink This Konig Ludwig dunkel ($5 for a half-liter). 5728 Pearl Road, Parma, 440-886-5050, dshparma.com
Der Braumeister Restaurant and Market
Eat This Try the 33-year-old, German family-owned restaurant's schweinehaxe ($18.95), a baked pork hock cooked with peppercorns, spices and pork stock and served with potato croquettes and sauerkraut. The dish is a specialty of Bavaria. "It's a more rural area, so they are eating heartier foods, " says general manager Cindy Hoertz. Drink This Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest ($5.75 for a half-liter). 13046 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-671-6220, facebook.com/derbrau
Donauschwaben Cultural Center
Eat This Wiener schnitzel is a perennial Oktoberfest favorite (the restaurant sells more than 3,000 per day during its festival). Although it's used interchangeably, "wiener means veal, not pork," chef Mike Iskandar clarifies. He pounds cutlets wafer-thin, breads each one and fries them. "[It's] very tender and flavorful and served with a slice of lemon," he says. Drink This Spaten classic lager ($3.25 for 12 ounces). 7370 Columbia Road, Olmsted Township, 440-235-2646,donauschwabencleveland.com
Heimatland
Eat This Although the restaurant is on the smaller side, the menu is filled with Oktoberfest favorites. You can't go wrong with golden potato pancakes ($5.99 for four) — a classic German festival food, says bartender Jesse Bauer. "A lot of European recipes are handed down generations," he says. "[Heimatland's] original owner grew up in Germany, and this is the recipe that she grew up using." Drink This Weihenstephaner heffeweizen ($4.75 for a half-liter). 3511 Center Road, Brunswick, 330-220-8671
Hofbrauhaus Cleveland
Eat This Executive chef Oleg Makhayev trained and worked in the original Munich brewery, which was founded in 1589 and is owned by the government. Try his Oktoberfest Grillhendl ($17.99), a half chicken crusted with a slightly spicy rub. "This is traditional [and] comes always with potato salad," he says. Drink This The hop-forward red lager ($10.99 for a liter). 1550 Chester Ave., Cleveland, 216-621-2337, hofbrauhauscleveland.com
