Zum Schneider

Doors and windows wide open on sunny days (I would say beautiful days but I hate the heat). German beer served in huge quantities. Wine and cider available too! Wooden tables for you and your friends to sit and gossip at over said alcohol. Pretzels with mustard, latkes, and the like. Dogs hanging out with their beer-​drinking owners in the outside area. Fair prices with friendly service and the tip is included. What’s not to love?
I could go on and on and write a thorough review but let’s be honest, you go to Zum Schneider to drink away your worries and eat pretzels.

Ummm. I’m confused. Has anyone else not experienced just terrible service here???
I’ve been here twice in the past few weeks and the staff seems to be perpetually agitated, short tempered and unfriendly. The last time we visited the manager told us that we could only temporarily sit at the benches since we were not ordering food… even though the whole place was empty. He also picked his nose the whole time while he spoke to us.
Also, the beer is obnoxiously expensive. There are just so many better places on Avenue C. Don’t fall for this tourist trap.
For all you novices, this place only accepts cash because they’re skimming the books a.k.a tax evasion, tax fraud, money laundering. Welcome to America.

This place was great! We’ve tried quite a few German restaurants and this one tops them all! Even my seven year old that doesn’t usually eat German food loved it. He gave it a 10! Food is great, beer is great, and service was awesome. We will definitely come back when in town!

I came for the German food (bit pricey but it is REALLY GOOD! Almost like at home ;)), stayed for the absinth cocktails… if you are here, try one of them (but seriously, ONE is enough! ;))

Fabulous fresh authentic German food & wonderful ambiance ~ you will actually forget that you are in New York!

It’s easy to write a review about this place. It’s expensive but absolutely amazing.
Couple of days ago I was terribly craving Käsespätzle and looked for German restaurants on Unilocal.We popped by and really enjoyed it. As a starter we had an Obazda, which was absolutely delicious, I never had such a good cheese even in Bavaria.
Finally I got my Käsespätzle as a main course and it was a blast. Again better than any food I ever had in Bavaria.
I was really worried that it’s not worth the price but it’s absolutely worth every dollar.
The beer selection is pretty good and the staff is very friendly.
Overall it’s a real recommendation.

Great German beer selection & a good place to practice German.

The draft beer is some of the best in the city – including dunkelweiss from Andechs, which is an amazing cloister brewery in the hills outside Munich. Service is effective if perfunctory. My issue: why must a dish with two sausages and potato salad cost $ 18? Why are three potato pancakes with a side salad $ 17? Etc. Considering the urinal in the men’s room is a giant trough — and tables are shared — the amenities to justify this cost just aren’t there.

Sat outside on a warm night and had a wonderful experience. The food was great and so was their beer. Had the schnitzel and it was amazing– just like that I had in Berlin. The staff was very helpful with helping me decide what I wanted to get. Keep in mind this place is cash only!

Things you have to do at Zum Schneider:
1. Drink beer. Lots of beer. They have 3 sizes. 0.3 L, 0.5 L and 1L.
2. Order pretzels. They are big and soft and come with mustard. I wish they came with cheese.
3. Eat the chicken schnitzel. The chicken is pounded really nice and thin, and its extremely crispy.
I saw our waitress drinking beer there too lol.

By far the most authentic contemporary German restaurant in NYC. The chef is doung a solid job in recreating favorites of the Bavarian and southern German cuisine. The service has become quite pleasant. 5 stars!

Two stars for the pretzels alone. I came in around 7 to meet a friend and there was basically no one there. I use the bathroom and when I got out the waitress seemed like she was in a rush to get me to sit down. I wanted to look at the beers on tap so i walked up to the bar and the guy told me immediately to sit down because they have a waitress that will take care of you… uh ok. The next people to arrive were a family with three young kids. Wasn’t expecting that but they knew the staff so apparently it was fine. It seemed like some family reunion after a while (more people arrived) and the vibe got to be a little weird. Like we were interfering with a family reunion. That coupled with the unatentive waitress made us decide to leave after just one beer and a pretzel each. Just an odd experience overall.

This place is super cute! I love the décor. They have fake vines spanning the walls and ceiling. They also have wreaths and red bows and fairy lights decorating the windows. The place is dark and cozy, but being a German pub, can still get quite rambunctious. My kasespatzle (egg noodles with cheese and bacon) was delicious. My friend’s beef goulash, delectable.

New York is theeee place to try different foods, and that is our goal whenever we land in this amazing city.
Tonight we decided to go German, and selected Zum Schneider after looking at several Unilocal reviews.
Short report:
a) Food was excellent, we had the Pork Wiener Schnitzel and the Gebackener Camembert (‘baked Camambert cheese”, it is an appetizer, but I had it as a main dish, since it is large). Both were excellent.
b) Desert: we ordered the Kaiserschmarrn (Chopped fluffy German pancake w/​raisins served w/​applesauce), which was a bit disappointing. I confess that I’m spoiled… my first Kaiserschmarrn was at a farmers house while climbing a mountain in east Germany (20 years ago), made with fresh eggs, locally ground flour and other ingredients harvested from their farm, how do you spell «organic and ultra fresh»? That was unbelievably good, like dreaming in paradise. Since that time I’m on a quest to find one similar… to no avail. Anyway, Zum’s Kaiserschmarrn committed a few sins: it was under cooked and a bit cold, and the apple pureé was not really that good.
c) Service was attentive but hectic, the place was packed, so we sat a table that already had other patrons, a bit awkward if you are not in your 20’s (this is common at small restaurants in Europe). Also note that they only take cash, no credit cards, and God forbid: checks!
Thus the 4 stars are justified: great main dishes but disappointing Kaiserschmarrn, great place but cramped with so-​so service, and a bit expensive.
Cheers!

LOVE the German beer here, and they have a selection. They even had Oktoberfest beer when I was there last. I went to the event they had, Munich on the East River and it was such a great time! I moved to the city this summer and have already been three times!

Great beers! We went there for NYE and we had a great time! Food was good — too bad they didn’t have the Pork Shank that day.

I really like this place. Granted it may be out of the way since it’s all the way in Avenue C but it’s totally worth the trek. It’s a unpretentious really laid back spot. I had my bf’s surprise birthday dinner there. Sylvia was very accommodating as I was communicating with her back and forth about my reservation through email. Service was very attentive. We never had to wait long for the food or for the drinks to come. The food was also very good. My friends commented on how good the sausage was. I had the schnitzel dish and instead of greens I had spatzle. I loved my dish and it was a huge portion. I had to get the rest to– go since I was full halfway through but unfortunately I left it at the restaurant. I was so disappointed! I couldn’t stop thinking about it till the next day. That’s how bad I wanted to eat it again. lol

Yes, this a review based on my experience. Went there for Octoberfest with another 6 friends. I will sum it up because it’s a very very long story:
— we had no reservations, but we found a long table with benches and occupied ½ of it. the other half was later occupied buy other group and yes, we agreed to squeeze in because they were more than us.
— 20% tip included for more than 6 people. We ordered drinks, food, drinks and food. Some of my friends left and other friends came later, so basically 80% of the time we were more than 6 and between people coming and going we were 4.
— asked for the check, payed and tipped more than 20%. 2 of our friends left. Me and my other 3 friends wanted to stay another 10 minutes to finish our drinks.
The hostess comes to us and says (not nicely): you have to move, I have a group of 6 people and you can take your drinks and go to the bar. (and she points the bar. that had no empty chairs.). Of course I got annoyed… and we all did… told her that we’re not planning to move till we finish our drinks. And asked her if this is how customers are treated for tipping 20%+ and want to stay another 10 minutes to finish up their drinks. She got even more upset and started yelling that we don’t get her, she has a group of 6 people and no table for them… When we left she told us «I hope you never come back!». Funny, right?
The fact is I can understand that employees represent the company. And sometimes it’s not fair to judge a place after one interaction with one frustrated employee.
We had:
— different german sausages
— german pretzels
— beer
The food was ok, really german style and taste. I’m not a beer person, I had a light beer that tasted ok.

Ahh, the beginning of Oktoberfest. People, including myself, love a good reason to drink giant steins of beer and indulge in giant soft pretzels.
We helped kicked off the German celebrations this weekend at a biergarten I have yet to been to. Zum Schneider in the east village is probably one of the greatest attractions on Avenue C. Their blue and white outdoor umbrellas and flags are very attractive and make the place east to spot.
We walked in and our friends had already started filling up a long picnic style table. I was a little disappointed to see the place so empty. They claimed that it would start getting busy around 3 or 4pm (it was around 1:30pm now), so I’d be interested to go back at that time next weekend and check it out.
The waitress was there ready to take our order the second we sat down. The giant steins were only $ 12 each (!!!) so of course we ordered those. They had a huge beer selection with descriptions of how each one tastes. We also ordered some soft pretzels but were unimpressed because they were very small, smaller then the ones you would get at a baseball game. The other downsides are they don’t do separate checks which was hard since I was leaving early and are cash only.
I am curious to come back and check out what this place looks like when it’s crowded!

I wanted to like this place, as I was vigorously directed here by a tenant of my new apartment building when I asked him for bars to check out in the Alphabet City area. I love beer as much as the next person, but there is no reason I should be waiting 20 minutes in the outside seating section for a waitress to come to our table on a fairly quiet Wednesday evening! The beers my friend and I ordered were great, but I really can’t forgive that ridiculous lack of quality service. I might go back again if pressed; hopefully, this was a fluke rather than the norm.

Very authentic beer hall in New York. The waiters all are German and the beers are large and delicious. Great for expats or tourists who want something a bit different.
Extra points for putting in a European style trough Urinal in the men’s room. (Don’t ask).

German beer house, that is exactly what you’re looking for when you go to a german beer house!
There’s singing and dancing on tables, giant glasses of beer for CHEAP, but it’s good beer, and the food is super authentic.
Great fun atmosphere and gets super packed weekdays and nights! Definitely recommend bringing your group of friends and hanging out on one of the long bench tables and swinging your beer around like a crazy person, you’ll be in good company.

Home sweet home. :)
I am from Germany and this is by far my favorite German restaurant in NYC and I almost tried them all (Hallo Berlin is still on my list).
The food os amazing, it feels like they kidnapped my mom and made her cook there. it is the most authentic food in town. From Kartoffelsalat (potatoe salad) to Sauerkraut (i guess no translation required :) to Würste (sausages) everything taste the same like in Germany. They also have seasonal specials on their menu.
Service is great, nothing to complain about. Also as an american you can practice your german (and i mean more than saying «sprechen sie deutsch») there, since basically every waiter speaks german (or at least I only had german speaking waiters.
One of my recommendations is go there to watch big soccer events including german teams or world cup. Insaaaaane. They also have an own soccerteam if you are interested.
In the summer its always crowded since you can also sit outside and drink you Mass beer.
Oh and one thing… CASH IS KING.

The place for an ice cold Oktoberfest beer jug mug tub. No pretense, just beer on communal tables, the way beer halls are supposed to be.

This German pub has an exciting atmosphere over the weekend. I came on a Saturday afternoon, and they had a soccer game playing on a projector over the bar which everyone was watching. The fans were enthusiastic about the match which made for a very fun atmosphere.
There was a solid selection of German beers. The pint I had was full bodied and fresh. I didn’t order any food, but the other patrons’ food look very appetizing.
I would certainly return for drinks and some German pub fare!

I heard about this place from a German beer distributor that I met when I was enjoying my crispy pork shank at Heidelberg (Upper East). He mentioned that Zum was also a great place for German food!
We ordered sausage platter and potato pancake.
Sausage platter was good it comes with weisswurst, frankfurter, and i believe it was knockwurst. They were all good and the potato pancake were amazing! Thin and crispy on the edge, soft and creamy in the middle.
Two things that i was disappointed at crispy porn shank weekend only! And it’s cash only place… other than that it’s awesome!

Came here on a Saturday afternoon with a pretty large group of people, our friend had reserved a section of the restaurant, but we went into overflow and ended up sitting outside that section. The place was packed, and while there was no hostess standing outside, apparently you are supposed to wait for someone to seat you. I felt like they were severely understaffed and VERY packed (not sure if this is always the case). But it took about 20 minutes for us to get menus, and then another 10 – 15 for her to come back and take our order. We were starving to say the least! Once we ordered, it did not take extra-​long for our drinks or food to come, we were hungry, but the wait was not unreasonable, the difficult part was getting someone’s attention so we could order.
The environment, they have an outside area with umbrellas and tables. Inside was packed with long benches and tables. Has a pretty authentic feel, my husband and I were both amazed when two of the waitresses started talking to each other in German, made the establishment feel even more legit! Overall staff was friendly and helpful after we were able to get their attention. Despite our long wait, I really liked the vibes of this place!
The food, was AMAZING! We were starving, but I think even if we weren’t, it was very good. Good portion size for your $$, descriptions on menu reflected what we ordered, great beer/​brunch food!
Strammer max $ 11
Open sandwich with ham melted cheese and egg — exactly how it sounds, I ordered this because I saw someone at a nearby table eating it and I was salivating! When I received my portion, it was everything I had expected! If I came back again, I think I would have to order this dish again because it was so good!
Grune Eier $ 12
Eggs, creamed spinach and roasted potatoes — my husband ordered this, it was good, but in my opinion the Strammer max was so much better! I also prefer bread to potatoes (so that could be why). But it was very good, he ate all of it!
Biergartens are rare in the city, and I think this is currently my favorite one! Liked the feel, beer was good, food was amazing! I think the only frustrating part was the wait, but if you come with the mindset that there might be a wait and you may not get to eat right away, I think it’s okay!
Would definitely recommend this to others and come back again!

I sometimes have to get away from Ave A and B… the crowds are redic.
Ave C is way calmer and the bars here are much less d-​bag-​ish.
This spot is chill, the bathroom has a trough for pissin (just like Euro dive bars), it has a ton of great German beers and the waiter was mad cool.
Oh yeah, the outdoor seating is on fleek (I didn’t just write that). Ugh.

The very best among the «new crop» of NYC German restaurants, replacing what we once had all along East 86^th Street in years past. Only Heidelberg remains.
BUT, what a welcome scene this is! In a section of NYC I never thought I’d see come back to life. And truly German, it’s not a pretend or theme place at all.
Simply THE BEST. Hoist that beer and scream PROST!

Can now update on behalf of the food. No surprise here, but its delicious.
Tried a special for the night: mustard and pickles wrapped in brisket and bacon. um ya. MIND BLOWN. covered in gravy with a side of spätzle.
I think I could eat spatzle every day for the rest of my life.
I love this bar. i love everything about it.

Encontré unos amigos de Serbia & Alemania que conocí atrás del sitio
. Nos disfrutamos cerveza alemana y la comida autentica muy buena. Las salchichas pedí yo y mis amigos compartieron el cerdo frito (schweinebraten).
Tome solo unas cervezas so no puedo decir mucho sobre todos los opciones. La comida era OK. Fue autentico pero nada espectacular. El ambiente era mejorado porque nuestro mesero era aleman y muy atente.
Zum Schneider saciaba mi antojo por comida alemana autentica y los precios son razonables.
^^^
I went here with friends from Serbia & Germany I met via Couchsurfing. We had a good time drinking German beer and eating solid German fare. I had the sausage plate and my companions ordered the schweinebraten.
I only had a few beers so I cannot evaluate their beer selection. The food was OK. It was authentic but nothing spectacular. The ambience was enhanced by the fact that our server was German and very gracious.
Zum Schneider satisfied my desire to eat German food and was reasonably priced.
(deutsch)
Ich bin mit ein paar Freunden aus Serbien und Deutschland, die ich durch Couchsurfing kennengelernt habe. Wir haben gutes deutsches Bier und Essen genossen. Ich habe das Wurstteller und meine Kumpels, Schweinebraten.
Ich habe nur ein paar Biere probiert und kann ihre gesamte Auswahl nicht bewertigen. Das Essen war in Ordnung, aber nichts außerordentlich. Unsere Kellnerin kam aus Köln und war sehr nett.

Großartiges Bier und gutes Essen. Sehr populär mit Kanadischen Einwanderern. Nur Bargeld.

Das beste Fassbier in Manhattan: Hacker-​Pschorr (hell und dunkel) und Hofbräu. Halb Parodie, halb Hommage auf ein bayrisches Ausflugslokal, und gerade darum so gemütlich. Deutsche Expats, aber auch Hipster aus dem East Village, der Lower East Side und Chinatown bestimmen das Bild. Musik wechselt zwischen Umpapa und anderem alpinem Gedudel und NDW. Gegen 20:00 Uhr wird es meist krachend voll, aber vorher kann man auch Kinder mitbringen.

Jeder, der als verwöhnter Europäer in den Staaten ist, kennt das Problem um das wirklich befriedigende Essen. Sollte also einem die Lust nach rustikaler Küche stehen — bayrisch und vor allem sehr gutes Brot — dann ist das Restaurant Zum Schneider genau die richtig Wahl. Das Essen ist sehr lecker, die Atmosphäre gewohnt bayrisch und die Bedienung extrem nett. Allerdings gibt es zwei Dinge, die nicht so positiv sind:
Zu erreichen mit der Subway ist der Schneider sehr schwer und mit sehr langen Fusswegen (wie in Manhattan üblich) verbunden. Taxi währe also die bessere Wahl. Und die Preise sind teilweise recht mutig.
Auf der Hompeage findet man das gesamte Menü und die Preise in $ ohne Tax.
Wichtig: Für einen Abend nach 5pm sollte man reservieren. Es wird sehr voll, also richtig voll. Ich meine echt voll.