The Pilsener Haus--Alive and Doing Fine

Yours truly went to Hoboken's Pilsener Haus the day it opened in 2011. I interviewed Andy Ivanov and toured the grounds, smelled the aromas, drank in the ambience, sampled the food and beer and pronounced it a future hit.

Die BratBurner Bar

The PubScout decided to hit the Haus's Maifest celebration to see how well the place is doing, and by every measure--food, beer, ambience and overflow crowds--it's doing very well, thank you.

Samantha

Samantha, who has been with the PH since opening day, said that, Maifest aside, this was "a typical Saturday for us." That meant crowds of people inside and out enjoying the 60 beers and food, lots of sunshine in the biergarten and children of all ages, strolling and strollered, just like in Die Faderland.
There have, of course, been some changes. Andy, for instance, now has managers to take some of the load off him, allowing him to lead a more normal life. "If I didn't have them, I would not be a very pleasant person," he allowed. And there's an upscale, upstairs club called The Kolo Klub which, apart from being available for special events and

Kolo Klub

hosting various shows, has a Manhattan-style Mixology Motif, creating many new and unusual mixed drinks. The Kolo Club opens to the public on the weekends at 8 PM.

Ironically, the grand opening of this classic German Biergarten two years ago was threatened by an unusual Northeast weather event that nearly flooded the place out. How could Andy Ivanov or Ladi Sebestyan anticipate that two years later another unusual weather event named Hurricane Sandy would deposit six feet of water in their authentic biergarten? But, showing the pluck of those driven to succeed, the staff worked tirelessly for twenty days to rid the place of Sandy's remnants. "You don't wait for the government or outside help," said Andy. "You get in there, roll up your sleeves and do what needs to be done to open up."

And open up they did. With a stellar collection of sixty German beers and food to complement them, the folks at the Pilsener Haus buzz around the place like bees in a hive. But far from being dispassionate, they are genuinely friendly--as are the patrons, young and old, who populate the sunsplashed outdoor biergarten as well as both interior rooms.

Kenny and his maibock

Keep in mind, however, that this is Hoboken, and unless you come on two wheels, like Kenny and I did, parking will be, well, just this side of insane. Andy Ivanov can't worry about stuff like parking, or even the recent water main breaks that have plagued Ol' Blue Eyes' city in recent weeks.

"I've got enough to do right here," he says.
And he is apparently doing that very well.

Cheers!
The PubScout