Esther’s started out as a bakery offering authentic German pretzels and pastries. They can be found at various Bay Area farmer’s markets and stores selling their baked goods. However, they also operate a restaurant café in Los Altos where they offer some very good versions of German food such as bratwursts, schnitzels (pork or chicken) and the Bavarian Schweinshaxe (roasted pork knuckle):
This is the most authentic version that we have had outside of Munich, where the juicy pork knuckle is slow roasted until the skin gets nice and crispy and the meat is very tender:
Typically served with sauerkraut and a potato dumpling, we opted to replace the starch with fried potatoes instead. We also ordered a plate of cheesy-good Kaese Spaetzle to complete our meal:
Of course, no German meal is complete without drinking beer and Esther’s serves a few beers on tap (such as the Bitburger Pils) by the half or full liter:
We know where we will be celebrating Oktoberfest this year without having to fly to Munich.
BarFlySF 