das lokal

loved it! we will definitely beback:). my friends and i went here last night for some late night drinks/food. we got there late, and the kitchen was closed, so we didn't order anything from the menu, but they were still doing cheese and dessert. we each ordered our own chef's choice cheese board - so good and so much food provided for a modest price. we also enjoyed their drinks - gin caesar was delicious!

the ambiance and decor is wonderful - such a cosy place with so much character. there was also a live piano player - very nice touch. i will definitely return. great value in the prices.

came here for brunch yesterday, and i tried their savory board, which was a salad, potatoes, bratwurst, bacon, and a frittata.

the salad was a fairly mild & simple, but tasty dressing, which was good to balance out all the rich & savory flavours on the board. the potatoes were okay, i would say about average. the frittata i believe was spinach, and it didn't blow me away. the bacon was thick cut and not fatty, but perfectly cooked and had a lot more flavour than i was used to seeing. the bratwurst was juicy and delicious, and the board cake with 2 types of mustard (one grainy, one not) which paired excellently with them. the portion size was okay, but i didn't find it exactly generous for the price, but the overall quality & presentation were quite good.

the coffee they served was great, some of the better coffee i've had in a restaurant.

the decor was interesting and unique, i quite liked the ambiance.

the service wasn't the best, in my opinion. there were only 2 servers in and the place was quite busy. it took quite a while to be able to.place our order, but we had been waiting for someone. i had to specifically ask for more coffee, as when the food came, my cup was empty and she did not offer more. she camebackto check on how everything was, and then i asked for more coffee, and by the time it came out, we had already finished eating. we also had to specifically flag down the server to get the bills.

overall, i would go back, they have a fairly unique menu with interesting options, and i'd like to try some of their different offerings.

food was really good except dessert, service horrible. maybe 12 for dinner is to much, they had 2 people sitting at the end of the table locking elbows! let me just say that apologizes are not big..... perhaps small wine glasses, $10. glass of wine that looked like 4 oz, waitress agreed and said she would top it off and camebacksaying we were wrong..... "the glass is big,so it looks like less". not that we didn't consider this, but the bottom part is not as fat as the middle - we weren't going to argue after she agreed with us. next was dessert, they ran out of brownie, only one person got that, the others had to pick something else, the shortcake which was dry. the creme brûlée was the worse, we assumed it was traditional only because we were not told any different, had we been told it was chamomile flavour we would have past. i told the server the creme brûlée had a terrible taste, she said it was chamomile and would talk to the manager about taking it off our bill. manager came over and asked about our meal, then got defensive and said they offer 3 different creme brûlée flavours was the reason i guess that the menu only says creme brûlée, she talked over us maybe because the piano player was back! finally the shortcakes and creme brûlée were taken off our bills. my husband and i have been several times, not sure well bebackwhich is a shame as we live 2 blocks away. i was embarrassed as i has suggested this restaurant for our friends and therefore felt compelled to voice my disappointment.


-----25 jan, 2015-----

somewhat disappointed in service. let's just say the food was great and the portions were generous. we live in the neighbourhood and suggested our group of 12 go to das lokal for dinner last night. firstly, the restaurant is too small for a piano player, when he finished playing were people clapping for relief........... we were not happy with the service, yes were were 12 (2 people sharing the end of the table..hardly comfortable, their elbows kept knocking). also, they should perhaps use small wine glasses, at $10. it barely looked like 5oz, we brought it to the servers attention and she agreed "yes, it doesn't look like 5oz, let me just take that and top it off", returning with the glass "sorry it is 5 oz the glasses are measured with water at the beginning of the evening"....... then the desserts another sign of poor management....... 2 had ordered the brownie but they ran out and only one person got brownie, so 2 other guests chose what looked like a shortcake.....bad choice, it was so dry, they left some on their plate. next the menu had "creme brûlée", 2 people ordered it thinking it must be traditional type as nothing was mentioned.......that was horrible, we all had a taste and left it. i asked the waitress what was in it because it was inedible, she said it was chamomile creme brûlée, she would talk to the manager. someone came over, didn't introduce herself and started asking about our meal and the dessert, she talked over me, i don't think she heard a word, but then the piano player was back!! she was defensive about the menu and said the board only says creme brûlée because they have 3 kinds!! we were never given a choice and while i was at it mentioned the dry shortcake! they removed the shortcake and creme brûlée from our bill. not sure i will be back, too bad since we've been a few times and liked it except for the piano and we live 3 blocks away

what happened?!?!. i've eaten at das lokal a few times since it opened just over a year ago. it was one of my favourite spots in the neighbourhood for the first six months or so (despite a few easily forgiven eccentricities). the decor and warm feeling of the place at night is wonderful and cozy, and the live piano fridays and saturdays makes for an extremely inviting atmosphere. the staff are usually quite friendly, and the patio was a nice touch this summer (as well as the mysteriously short-lived sunday brunch, featuring live music).

however, their once outstanding menu has taken a dive over the last few months. the changes they've made all seem to be for the worse - the selection and variety aren't especially inspiring, the dishes i've tried left a lot to be desired (small portions and relatively bland flavour combinations), and shockingly, the prices have all gone up (way up!). i never expect or want giant portions, but hope for at least two points on the food-portion-price triangle, and they aren't really delivering on any of those, let alone two. this used to be in my top 2 or 3 recommendations whenever someone asked me what to try in the market, and i'm pretty disappointed that i can't recommend it any more.

they do change their menu seasonally though, and i hope they're receptive to the feedback they're getting - it's such a wonderful place and an absolute gem in the neighbourhood, if they can just figure out how to getbackon track. i'm looking forward to trying again in a month or two!

very good experience at das lokal. went there for a girls dinner a few weeks ago and we had a really tasty dinner! the atmosphere was great and although it was thursday and there was a dj, it was not at all loud or disruptive. we shared the braised rabbit appetizer and the pork schnitzel. both very good but the schnitzel really stood out! very crispy but not at all greasy, with delicious brussel sprouts and caper berries. our server was friendly, attentive and made excellent wine suggestions. i would definitely gobackand look forward to checking out the patio for brunch someday!

noise level brutal!. food was good but pricey for what you got. draft beer not available as machine was broken. restaurant was 3/4 full but noise level was so high it was difficult to converse with the person beside me let alone the one sitting across. even the waitress had trouble hearing our orders. one of our group left early due to a headache from all the noise. i won't bebackunless i hear this issue has been addressed.

has potential. i visited das lokal with a group of about 12 on a friday for a reserved lunch. the place was packed; it has a nice rustic feel but modern with a clean colour scheme. wooden tables with chrome and copper accents, chrome and black framed mirrors help enlarge the space. i have been to other restaurants at this location before and das lokal has the best design concept for the small space.
i loved the little girl sitting at the bar colouring! whether she was a customer or a family friend, it was welcoming to see her scribbling away with a smile on her face when i entered.
the place has a good, modern vibe. guests were crammed in quite tightly but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. service was efficient, although a little difficult to hear due to the noise in the restaurant.
the majority of our table ordered the german burger. pork patty, mustard, onions, side salad, side wedges. very 'homemade' feel, not greasy, well plated and the portions were generous. one guest had asked for no mustard but her request was forgotten (probably would have helped if our waitress had written the orders down instead of tried to memorize a group of 12 people.)
i was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my fish dish with anticipation.
i was disappointed. the flavours were good (trout, i think... it was so mediocre that i've forgotten the protein!) but placing seared fish on top of what is supposed to be a cold potato salad only makes for bites of cold and warm potatoes nearing the end of the meal. mushy and unappealing. there was a little herb sauce on top of the fish skin, nicely crisp skin, however the portion size of the fish dish compared to that of the burger was grossly underwhelming. it looked closer to an amuse with a side of potato salad than a full main dish. the fish fillet was small, the potatoes were poorly presented on the plate and lost their temperature, and i was still hungry after finishing.
there was one other fish order at our table and he and i were both finished our meals before the burgers on the other plates were half gone. we were salivating longingly over the side salads of our companions. luckily, there was good conversation and we were able to bide the time to the dessert course.
everyone ordered the vanilla spice panna cotta. it was wonderful. it was the best panna cotta, from a textural viewpoint, that i have ever had. it was the second best panna cotta from a flavour perspective.
slightly citric caramel floated on perfect spiced vanilla bean and ground cherry. it was delicious. i could have lived without the shortbread on the side, it was unnecessary, but i will gobackagain even if only to try the other desserts.
all in all, i was disappointed with my meal, as was my other "fish course" companion, however the burgers looked good and i am intrigued by their evening menu.
go for supper. make a reservation. try their wines and selection of german beers!

fabulous!. just had lunch there & was immensely impressed. we had the flat iron steak, the german hamburger & the tomato tartine with cream of mushroom soup & they were all excellent. my companion said it was the best cream of mushroom soup she ever tasted. we were very surprised to be presented with a complementary gravlix appetizer board because the owner thought we had been waiting too long for our plates. honestly, we didn't even think that it had been that long & hadn't displayed any discontent of any kind so it was quite a bonus to be treated so well. i really liked how my ginger herbal tea was served in a bodum pitcher. very classy. we had the caramelized apples with spiced pecans for dessert & it was delicious without being too sweet. the decor & ambience are superb, very comfy cozy & the service was top notch. free attached parking made the whole experience a lovely day to remember. we will bebackwith more friends as they will thank us for introducing them to this fabulous place.

lunch review. saw this place being built over the past few months and had to try it. went for lunch with co-workers and it was delicious. had the flat iron steak with fries, aioli and corn relish. das lokal is definitely a good option in the area; nice atmosphere, decently priced menu and great tasting food. i would highly suggest it for those who favour quality tasting food. however, if you are the type who eats a lot, this place isn't for you as the portion size is not that big. overall, good choice and i would gobackto try their dinner menu.

i went to das lokal for the first time with my family. it was good food, lovely presentation - but i found that everything took painfully long to serve, and my family members complained that there isn't enough choice on the menu to lure thembackeven though they enjoyed what they had.

opening night. we went to das lokal for the grand opening on friday september 27th. we are by no means the type of people that go to grand openings restaurants but we live across the street and have been watching this place being built for the last several months so we thought we thought why not celebrate a friend’s birthday and welcome the new neighbours.

we made a reservation for 4 but still had to wait about 10 minutes for our table which was not a problem, but the entrance way is very small and the restaurant was packed with people so while the length of time we waited was no issue, our surrounds were a bit cramped.

the server was very friendly. after we had selected a wine ourselves, she boldly recommended another one, which we went with. it was just as good as our first pick would have been. we didn't mind, but i think a really "foodie" would have been a little offended that the server basically told us our first choice wasn't good and recommended another one.

my friend and i both had the flat iron steak. it was listed on the menu as medium rare, i usually prefer medium but i was willing to go medium rare. again, the server insisted that we have the steak rare even though it was listed on the menu as medium rare. being that medium rare was already a bit of a stretch for me i stuck with it but my friend opted for rare. when the item is specifically listed on the menu as medium rare i'm not sure why it would be recommended to us as rare. the gravy was more of a soy sauce, which i found tasty but very very salty. the menu is not yet posted online so i can’t gobackand check was it was listed as but we were both surprised by the soy sauce gravy. i enjoyed it, my friend did not.

it was a very small menu with not to many options to choose form but all the food is supposed to be locally sourced within 30km of the restaurant to i imagine the menu will change seasonally. i would gobackin another few months once the service has calmed down a bit and the menu has changed. $24 for the steak and $10 a glass of wine so prices are middle of the range, typical of the market.

we waited quite a long time for our bills at the end of the night but overall it was enjoyable. worth checking out.