The Senior Class Gift Campaign and the GW Alumni Association are serving cider and donuts for the Class of 2016 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. But if you don’t want to stay on campus with your parents, enjoy an Oktoberfest experience at one of these other locales.
Sauf Haus Bier Hall and Garden
1216 18th St.
Featuring a large rooftop bar, 16 German beers on tap and pretzels weighing up to two pounds, Dupont Circle’s Sauf Haus is a great place to sit back and relax in the cool fall air.
The roof boasts a 2,000-square-foot patio with long orange benches, tables and live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Plus, the open exterior of Sauf Haus’ garden comes with all the unique sounds and smells of a traditional outdoor Oktoberfest. But if you’re not feeling in the mood for some fall weather, there are two smaller indoor bars with foosball tables.
And while the grill offers all of the standard schnitzels and sausages, splitting one of their gigantic pretzels is definitely the move. Be sure to ask for Nutella dipping sauce. At $20 and weighing in at 2 pounds, the giant pretzel is perfect for you and your family.
Garden District
1801 14th St.
Also in Dupont Circle, Garden District combines an outdoor brick-and-steel courtyard with a massive cherry wood bar in its welcoming, cream-colored interior. Affordable and inviting, Garden District is as ideal for a quick snack in the afternoon as it is for a hearty meal or beer later in the evening.
Cinnamon sugar donuts are three for $3 or six for $5, and the joint offers a large menu that rotates daily through favorites like $9 slaw dogs and bratwurst with sauerkraut.
Capitol City Brewing Company
1100 New York Ave.
If you’re looking for a more American version of a German biergarten, Capitol City Brewing Company offers its own brand of vibrant festivities in a more traditional bar setting. Located right off the blue, orange, and silver lines in Metro Center, you can enjoy classic bar grub like an $12 buffalo chicken pizza or the Southwest Keg Rolls – a deep fried tortilla stuffed with chicken, corn, tomatoes, chili sauce and mozzarella – for $9.
With about seven beers on tap at any time, Capitol City keeps its copper brew vats right behind its dark glass bar, just to make sure you know they’re the real deal. As the first brew pub in the D.C. area since Prohibition, Capitol City serves four of its original draughts – the Capitol Kölsch, Prohibition Porter, Amber Waves Ale and Pale Rider Ale – year round.
Biergarten Haus
1355 H St.
With $8 half- and $15 full-liter mugs of beer and four-person ski shots, Biergarten Haus looks straight out of Germany. Your parents will love its long reclaimed wood tables, brick alley patio and gigantic mahogany bar. This sports bar with a serious emphasis on the German soccer league, the Bundesliga, proves a lively place to unwind on the weekends.
If you’re hungry, skip the basic brats and try out some tempting and non-traditional options like a curry wurst for $14 or the $15 “Hen”-Which, a fried chicken breast topped with bacon, cheese, tomato and mayo all on a pretzel.
Or, if you’re really daring, try the $13 brunch dish Strammer Max Mit Ei, a traditional Bavarian meatloaf topped with eggs, potatoes and spinach. During weekend brunch, you can also enjoy the house specialty, the Schweinshaxe, a $22 massive pork shank with spicy mustard and sauerkraut.
