Thomas Beisl

A couple of years back, this place was great. It's really gone downhill, despite the upkeep of the marvelous decor. The last couple of times I've gone recently, I've been really disappointed. The service has been lazy and careless: tables were sticky, the wait staff could care less about taking your order or making sure everything is all right. The last time I went, the mussels were room temperature. After finding our waitress at the bar, talking with the kitchen staff, I complained gently about the food. She agreed to replace it, but by this time an hour had gone by. The service drags the whole experience down. With all the great places to go to in Fort Greene and Park Slope, why bother? Want Austrian food - try Lederhosen in Manhattan.

Pros: Right across from BAM

Cons: Service, food quality, eh.

Posted 06/22/09

I attended an event here and the beef gulash on the menu was really well done, the apple strudel was nearly inedible, and the endive salad was just okay. The atmosphere was pretty solid for a nice evening (but not really interesting at all...), and I think the food quality might have had somehting to do with my group's large size, so it's worth a try

Cons: average food

Posted 11/27/08

Thomas Beisl was so great - the food was delicious and the atmosphere really took me back to a Viennese cafe. Went while a show was going on at BAM so it wasn't crowded. Had some smoked fish appetizer that was excellent - everything was great and really well priced. Great place to go with a group of friends.

Posted 07/30/08

If you have tickets for show and doesn't want to be late this is perfect place for you....Verrrrry nice place ...

Posted 04/24/08

Delicious, hearty, flavorful, honest to goodness food. New York has gotten so disconnected from down to earth good food. But here it is. And at good prices in a charming dining room. And for someone who grew up on schnitzel, spaetzle and other viennese fare, I can tell you this is the creme de la creme. And the mussels, YUM, with a little jalepeno in there, ask for more bread for dunking. Also, they have Czechvar on draft, which I had never had and is a great beer. Try the goulash, it's the best!

Posted 03/27/08

Altough I made reservation on a very busy night I was surprised by the underqualified waitstaff . Our food was tasty but the "drunk?" waitress was very unpleasant. My concern was to make it to our show accross the street, which we nearly missed after waiting for our check over 25 minutes. Overall GREAT FOOD, BAD SERVICE.

Posted 09/17/07

Had to respond to an earlier review that was critical of the waiters at Thomas Beisl. I have found them universally gracious, friendly, and competent, and I go there at least once a month. The food is wonderful; I've never had a bad meal there. My only criticism is that the specials are always the same, and the menu can get a little dull.

Pros: Spacious, attractive, wheelchair-accessible.

Posted 08/24/07

I don't know what everyone's talking about! The food is reliably great at Beisl--we always go here before a show or movie at BAM. Hearty portions -- my boyfriend and I usually split an entree. Fresh ingredients. Delicious. We usually get the salmon and a salad, and the palatschinken are great for dessert. The service may be bustling but the staff is quite courteous and friendly, esp. once they get to know you.

Pros: Great food, classy but comfortable audience

Cons: Does get busy, but that's a good sign!

Posted 05/03/07

It works well as a convenient place to have something to eat after BAM. Service, even late night, was very quick and prompt, but the food was suprisingly poor. My sauerbraten was awful: tough and full of gristel (sp?). My wife's Wienerschnitzel was average, but not delicious. Our guest's salmon was, by his standard, very good. From what I noticed, the beer selection was very good, as was the selection of wine, including Austrian reds, which is relatively unusual. I would not recommend a separate trip there, but if you are in the neighborhood, or have a BAM performance, its worth a go. Not expensive for a restaurant, but not cheap. Just avoid the sauerbraten.

Pros: service, convenience, beer selection, wine selection

Cons: food

Posted 04/01/07

Quality dinner for a very fair price. The raspberry crepes and the french onion soup are particularly recommended. Biggest drawback: although the place was billed as romantic, the atmosphere was more hustle and bustle. Make sure to avoid the pre- and post- theater crowd, as BAM is right across the street.

Posted 02/10/07

great resto to which i've never been and most likely will never go. HOWEVER, i would recommend that someone find the guy who wrote the previous review (username "le new yorkais," so all clues point to a former one-semester student at the american university in paris that never spoke more than two words of french and is currently working as a writer for NYU's monthly journal on Medical Ethics and Elegant Wines of Provence), sit him down, and find him better things to do than indirectly e-reprimanding people who actually work for a living.

Posted 01/23/07

food is good to very good, decor is nice and romantic. HOWEVER, the reception by the waitstaff ranges from barely ok to hostile. the owner should sit down and read them the riot act, and teach them some hospitality.

Posted 01/19/07

Arrived alone post BAM theater event for quick bite and drink. Treated like pariah as single diner, and shuttled to bar though tables were empty and others opened up while I dined. Service perfunctory, food so so. Too many new great restaurants in Ft. Greene for any diner to tolerate this kind of mediocrity.

Pros: Proximity to BAM and good price value

Cons: Poor service, so so food

Posted 11/12/06

This is a nice restaurant in the Ft Greene area. The food is good, not a whole lot for the vegetarian, but the fried & breaded mushroom starters are excellent, I've ordered them every time I frequent the restaurant, and they are always perfectly fried, (not too greasy... hmmm). Nice cod and fish dishes. Romantic atmosphere and polite service.

Pros: romantic

Cons: not too varied

Posted 03/20/06

I lived in Vienna for years and can attest to the authenticity of Thomas Beisl. The service could be better, but the food is tops. The ambiance is also good: cozy in the restaurant in winter and delightful on the patio in summer. Just don't go pre- or post-theater as it's too full. Landing there after a show has started at BAM is perfect. Brunches are also worth checking out. They also have some nice Austrian wines.

Pros: attractive, good food, nice atmosphere

Cons: service, crowds

Posted 03/05/06

We've been to the Thomas Beisl several times and we love it. The owner and staff make you feel very comfortable and let you relax even after you finished eating - like it is tradition in Austria. The food is great, real Austrian comfort food. I can also recommend the Austrian Goesser beer which they have on draft. Try to go during the week, the restaurant gets very busy before and after BAM shows on weekends.

Pros: delicious food, Austrian desserts, great wine selection

Posted 12/31/05

I went last night and was incredibly disappointed. The food was fine - the crepes soggy, the weiner schnitzle, excellent - but things took a nosedive when the dining rooms cleared out due to a show at BAM. It was then that I noticed that not one plate had been cleared from any table. Finally, one of the waitstaff noticed and brought out a dirty bus pan which he put on the table next to me and started bussing the entire dining room. Once that chore was completed, he brought out a large, black, plastic bag which he proceeded to fill with dirty linens. All the while, a rather large fellow in a tank top and camo pants (the manager?) was yelling at the rest of the waitstaff audibly enough that I was able to follow his entire tirade from where I sat in the secondary dining room.

Pros: food

Cons: SERVICE

Posted 10/13/05

Apparently I'm the only one who didn't enjoy this restaurant. I waited almost 30 minutes for my appetizer and the waiter forgot to give us bread in the meantime. It took so long to get my food that by the time my my rosemary-less rosemary potatoes and my well-done and fatty steak came - that I ordered RARE - I was too hungry to bother to send it back. The only plus is the patio.

Pros: Patio

Cons: Service, Food

Posted 08/16/05

Absolutely great experience. We were a group of 4 -- ordered 3 of their daily special apps, we each ordered an entree and got 3 desserts. Everything was really tasty. My only criticism was for the apricot dessert (it takes 15 min to make), which was a little tart for my taste.

Posted 05/27/05

I love this place. The food seems very real, just like the food I remember from Vienna. The feel of the place is very authentic from traditional decor to central European servers and europop unobtrusively playing through a very good sound system (even on the loo!) Everything we tasted, the schnitzels, the goulash, the strudel was just right.

Pros: food, service, authenticity

Posted 09/20/03

The brunch here is excellent. Try the French Toast--it comes with apricot preserves, spicy apples, sour cream AND syrup. It's heavenly.

The eggs florentine are excellent, as well.

Posted 08/13/03

...the server threw an over-dressed salad on my lap, and was hardly apologetic. Asked what dishes he would recommend, he flatly responded that there were all good. The oysters had been washed and washed with water, there was no brine, no taste of the ocean that one orders oysters for.

I'd been wanting to go here for a while--I was disappointed.

Pros: close to bam, nice room

Cons: poor service, anemic food

Posted 08/11/03

I have never had food this delectable before! From the goulash to the schnitzel, the food is mouth watering. You have to try the mushrooms! My husband doesn't normally eat them, but now he's hooked on this dish!! And their desserts are to die for. Brought my family of four and I'll be going back for more!!

Pros: good parking, reasonably priced, outrageous food!!

Cons: will fill up quickly

Posted 08/03/03

My wife and I have had dinner at Thomas Beisl twice in the past few weeks (once at the bar, once seated in the dining room). This restaurant, in my mind, is the best addition to the Fort Greene restaurant scene since our moving to the neighborhood about a year ago (though we are still partial to A Table). The food is delicious and the menu and beer selection sway far from "the usual" offering (tripe, anyone?). Outside of BAM parking their buses directly in front of the restaurant, the restaurant is warm and charming and well-worth a visit.

Pros: Warm environment, Friendly staff, Interesting Menu

Posted 03/31/03

1. It is not a big place, and typical of NYC restaurants, even Brooklyn, we (party of 2) were nearly sitting in the laps of the people in the tables one either side.

2. The tables themselves were quite small, the dinner plates big.

3. They were out of goulash the weekend evening we went, so I settled on the hamburger which I asked for medium-rare but it came closer to medium-well.

4. For the above reasons, we did not feel comfortable enough there to stick around and order dessert.

5. Good points? The service was friendly, we had made a reservation and were seated promptly, other than the cramped seating and small tables the ambiance was nice, and our mediocre restaurant experience was offest by the highlight of the evening-- the movie Nowhere in Africa at BAM.

Posted 03/29/03

I had the beef cheeks goulash with spaetzle, which I have to admit was the best goulash I've ever had. The goulash has a fabulous undertone of sweet Hungarian paprika without the hashed taste of it. The sauce/gravy was thick and beefy without being gooey or creamy. The spaetzle was pan-fried with butter so it's mildly crusty on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. And the beef cheeks....wow, I've never had meat so tender and delicious in my life. My friend ordered the pork loin with sauerkraut which I tried, and it was decent, not fabulous. My other friend had the butterfied trout grilled in butter and capers, served with broccolini and some old-world grain, which he said was okay too. The best dish was definitely the goulash. I will definitely come back for more goulash when the temperature drops below freezing point again.

Pros: Food, Service

Posted 03/13/03

I live in Park Slope and invited a few friends from Long Island to come out to dinner. We made reservations in advance and were seated immediately on a Saturday night. From the moment we sat down 'til the moment we got up, we were just amazed at the exceptional level of food and service we received. Everything from the appetizer to the main course, dessert and wine were extraordinary. The decor is rustic and very warm and pleasant. The maitred' and the chef/owner were both extremely gracious and the service was outstanding. I am so used to getting great food with attitude or bad food with great service that this was a refreshing change. Needless to say, my friends love Brooklyn thanks to Thomas Beisl.

Pros: Exceptional Food, Exceptional Service

Cons: None

Posted 02/02/03

Eating well in Bklyn has gotten considerably easier in the last years. Few establishments, however, have succeeded in the area of consistency and character. Too many have acquired a tired '90s' self-importance which is truly at odds with this more personable boro. Thomas Beisl may be the first to enter the ranks of the truly exceptional. Despite having opened only a few weeks ago, the owner/chef and the supporting staff are in command of a clear vision--a warm and accessible room with food that is both exquisite and familiar leaving one with the impression that Thomas Beisl is practising more than just a fine craft, but sharing the result of well considered years of experience. The most memorable restaurants, in my opinion, are those that engage you in a quiet way and bring you back again and again. I hope to return here many times.

Pros: food, service, ambiance

Posted 02/02/03