Dunkel and Pork Belly at Löwenbräu

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During our first visit to The Rocks a couple of weeks ago, we had a try at some street food along the foodies market. That was also when we noticed a huge crowd seated outside a German restaurant called Löwenbräu, with most of them spotting a giant mug of beer. I remember Saucer saying to me, “We must try that out one day!”. And that day came last weekend, when we had lunch with some friends. The restaurant was crowded as always, but we managed to get a table inside and got ourselves comfortable.

German platter

Saucer ordered the  Löwenbräu Dunkel at 500ml, which was quite nice and smooth to drink. I usually dislike darker beers but the Dunkel was not bitter and had a nice malty flavour with a hint of spice in it. Perfect with sausages!

Löwenbräu Dunkel ($12.1 for 500ml)

To start, we shared a basket of Freshly Baked Garlic Ciabatta among us. The garlic bread was thickly cut, with each piece generously coated with butter and herbs. Best of all, they arrived warm and had crispy crusts! It could have been that I was hungry at that time, but I remember enjoying the bread very much.

Knoblauchbrot / Freshly baked Garlic Ciabatta ($7)

For mains, Saucer and I did the right thing by ordering a dish to be shared, knowing that German portions are huge. And it was! We shared the Bavarian Specialties Platter (for one) and it came with a beef sausage, pork sausage, chicken schnitzel, meat loaf, roasted pork belly, mashed potato, sauerkraut, braised red cabbage and bread dumpling drizzled with Löwenbräu  bier jus. The only thing missing from our platter was the pork knuckle, but we knew we would have over-ordered if we added that in.

Schlachtplatte / Bavarian specials platter ($39.5)

Of all the items on the platter, my favourite of all was the crackling roast pork belly! It had a layer of incredibly crispy skin, not unlike our version of ‘siew yoke’, but what was more incredible was the melt-in-your-mouth pork belly within. I usually find the pork fatty layer to be cloying and too gelatinous for my liking, but they somehow managed to perfect the technique, for I didn’t realize I was eating the fatty part until I’d swallowed it. It was smooth and soft, bursting with flavour. I wished we had ordered just the crackling roast pork alone to replace the whole platter. The chicken schnitzel was pretty good in terms of flavour, but it wasn’t as crispy as I’d like it to be, as if it had been left out in the cold for a while. The pork sausage was decent but the beef sausage tasted like something you’d get out of Coles. To be fair, we didn’t regret ordering the platter because we managed to try a bit of everything offered by the restaurant, and we know which one we’d order again the next time we’re there.

Glorious crackling roast pork belly

Gemischte Wurstplatte / Mixed Sausage Platter ($30)

During our lunch, we were also entertained by a German 3-piece band, making the atmosphere of the restaurant vibrant and happy, as if we’re on holidays.

German band entertaining us

Overall, we had a great time at Löwenbräu, with great beer and huge portions of food in a wonderful atmosphere. The band entertained us during most of our lunch duration but it wasn’t too loud that we couldn’t have a proper conversation. Also, we found out that when we dine there on our birthday, we’ll get our meal free! So, shall we say, Prost!

Dining environment at Löwenbräu indoors

Löwenbräu Keller at The Rocks

Löwenbräu Keller
Cnr of Playfair & Argyle Streets
The Rocks
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Tel No.: +612 9247 7785
Website: www.lowenbrau.com.au