Hansa Brewery

My first time visiting and eating at Handa Brewery. The atmosphere was nice, the place was clean and the staff were friendly. The beer was good - they had a couple of dark options which was great. The wait was long...45 mins on the food. We got there as it opened at noon. I had the Hansa Burger. It has a sausage patty instead of a beef patty. It was dry, tasteless and underwhelming. When I ordered the meal, I asked the waiter if I could sub out the fries for the potato pancakes and he said sure. We got the bill and he basically removed the fries to charge me $5 for the side of one potato pancake. He didn't sub it, but instead, overcharged me. He should have just given me the fries. I probably will not go back.

Mixed feelings here. I'm the type of person who checks out the menu online before visiting a place to make sure that the food is going to be something I enjoy at a price I'm prepared to spend. Turns out the website is really out of date. I got beer and a burger (potato salad instead of the fries) and my bill was $30! Call me curmudgeon, but this is Cleveland; there's no reason for a beer and burger to break the bank. The food was good; the potato salad was satisfying, the beer was enjoyable, and the burger (while overcooked) was flavorful, but this is Ohio City. If you have your heart set on Hansa and one of their specialty dishes then go, you probably wont be disappointed, but if you're just looking for a burger, I'd say look elsewhere.

Best pretzel and dipping sauces ever! Chicken paprikash was also very good. Prices were on the high side.

Excellent brewery and common room for a hearty lunch or dinner. Our lunch was excellent between the chicken noodle soup, Hansa burger, great fries and the Rueben eggrolls. The beers on tap were very good, and a half liter went down pretty quickly. They had at least six of their own on draft and a number of others to choose from. The waiter was ab absolute hoot and reminded us very much of the efficient German waitstaff in Germany. I am sure this would be a great place to hang out at night, or even out on the patio in the summer. We also took a stroll through the import store attached to the brewery and ended up walking out with way more than we expected. What a great place!

Hansa is a jewel in Cleveland. Been going there for over 25 yrs and the owners are always kind, helpful and delightful. Thankfully the restaurant was open today (Saturday) and while they are a little more pricier than in the past, I have absolutely no problem supporting them. Anything to help keep them going. Keep up the great work Hansa!

First the good: The beer. Which isn't surprising because brewery. The server kindly brought tastes since my partner and I weren't sure which ones we wanted. Also, the potato pancakes. They were a little underseasoned and probably could've used a bit more time in the pan but they were hearty and satisfying. Now for the bad, and friends, it's really bad: We ordered the beef goulash and the chicken paprikash on the server's recommendation, both of which came with spaetzle. When the bowls arrived, the spaetzle in both was just barely warm. Same with the beef. This tells me the food was reheated, probably in a microwave, which, OK, not great but not a deal-killer. Thing is, not knowing how the food was stored + not getting it up to temp before plating = food safety red flags. So we let the server know and he took the plates back. When new ones came out, nothing had changed. The beef and the spaetzle in both dishes was STILL just barely warm, only now the spaetzle was tough and chewy (likely from being microwaved twice). The chicken paprikash was warmer, though not as hot as it should've been. But wait, there's more! We suddenly realized that there was *no actual paprika* in the paprikash. It was the color of the sauce in a chicken pot pie - not even a hint of pink. I asked the server about this and he said that people had complained there was too much paprika so they put less in now. Huh. Less, I get, but none? Yikes. So we decided just to get the check because neither of us wanted to risk food poisoning from eating under-heated meals. And whadda ya know, the server didn't offer to comp either of the entrees. So yeah, we effectively paid $75 (plus tip, because we're not a-holes) for 3 potato pancakes and 2 beers.

Great food great beer the owner is awesome