Oktoberfest at Yard House

October signals the start of so many wonderful things, but one of the best parts of the season is the amazing food, desserts, and drinks! The start of the holiday season brings all new dishes and treats to be enjoyed. Oktoberfest at Yard House is an excellent way to start the holidays right! I recently had the opportunity to try out their limited time Oktoberfest menu, at the ICON Orlando 360 location.

When I am invited to events, I’m never quite sure what to expect. I’ve been to some “media events” that were barely worth the gas money, and then to others that were simply unbelievable. Yard House definitely belongs in the second category! My husband and I made a date night out of it, and from the second we sat down, we were dazzled with delicious food and amazing service.

Have you been to a Yard House? This was our first time, and we were so impressed with the atmosphere, the menu, and the service. Yard House is part of the Darden group of restaurants, and has 74 locations around the United States, with 4 more locations opening in the next few months. Their menu is always changing, to stay up to date with the seasons and trends in dining. To celebrate Oktoberfest, they developed some amazing choices that will make you feel like you were dining in Germany!

Oktoberfest Limited-Time Menu

September 24 – October 28, 2018

At Yard House, beer is our hook, and food is our soul. This Oktoberfest, we’re serving a New American twist on some German favorites:

· Jumbo Bavarian Pretzel: Traditional Bavarian pretzel paired with horseradish mustard and beer cheese sauce

· Currywurst Poutine: A traditional bratwurst dish served with green onions, beer cheese, fries and cheese curds

· Double Pork Burger: Served with white cheddar, arugula, red onion, tomato, bacon tomato jam, Dijon mustard on a pretzel bun

· Chicken Schnitzel: Traditional schnitzel chicken served with a side of ripped potatoes and Brussels sprouts topped with malt vinegar aioli

In addition to this menu, we also enjoyed the Poke Nachos and Red Quinoa Salad to start. The Red Quinoa Salad was one of my favorite dishes, and had so many unique elements. The Poke Nachos were one of my husband’s favorites! He had never tried poke before, and really enjoyed it! Since I don’t eat meat, I was more than happy to give him all of my poke, and I really enjoyed the nacho dish without that element.

My absolute favorite part of the menu was the Jumbo Bavarian Pretzel! Soft pretzels are one of my favorite things to eat, and when I saw this mentioned on the invite, I knew I was in, regardless of what else this event would entail. What a good choice! I made a wonderful new friend, Joyce from Women and their Pretties, and we had the best time taking pictures and sharing stories. We both loved the pretzel, but this picture doesn’t do it justice! It was was soft and doughy, with just the right amount of salt. We were able to take home the leftovers, and I had the rest for lunch the next day!

For dessert, we enjoyed a mini trio sampler that included Cheesecake Brûlée, Peach Apple Cobbler, and Chocolate Soufflé Cake. Even though we were absolutely stuffed by the time we got to this course, we still thoroughly enjoyed trying a few bites of each. My favorite was the Cheesecake Brûlée and my husband’s favorite was the Peach Apple Cobbler. I know it will be hard, but save room for dessert at Yard House!

Yard House is known for it’s 135 beers on draft. It boasts the world’s largest collection of draft beer! My husband went on a tour of the keg room after our meal, and the system of keeping these drinks cool and on tap was quite impressive!

Oktoberfest Beer Selection

September 24 – October 28, 2018

Yard House boasts the world’s largest selection of draft beer, and this Oktoberfest, the restaurant is pouring:

· Sam Adams Octoberfest: A blend of rich malts for a hearty, smooth flavor with notes of caramel creating a brew that’s perfect for the season

· Weihenstephan Festbier: This Festbier produced by the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery has a rich body with a balanced finish and represents the Bavarian way of celebrating

· Ayinger Oktoberfest: A beer with a deep golden color tinted with amber, lightly sweet with a malty nose balanced with floral hops

· Paulaner Oktoberfest Wiesn: This German beer has a deep golden color and is full-bodied from Munich and Pilsner malts with a balanced fragrance of hops

· Goose Island Oktoberfest: A bold American take on the German style, this beer provides a dry, malty body with notes of toffee and burnt sugar

Hurry to Yard House to try this limited time Oktoberfest menu! And even if you don’t make it for that time, a visit to Yard House is always a good idea. They cater to many different dietary needs such as gluten free and vegetarian. I was able to enjoy many of the dishes with slight modifications. The chef and wait staff were very attentive and response to any request. We will definitely be back! Let me know on Instagram or Facebook if you’ve ever been to a Yard House location! If not, what are you waiting for?