These are reviews of Sudwerk from prior to 2006-08, when the ownership changed. For more current reviews, visit the entry.

2005-08-13 11:09:04   The beer is great, and the calamari appetizer is awesome. On the expensive side, but worth it. —AlexPomeranz

2005-08-25 22:03:40   I'm a UCD grad that moved to Seattle WA and i really miss this beer - does anybody know if they will ship cases to individuals? —RonReynolds

2005-09-15 01:59:09   Pint nights are not "bottom of barrel." If you notice, they use the same taps to fill everyone's glasses. Sudwerk has gone through many ownership changes over the last 12 years, none of them for the better. Great place to go if you want a liter of Hefe-Weizen, but terrible if you want dinner within a 3 hour window. —ChrisLambertus

2005-09-27 15:32:13   I'm a beer lover from Germany, and I do think their beer is great — quite an oasis in Budweiser country! I recommend their unfiltered Pilsener. Plus their prices are *very* reasonable: $3.75 for half a liter (about a pint) of freshly brewed gourmet beer is a good deal. On a side note, their menu misspells the names of some beers, such as "Hefe Weizen" opposed to "Hefeweizen". Still tastes good, though! —JoFeuerstein

2005-09-27 19:37:34   Thanks to Sudwerk some of us do know what good beer tastes like! —KenjiYamada

2005-10-01 18:35:35   I highly recommend the Marzen. I've sampled all of the beers and this remains to be my favorite. The Helles isn't too bad either. —BrettCoder

2005-10-01 20:27:42   Wheat beer is best! —CarlosOverstreet

2005-10-23 15:28:38   The beer is lovely, but dinner is a big don't. When we accidentally arrived 15 minutes before they started serving dinner, they seated us but refused to give us dinner menus. We should have taken the hint: the food was flavorless and gloppy. Oh well. Next time, drinks only! —WendeFeller

2005-11-16 23:00:42   When I die, I hope that there will be a Sudwerks beer in my hand. —MikeMele

2005-12-16 04:51:26   Good beer. Marzen is great, Helles is good, Pilsner is good, Bocks are good, but the Hefeweizen is better had elsewhere. For people new to their beers, I recommend the beer variety serving they offer.

Food is decent, the service was slow (not atypical at plenty of restaurants though). Large dinner portions. Overall, a great dining experience, especially if you are itching for something different. —JohnNapier

FWIW, I think Sudwerk's Hefe is better than Pyramid or Widmer, which are the two other brands I commonly see floating around this area. —AlexPomeranz

Nope. :) Is it a seasonal? I should add to my comment that if you like Sudwerk's Hefe Wiezen, Pyramid's Apricot Weizen (formerly Apricot Ale) is quite good. Especially if you can find it on tap. —AlexPomeranz

  • I think it is seasonal, and on tap currently. —TarZxf

2005-12-16 13:17:54   mmm....Dopplebock —MyaBrn

2005-12-26 13:23:16   Widmer is a beer brewed in Oregon, and distributed across California. I do prefer their's to Sudwerk's, but that's my opinion. —JohnNapier

2006-01-13 10:16:01   p.s Widmer is distributed by Anheuser-Busch and is substantially inferior to any product from Sudwerk... http://www.anheuser-busch.com/overview/abi.html —FromBayarea

2006-01-13 10:17:22   Great food, fantastic beer. One of the best restaurants in Davis. A- —FromBayarea

2006-01-13 14:42:16   I have never understood how this restaurant manages to stay in business. Their beer is nothing special and their food is worse. If you want good German food, or even good food, go elsewhere. —ToNils

  • I agree about the food, but what beer do you have in mind as being better than Sudwerk's? —KenjiYamada

2006-01-22 14:05:56   Frombayarea, what does Anheuser-Busch distributing Widmer have to do with the quality of the beer? Wheat beer should taste 'wheaty,' and both beers accomplish that. They've both won awards, and they've both been given mediocre ratings from the public gurus on ratebeer, in small sample sizes. So, who gives a shit? —JohnNapier

2006-01-22 14:16:46   ToNils, where do you recommend for German food? You can count the number of mostly German restaurants in Davis and the Sacramento area on one hand. —JohnNapier

2006-02-01 00:56:30   Hi, well I'm not ToNils but I can recommend a couple of places to go for good German eats. However, they are not "close." First and foremost I recommend DJ's Bistro in concord. Across from the park and shop. A great place, nice and European feeling, while maintaining that American ideal of a rather opulent Europe. The food is an agreeable price with Cezch and German beers on tap. Both "Weiss" und "Schwarz." In San Francisco I recommend "Die Suppen Küche." Naturally pricier, and more European in the fact that if you are a party of 2 they will sit you at a table for 6, so be prepared to make new friends. More of a "country" feel, which can be a tad bit upsetting due to the price hike and the travel. Worth it to me. Maybe not to you. Check em out none the less. —AndrewBanta

2006-02-01 11:23:29   Despite the fact that I agree with most of the other posters concerning Sudwerks' food, you can't go wrong with a sausage sampler plate and a half liter of Marzen. I'm a Dopplebock phenatic and I find their Dopplebock a little too mediciny. For a real treat, try an Optimator Dopplebock, (by Spaten, and also avaliable at the Co-Op —AndrewBanta). Available in big bottles at the Covell Nugget and 6-packs at Aggie Liquor. —GrumpyoldGeek

  • Thanks for the Optimator tip, I'll check that out! I haven't been able to find Doppel Bock brewed by anybody but Sudwerk so far. - KenjiYamada

2006-03-19 18:18:16   What is it with you people and the beer? The food is amazing. I'd recommend the kartofel phankeutchen (sp?) or the fish and chips. The Hubsch burger is pretty good too. It is a bit pricey. I heard that they changed owners? —KevinRollins

2006-03-22 01:55:17   Great beer, but today (Tuesday) they took last orders at 9.30pm and kicked us out at 10:00pm! —JoFeuerstein

2006-03-22 01:56:36   KevinRollins, you probably mean "Kartoffelpfannkuchen" (potato pancakes) —JoFeuerstein

2006-04-18 02:23:48   Contrary to popular belief the pints served at Dollar Pint Night are full 16 ounce pints if filled to the very top of the cup. I measured this myself. —BrianMartinez

2006-05-16 08:48:35   Sudwerk has great beer and the bartenders are always cool. My wife and I have had dinner several times here, however, and the waitstaff is always slow and indifferent. Being slow isn't that big of a deal because it gives me more time to drink beer, but being checked on by your waiter every now and then always adds a nice touch to the dining experience. This is on top of the fact that most times we've dined here it hasn't been even remotely busy. However, for what it's worth, we've kept coming back . . . —AdamSchneider

2006-06-03 21:17:33   Random question, but does anyone know when Sudwerk was founded in Davis..? —TrishAng

2006-06-04 19:52:16   Went there for the Aggie banquet. Much much bigger than I expected and I like it quite a lot; will be returning. —SS

2006-07-29 20:09:10   The food looks kinda expensive. I want to give this place a shot though. Does the atmosphere of the bar get in the way of just having a dinner there? I'm lame. I know. —LiRic

  • Nevermind to my question. I went to eat dinner there tonight. I agree that the potato pancakes are good but it is way too much sausage for one person. The price is worth it too since it comes with a massive bowl of yummy chowder. I'd recommend the place if you share an entree. —LiRic
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