Let’s Eat: There’s still time to celebrate Oktoberfest

It’s not every day there’s an official opportunity to celebrate beer, but in October, the centuries-old Oktoberfest gives everyone a reason to grab a pint.

This year’s official festival in Germany has already concluded, but Let’s Eat host Providence Cicero says there’s still Oktoberfest specials to be enjoyed in Seattle.

In this week’s episode of Let’s Eat, Cicero recommends a host of German pubs and restaurants around Seattle that will definitely get you in the Oktoberfest spirit.

For those looking for an authentic German feel, Cicero recommends Heidelberg Haus in Ravenna. She says it’s very home-style German cooking and they make a point of hiring German speakers for their wait staff.

“Whether you’re a student learning German or someone who just misses the homeland and would like to speak German, it’s a fun place to go,” says Cicero.

Szmania‘s in Magnolia also has an extensive German Oktoberfest menu, says Cicero. Apparently it’s also Chef Ludger Szmania’s favorite time of year. The special menu features “Sauerbraten, Schnitzel and Brats galore,” plus “liters of beer and flights of Riesling to raise the German spirit!”

Prost! (Phinney Ridge and West Seattle), Die Bierstube, and Feierabend are four more German pubs Cicero recommends.

All four are run by first-generation American Chris Navarra, who says he built the pubs based on memories of watering holes in Germany.

“What he’s done in Seattle is try to recreate some of those pubs that he fondly recalls from his younger years,” says Cicero.

Prost! says it tries to pour Seattle German beer, the “way it should be poured, with a creamy head in traditional glassware.”

Out of all the places she visited, Cicero says Prost! might be her top pick for celebrating Oktoberfest in Seattle because of their extensive beer selection.

Let’s Eat can be heard on KIRO Radio at 4 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday. Available anytime ON DEMAND at MyNorthwest.com.