World Food LA: Germany- Happy Oktoberfest!

Prost!!! It’s Oktoberfest ladies and gents. So don your Dirndls and strap up your Lederhosen, because for this edition of World Food LA, we’re taking our festivities to the Rasselbock German Kitchen and Beer Garden in Mar Vista, to indulge in some good, ol’ fashioned Deutschegrub!

We got to the lovely back patio biergarten on Saturday afternoon and were so thrilled to find the space decorated for the Oktoberfest festivities. Right off the bat, I ordered a maß (literally translates to “mass”, it’s one of those HUGE 1 Liter Steins) of Weihenstephaner Lager.

The menu said it was from “the oldest brewery in the world” and had a “fresh, bright taste.” Luckily, it did.

Next we got an appetizer platter consisting of two, thick Bavarian pretzels, which came with this amazing, creamy pink-ish dip called obatzda (which we later looked up was just melted cheese mixed with butter, big surprise it tasted great).

Then, mini potato pancakes. They were nice, thin and crispy and the dollop of applesauce on top was a wonderful touch.

And finally, a sausage platter (or a Wurstplatte) consisting of a traditional pork bratwurst, käsekrainer and a chicken sausage. The käsekrainer (far left), oozing with stuffed cheese, was by far my favorite.

Now, for my entree. I was feeling adventurous, so I got the Elchwurst platter or Elk sausage stuffed with pear and apple. It was delightful and, despite the char, was surprisingly light. I got roasted potatoes and sweet & sour red cabbage as my sides. The cabbage was refreshingly tasty and added a nice balance to the dish. The potatoes came with little slices of bacon strewn in, and I mean come on, who doesn’t like bacon thrown in to anything?

I also got another 1L mass of beer, because hey, why not. It’s Oktoberfest! (as I write this Monday morning, yes, I am still in fact bloated from the beer consumption over 48 hours ago).

Finally, we finished off with a lovely traditional Apple Strudel. It was probably one of the flakiest strudels I’ve had, and it coupled so well with the vanilla ice cream it was served with.

Overall, a wonderful, traditional Oktoberfest experience in West LA, that can’t be beat!

Rasselbock German Kitchen and Bar

3817 Grand View Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066 

Tel. 310-439-2938