May 13, 2022 update: Currently Hoffbrau has 3 locations in the Fort Worth area (Haltom City, Granbury, Benbrook) + 1 in far away Amarillo.
Latest visit: Dec 2017 (Haltom City)
First visit: 1985 (Dallas)
Did I never write about Hoffbrau? Guess not. How funny. Well, not that one needs an underground guide for this legendary institution. It's likely to be found in your hotel hard cover guide to Dallas/Fort Worth (you know, the one on the Formica coffee table...). I did, however, mention the restaurant in our writeup for Bangkok Cuisine, only in that I stated everyone goes to Hoffbrau instead of the Thai concern.
First visit: 1985 (Dallas)
Did I never write about Hoffbrau? Guess not. How funny. Well, not that one needs an underground guide for this legendary institution. It's likely to be found in your hotel hard cover guide to Dallas/Fort Worth (you know, the one on the Formica coffee table...). I did, however, mention the restaurant in our writeup for Bangkok Cuisine, only in that I stated everyone goes to Hoffbrau instead of the Thai concern.
In any case, Hoffbrau is a relic of the past - the mid priced steakhouse. The cheapy Golden Corral places still exist, and of course the high end, high margin/markup steakhouses proliferate on the strength of the modern business expense account. Hoffbrau comes from the era of the everyman traveling salesman, when places like Steak and Ale and Stuart Anderson's ruled the landscape. Today, fewer of these places exist. But the ones who have, seem to do a land office business. And Haltom City's Hoffbrau is packed on a regular basis. We know this because, as mentioned above, we might be the only people in Bangkok Cuisine, but can't find a parking spot as the hordes crash down upon Hoffbrau.
We rarely go ourselves, but the official mom of the RJG enjoys a good steak for her birthday, and her favorite - and ours - is Hoffbrau. A flood of memories come back each time I eat here. Not so much Hoffbrau or this location, but the countless hours I spent with my parents growing up in places just like this. Who was that everyman traveling salesman in the 1970s and 80s? My pop.
We all really enjoy their smoked sirloin. It's their specialty and it's easy to understand why. Just like it says on the tin, this is slow cooked smoked sirloin. The flavors are very strong for a steak, and the meat is so very tender. You could pay triple at one of those highfalutin steakhouses, and not getting anything close to this good or tender. Comes with an old fashioned dinner salad with vinaigrette, just the way we like it. Baked bread of course is de riguer, and excellent as well. Oh, and the baked macaroni and cheese is delicious. Mrs. RJG goes for their baked potato, which is also excellent as to be expected. I'm sure their desserts are yummy too, but who has the room? Not I, because of course I must drain a couple of beers while there (nothing too craft, but they do have Rahr's - always a good choice (says Sam Adams anyway)). The Mrs. and the Mom shared a good bottle of red, and the price wasn't too bad either!
The Haltom City location sits on the west side US 377, just south of 820. My own history with Hoffbrau goes back to the middle 80s and their Knox/Henderson location (almost hard to imagine these days). I went with my old neighborhood pal in Dallas and we were both home from college for the winter break. I do recall standing in a very long line. I always hated that and my neighbor seemed to always like it. Ah well, we were young then. Later on, the chain tried their hand at the brewpub concept in Addison (at least that's the only one I remember), but they gave that up and that location is long gone. And when we first moved back to the area in 2003 or so, we went to their location in Bedford (I think it was Bedford - off of 183) which is also been closed for many a year. Today, they remain a small humble chain with locations also in Fort Worth, Granbury, and Amarillo. Perfect locations for a steakhouse such as this. We'll be back probably next year, same time. Or for Mother's Day.
We rarely go ourselves, but the official mom of the RJG enjoys a good steak for her birthday, and her favorite - and ours - is Hoffbrau. A flood of memories come back each time I eat here. Not so much Hoffbrau or this location, but the countless hours I spent with my parents growing up in places just like this. Who was that everyman traveling salesman in the 1970s and 80s? My pop.
We all really enjoy their smoked sirloin. It's their specialty and it's easy to understand why. Just like it says on the tin, this is slow cooked smoked sirloin. The flavors are very strong for a steak, and the meat is so very tender. You could pay triple at one of those highfalutin steakhouses, and not getting anything close to this good or tender. Comes with an old fashioned dinner salad with vinaigrette, just the way we like it. Baked bread of course is de riguer, and excellent as well. Oh, and the baked macaroni and cheese is delicious. Mrs. RJG goes for their baked potato, which is also excellent as to be expected. I'm sure their desserts are yummy too, but who has the room? Not I, because of course I must drain a couple of beers while there (nothing too craft, but they do have Rahr's - always a good choice (says Sam Adams anyway)). The Mrs. and the Mom shared a good bottle of red, and the price wasn't too bad either!
The Haltom City location sits on the west side US 377, just south of 820. My own history with Hoffbrau goes back to the middle 80s and their Knox/Henderson location (almost hard to imagine these days). I went with my old neighborhood pal in Dallas and we were both home from college for the winter break. I do recall standing in a very long line. I always hated that and my neighbor seemed to always like it. Ah well, we were young then. Later on, the chain tried their hand at the brewpub concept in Addison (at least that's the only one I remember), but they gave that up and that location is long gone. And when we first moved back to the area in 2003 or so, we went to their location in Bedford (I think it was Bedford - off of 183) which is also been closed for many a year. Today, they remain a small humble chain with locations also in Fort Worth, Granbury, and Amarillo. Perfect locations for a steakhouse such as this. We'll be back probably next year, same time. Or for Mother's Day.
4/1/07; 12/18/12; 5/7/15; 12/28/17 (new entry)
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