Thomas Beisl

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25 Lafayette Ave (at Between Ashland Place and St Felix Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11217

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(718) 222-5800
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Best

Thomas Beisl was so great - the food was delicious and the atmosphere really took me back to a Viennese cafe. Went while a show was going on at BAM so it wasn't crowded. Had som...

Worst

...the server threw an over-dressed salad on my lap, and was hardly apologetic. Asked what dishes he would recommend, he flatly responded that there were all good. The oysters had...

Shame it's not better 6/23/2009

A couple of years back, this place was great. It's really gone downhill, despite the upkeep of the marvelous decor. The last couple of times I've gone recently, I've been really disappointed. The service has been lazy and careless: tables were sticky, the wait staff could care less about taking your order or making sure everything is all right. The last time I went, the mussels were room temperature. After finding our waitress at the bar, talking with the kitchen staff, I complained gently about the food. She agreed to replace it, but by this time an hour had gone by. The service drags the whole experience down. With all the great places to go to in Fort Greene and Park Slope, why bother? Want Austrian food - try Lederhosen in Manhattan. Pros: Right across from BAM Cons: Service, food quality, eh. more
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it's worth a try 11/28/2008

I attended an event here and the beef gulash on the menu was really well done, the apple strudel was nearly inedible, and the endive salad was just okay. The atmosphere was pretty solid for a nice evening (but not really interesting at all...), and I think the food quality might have had somehting to do with my group's large size, so it's worth a try\r \r Cons: average food more
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worth the trip 7/31/2008

Thomas Beisl was so great - the food was delicious and the atmosphere really took me back to a Viennese cafe. Went while a show was going on at BAM so it wasn't crowded. Had some smoked fish appetizer that was excellent - everything was great and really well priced. Great place to go with a group of friends. more
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need reservation 4/25/2008

If you have tickets for show and doesn't want to be late this is perfect place for you....Verrrrry nice place ... more
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Really great food 3/28/2008

Delicious, hearty, flavorful, honest to goodness food. New York has gotten so disconnected from down to earth good food. But here it is. And at good prices in a charming dining room. And for someone who grew up on schnitzel, spaetzle and other viennese fare, I can tell you this is the creme de la creme. And the mussels, YUM, with a little jalepeno in there, ask for more bread for dunking. Also, they have Czechvar on draft, which I had never had and is a great beer. Try the goulash, it's the best! more
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Terrible experience 9/18/2007

Altough I made reservation on a very busy night I was surprised by the underqualified waitstaff . Our food was tasty but the ""drunk?"" waitress was very unpleasant. My concern was to make it to our show accross the street, which we nearly missed after waiting for our check over 25 minutes. Overall GREAT FOOD, BAD SERVICE. more
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Extremely gracious and helpful waitstaff; great food. 8/25/2007

Had to respond to an earlier review that was critical of the waiters at Thomas Beisl. I have found them universally gracious, friendly, and competent, and I go there at least once a month. The food is wonderful; I've never had a bad meal there. My only criticism is that the specials are always the same, and the menu can get a little dull. Pros: Spacious, attractive, wheelchair-accessible. more
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What? The food is great! 5/4/2007

I don't know what everyone's talking about! The food is reliably great at Beisl--we always go here before a show or movie at BAM. Hearty portions -- my boyfriend and I usually split an entree. Fresh ingredients. Delicious. We usually get the salmon and a salad, and the palatschinken are great for dessert. The service may be bustling but the staff is quite courteous and friendly, esp. once they get to know you. \r Pros: Great food, classy but comfortable audience Cons: Does get busy, but that's a good sign! more
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Good service, but surprisingly poor food 4/2/2007

It works well as a convenient place to have something to eat after BAM. Service, even late night, was very quick and prompt, but the food was suprisingly poor. My sauerbraten was awful: tough and full of gristel (sp?). My wife's Wienerschnitzel was average, but not delicious. Our guest's salmon was, by his standard, very good. From what I noticed, the beer selection was very good, as was the selection of wine, including Austrian reds, which is relatively unusual. I would not recommend a separate trip there, but if you are in the neighborhood, or have a BAM performance, its worth a go. Not expensive for a restaurant, but not cheap. Just avoid the sauerbraten. Pros: service, convenience, beer selection, wine selection Cons: food more
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Fair Price, Decent Food, Not Romantic 2/11/2007

Quality dinner for a very fair price. The raspberry crepes and the french onion soup are particularly recommended. Biggest drawback: although the place was billed as romantic, the atmosphere was more hustle and bustle. Make sure to avoid the pre- and post- theater crowd, as BAM is right across the street. more
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life on earth, lunch at thomas beisl, and the labor force 1/24/2007

great resto to which i've never been and most likely will never go. HOWEVER, i would recommend that someone find the guy who wrote the previous review (username ""le new yorkais,"" so all clues point to a former one-semester student at the american university in paris that never spoke more than two words of french and is currently working as a writer for NYU's monthly journal on Medical Ethics and Elegant Wines of Provence), sit him down, and find him better things to do than indirectly e-reprimanding people who actually work for a living. more
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very good and very bad 1/20/2007

food is good to very good, decor is nice and romantic. HOWEVER, the reception by the waitstaff ranges from barely ok to hostile. the owner should sit down and read them the riot act, and teach them some hospitality. more
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Most unpleasant experience 11/13/2006

Arrived alone post BAM theater event for quick bite and drink. Treated like pariah as single diner, and shuttled to bar though tables were empty and others opened up while I dined. Service perfunctory, food so so. Too many new great restaurants in Ft. Greene for any diner to tolerate this kind of mediocrity. Pros: Proximity to BAM and good price value Cons: Poor service, so so food more
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Delicious and special 3/20/2006

This is a nice restaurant in the Ft Greene area. The food is good, not a whole lot for the vegetarian, but the fried & breaded mushroom starters are excellent, I've ordered them every time I frequent the restaurant, and they are always perfectly fried, (not too greasy... hmmm). Nice cod and fish dishes. Romantic atmosphere and polite service. Pros: romantic Cons: not too varied more
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Lovely and authentic 3/6/2006

I lived in Vienna for years and can attest to the authenticity of Thomas Beisl. The service could be better, but the food is tops. The ambiance is also good: cozy in the restaurant in winter and delightful on the patio in summer. Just don't go pre- or post-theater as it's too full. Landing there after a show has started at BAM is perfect. Brunches are also worth checking out. They also have some nice Austrian wines. Pros: attractive, good food, nice atmosphere Cons: service, crowds more
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dining with friends 1/1/2006

We've been to the Thomas Beisl several times and we love it. The owner and staff make you feel very comfortable and let you relax even after you finished eating - like it is tradition in Austria. The food is great, real Austrian comfort food. I can also recommend the Austrian Goesser beer which they have on draft. Try to go during the week, the restaurant gets very busy before and after BAM shows on weekends. Pros: delicious food, Austrian desserts, great wine selection more
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You've got to be kidding me... 10/13/2005

I went last night and was incredibly disappointed. The food was fine - the crepes soggy, the weiner schnitzle, excellent - but things took a nosedive when the dining rooms cleared out due to a show at BAM. It was then that I noticed that not one plate had been cleared from any table. Finally, one of the waitstaff noticed and brought out a dirty bus pan which he put on the table next to me and started bussing the entire dining room. Once that chore was completed, he brought out a large, black, plastic bag which he proceeded to fill with dirty linens. All the while, a rather large fellow in a tank top and camo pants (the manager?) was yelling at the rest of the waitstaff audibly enough that I was able to follow his entire tirade from where I sat in the secondary dining room. Pros: food Cons: SERVICE more
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Apparently I'm the only one 8/17/2005

Apparently I'm the only one who didn't enjoy this restaurant. I waited almost 30 minutes for my appetizer and the waiter forgot to give us bread in the meantime. It took so long to get my food that by the time my my rosemary-less rosemary potatoes and my well-done and fatty steak came - that I ordered RARE - I was too hungry to bother to send it back. The only plus is the patio. Pros: Patio Cons: Service, Food more
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Delightful 5/27/2005

Absolutely great experience. We were a group of 4 -- ordered 3 of their daily special apps, we each ordered an entree and got 3 desserts. Everything was really tasty. My only criticism was for the apricot dessert (it takes 15 min to make), which was a little tart for my taste. more
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Central Europe across from BAM 9/21/2003

I love this place. The food seems very real, just like the food I remember from Vienna. The feel of the place is very authentic from traditional decor to central European servers and europop unobtrusively playing through a very good sound system (even on the loo!) Everything we tasted, the schnitzels, the goulash, the strudel was just right. Pros: food, service, authenticity more
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Menu for Thomas Beisl


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Owner Message

  • Four star chef Thomas Ferlesch, formerly of Vienna 79 & Cafe De Artistes, opened his Beisl 3 years ago serving Viennese classics and traditional bistro food. Located directly across the street from Brooklyn Academy of Music, Thomas Beisl has a dark wood bar, a 55 seat banquette-lined tallow dining room and a patio garden open all year round.

    "...authentic Viennese dishes at chef Thomas Ferlesch's "charming" Fort Greene Austrian are "worth traveling for"; its "comfortable" feel recalls a "homey" "corner of old Europe", and the location and "personable" service are both "perfect" "for a BAM night." Food 23, Decor 18, Service 20 -Zagat 2005

    "Beef cheek goulash has an almost chocalately suavity". "The celeriac schnitzel...was the come-from-behind winner of the schnitzel-off. It was one of the best things I had eaten in months" NYT 11/3/04

Editorial

  • The Scene
    It's the sort of beloved neighborhood haunt where locals stop by the clubby bar for after-work beers, young families frequent for easy-going meals and artsy BAM-goers retire for...

  • 7/6/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon 3:30pm-12am Tue-Fri 12pm-12am Sat-Sun 10:30am-12am
  • Payments: American Express
  • Neighborhoods: Fort Greene
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