Oktoberfest! Raise a Mug and spear a Brat

It’s time to dig out the dirndl, locate the lederhosen, and secure the sennerhut. The leaves are turning, and Oktober is in the air. Oktoberfest is that special German party that is celebrated with enough bratwurst, pretzels, and beer to keep upward of 7 million visitors and locals in the Munich area raising their glasses with hearty shouts of “Prost!” for two full weeks.

In 1810, a grand party was held to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxony Hildburghausen. The festivities included parades and horse races, carriages, and shooting matches. The Bavarian-brewed kegs of Märzenbier were tapped, and so began the 215-year-old tradition.

Today, Oktoberfest has circled the globe, so don’t worry if you can’t make it to Munich, Frankfurt, or Berlin (not to mention Brazil, where the world’s second-largest Oktoberfest celebration occurs each year). Right here in Tallahassee, there are quieter versions of that Volksfest—celebrations that achieve the community togetherness that arises when people link arms and sip some brew.

Several other restaurants get in the “glucklich Deutch” (happy German) mood during October with specialties involving the word schnitzel. Check out The Wine House on Market Street, where the owners host “schnitzel nights,” and Riccardo’s, where, on Thursday evenings, breaded pork cutlets cross the Italian foodie border. 

Photos by Spencer Schrowang and Jason Smith / Courtesy of Smitty’s Taphouse & Grill

Elder Care Services of the Big Bend

→ Jocelyne Fliger, CEO and president of the 55-year-old organization, is proud of the myriad services ECS offers to area seniors. She’s equally excited by their biggest fundraiser of the year—Oktoberfest. On November 2 (just a little past October!) at the AC Hotel in Cascades Park, the beer taps will be open and hot pretzels and snacks stacked in abundance. There will also be lawn games and plenty of oompah music. Fliger invites ticket holders to stroll, polka, and “raise your souvenir stein of beer” from the hotel’s
event space and balcony.
For more information, contact fliger@ecsbigbend.org.

Photos by Spencer Schrowang and Jason Smith / Courtesy of Smitty’s Taphouse & Grill

Smitty’s Taphouse & Grill

→ Conner Smith, son of owner, Jason Smith, says his father has always had a love for the German holiday. So much so “that he’s been to the Munich Oktoberfest four or five times,” reports Smith. Now, each fall, Smitty’s puts on its own celebration. The staff dress code may first give it away, as servers and managers can be seen wearing pinafore-like dirndls or leather shorts and felt hats. As waitresses manage half-liter mugs of beer, others serve up hot bratwurst with German potato salad and pretzels. On September 27 at two seatings (noon to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.) there will be a brass band and sing-alongs in a hall draped with the blue and white banners of Bavaria. There will also be a raffle for a trip for two to attend the real Oktoberfest in Munich in 2026.

Photo courtesy of LINKS

LINK Sausages & Beer

Joining in the Cascades Park revelry will be Tallahassee’s newest casual sausage venue, Link Sausages & Beer. Having taken over the Midtown restaurant space that formerly was El Cocinero, Link features artisanal sausages from all over the world. On November 2, they will export their bratwurst delights to hungry Oktoberfest celebrants with a food truck at Cascades Park. From September 20 through October 5, Link will turn their restaurant into a Southern rendition of a German beer garden with communal tables, German music, and yes, the dirndls and lederhosen will be out here, too. Top off your sausages with mustard, sauerkraut, garlic aioli sauce, and Gruyere in one of several curated recipes by owner Jesse Edmonds.

Check out these venues for fall

Riccardo’s Restaurant
(850) 386-3988
1950 Thomasville Road

The Wine House
(850) 893-2254
1355 Market Street

LINK Sausages
& Beer
(850) 329-6591
1303 Thomasville Road

Smitty’s
Taphouse & Grill
(850) 765-5647
6255 Old Water Oak Road, Ste. 101

Eldercare Oktoberfest information
(850) 921-5554