If you can't enjoy yourself amongst lederhosen-clad waitresses, oversized beers, kitschy live keyboard music, an outdoor beer garden, and sausages and sauerkraut aplenty, you should probably seek therapy. For everyone else, put on your drinking caps (preferably your green Bavarian Alpine one), and head to Silver Lake and the Red Lion Tavern. German ex-pats, beer enthusiasts, and the young ironic-T-shirt-clad crowd pack this loud and lively, three-tiered tribute to all things Deutschland. Downstairs, you can enjoy a more pub-like environment with a one-man band who fulfills requests on his keyboard, while a smaller dining room occupies the second floor. The outdoor beer garden is the perfect spot for a chilled, tall glass of one of the many German beers (Bitburger, Beck's, Spaten Optimator). Share a sausage platter – an impressive assortment of bratwurst, knackwurst, bockwurst, pickles and peppers – with your dining companions, or indulge in the Schnitzel à la Holstein – think a German version of chicken-fried steak, topped with a fried egg and anchovies. Wash down your hearty meal with a 1.5-liter glass boot filled with beer, and achieve legendary status among your peers. Full bar. Serving lunch, dinner and late-night daily. Sat–Sun brunch 11 am–3 pm.
Where the Locals Eat rating
Best German
Top 100 Restaurant, Los Angeles
"The Red Lion is a very authentic pub and is extremely popular with locals as well as German expatriates, entertainment industry types as well as the usual eclectic mix of Silver Lakers."
—Silver Lake News
"The Red Lion really feels German. ... It tastes German too. ... A haven for local German-speakers who congregate there all year. ... Yet it's very welcoming to non-Germans who enjoy the very comfortable food and atmosphere of a local institution."
—Los Angeles City Beat
"With a biergarten like this in the neighborhood, why bother with Oktoberfest in Munich?"
—Los Angeles Times
"Astonishingly good food."
—Frommer's