After months of red tape, Tucson's long-awaited Biergarten set to open

The restaurant has a half dozen imported German beers on tap, from the golden, malty citrus notes of Hofbräu München to the subtly sweet premium dunkel from Warsteiner, a brewery that dates back to 1753.

Owner Andre Linke had anticipated starting out small, just two or three German beers. But when the distributors pitched him "this and that beer," he could hardly say no.

"That's the idea of a beer garden in Germany," said Linke, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Silke.

Friday's opening couldn't come soon enough for the couple, who had hoped they would be up and running months after signing the lease last June at 2320 N. Silverbell Road. The building, near West Grant Road, had been home for 28 years to Famous Sam's until it closed in late 2025. 

The Linkes anticipated a fairly routine buildout when they began work months before they and their two kids moved to Tucson last September.

But routine turned into a series of setbacks and delays as they navigated the city's permitting processes, much of it from Germany as Silke, who had a background in restaurants and hospitality, applied for a U.S. investor's visa.

At one point last November, the couple considered they might be in over their heads when they learned they had to hire an architect and submit new plans. Because their landlord had added a wall and split the property in two, the building plans on file with the city were outdated.

"I had all the plans from the former restaurant; all these architects' plans were here," Linke explained, but the city told him he had to start from scratch.

The Linkes had been teasing an opening date since they launched their Facebook page last March. In a series of posts last October, they said they were opening "this winter," and showed off a number of traditional German dishes (schnitzel, including their mushroom gravy dressed e Jägerschnitzel, bratwurst and sauerbraten) from their menu.

A post on Nov. 22 gave the first hint that the couple was facing obstacles to opening.

"We speed up the setup process and we are now ready to go. But the City of Tucson has other plans," the post read. "... We started the licensing process in early September as we entered the States. We keep you all posted and hope the Department of Development makes a decision soon. … Stay tuned."

Over the next five months, the couple kept their 3,600 Facebook followers updated on the "ping ponging" with the city until May 19, when they announced Friday's opening in a video.

"When you have a dream and you have a goal, you need to keep going and try as long as you reach that goal," Linke said Thursday as he was getting ready to install misters on the front patio and put together tables for the dining room.

Earlier last week, Silke was training the kitchen staff on Biergarten's menu, which opens with a half-dozen appetizers (Vorspeisen) including potato pancakes and several variations of fresh pretzels. Vegetarian options include cheese spaetzle — think macaroni and cheese with authentic German egg noodles — or spatzle with gravy.

They also have chicken or pork schnitzel done five ways, including the traditional Jägerschnitzel with mushroom gravy; five variations of bratwurst including the skinny Nürnberger bratwurst served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and brown gravy.

Traditional German entrees from Omas Küche include gulasch, a German stew with beef simmered in paprika sauce; and sauerbraten, a traditional pot roast marinated in a blend of aromatics, vinegar and red wine.

Brats and schnitzel are among the sandwich offerings alongside a house burger that blends bratwurst with premium ground chuck.

This is where Germany meets America on a Kaiser bun.

Desserts are made in-house and include fruit strudels, traditional German bee sting cake, and black forest cake with layers of chocolate sponge cake and whipped cream topped with cherries.

Biergarten will open at 1 p.m. Friday. It will be open from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.