Beers, bratwurst and buffalo burgers as Sunderland's first bierkeller opens its doors

Owners Simon Burdus and Jack Dickinson spent weeks in Munich’s bierkellers researching the recipe for success at their new venture, Bavaria, which will open in Vine Place.

From tomorrow night, punters will be able to enjoy two pint steins of some of Germany’s best beers on draught and in bottles, as well as traditional Germanic cuisine including pretzels, bratwurst and schnitzel.

Around £100,000 has been invested into transforming the former Rhythm bar, which closed its doors in August, into a German-style pub complete with Bavarian Toby jugs, vintage boar’s head, wood panelling and benches.

“Our main focus is beer,” said Jack. “We don’t have any Carling or Fosters, it’s all German or Czech beers, as well as Rekorderlig. We’ll be stocking four different styles of beer: lager, pilsner, dark wheat and wheat. One of the Czech beers, Prava, is launching in the North East with us and we’ll be the only pub in the area stocking it.”

The business partners will be drawing upon their experience with their Wildefeast catering company for the food offering, which will offer some of Germany’s more popular dishes, as well as unusual choices such as buffalo, wildboar and kangaroo burgers. There will also be a Man Vs Food challenge of a metre-long bratwurst for those who like their sausages super-size.

The Bavarian bait offering will run alongside an English menu for less adventurous palates.

Simon said: “We didn’t expect the interest we’ve had in the food, but people are really excited about something different coming to Sunderland. We’d heard there was once a bierkeller in Seaburn, but that closed years ago. We import our bratwurst from Germany, which we usually sell at music festivals and private catering, they’re always very popular.

“We haven’t advertised yet, but the response to what we’ve posted on Facebook so far has been incredible. Everyone thinks it’s a great idea. We could have opened this pub in Newcastle or Durham, but we’re both from Sunderland and we really wanted to do something different.

“Five years ago there wasn’t much choice for venues, but it’s really changing. There’s a lot going on in the city with the City of Culture bid and we really want to be a part of that.”

Food will be served from noon until 9pm daily, with Northern Soul being played during the day, and live DJs on evenings. There will also be a gay night on Tuesdays, as well as plans for Oom-pah band performances and a large-scale Oktoberfest celebration later this year.

•Find out what to expect from the menu here: http://www.sunderlandecho.com/whats-on/eating-out/super-size-sausages-kangaroo-burger-and-steins-what-to-expect-from-sunderland-s-first-bierkeller-1-7969603