Austin’s Buzzy New Biergarten Combines the Best of Texas Celebrity Chef Tim Love and a Real German Prince — Koko’s Bavarian is Anything But Cookie Cutter

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F.Place Worth’s celebrity chef Tim Love has mastered everything, from the steakhouse from the southwest with its legendary Lonesome Dove to creative barbecues in Woodshed to Spanish tapas and real Italian coast. Now Love can cross authentic German from its list of kitchens to be conquered. His new brewery and beer garden called Koko’s Bavarian opened in Austin last week.

“When we opened at 5 pm on Friday, 220 people were queuing to greet us,” Tim Love told PaperCity. “It didn’t slow down all weekend. I’ve had some big openings, but I’ve never seen anything like it. It was wild, but smooth. “

While Love might be viewed as the restaurant king in some circles, his partner at Koko’s Bavarian has a legitimate royal pedigree. Constantine Prince of Bavaria (who is called Koko) is a direct descendant of King Ludwig I of Germany.

The Oktoberfest tradition began in Munich in 1810 – a five-day celebration for the wedding of King Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The Oktoberfest tradition grew year after year, spawning the modern two-week festival known today for its flowing beer, raised beer mugs, oompah bands, donning the lederhosen, and those huge beer halls.

Koko’s Bavarian is now open in Austin. Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley.

Koko’s Bavarian is located in the room that used to be Brewer’s Table, at 4715 East 5th Street in Austin, on an up-and-coming, but still largely industrial-looking stretch of street. The Quonset-style building already had a small garden area in front of the door. The interiors are inspired by industrial materials and architecture from Berlin.

“With Justines (restaurant) just down the street, it’s the hottest neighborhood in Austin right now,” says Love. “The inside is nice but small with only 30 seats with a fire pit that we cook on.

“But the atmosphere is really outside, with 200 seats on the front terrace alone.”

At Koko’s Bavarian, Love says he “didn’t make the menu too complicated”. That means six different sausages, including a currywurst that Love is very proud of and its famous rabbit / rattlesnake sausage. It took a few tries to get the schnitzel right before it received the expert approval of Prince Koko. In addition to having a certain texture, the crust should also have a tell-tale sound when you scratch it with a knife.

The full spread at Kokos’s Bavarian. Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley.

You will be pampered with these crispy and authentic Viennese and chicken schnitzel along with pretzels and mustard. On the menu there is even a roasted pork shoulder (also typically German) and potato salad, coleslaw or coleslaw. Then there is the fried half chicken with pickled lemon and garlic and smoked paprika and rocket pesto. Of course, there are also the perfect Belgian-style fries to go with it.

For dessert there is a bee sting cake loaded with almonds, honey and Bavarian cream, a Bavarian cake and a red velvet ice cream sandwich. But of course you would also like to know something about the beer from Kokos’s Bavarian.

The beer from Kokos’s Bavarian

There are 30 taps ranging from local brews to Bavarian imports. Coconut master brewer Katie Lowe will also brew six beers on site. This includes four lager and two ales – a Pils, a Black beer, a Hefeweisen, a Marzen, a dark white and a Helles bock. They also make fresh lemonade that fits in coconut’s classic German shandy.

“We wanted to create an authentic Oktoberfest experience every day,” says Love.

Prince Koko and Love teamed up with two other Austin heavyweights on this project: Charles Attal, co-founder of C3 Presents, which produces the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza, to name a few, and Jesse Herman, the co-founder and partner of the Austin Food and Wine Festival.

Love regularly goes to all of these festivals in Austin. His son is conforming to the University of Texas football team, so you could say he’s a fan. Tim Love is no stranger to tinged orange, having studied at another UT, the University of Tennessee. But as the unofficial ambassador for Texas, he can punch the best of them in the ear.

Because of this, Tim Love planted a Lonesome Dove in both Knoxville and Austin.

Coconut Bavarian master brewer Katie Lowe brews six German beers. Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley.

Tim Love’s new Fort Worth plans

Chef Love prepares to open two more restaurants on Fort Worth’s Mule Alley. His first Mexican restaurant is called Paloma Suerte (Lucky Dove). He calls it his FTX / MEX restaurant. He is now hiring and Love says his opening all depends on the paperwork. If he gets the permits on time, Paloma Suerte could open within the next two weeks. If not, he plans to postpone this opening until mid-January due to the holidays.

What is on the menu at Paloma Suerte?

“It’s Tex-Mex, and our food and cocktails will be very eventful,” Love tells PaperCity. “The house cocktail will of course be the Paloma, for example. It is prepared at the table with freshly squeezed grapefruit. And we’ll have one of the largest tequila selections in town. ”

Two other house specialties are also prepared at the table. First the tailor-made queso – where guests can prepare it however they want and choose from more than 15 different ingredients. Then five types of Birria tacos are prepared and grilled right at your table. The birria is dipped in consommé and finished on the grill plate for the crispy cheese rims.

This new restaurant in Paloma Suerte follows on from Tim Love’s original restaurant, Lonesome Dove. That means it will have a killer patio spot.

“We’ll also serve sizzling fajitas and enchiladas,” says Love. “There will also be a porterhouse steak with a crab filling. We have fresh chicharrones and an excellent bean dip as well as 10 different frozen margaritas to choose from. “

The second of its upcoming Mule Alley restaurants is yet to be announced. Love will not yet give any clues as to which direction to take or which kitchen it is. But it does announce its expected opening date April 2022.

Back in Austin, Love’s new Koko’s Bavarian is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. During the opening weekend, guests could enjoy the sound of a polka band. Even if polka isn’t always on the playlist, the owners plan to use the stage for live bands.

The beer hall is both dog- and family-friendly and also offers vegan and gluten-free options. Lederhose optional (but desired). Now every day can be Oktoberfest in one of Austin’s hippest neighborhoods.

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