Oktoberfest is Everyday at East Side Restaurant
By Robin Vinci at May 27, 2024 | 9:00 am | Print
If you are looking for a preview of September’s Oktoberfest, there is no need to wait. The East Side Restaurant, 131 Dwight St., celebrates the event everyday.
The restaurant began in the early 1900s, but was purchased 12 years ago by Shari, Barbara and Nick Augustino.
“My daughter (Shari) and I were working in the restaurant consulting business. She just turned 27 and said that I had owned my first restaurant at 27,” said Nick Augustino. “She said ‘dad, let’s buy one’.”
Augustino knew that franchises were doing well, but didn’t want to go that route.
“I knew we needed a destination restaurant,” he said.
He found East Side Restaurant was available and purchased it from Bill and Ruth Bloethe.
When entering the restaurant, the first thing you will notice is the gift shop. It is filled with collectible mugs, steins and other memorabilia marking your visit.
From there you have a number of rooms to choose for your dining and entertainment pleasure.
The Heidelberg Dining Room is a must visit stop. Lining the ceiling are mugs purchased from regulars of the Mug Club. For $85 Mug Club members get their own mug to use every time they enter with $1 off the beer price and a free Birthday Beer.
“We started it five years ago,” recalled Augustino. “We now have 550 members.”
The Heidelberg Beer Hall also features a painting by Kevin Larson done in 1976. It is the Heidelberg Castle along with a self-portrait. The room is designed with the theme that you are in the castle overlooking Germany.
Measuring approximately 36 feet in length by 9.5 feet at the ceiling height “A View of Heidelberg” is believed to be the largest, classical oil mural created in central Connecticut in the past 50 years.
Another spot to see is the Schnapps Tower. Here you get snow rimmed glasses with five degree shots in flavors like German Cookie, German Chocolate Cake and Pink Drindl on frosted tables.
“We have 24 gun pumps of German beer. We only serve German beer,” said Augustino. “We also have limited barrels for about 8 weeks.”
The Chameleon Room holds banquets and small parties. This is where you are most likely to hear the famous “Ticki Tocki Ticki Tocki Hoy, Hoy, Hoy”. The now illustrious East Side Restaurant saying means, “we made our beer, we sell it here and it feeds our families,” said Augustino.
The room holds a fireplace in the winter with sing-a-longs. Seniors in particular enjoy this room according to Augustino.
For those who love the old style, visit The Merchant’s Room.
“It keeps the heritage alive for customers,” said Augustino. “It’s for people who want to visit the old part of the restaurant.”
The Munich Room features the Beermeister Throne where East Side offers a perfect pour. Its uses a pump system purchased a year and one half ago that pours beer at 32 degrees.
On the roof of the building is the Beer Garden which is open like a patio.
“We have a lot of birthday parties, promotional parties and rehearsal dinners out here,” said Augustino.
The Stein Chamber holds corporate beer steins that are personalized with taps and keys. Steins can be washed in the traditional copper sink.
The kitchen was redone over a year ago to be completely energy efficient saving about 32 percent on energy costs. It is all computerized for quicker and perfect service for customers.
Along with all these great rooms, East Side has an elevator for the handicapped, a smoking room near the patio so people don’t have to go outside and handicapped toilets with a baby changing station.
With all the restaurant has, Augustino said he is not done.
“I am always thinking and will still put more into it,” he said.
Augustino is also one of the founder’s of New Britain’s First Annual Oktoberfest coming September 16-18 to downtown.
For more information on East Side Restaurant, visit its website at www.eastsiderestaurant.com.
