Himmel Haus offers German bier, food and atmosphere

Located below the Heavenly Valley parking lot on the California side, Himmel Haus serves authentic German food matched with a wide selection of German, Belgian and Dutch beers.

The décor is typical German Bierhaus: communal tables that seat six pushed together in long tables stretching across the dining room. The bar has additional seating, plus a cozy sunken area bordered with couches near one fireplace. There’s also a fireplace in the main room.

As you would expect, there is a wide selection of imported beers with several on tap as well. The menu also includes ciders, a limited wine list and non-alcoholic offerings. The restaurant takes pride in serving beers in appropriate glassware so you routinely could see several different glasses at tables—including the giant boot.

We dined there on January 2, just after the busy New Year’s weekend. There was a decent crowd for a Tuesday night, but plenty of available seats. We ended up being served by the hostess who was new in her role. It took a while before she appeared to apologize and take our orders. That was the story of the evening—it was painfully slow. Judging by what we observed, it appears the issue was the kitchen, not the serving team. It took more than an hour before our entrees arrived. Judging by the online ratings, that’s an anomaly.

There are two salads (house and spinach) offered along with Brussel sprouts, a German pretzel and Belgian Frites (twice-fried French fries).

We asked for the pretzel, but were informed that they were out. We opted instead for the tasty Belgian fries that were accompanied by curry ketchup and mayo for dipping. My bride and daughter split the house salad—a good choice because it was huge.  I opted for the ample and tasty pickled beet salad.

pork schnitzel

That set the stage for the entrees—huge portions of meat and potatoes complemented by vegetables.

Two of us opted for the pork schnitzel with potatoes and red cabbage. Some of each went back to the hotel room in the carry-out box.  My bride opted for the roast pork with garlic green beans and mashed potatoes. The green beans were particularly nice, with a smoky flavor reminiscent of Asian cuisine.

roast pork with green beans

By taking entrees home, we saved some room for the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream, a highlight of the meal.

apple strudel with ice cream

As you would expect in a German restaurant, there are four choices of sausage plates, plus spätzle and cheese spätzle. The management wisely offers half portions of those German favorites.

We returned in the summer of 2023 and were delighted by the giant pretzel that came with a superb onion and mustard mix as well as a warm three-cheese dip. The highlight of the meal. That set the stage for our meal that has us splitting everything.

Sausage platter, spinach salad, spatzle

We selected the warm spinach salad that was superb. We polished off the plate so well that the server joked that it would take a forensic exam to determine what had been served. It wasn’t the same for the four-sausage platter where one went home along with the freshly-made sauerkraut and homemade pickles. The same went for the mashed potatoes because we also selected the cheesy spaetzle.

My wife selected a draft German pilsner that was loved while my daughter splurged on a low-alcohol Belgian Raspberry seltzer. I had a glass of California zinfandel.

Given how food we had consumed, despite taking plenty home, we passed on the desserts.

Himmel Haus is open from noon to midnight or later seven days a week.

By Tim Hunt