Brigit & Bernard’s Garden Cafe

This cozy little “biergarten” is lit with fairy lights and feels like a European oasis in the middle of the Kahului industrial zone. Its neighbors are fishmongers, body shops, an … ahem … “hostess bar” and window glass dealers. It is very popular with locals — including us — for good German dishes for both lunch and dinner. The Wiener schnitzel and the Jaeger schnitzel are lovely, as is the bratwurst. (It’s flown in, but delectable, especially the veal.) Many dishes come with a red cabbage as delicious as James’s German grandma’s, and the house bread — a hearty brown bread — is homemade and filled with love. (It’s only available at dinner — it bakes during the day — and if Bernard doesn’t have time to make it, they serve supermarket bread, instead. This disappoints, but we forgive.)

There’s also an assortment of pastas, all of which we stay away from. There are always many daily specials, which tend to range from good to very good. If it’s not on the menu, ask for the pork loin in their hearty port wine sauce. The rack of lamb is another good choice. Skip the desserts, but indulge in the excellent beer selection, including our favorite, Franziskaner Weissbeir.

Reservations are recommended because it’s such a small place, but mandatory on Friday and Saturday nights in October, when they put out a huge Octoberfest buffet and party all weekend. If you’re lucky, Bernard will come out of the kitchen and dance the funky chicken with his daughter while the oompah band plays.

Address: 335 Hoohana St., Kahului, Central Maui
Location: On the bend of the street, just off Alamaha.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Hours: Daily 11am-2:30pm & 5pm-9pm
Parking: Lot
Phone: 808-877-6000