Like tinsel, guitar solos, and incriminating legal papers, sauerkraut is best when finely shredded. Enjoy this slivered specialty of the Old World with today's Groupon: for $25, you get $50 worth of German fare and drinks at Biergarten Haus at 1355 H Street NE.

Biergarten Haus serves a feast of authentic German nosh and Teutonic beer, set in a charming, lively atmosphere accompanied by frequent live music. Lunches, dinners, late nights, and kids’ erratic taste in celebrity chefs are all covered on the menu. If dishes are the first priority, patrons can furnish tables with a cornucopia of Germanic appetizers such as laugenbrezel, traditional Bavarian pretzel rolls served warm alongside traditional beer cheese and mustard ($5 for three; $9 for six). The winning wienerschnitzel, a lightly breaded and pan-fried veal cutlet waltzes winsomely with lemon and parsley ($19) before pairing off with a choice of two sides such as the flavorful sauerkraut, made with apples, bacon, & onions ($3 à la carte).

Just opened in June 2010, Biergarten immediately became a destination for World Cup watchers and feral vuvuzelas to enjoy the restaurant's large selection of beers. Sip drafts such as the dark-amber Spaten Optimator doppelbock ($9.09 for a half liter; $17.27 for 1 liter). Or prepare to send a letter to the editor of a desert island newspaper by vacating bottled suds such as the spicy, slightly tart Ayinger brau weisse ($17.27 for 16.9 ounces) and the ruby-red, toffee-hoppy Uerige DoppelSticke ($12.72).

Reviews

More than 110 Yelpers give the Biergarten Haus a three-star average, and more than 3,800 Facebookers are fans: