Spending a Saturday night drinking beer, eating bratwurst, and dancing on tables sounded like a pretty good time to me – especially as the next couple of weeks include Oktoberfest celebrations.

In hopes of getting involved in the German festivities, I headed down to the Maidstone show bar, Bierkeller.

Described as “bringing the scent of Munich to Maidstone”, the venue offers bench seat dining, steins, sausages, currywurst, and live Oompha shows – it doesn’t get much more stereotypical Deutschland than that.

Anyone who’s had a night out in Kent’s biggest town is familiar with Bierkeller.

Granted we’re all probably seven sambucas in when we arrive, but who doesn’t want to end their night by belting out songs while dancing on benches?

Because of this, I had never really considered eating at the venue. Why would I? You usually get there well past 11pm.

So after a quick Google to see where I could eat and have some “traditional” German grub to mark Oktoberfest, I was chuffed to see I could book a table and treat myself to a pretzel and a massive tankard of beer there before the venue turns into a nightclub.

For £17 I could get myself free entry, waitress service, a guaranteed seat, a stein of drink and a main course. Not bad at all.

I booked online and paid a £10 deposit to secure my spot with my friends a couple of weeks in advance.

I arrived at 7pm – the earliest bookable slot. It may be a little early for Bierkeller but any later for dinner would have been a write-off for me.

After walking in, the first thing that hit me was the fun German-themed decor. I must admit I’d never really appreciated it during my previous visits.

It may be a bit tongue-in-cheek but it really added a fun vibe and I was quite looking forward to my experience.

I was greeted by a lovely waitress who was dressed in a Bavarian costume – I loved the attention to detail.

She took us to our table and explained how to order.

We could have a beer, cocktail, or soft drink in our two-pint stein and a main meal which included a German hot dog or a German-themed pizza.

Wanting to stay traditional I went with a double pint of beer and a Bratwurst, which is a white pork sausage in a bun.

While we waited for our food I was quite surprised with the atmosphere and clientele.

There were groups of friends of all ages and genders celebrating all sorts of occasions including birthdays, hen nights, and even the birth of a baby.

The waitress brought our drinks to the table very quickly and our food was brought out to us after 20 minutes.

Now I have to say, looks-wise, this was not the most jaw-dropping appetising-looking meal I had ever been served, but then again, what are you meant to do with a sausage and a bun?

I had never had a Bratwurst before but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I topped mine with the sauerkraut – fermented raw cabbage – that was served alongside my hot dog, and dug in.

I can’t complain at all. The sausage was nicely cooked and the simplicity of the meal kind of spoke for itself.

The chips were also really tasty, cooked to perfection in my opinion, and lovely with the curry sauce condiment on the table.

Washing down my meal with my beer I felt fairly satisfied, I was content but I was craving something for afters.

That’s when sweet pretzel caught my eye. For £4.50 I ordered myself a giant deep-fried pretzel dusted with sugar and cinnamon.

While waiting for my dessert, I ordered another stein and noticed the music getting increasingly louder as we neared 9pm.

My pretzel was brought out very quickly and smelt delicious.

Again, it was a very simple food and I really don’t have anything bad to say about it.

Now this is an Eat My Words review and I didn’t eat anything else at the Bierkeller, but I feel I have to share my experience of the live Oompha band.

When the clock struck 9pm, the food was cleared away and the musicians came out to play.

Their energy was fabulous and everyone was up on the tables following the band’s clapping routines from the word go.

Now yes, the music and atmosphere did make me feel like I was in the castle scene in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

And perhaps everyone having to get up and walk around the tables in the longest conga line possible did give me flashbacks to holidays spent with the Red Coats at Butlins.

But it was great fun and I couldn’t wipe the smile and laughter from my face.

SCORES

Food: The Bratwurst might not have been the sexiest-looking meal I’ve ever had but it was tasty ***

Drink: A stein of beer or cocktail, that’s two pints, included in a meal and club entry for £17. That seems like a decent deal to me ****

Decor: Decked out with German-themed trinkets and stereotypical Oktoberfest gimmicks the atmosphere was great *****

Staff: All the staff who helped us to our table, made our order, and even performed for us were great *****

Price: £17 for a meal, entry, and two pints of drink seems pretty reasonable to me. With an extra drink and dessert, my whole Bierkeller experience cost £25.90 which I didn’t think was bad at all *****