Sullivan's Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill in Frankenmuth, MI
My parents have been to Lansing several times since I moved here from Central Illinois. On I-94 going through Indiana, they always see a billboard for Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland. Christmas is a big deal in my family and this year it’s even more special. My brother and his wife are expecting my parents first grandchild. My mom, dad, and aunt decided to come north for Labor Day and I suggested we drive over to Frankenmuth to check out the town. I heard it was pretty touristy and it was.
Before we did the tourist thing, we needed to find something for lunch. My parents had been on the road since 8:00 AM CST and we arrived in Frankenmuth at about 2:00 EST. Everyone kept saying, “Go to Zehnder’s” or “You have to eat at the Bavarian Inn.” I did a little research and noticed the chicken dinners everyone raved about were $20/person, so that was out. Seems pretty expensive…even for an all-you-can-eat. I mean, really, it’s just chicken. I didn’t get a whole lot of suggestions when I asked for one on Chowhound, but I ended up stumbling across a website for the Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill.
We ended up finding Black Forest right across the street from Bronner’s. My family was marveling at just how big the Christmas store was when I turned in the driveway for Black Forest. They all turned around and said the same thing about the big, castle looking building we were now sitting in front of. We hit up the brew pub during off peak hours. It wasn’t quite lunch nor was it quite dinner. We were right in between so there weren’t a whole lot of people in the restaurant at the time. We were met at the door and show to a table in the dining area to the left of the bar. Besides the bar area and the dining room, there was a four seasons patio not far from where we sitting. Upstairs, there were big banquet rooms. The dining room and bar area is realy spacious. There are high exposed ceilings and lots of seating. There is a big room enclosed in glass where the distillers sit.
The menu is pretty standard pub fare, but they do a lot of things differently. I found my favorite burger on the menu and ordered that. Of course, that’s the Black ‘n Bleu burger which came with homemade chips. I opted for fries for an extra $1.50. The 8 oz burger was char-grilled to medium and put on a sourdough roll and topped with crumbled bleu cheese. The burger was good. Nothing outstanding. The roll was delicious. The fries were out of the bag and nothing special.
The Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill across the street from Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland
My dad and girlfriend both got the Smoked Pork Barbecue Sandwich. Slow roasted pulled pork was piled onto an artisan roll. The pork was covered in a house special brew haus BBQ sauce. The roll was a long hoagie type roll and it was filled with pork. J scraped a little meat off her sandwich and gave it to me. She also opted to go for the fries while my dad stuck with chips. The meat was good. It was actually pulled pork with big chunks. Both of them seemed to like it.
My mom got a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich. Like the pork, it came on the long artisan roll and topped with grilled onions and peppers. There were big chunks of peppers on the top. She got chips with her sandwich as well and said they tasted like nothing she has ever had before. The sandwich was too much for her and she offered some to me, but the onions were enough to turn me off.
My aunt got a Beer Steamed Bratwurst Sandwich. Like the other two, this sandwich also came on the long artisan roll. She got the option of either barbecue sauce or sauerkraut. She chose barbecue sauce. Chips and coleslaw were served on the side. Again, a big sandwich which she seemed to like.
For the five of us, our bill was under $50 but none of us got drinks other than water. The Blackforest Brew Haus has an interesting feel. It’s huge spaces make it comfortable for families, but it’s still a brew pub. As we were leaving town after visiting Bronner’s and downtown, we drove by the Pub. The parking lot was packed. Black Forest is a great, much cheaper alternative to the downtown staples in Frankenmuth. We were all happy with the food, the price, and the overall experience of Sullivan’s Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill
Mid-Michigan Dining 
[…] and no one had had anything to drink since lunch at the Blackforest Brew Haus & Grill (review HERE). One of the first places we ran into was the Castle Shops. We noticed a bakery and figured […]