Chili Joe’s is back with German food, beer garden

After months of closure, Chili Joe’s is finally back with a grand reopening this Saturday, June 15, from noon to 6 p.m. Things, however, will look a bit different, both physically and on the menu, as the restaurant gets back up to speed after being closed for over a year.

Co-owner Wendy Taylor said, for the summer, Chili Joe’s will offer a German American-themed beer garden. Next to their restaurant, they are calling it “Chillin’ Joe’s Beer Garden.” The reason for the temporary change is multi-facetted but with Chef Mark Yuwiler’s culinary chops and German heritage, promises to be just as much of a draw as Chili Joe’s original menu. One reason for the change is that staffing is a serious issue after COVID, with Chili Joe’s kitchen currently short on cooks and dishwashers.

“It’s a crazy ride to open the restaurant,” said Taylor. “It almost feels like we are starting from scratch.” Also, in the summer the restaurant sells very little chili, so they wanted to offer up some alternatives. Chef Mark has talked about wanting to share expansive culinary skills with guests ever since opening Chili Joe’s. A small beer garden next to the restaurant has been on the drawing board since day one for just such an opportunity.

He hopes to offer pop-up dinners in alternate cuisines if there is interest. As fans of German food and of Chef Mark’s culinary skills, we are excited to try the new menu, although we are also looking forward to the return of Chili Joe’s original menu items.

“The plan is to bring back the burgers, fries and chilis in the fall,” Taylor said. “…the burgers and fries just as soon as get a good line cook.”

As far as the German menu, “We will be serving beer brats and other German sausages, as sandwiches or platters, as well as our Chili Joe's hot dogs and a couple dishes from our original menu. Sides will be some of Mark's German grandmother's family recipes, including German potato salad, apple-bacon sauerkraut, sweet-and-sour red cabbage, house-pickled salad items and big Bavarian soft pretzels.”

Diners have recently been asking why Petaluma does not have a German restaurant, so this is our chance to try it out. And for those of us that prefer continental beers to the hoppy West Coast brews, Chili Joe’s is bringing on nine distinctly German beers. A couple will be on tap, with the rest in cans and bottles, some to be served in authentic beer vessels.

The beer list starts with four beers from Weihenstaphaner, which is the world’s oldest brewery, and for good reason. Their Helles is one of our top two or three favorite beers. Others will include “Vine-Steph’s” (as many shorten and pronounce it) Hefeweizen, Doppel Bock and Lager (on tap). From two of the only six breweries allowed to serve at Oktoberfest comes Paulaner’s Original Munich and Oktoberfest Marzen (another personal favorites), and Hoffbrau’s Munchin Original. Then there is Erdinger’s Dunkel Dark Hefeweizen, which is great alternative for those who like wheat beers but prefer something a little heartier.

And finally, there is the summer-time heavy weight champ, the ultra-light and extremely “crushable” Kolsch from Fruh. Super light, crisp and low in alcohol, Kolsch’s are a great summer beer, both with food and on its own. Fruh is one of the most famous makers of Kolsch, which come from Cologne, Germany, where its special flavor profile is attributed to the unique local water. It is also unique in that it is an ale that is brewed like a lager, as opposed to another one-of-a-kind brewer, Anchor Steam, which is a lager brewed like an ale. Locally, Kolsch’s have gained popularity over the past few years as a great craft alternative to your standard American light beers. Fort Point’s KSA and HenHouse’s Kolsch are both excellent alternatives when you cannot find a fresh Fruh. (For more on Kolsch’s, see Drea Pierotti’s article “The Kolsch beers to drink this summer in Petaluma” from June of 2019.)

“We are busy putting together our outside beer garden next to the restaurant, which will have 16 seats,” Taylor said. “We will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from noon-6 p.m., with the hope of extending our days (and hours) as soon as we have more help. Our first day open will be Saturday, June 19. We hope that our loyal Chili Joe's fans will understand and embrace this fun summer pop-up. We are excited to be back doing what we love.”

We certainly will.