Albert's Schloss - Soho, London

"Bring a crowd that will appreciate a shot tray being danced towards them and booths that look like ski gondolas. This Bavarian-style beer hall in Leicester Square reads gimmicky—disco toilets, cabaret performers, an alpine theme—but it’s a certified Good Time. The food is decent (think crispy schnitzel and tasty spätzle), but really you’re here to dance on tables and down salted caramel schnapps." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley

"Albert’s Schloss is a Bavarian-style beer hall near Leicester Square that’s a portal to disco toilets, crispy schnitzel, and ski gondola photo booth silliness. Should you take any of it seriously? Absolutely not. But the spätzle is tasty, the salted caramel schnapps start flowing when everyone’s dancing on the tables, and if you’re not in need of a Konterbier (that’s hair of the dog, of course) come morning, you’re doing it wrong." - jake missing, daisy meager, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley

"Albert's Shloss is what happens when you say yes to everything an overstimulated party planner suggests. "Cabaret performers and trippy disco toilets?" Sure, sure. "And a booth styled like a ski gondola and a photo booth, and we should probably have a theme too… got it... ALPINE". There’s a lot going on, and it could easily be gimmicky, but friendly staff seem like they’re in on the joke, and the food and performances—everything from punk rock bands to burlesque—are genuinely pretty good. The Bavarian-style beer hall, complete with mounted deer heads, made us forget about the proximity to Leicester Square. Well, that and the shot tray in the shape of a ski being danced towards us. We wouldn’t bring our most serious friend, the one with Kerouac obsession, but Albert’s Schloss is a certified Good Time. And the food is, on the whole, not bad. The schnitzel is crispy and the spätzle is tasty, although the pretzel is dry. But when everyone is dancing on tables and downing salted caramel schnapps, even talking about the food feels like you're missing the point of this portal to silliness. Food Rundown Jalapeno Pepper Pretzel This comes with sweet mustard and pickles, and could have been so good—sadly we got the last of the batch just before fresh pretzels came out. Ours was dry. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Schloss Schnitzel This schnitzel is really good—and not just for a place that has ski gondola seats. It’s golden brown, with crisp, even breading. It comes with a side of crispy, well-seasoned fries, which feels unbelievably generous in central London. We’re also a fan of the jammy, caramelised half bulb of garlic that’s served on top. photo credit: Sinéad Cranna Funghi Spätzle Well-cooked noodles come in a creamy, not-too-heavy sauce, with nicely sautéed mushrooms and lots of herbs. Ignore the unpleasant, thickly coated bits of battered onion that act as garnish." - Sinéad Cranna

"What used to be the Rainforest Cafe on Shaftesbury Avenue is now a beer hall. Which means 30-somethings can have their birthday party in the same building they did 20 years ago. Albert Schloss already has locations in Birmingham and Manchester. Their London spot will have ‘push for Pilsner’ buttons, beer onion soup, and Bavarian feasting boards. " - sinead cranna, rianne shlebak