Checkers Old Munchen

Munchen, as in Old-Munchen, is German for Munich. But it's also a signifier of the spirited good times cooked up at this Pompano Beach eatery in that the place feels just like a beer bar set in the historic Bavarian capital. The small restaurant is lined with beer bottles and decorative steins and anchored by a worn, copper-topped bar. Working there is a friendly staff eager to pour you a pint of the good stuff, be it hoppy Spaten Pilsner or dark Franziskaner Dunkel. All around the bar, people share plates of Germanic food like sauerkraut, bratwurst, and spaetzle, all re-created brilliantly. Meanwhile, those same folks belt out German toasts together. (The toast made famous by The Man Show - "Zicke, Zacke, Zicke, Zacke, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi!" - is especially popular.) The wait staff -- sweet, efficient -- gets a kick out of joking around with the sizable crowd that packs the place on weekends too. With a beer selection that runs more than 60 deep and a kitchen turning out authentic grub, Checkers succeeds in transporting you back to Old-Munchen.