Two weeks ago, I finally had the chance to step inside and enjoy Fed Hill’s newest and first beer garden… Crossbar Der Biergaten!
Located on East Cross street, Crossbar is the combination of four vacant buildings merged into one beer hall. The place is decked out with string lights draped all over the ceiling, exposed brick, wooden tables and benches, random balconies, and games. Oh? What kind of games you say? Well… a pinball machine, a foosball table, and a ping pong table!
One of the things I adore about this place is how you can choose what kind of atmosphere you want to drink in. When you first walk into this two-floor building, a wide-open space greets you. If you dig high energy, natural lighting, and a bunch of people in merriment, staying in the main hall would be best for you, but if you want an intimate setting, Crossbar offers that too.
If you decide to venture around the place, you will discover that there are two bars hiding off to the side. One is located downstairs and the other is hiding upstairs with a balcony. Although both bars are dimly lit, they offer a hideaway to those who want a chill vibe than the exciting vibe radiating from the main area.
I didn’t get the chance to visit each bar, but the dimly lit bar I went to (with the balcony) had some solid beer choices on tap. Not sure if each bar had different beers on tap, so that’s something you can discover yourself! Anyways, I’m not huge fan of IPAs, but once my eyes fell upon a grapefruit IPA that another customer was drinking, I knew I had to try it. It just looked so pretty! And I can assure you, after that first sip, I was hooked!
A cool thing about the beer glasses at Crossbar: they are all shaped differently depending on the beer you get. For instance, the grapefruit IPA only came in a tall glass with the beer’s name on it. Same applies for the beer below:
For you foodies out there and for people who tend to munch on food while drinking, Crossbar provides food! Since it’s a German beer garden, their menu leans towards German pub food such as pretzels, sausages, turkey legs, spätzle, sour beef dumplings, and more! I ended up with the sausage below, which I can’t recall the name, but anything with bacon deserves an A+ in my book.
So when is the best time to visit Crossbar? Well, I went on a Sunday afternoon and I honestly thought it was going to be packed, but it wasn’t. I can see the place getting rowdy on a Friday night and a Saturday night though… maybe even on a Thursday night. For me, I loved how chill it was when I went so I’m definitely going back on a Sunday with some friends for day drinking. Another thing I have to admit, I was worried it was going to be bro-ish, but it wasn’t. However, that might have to do with when I went.
Overall, I had a great experience at Crossbar. The service was on point, the food was good, and the drinks were great. I definitely recommend going and if you do end up going, let me know what your experience was like! I’d love to know if I missed out on anything.
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Crossbar Der Biergarten
18 E Cross St, Baltimore, MD 21230
(443) 438-4013
Mon.-Wed. 3 p.m.–12 a.m., Thu. 3 p.m.–2 a.m., Fri.-Sat. 11–2 a.m., Sun. 11–12 a.m.
view menu here
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