Black Forest Brooklyn

What Black Forest Brooklyn does

Black Forest Brooklyn is a privately held, owner-operated German restaurant and beer garden operating two Brooklyn locations: the original Fort Greene site at 733 Fulton Street (opened 2013) and the Smith Street/Boerum Hill location at 181 Smith Street (opened Fall 2017). Founded by Ayana and Tobias, who grew up in Germany's Black Forest, the business serves authentic home-style German cuisine — schnitzels, sausages from a NYC-based German butcher, spätzle, pretzels, and traditional desserts such as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte — alongside a curated selection of German draft beers, wines, and craft spirits. The restaurant operates standard brunch and dinner service hours with both indoor dining and distinctive outdoor seating (a sidewalk patio at Fort Greene with overhead heaters and a retractable awning, and a large heated Backyard Chalet at Smith Street).

The business operates a hybrid GTM across four revenue streams: dine-in food and beverage sales, private event catering with structured per-person packages ($22–$60), takeout and delivery via direct Toast Tab ordering (10% cheaper than aggregators) plus Grubhub/DoorDash/Uber Eats, and ticketed event programming anchored by World Cup watch parties ("Brooklyn's World Cup headquarters since 2014"). Recurring programming includes weekly Trivia Nights with NYC Trivia League and Wine Down Wednesdays (half-off wine bottles). A sister cocktail bar, Fritz, sits adjacent to the Fort Greene location and functions as an overflow/alternative event venue. Reservations run through Resy for parties of 2–20, with private events (2–200 guests) booked via direct inquiry and a 50% deposit system.

There is no disclosed external funding, parent company, M&A activity, or AI/technology differentiation; the company runs on standard restaurant SaaS (Toast Tab, Resy) and Squarespace web infrastructure. Strategic momentum is event-driven rather than unit-driven, with the 2026 NYC-hosted World Cup acting as the most significant near-term commercial catalyst.

Name

Black Forest Brooklyn

Legal name

Black Forest Brooklyn

Website

https://blackforestbrooklyn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Forest Brooklyn is a privately held German restaurant and beer garden operating two Brooklyn locations (Fort Greene and Boerum Hill), founded in 2013 by Ayana and Tobias to serve authentic Black Forest home-style cuisine, German draft beer, and ticketed World Cup watch parties to local consumers and private event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

German Restaurant & Beer Hall

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Pubs & Gastropubs (CRANACAB)

Keywords

• German restaurant
• Craft beer hall
• Authentic German cuisine
• Private events catering
• Brooklyn dining

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Food & Beverage Sales: Restaurant revenue from food menu items (starters, sausages, main dishes, brunch, dessert) and beverages (draft beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks). Full menu available during all service hours.
2. Private Events Catering: Catered event packages including German Family Feast ($34/person), German Appetizers ($22/person), and Individually Plated 3-course meals ($60/person). Beverage packages available (Wine & Beer $40/person, Bar Package $60/person). Space minimums apply for venue bookings.
3. Takeout & Delivery: Food and bottled beer delivery and takeout with $50 order minimum and $3.99 delivery fee (waived over $100). Direct online ordering via Toast Tab platform.
4. World Cup Watch Party Tickets: Ticketed watch parties for World Cup matches with reserved seating options and prepaid food & beverage credit. Group stage and knockout round matches at Fort Greene and Smith Street locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Black Forest Brooklyn operates two Brooklyn restaurants (Fort Greene since 2013 and Boerum Hill since 2017) serving authentic German home-style cooking with a unique selection of German draft beer, wines, and craft spirits. The business offers dine-in brunch and dinner service, takeout and delivery, private event hosting for parties of 2-200, and ticketed World Cup watch parties. Sister cocktail bar Fritz is located adjacent to the Fort Greene location.

Product overview

Black Forest Brooklyn is a German restaurant and beer garden with two Brooklyn locations (Fort Greene and Smith Street in Boerum Hill). The core offering centers on authentic German home-style cuisine featuring freshly made sausages from a NYC-based German butcher, build-your-own schnitzels, and German draft beer. Additional revenue streams include World Cup watch party events, private event hosting with multiple venue configurations (Skylight Room, Backyard Chalet), and takeout/delivery service via Toast Tab. The restaurant also hosts regular entertainment including Trivia Nights and Wine Down Wednesdays. The brand is operated alongside sister cocktail bar Fritz.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• German Restaurant Dining Service Full-service dine-in restaurant offering authentic German home-style cooking, German draft beer, wines, and craft spirits at two Brooklyn locations (Fort Greene and Boerum Hill). Features indoor dining rooms, sidewalk patio with overhead heaters, and The Backyard Chalet outdoor seating.
• World Cup Watch Parties Ticketed viewing experience for World Cup matches at both Brooklyn locations with giant projection screens, multiple TVs, full sound, and reserved seating with tiered options and prepaid food and beverage credit. Also offered at sister bar Fritz for select matches.
• Private Events & Catering

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fritz (Sister Cocktail Bar)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister cocktail bar located next door to Fort Greene location. Recommended as alternative event venue with beautiful covered patio. Select World Cup matches shown at Fritz for more intimate cocktail bar atmosphere. Fritz seating booked through Black Forest Fort Greene match event pages.
• NYC Trivia LeagueminorOthersHosts free-to-play Trivia Tuesdays and Trivia Sundays at both Black Forest locations. Teams of up to 6 compete for prizes including drinks, gift cards, and giveaways.
• Brooklyn Roasting CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupplier of finest fair-trade coffee beans roasted locally in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Coffee menu includes espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte, and drip coffee.
• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline ordering platform powering direct takeout/delivery ordering and marketing/gift card signup for Black Forest Brooklyn. Enables direct customer ordering at lower prices than third-party aggregators.
• ResycoreTechnology or IntegrationRestaurant reservation platform used for booking parties of 2-20 at both Fort Greene and Smith Street locations. Also used for World Cup match ticket reservations and private event bookings.
• Third-Party Delivery Platforms (Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery aggregators offering Black Forest Brooklyn food via their platforms. Prices are 10% higher compared to direct ordering through Toast Tab. Provides additional delivery channel for customers not using direct ordering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Standard Biergarten: Biergarten at The Standard Hotel in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, featuring German beers and casual outdoor seating. Direct peer: same Brooklyn market, German-beer focus, and outdoor-venue format.
• Rolf's German Restaurant: Gramercy German restaurant famous for Bavarian fare and German beers with extensive seasonal decor. Direct peer: traditional German restaurant serving comparable menu and beer selection in NYC.
• Heidelberg Restaurant: Upper East Side German restaurant serving traditional German fare, schnitzels, and German beer since 1933. Direct peer: longstanding NYC German restaurant serving the same core menu categories.
• Loreley Restaurant & Biergarten: Lower East Side German restaurant and biergarten serving German beers, sausages, and traditional fare. Direct peer: same German-cuisine + German beer format in NYC, comparable scale and casual atmosphere.
• Bierhaus NYC: Midtown Manhattan German beer hall with large communal tables, German beer selection, and traditional German food. Direct peer: directly comparable German hall format serving similar food-and-beer use cases in NYC.
• Radegast Hall & Biergarten: Williamsburg-based German-style beer hall and biergarten with long communal tables, German beer selection, and live music. Direct peer: same German beer-hall format, similar Brooklyn customer base, comparable food-and-beer model.
• Paulaner Brauhaus: Times Square German brewery-restaurant serving Paulaner-brewed beers alongside Bavarian cuisine. Direct peer: German beer-and-food destination with comparable full menu and traditional beer-hall atmosphere.
• Treadwell Park: NYC beer-focused gastropub chain with rotating craft beer selection and elevated bar food. Direct peer: comparable beer-centric casual dining with strong beverage program and neighborhood locations.
• Café Katja: Austrian/German restaurant and bar on the Lower East Side serving schnitzels, sausages, and Central European wines/beers. Direct peer: comparable German/Austrian cuisine and beer/wine program with similar intimate scale.

Broad incumbents

• Brooklyn Bowl: Brooklyn entertainment venue combining bowling, live music, and a full food/beer program. Broader peer: same Brooklyn market, comparable event-driven revenue model, and large-venue format useful for group bookings and ticketed events.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-forest-brooklyn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Black Forest Brooklyn