Wunderbar!

The Story

Three friends bought Wunderbar! about 14 years ago. One left almost immediately. Nathan Chambers bought out the other partner roughly six or seven years ago and has run it alone since. The consolidation shows — this is a bar with one clear voice behind it, no compromise in the concept.

The Vibe

White painted brick corner building in Covington with a small hanging sign that tells you almost nothing. Inside is long and narrow — bar down one side, communal bench tables down the other, walls layered with art and signage that accumulated over time rather than got installed. Out back is a string-lit patio with picnic tables and a VW bus nose mounted on the wall, covered in stickers and an area for live music (included a steady dose of a Dead band). Bartenders like Collin and Borden work the bar — knowledgeable, personable, the kind of people who make you a nameless mezcal-Radler cocktail just because you asked when you're too stuffed for another beer.

The Food

Start with the giant pretzel and spundekas — a traditional German quark-based cheese spread seasoned with onions, garlic, and paprika, served the way it's supposed to be. Terrific dipped in the beer cheese too. The pierogies come blanketed in a rich beer cheese sauce with caramelized onions and bacon, done right: soft yielding dough, creamy potato filling, not overcooked into a shell. I grew up on pierogies (Ukrainian family — we called them pudahea, or varenyky (вареники)), so seeing them done right is notable. Most sausages are house-made, sourced from TBS Meats, no nitrates or nitrites. The garlic pepper brat arrives with sauerkraut and whole grain mustard and no bun, because it doesn't need one. Order the Küchenspule — the kitchen sink burger, everything going on in there, nailed at medium rare plus. Most bar kitchens won't cook a burger that way. This one does it right. The bacon slaw alongside is something else: big cabbage chunks, big bacon pieces, a sweet, smoky undercurrent that ties the whole plate together. Not mayo coleslaw. Different animal. The bacon cheddar cheeseburger is another house favorite. With a menu this perfectly sized, everything is. Finish with the peanut butter pie. Don't skip it.

The Bottom Line

When people think German food in this market, they say Hofbrauhaus. That's the wrong answer. Wunderbar! is smaller, quieter, and doing things Hofbrauhaus isn't. The best German food in NKY, full stop.