Steinkeller: 25 years of German culture, food, community and beer

When Steinkeller first opened in 2000, Jim Kuykendoll was only a junior at Miami University. Now, 25 years later, Kuykendoll and his wife, Jenny Kuykendoll, have been the proud owners of the beloved restaurant for four years, and they aim to bring German culture and great food to Oxford.

Before Todd Hollenbaugh – Jim Kuykendoll’s stepfather – opened Steinkeller on High Street, he spent a lot of time overseas in Germany, where he fell in love with Bavarian culture and the Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich. This passion fueled the creation of the Baravian-inspired bier hall.

“[Steinkeller was] created as a place for Miami students who study abroad to enjoy the same quality beer they enjoyed overseas,” Jim Kuykendoll said.

While many bars in Oxford serve classic American beers like Budweiser, Miller High Life and Coors Light, Steinkeller imports its beer directly from Munich, with one exception being Stiegl, which comes from Austria. The beer is brewed according to Germany’s Reinheitsgebot, otherwise known as the Beer Purity Law. Created in 1516, this law restricts beer to four main ingredients: water, hops, barley and yeast.

“I like to think of our beer as ‘real beer’ because it’s authentic, high quality and traditional,” Jim Kuykendoll said. “You’ll know what you’re drinking. It’s very clean ingredients, based on the purity law, and we have one of the widest variety of German import draft beer lineups in the U.S.”

However, the beer is not the only thing that makes dining at the restaurant unique. Steinkeller (translated to mean “Stone cellar”) is located underground, in the basement of the John D. Minnis Building, located across the street from Oxford Memorial Park.

The restaurant represents a classic beer garden that feels welcoming, cozy and quaint. When designing the space, Hollenbaugh imagined bringing a German Keller to Oxford, complete with stained glass windows, arches, exposed stone, painted walls and decor straight from Bavarian culture.

Jake Korineck, the director of operations at Steinkeller, believes that the restaurant’s design creates an experience that is totally unique.

“There’s no other restaurant in town that you could walk down a stairwell, enter the restaurant and then you’ll be in a completely different world,” Korineck said.

As the director of operations, Korineck oversees all aspects of the restaurant, including the food and beer served. What many may not know is that most of the food served is produced and grown locally.

“There’s a lot of things that we try to do at Steinkeller that’s very ‘farm table,’ … ” Kornieck said. “Our Reserve Run Farm Burgers are steroid-free, grass-fed, ground beef; that’s special.”

The Kuykendolls will often update and add new things to keep up with the ever-changing world. Recently, the owners adopted a baby German wire-haired dachshund named Schnitzel, making him the official mascot of the beloved restaurant.

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People can keep up with the puppy’s life at @baby.schnitzel on Instagram.

Over the course of 25 years, Steinkeller has become a place for college students and locals alike to come together and enjoy unique food and atmosphere. Jenny Kuykendoll hopes to promote this as soon as customers set foot through the door.

“German culture is all about community, fun, family, friends and bringing people together,” Jenny Kuykendoll said. “In Germany, they have a playground with the beer gardens, because the families all get together [to] play cards [...] Culture of people just getting together and you’re having a community over a great beer.”

The Baravian restaurant offers specials throughout the week, starting with “Steak Night” and wine specials on Wednesdays. Additionally, Thursdays feature $10 liters and $12 schnitzels, along with trivia at 9:30 p.m. On Sundays, a prime rib special with $5 half-liter options is available.

Steinkeller is located at 15 E. High St. in Oxford. It is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4to 10 p.m., and the restaurant serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and it closes at 9 p.m.

pedenae@miamioh.edu