Bacon and mac and cheese lovers will have a reason to celebrate this weekend as Plattduetsche Park Biergarten hosts a first-of-its-kind mashup festival combining two of its most popular food-themed events into one indulgent celebration.
The Bacon and Mac & Cheese Festival will take place on Friday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 9, beginning at 5 p.m. each night at the historic beer garden on Hempstead Turnpike. The two-day event features an extensive themed menu of entrées, desserts and cocktails centered around the beloved ingredients, plus live music from Chrome on Friday and Touch the ’80s on Saturday. Entry is $8 starting at 5 p.m.
“Cheese and bacon make almost anything better, so we’re putting it to the test by combining them into a potent food festival,” said General Manager Matthew Buck. “Baconfest has a pretty dedicated following and our first Mac & Cheese Festival last year was also a success. Putting them together can only improve the experience.”
This year’s menu showcases bold takes on comfort food classics, from truffle, lobster and beer-infused mac and cheese options to a bacon salad and a cheddar bacon sausage made especially for the event. One signature dish, the Bacon Me Cheesy burger, layers bacon, fixings and a hearty scoop of mac and cheese. Another crowd-pleaser, the Flamm Kuchen, offers a German twist: a rustic tart crust topped with crème fraiche, roasted onions, bacon lardons, Gruyere and herbs.
The Biergarten will also serve its traditional whole pig roast and popular items like pretzel pancakes and wings. But the sweet offerings won’t take a back seat: guests can sample chocolate maple bacon cake, whiskey brownies, bacon popcorn and even homemade candied bacon strips dipped in chocolate.
“We have a special dessert menu out of one of our concession stands,” Buck said. “Everything from bacon cookies to cheese blintzes with a berry sauce, chocolate-covered bacon—really fun spins on classic and not-so-classic sweets.”
To wash it all down, cocktail specials like a Boozy Maple Bourbon and a BBQ Bloody Mary will be available at the bar.
The festival is the latest in a growing lineup of inventive food events at Plattduetsche, which is best known for its authentic German fare, beer garden atmosphere and ties to the local German-American community. According to Buck, the concept of creative themed weekends started with traditional crowd-pleasers like bacon and mac and cheese and evolved in response to customer enthusiasm.
“We’ve always done a bacon and mac and cheese festival separately and it’s always been very successful,” he said. “Some of the feedback that we were getting from our guests was, ‘Why don’t you guys think about doing more food festivals?’ So we kind of put our thinking caps on and came up with the Pickle Fest, which was great—as I said—and now we’re excited for our traditional bacon and mac and cheese.”
Pickle Fest, held last weekend, exceeded expectations.
“It was a tremendous success,” Buck said. “We had more than 2,000 people on Saturday and more than 1,500 on Friday. The menu was really fantastic. It couldn’t have been better.”
Plattduetsche Park has operated as a cultural and community hub since 1901 and serves as a home to more than 25 German clubs that meet regularly on site. While its identity is rooted in heritage, Buck said that offering fun and accessible events like the upcoming festival is a way to connect with a broader audience.
“We are great at what we do—and I don’t mean that in a bragging way,” he said. “What better way to celebrate your culture and your heritage than through food, drink, music and entertainment? But on the flip side, why not utilize this unique, amazing space and do something different?”
Despite the variety, Buck emphasized that the core of the Plattduetsche experience remains intact.
“We’re always going to be the Platt. We’re always going to do what we do and do it well,” he said. “But to be able to stretch our legs a little and show off some of the other skills we have only benefits the place and our clientele. It gives a different vibe and feel for the weekend.”
The festival is family-friendly, with ample seating in the outdoor patio and picnic-style atmosphere that mirrors its European beer garden roots.
“If you go to Europe, it’s very similar to coming here to the Platt,” Buck said. “You see generations of families—kids playing soccer in the back, parents and grandparents all enjoying the atmosphere together. That’s what makes this place really special.”
Looking ahead, Plattduetsche will shift into its busiest season with Oktoberfest festivities kicking off Sept. 21, the day after the annual German-American Steuben Parade in Manhattan. The festival will feature three stages, imported bands from Germany and a tent that seats more than 1,000 guests.
But for now, Buck is focused on this weekend’s celebration of gooey cheese and crispy bacon.
Plattduetsche Park Restaurant, Catering & Biergarten (1132 Hempstead Tpke. in Franklin Square) features catering facilities for groups of 10 to 700, off-site catering packages, special events, outdoor and indoor festivals and theme nights throughout the year. Visit www.ParkRestaurant.com for more information.
