January 4, 2023 • 8 mins
SoFloDinings Vlog review of Checkers Old Munchen in Pompano This is South Florida’s premier dining blog. Reviews from all over South Florida including Tampa, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Miami, and Key West just to name a few. We share tips and info on when to go and how to save. The site is hosted by award-winning Chef Daniel Diaz, the original Cuban Chef.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi and welcome back to SoFlo Dining, South Florida's premier dining vlog.
(00:04):
I'm Chef Dan and this is Doris, sometimes with a D.
In this edition we're going to talk to you about Checkers Old Munchin located at 2209 East Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach, Florida.
So how did you find the place?
I found this place, again, on Groupons. I was looking for somewhere different to eat.
(00:26):
They had a groupon for it. I looked it up. I liked what I saw.
I bought it and when I went to go, the place was closed.
Oh. What happened?
They were in the middle of a remodel. Back in 2012 they were in the middle of a remodel.
They were doing a $20,000 upgrade to the dining room and stuff and a fire broke out in the kitchen area.
(00:52):
It was so bad that the fire department actually said that had they not gotten there when they did, the whole place would have been gone.
But they continued to do business in Lord of the Abidus Sea and Diner by the Sea.
Okay.
That's what got me into Lord of the Abidus Sea. That introduced me to where it was.
Talk about a lucky situation.
(01:14):
Yeah. But I went to the little diner and basically it's a small diner that just served breakfast.
And they were doing the German food at night that they rented out the kitchen I guess or they loaned them out the kitchen.
Nice.
But the food was so good that I had to get another groupon and I wanted to go back to when they opened the real place which they eventually did open.
(01:35):
The real location.
But it is very authentic German food without a doubt.
Absolutely.
The one thing that struck me there is I asked for a bout of beer because they sold it by the bout.
Well it came out, it was a bout of beer.
I mean it was like I could have swam with that.
(01:58):
That's how big it was.
But it was delicious.
But anyway, yeah. So that's how I found them.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay, good.
And what is your first impression when you walk in there?
First impression when I walk in there, it's very, very, I guess, home like family like, you see a lot of families there.
(02:20):
You get a family vibe.
And it's very cozy. It's very cozy, tight.
Uh huh.
You know, it's a very cozy place. You see all the steins that line the walls. Everyone has their own personal steins that have.
Oh and explain about the steins and why they're there.
They have a world beer tour. It's 30 beers.
Once you've had all 30 beers, you get to sign up. Once you've had all 30 beers, you'll get the t-shirt and you get the plaque and the stein.
(02:48):
And you get to keep your stein there.
And you become a beer meister.
And you become a beer official beer meister.
You know, you don't have to drink all 30 at one time. They keep track of it for you.
That's why they keep the stein there. And that's why you remember and all that other good stuff.
Yeah.
That's wonderful.
What about the menu options?
(03:09):
Menu options.
Uh huh.
Menu options is...
And the variety.
The variety is outstanding. So it's all, you know, everything is covered. All your traditional German dishes.
Uh, the sauces are excellent, very rich, heavy. You know, that's your German...
Absolutely.
That's part of German cuisine is the heavy stocks and stuff like that.
(03:30):
Uh huh.
And the knockwurst, the bratwurst, they have it all. Potato pancakes.
Sauerkraut.
Yeah.
Yeah, sauerkraut.
Well, the good is, I remember we went there, the last time we went there, it was really, really cold out.
Right.
And I remember getting that nice warm feeling. As soon as we walked in there, that family vibe, that warmth and everything.
And then the food, which is so substantial and...
(03:55):
Very hefty portions.
Yeah, yeah. There was all that. Um, so it was really, really delicious.
Where else can you get fried pork with cayenne dip?
They had it throw a little South Florida into there.
Yes, I had the fried pork and they called it chicharrones.
Chicharrones, yeah.
(04:16):
That's right. That's right. I loved it.
Um, their drinks are beer.
Beer.
Beer.
They do have a happy hour.
Right.
And it's between three and six.
Okay.
Um, daily.
It's half price, um, drafts.
The drafts, yeah.
Yeah. During the three to six happy hour. So, yeah.
(04:38):
Well, one of the things that I gotta say is you have to make sure to make a reservation.
Oh, yes. Um...
Must make reservations.
There are many places we go to, as you know, watching these videos or following us.
Um, there's very few that I see that get this busy.
(04:59):
They get packed.
Um, they have seating outside in the front and this is before even COVID was around.
They even put tables out front.
Right.
It's the place gets packed.
Oh, no, and it's the funniest thing because you can be there, have a reservation and you're,
you're like going around the corner to park or whatever.
(05:20):
Yeah.
And, um, by the time you come back, it's packed.
Wait, yes.
It's just packed.
Yeah.
It's like you blinked your eyes. You stayed away for three seconds, too long, and the place
is packed.
Many times we drive past it. I always look in. It's always packed.
Oh, no, no. We've driven by and it looks like it's empty.
Yeah.
And then we pull in and it's like, surprise!
(05:41):
Yeah, yeah. It's very busy. Um, and that's, you know, I guess that just goes to tell you
how good the food is there.
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
You know?
Absolutely. Absolutely. The food is great. The presentation is great. The portion size.
We've had a lot of the entrees. We've had the milo, the beef roulin, that stuff with the
pickle and the bacon and the mustard. Excellent. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
(06:03):
Uh, the stuff cabbage, really good.
Very good.
The beaner schnitzel, uh, the knock worse, the Brock worse, potato pan. All excellent.
It's really, it's very hard to go wrong with this menu.
Oh, I know. The strudel.
The strudel.
And the chocolate forest cake.
We had to take those home because again, the portions are so hefty.
(06:24):
Yeah.
And we wanted that dessert so we took it home.
We wanted to taste it and, and, you know, be a part of that whole, um,
the whole, the whole experience, you know.
And, um, yeah, we couldn't get that experience until the next day because we were like stuffed.
No, and it's, it's, it's, like I said, it's very authentic. There are several, uh, German
places here in the, in the Pompano area.
(06:47):
Yeah.
And I want to understand back in history, this was like a German enclave here in this area,
but, um, but yeah, they're, they're starting to dwindle away and this one's still there.
And, uh, yeah, it is good.
Without a doubt.
Very good.
So, um, I would say, um, as always enjoy and I'll see you there.
(07:09):
Like, share and subscribe. Thank you for joining us. It's always a pleasure.
And, uh, we look forward to seeing you soon.
Until then, check us out on YouTube. Make sure to watch our series. We have a lot of series.
We have the pet peeve series, the, uh, Cuban cafes at Broward, the where we eat pizza coming
up. We're working on a seafood shack series.
(07:30):
Yes.
So we have a lot of things going on every Monday. We drop a brand new, uh, vlog.
That's right. That's right. And then the next couple of weeks, we're going to be dropping
on new bossy, um, sea watch, next pizza, yeah.
Mm. Mal marker 88 GGS of New York.
(07:53):
Thank you.
Quatera.
Cinque terra.
And do it compare.
And do it compare.
So thank you.
Thank you for joining us. Have a wonderful day, evening, whatever. And we'll see you then.
Bye.
(08:40):
Yeah.
Hi and welcome back to SoFlo Dining, South Florida's premier dining vlog.
(00:04):
I'm Chef Dan and this is Doris, sometimes with a D.
In this edition we're going to talk to you about Checkers Old Munchin located at 2209 East Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach, Florida.
So how did you find the place?
I found this place, again, on Groupons. I was looking for somewhere different to eat.
(00:26):
They had a groupon for it. I looked it up. I liked what I saw.
I bought it and when I went to go, the place was closed.
Oh. What happened?
They were in the middle of a remodel. Back in 2012 they were in the middle of a remodel.
They were doing a $20,000 upgrade to the dining room and stuff and a fire broke out in the kitchen area.
(00:52):
It was so bad that the fire department actually said that had they not gotten there when they did, the whole place would have been gone.
But they continued to do business in Lord of the Abidus Sea and Diner by the Sea.
Okay.
That's what got me into Lord of the Abidus Sea. That introduced me to where it was.
Talk about a lucky situation.
(01:14):
Yeah. But I went to the little diner and basically it's a small diner that just served breakfast.
And they were doing the German food at night that they rented out the kitchen I guess or they loaned them out the kitchen.
Nice.
But the food was so good that I had to get another groupon and I wanted to go back to when they opened the real place which they eventually did open.
(01:35):
The real location.
But it is very authentic German food without a doubt.
Absolutely.
The one thing that struck me there is I asked for a bout of beer because they sold it by the bout.
Well it came out, it was a bout of beer.
I mean it was like I could have swam with that.
(01:58):
That's how big it was.
But it was delicious.
But anyway, yeah. So that's how I found them.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay, good.
And what is your first impression when you walk in there?
First impression when I walk in there, it's very, very, I guess, home like family like, you see a lot of families there.
(02:20):
You get a family vibe.
And it's very cozy. It's very cozy, tight.
Uh huh.
You know, it's a very cozy place. You see all the steins that line the walls. Everyone has their own personal steins that have.
Oh and explain about the steins and why they're there.
They have a world beer tour. It's 30 beers.
Once you've had all 30 beers, you get to sign up. Once you've had all 30 beers, you'll get the t-shirt and you get the plaque and the stein.
(02:48):
And you get to keep your stein there.
And you become a beer meister.
And you become a beer official beer meister.
You know, you don't have to drink all 30 at one time. They keep track of it for you.
That's why they keep the stein there. And that's why you remember and all that other good stuff.
Yeah.
That's wonderful.
What about the menu options?
(03:09):
Menu options.
Uh huh.
Menu options is...
And the variety.
The variety is outstanding. So it's all, you know, everything is covered. All your traditional German dishes.
Uh, the sauces are excellent, very rich, heavy. You know, that's your German...
Absolutely.
That's part of German cuisine is the heavy stocks and stuff like that.
(03:30):
Uh huh.
And the knockwurst, the bratwurst, they have it all. Potato pancakes.
Sauerkraut.
Yeah.
Yeah, sauerkraut.
Well, the good is, I remember we went there, the last time we went there, it was really, really cold out.
Right.
And I remember getting that nice warm feeling. As soon as we walked in there, that family vibe, that warmth and everything.
And then the food, which is so substantial and...
(03:55):
Very hefty portions.
Yeah, yeah. There was all that. Um, so it was really, really delicious.
Where else can you get fried pork with cayenne dip?
They had it throw a little South Florida into there.
Yes, I had the fried pork and they called it chicharrones.
Chicharrones, yeah.
(04:16):
That's right. That's right. I loved it.
Um, their drinks are beer.
Beer.
Beer.
They do have a happy hour.
Right.
And it's between three and six.
Okay.
Um, daily.
It's half price, um, drafts.
The drafts, yeah.
Yeah. During the three to six happy hour. So, yeah.
(04:38):
Well, one of the things that I gotta say is you have to make sure to make a reservation.
Oh, yes. Um...
Must make reservations.
There are many places we go to, as you know, watching these videos or following us.
Um, there's very few that I see that get this busy.
(04:59):
They get packed.
Um, they have seating outside in the front and this is before even COVID was around.
They even put tables out front.
Right.
It's the place gets packed.
Oh, no, and it's the funniest thing because you can be there, have a reservation and you're,
you're like going around the corner to park or whatever.
(05:20):
Yeah.
And, um, by the time you come back, it's packed.
Wait, yes.
It's just packed.
Yeah.
It's like you blinked your eyes. You stayed away for three seconds, too long, and the place
is packed.
Many times we drive past it. I always look in. It's always packed.
Oh, no, no. We've driven by and it looks like it's empty.
Yeah.
And then we pull in and it's like, surprise!
(05:41):
Yeah, yeah. It's very busy. Um, and that's, you know, I guess that just goes to tell you
how good the food is there.
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
You know?
Absolutely. Absolutely. The food is great. The presentation is great. The portion size.
We've had a lot of the entrees. We've had the milo, the beef roulin, that stuff with the
pickle and the bacon and the mustard. Excellent. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
(06:03):
Uh, the stuff cabbage, really good.
Very good.
The beaner schnitzel, uh, the knock worse, the Brock worse, potato pan. All excellent.
It's really, it's very hard to go wrong with this menu.
Oh, I know. The strudel.
The strudel.
And the chocolate forest cake.
We had to take those home because again, the portions are so hefty.
(06:24):
Yeah.
And we wanted that dessert so we took it home.
We wanted to taste it and, and, you know, be a part of that whole, um,
the whole, the whole experience, you know.
And, um, yeah, we couldn't get that experience until the next day because we were like stuffed.
No, and it's, it's, it's, like I said, it's very authentic. There are several, uh, German
places here in the, in the Pompano area.
(06:47):
Yeah.
And I want to understand back in history, this was like a German enclave here in this area,
but, um, but yeah, they're, they're starting to dwindle away and this one's still there.
And, uh, yeah, it is good.
Without a doubt.
Very good.
So, um, I would say, um, as always enjoy and I'll see you there.
(07:09):
Like, share and subscribe. Thank you for joining us. It's always a pleasure.
And, uh, we look forward to seeing you soon.
Until then, check us out on YouTube. Make sure to watch our series. We have a lot of series.
We have the pet peeve series, the, uh, Cuban cafes at Broward, the where we eat pizza coming
up. We're working on a seafood shack series.
(07:30):
Yes.
So we have a lot of things going on every Monday. We drop a brand new, uh, vlog.
That's right. That's right. And then the next couple of weeks, we're going to be dropping
on new bossy, um, sea watch, next pizza, yeah.
Mm. Mal marker 88 GGS of New York.
(07:53):
Thank you.
Quatera.
Cinque terra.
And do it compare.
And do it compare.
So thank you.
Thank you for joining us. Have a wonderful day, evening, whatever. And we'll see you then.
Bye.
(08:40):
Yeah.
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