What: The Bavarian at Westfield Knox
Where: 425 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South, Victoria, 3152
Opening hours: Mon-Sun 11am-late

Five hundred free hot dogs will fly out the door on Friday, November 3, when The Bavarian makes its debut at Westfield Knox in Melbourne.

The 250-seat, crazy cousin of the much-loved Munich Brauhaus in South Wharf will celebrate its launch at Westfield Knox O-Zone dining precinct with half-a-grand of free hotdogs from 11am. And that’s just the start of the feasting!

Knox locals and Westfield shoppers have a huge range of classic Bavarian dishes to choose from, including The Bavarian’s legendary crispy pork knuckle, crackling pork belly, house-made sausages and seven different types of schnitzel, including The Schnitzelmeister that weighs in at a whopping 1kg.

As well as hot dogs, sausages and schnitzels, The Bavarian will also serve up burgers and spicy chicken wings with three levels of sauce intensity – BBQ, buffalo, and diablo. Add to the list coffee spice-rubbed BBQ ribs, steaks, sharing platters of Bavarian favourites, signature pizzas and build your own salads and there is something for everyone.

Complementing the big flavours are even bigger beers. The Bavarian’s 1-litre steins can quench a thirst and there are an impressive 17 beers on tap, including imported favourites Löwenbräu, Franziskaner, Stiegl and Hofbräu and a selection of house craft brews.

Bolstering the draught line-up is a broad range of bottled beers and lagers, as well as 2-litre beer tubes that can complement a group meal and be filled with a brew of choice.

The venue features a spacious bar, seven large-screen TVs and promises an exciting schedule of specials and entertainment. Over the four-day launch period, which coincides with the Melbourne Cup unofficial long weekend, customers can take advantage of a range of offerings that will be available on an ongoing basis.

Ongoing weekly specials include all-you-can-eat meat platters for $39pp on Mondays; schnitzel and middy of beer for $20 on Tuesdays, $20 sausage and beer specials on Wednesdays; and there are 2 for 1 cocktails every Thursday. Happy hour is from 4pm-6pm Monday through to Sunday, with $5 house beer, wine and spirits, and $1 chicken wings. And on Sundays, kids under 12 eat for free (with a paying adult) and face painters and children’s entertainers are on site.

There’s also The Schnitzelmeister Challenge, where if customers can devour the $100 giant veal schnitzel and side dishes within an hour, it’s on the house.

And for Melbourne Cup revelers, the horse racing sport will be screened live on Tuesday, 7 November, with $49 set menu and drinks packages available.

The Bavarian has created 40 full-time and casual positions. It takes Rockpool Dining Group’s Melbourne restaurant portfolio to 11 in number, including Rockpool Bar & Grill, Rosetta Ristorante, Spice Temple, Fratelli Fresh, Saké Hamer Hall and Saké Flinders Lane, Munich Brauhaus and Burger Projects at Melbourne Central, St Collins Lane, and Chadstone.