Zum Stammtisch Friendsgiving Dinner in Glendale Since 1972

Zum Stammtisch, at 69-46 Myrtle Avenue in Glendale, Queens, is the Friendsgiving dinner for a group that wants a long wooden table, big platters and beer by the liter instead of turkey and cranberry sauce. The restaurant runs on-premise catering for up to 50 people with a full bar, and its party menus are three-course set menus for groups. The Queens Gazette reported in October 2026 that the private dining room holds up to 45 guests and that holiday parties, including Thanksgiving, are being booked now.

The restaurant's history page says Zum Stammtisch was founded in November 1972 by John Lehner and two partners. Lehner had worked as a coppersmith in Freising, Bavaria, before coming to New York. In 1988 the restaurant expanded and set aside a room for party groups, and since 1993 his sons Hans and Werner have run the business. The name means the regulars' table, the reserved table in a German tavern where the same friends meet every week, which is about as close to a Friendsgiving idea as a restaurant name gets.

The Queens Gazette's October 2026 profile describes sturdy carved wooden chairs and tables, booths with plaid upholstery and Bavarian decor throughout, with Hofbräu poured from barrels. Walk in and it feels like a beer hall in a small Bavarian town, with lamps glowing over dark wood. Expect families from Glendale and Ridgewood who have come for decades, alongside groups from Brooklyn and Manhattan who made the trip for the platters.

The menu prices the Bayerische Bauern Platte, the Bavarian farmer's platter, at $33, and it is the dish to build a Friendsgiving table around. The Wurstplatte comes in two sizes, $21.50 and $28.50, and the larger one covers three or four people as a starter. The Giant Pretzel is $14, and it arrives fast enough to keep a hungry group busy while the main courses are prepared.

For mains, Jägerschnitzel with mushroom sauce is $35 and Sauerbraten, the slow-marinated roast beef, is $32. Käsespätzle, the cheese noodles, is $16 and works as a shared side for the whole table. The menu lists a $6 sharing charge, so tell the group in advance whether they plan to order an entree each or split. An honest call: split the Sauerbraten and the farmer's platter, and skip doubling up on schnitzel, which is the heaviest plate on the list.

Here is a workable order for ten friends: two farmer's platters, the large Wurstplatte, two pretzels, a Sauerbraten, a Jägerschnitzel and two Käsespätzle, finished with two strudels. That spread covers everyone with leftovers to spare, and the bill for food stays well under what most Manhattan holiday prix fixe menus charge per person. Beer is where the total climbs, so agree on rounds early.

Apple Strudel at $12 is the natural ending, the closest thing on a German menu to a slice of holiday pie. Order two for a table of eight. The menu also offers steak tartare for two or more people, ground to order, for the friend who wants something old-fashioned and rare. For a Friendsgiving that includes vegetarians, Käsespätzle and the pretzel make a satisfying meal on their own.

Zum Stammtisch takes reservations by phone at (718) 386-3014. For groups, the party menu page lists two three-course set menus, and substitutions are not allowed on them, which keeps a big order simple for the kitchen. Prices for the party menus are not published online, so ask for them when you call, along with the private room seating plan for your date. The room added in 1988 was designed for exactly this kind of gathering.

Plan B: the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are office-party season, so if the group cannot get the private room, book a large table in the main dining room earlier in the week. A Sunday lunch is another option for a group with children or older relatives who prefer an early meal. The restaurant also runs a takeout operation for anyone who wants to host the Friendsgiving at home with platters from Myrtle Avenue.

Glendale is not close to the subway. The M train stops at Fresh Pond Road, about a mile away, and the Q55 bus runs along Myrtle Avenue from Ridgewood, which makes it the simplest transit option. Many guests drive, and street parking on the side streets off Myrtle Avenue is easier than in most of the city. A group coming from Manhattan should plan on a combined train and bus ride of roughly an hour.

That distance is part of the charm. A Friendsgiving in Glendale feels like a trip out of the city, and it gives the group a reason to make an afternoon of it rather than squeezing dinner into a weeknight. Coordinate rides in the group chat and the evening becomes easier for everyone.

Before dinner, walk the edge of Forest Park on the Woodhaven Boulevard side, where the wooded trails turn copper and gold in November. It is the best place in the neighborhood for a group walk before a heavy meal. Afterward, The Shops at Atlas Park on Cooper Avenue offer a short stroll, with a movie theater and stores for anyone who wants to stretch the evening.

Glendale's main avenues are quiet at night, so the walk back to the bus or car is calm. The neighborhood has deep German roots, and walking Myrtle Avenue past bakeries and delis gives a sense of the community that has kept Zum Stammtisch busy for more than 50 years.

Zum Stammtisch, 69-46 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385, in Queens. Phone (718) 386-3014. Private dining room for up to 45 guests and on-premise catering for up to 50 with a full bar. Bavarian farmer's platter $33, Jägerschnitzel $35, Sauerbraten $32, Giant Pretzel $14, Apple Strudel $12, sharing charge $6. Founded in November 1972.