Many people reduce German food to “unhealthy sausage” or other such trite simplifications. That’s just not true. And I’m not going to lie, I love German food. We stopped at a small and quintessentially German restaurant in Bavaria for dinner and it really hit the spot after a long drive.
Yum: German Dinner In Bavaria
Heidi and I were visiting a couple of people and as we left one of our appointments, we both heard my stomach growl…I had some eggs for lunch and a cup of coffee, but it was now pushing 8:00 pm and I was famished.
We began the drive toward Ulm and came upon Waidhofen, a small Bavarian municipality in the district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen.
There was a German restaurant called Gasthof Bogenrieder. It was open…but it was also 8:50 pm and closing in 10 minutes. My experience in Germany is that typically in these situations, you are turned away.
Nevertheless, we took a seat in the beer garden (because in Germany, you generally do not wait for a hostess -instead you seat yourself) hoping we could avoid having to eat fast food. We had it all to ourselves.
A waitress showed up and told us it was too late for food, but we could have beer. Rather than protest, we said we were really hungry and asked if the kitchen had anything left. She told us she would take a look.
Moments later she came and said we could have Käsespätzle or a salad with tuna.
Done deal.
I love Käsespätzle (cheese spaetzle) which is sort of like the German equivalent of macaroni and cheese.
It was so tranquil to sit out in the garden on a warm summer evening and enjoy delicious food (the bread was great too, as one would expect in Germany, though I was famished).
Heidi loved her tuna salad.
So if you ever find yourself in Waidhofen, do check out Gasthof Bogenrieder (you could even spend the night there).
This is part of my summer to Europe trip report.
I love German food, especially German Beer and German Bread. German food culture is seriously under-appreciated, and Austrian food even more so.
One could never be underfed in Austria or Germany ; together with their beer and wine . The outdoor markets are a revelation : we happened upon a lady selling her cherry strudel in Munchen , and purchased extra slices for the train journey next day . Another fond memory are the Christmas Markets , with the hot sausage sellers .
Beer is not food, walking in Munich I saw mostly red, pink, white, tan sausages and that’s what they are famous for. Italy, Portugal, Spain had the best food I experienced in Europe. Thumbs down on Germany and also Britain. as far as food is concerned. My take on he issue.
German food is awesome.
Yes, German and Austrian food is underrated and satisfying. And even a sausage “bratwurst” is quite delicious.
Plenty of good spots here in the states too.
Kasespatzle is one of my favorite Bavarian dishes! Also it’s quite simple to make, but getting the proper cheese and quality flour in the US is difficult. Or at least, much more expensive than it should be.
My favorite cuisine by far! Wish it was more common to be found in the US, but sadly it seems most major cities just have a handful of true German restaurants.
Have you tried weiswurst in Munich? One of my favorite foods. Delicious.
I have good memories of German food and of the fact that outdoor dining is so prevalent. Often with playgrounds for the kids. The beer gardens are superb.
Another German food fan here. It is just too often dismissed and underrated (and Hofbrauhaus is bland and greasy in the US).
If there is anything that annoys me about German food it is that if you want to get food after 20:00 or 21:00, most restaurants are closed or have a diminished menu selection. Whereas im say, Italy or Spain, that is when dinnertime typically starts.
Ven you go to ze Bierhaus you must take ze bier!
I appreciated your recommendation of Schreiner’s in Glendale and would love to hear of other German restaurants you enjoy.
Cheers.
I’m a fan! I know it’s casual and a much more recent German food, but nothing beats a currywurst, fries and a kristall weiss for an outside lunch while skiing in the Alps on a sunny day!
You’re far from the only one. One of my favorite restaurants in DFW is a German place called Kuby’s. Naturally, I can’t resist the schnitzel but there have many other delicious German specialties.
Schweinshaxe. Schnitzel (or is that Austrian? either way). Beer.
German cuisine is underrated IMO (and so is Danish, yeah I went there). French/Italian? overrated.
I love German food too. Doner is great!
Can’t wait for your review of Edip Sigl’s cuisine.
Bauern platte, roasted potatoes, spaetzle, spargel, doner kabab, bratwurst, schnitzel, bretzels, black forest cake, bienenstich – what is there not to love?!
German food is good but there are better cuisines out there…French, Japanese, Italian, Thai, Korean, Greek, Lebanese…
No you’re not the only one. I’ve often told people Germany has the best food in all of Europe.
One the biggest culinary secrets of the world is that Germans have the best bread of any country. And it’s not even close.
German food is good depending on the time of the year. I am not talking beer. I am talking food. I like it in cold weather but it is not the type of food you eat all the time. I can eat Italian, French, Greek, Japanese, Lebanese food every day but not German.
Does an Oktoberfest beer and a brat count? If so, I love it too.
German food is fantastic. Currywurst, bockwurst, in fact all types of wurst!
It might be a bit cheesy but I went here a few years ago.
https://www.hofbraeu-wirtshaus.de/en/berlin/
Could not fault it. Great food, great atmosphere, great service.
A really good schnitzel is great, as are the sausages. And beer. One of the reasons I like the LH lounge at IAD.
Do you know of any good German restaurants in West LA or Santa Monica?
Totally agree about the dark breads,and also pastries/tortes.Even fast food like NordSee outlets have delicious food and very cheap compared to usa prices,if you can find those offerings even.Have to settle for imported pumpernickel,red cabbage,sauerkraut from Aldi.
P.s.lutz Pastry in Chicago and New Glarus Bakery wisconsin come as close to the real deal for pastries and bread in the states,I’ve found.Just had the NGB beinenstich,still dreaming of more.
Sauerkraut a Probiotic. Very Healthy, tasty!
Weißwurst, a bretzel, senf and a weißbier is the perfect breakfast
Who doesn’t like German food? Swabian meatball soup. A leberkäse sandwich at Rewe for €2. It’s all good!
German food is hearty, satisfying, and usually high quality. Underrated indeed!