When I was a kid, the Boston area had 4-5 good German restaurants. There is only one left in Boston now (Wirth’s), and it is not really german at all now-they serve knockwurst and sauekraut, but that’s about it.
Last week, I had an excellent meal at “The Student Prince” (Springfield, MA)-its an old time german place (been there since 1936). I had an excellent meal (weiner schnitzle, fried potatoes, red cabbage, salad), all washed down with two mugs of spaten draft beer! Good food and excellent atmosphere (the waitresses wore dyrndils-like “The Sound of Music”. All in all an exceptional experience.
Why did German restaurants disappear? It is good, hearty food…is it because the German-Americans don’t like this fod any more?
I remember when Luchow’s (NYC) closed down.
It will be a sad day when german cuisine vanishes!
I recommend the “Student prince” highly-give it a try!
Wish I knew. I am half German, and I love German food. My mom can’t cook anymore, so no rotkohl for me.
My favorite German restaurant is Lederhosen on Grove and Bleeker. I highly recommend it if you are ever in NYC! It isn’t the only German place around but it is by far the best IMHO.
My WAG: German-American restaurants were more popular when more German-Americans weren’t three or more generations removed from Germany.
Plus, German food tends to be on the heavy, and somewhat bland side, which may make it less appealing to people who didn’t grow up on it, but are used to spicier and “lighter” foods from other cultures.
I suspect that they still do fairly well in cities which still have a strong German influence, such as Milwaukee.
I suspect German food suffers by comparison to the broad array of ethnic foods available today. Back in the day, in most parts of the country, your choices for “ethnic” cuisine tended to be German, Italian, and maybe Chinese. In that arena, German food could hold its own as an occasional option. But now most markets also have Thai, good Tex-Mex, maybe Cuban or other Caribbean cuisine, Indian, etc., etc. Compared to that range of options (sorry German food lovers) German food can seem kind of bland and heavy.
Also, German food is very meat-and-potatoes oriented. That was fine in the post WWII years, when most Americans ate a meat-and-potatoes diet. That’s not as true any more.
ETA: I note that kenobi 65 and I both independently chose the “bland” and “heavy” descriptors. Emblematic of changing tastes.
I had great German food at Suppenküche in San Francisco. We also have several here in Chicago that are worth a look if you are in the area.
I sometimes think that all the German food Americans are interested in is already considered American food. Hot dogs, hamburgers, lagers, and sauerkraut are all pretty well naturalized now (with the possible exception of sauerkraut, which at least still sounds German) and, like you, I haven’t noticed any German restaurants or new influx of German cuisine.
That said, the St. Louis region has always had a lot of German influence; it is, after all, where Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch is headquartered. You should be able to find German restaurants around there.
Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, still have a strong German restaurant presence IIRC, reflecting their deep German immigrant roots. I agree that German food is heavier and blander than what most people like nowadays, which may explain their diminishing popularity.
I will agree that there are a wider array of options these days. German is just one option among many. I would guess there are far less local/mom & pop level Italian restaurants than there used to be.
BUT - Bland? Heavy, no argument but so is BBQ and that is popular as ever. Bland just don’t make no sense. The only German place here in Columbus is many things, but bland it is not. http://www.schmidthaus.com/index.html
There is a really terrible German restaurant in Quantico VA. (Or at least, it was terrible three years ago) http://www.zumrheingarten.com/
But the best German food I’ve ever had was in Milwaukee. Man alive were there some great spots, and so many to choose from! ! !
I’m amused that that German restaurant in Columbus has German chocolate cake on the dessert menu (given that it’s not really German food). And a lot of their sandwiches are typical deli offerings, which are available throughout the US.
I used to own one in the midwest (yeah I had a usless partner for money)…my concept, because there were none in the area that had a huge German immigrant population. I named it, designed it, did the menu. Got pressured to sell out(partner brought in her husband…always two against one) We were busy and packed all the time. I believe it is going strong to this day…but they moved away from the original concept. More American Midwestish…bust still offer ‘German’ Stuff!
Beer beer beer!
Can you recommend any German restaurants in the Cincinnati area? The only one I know offhand is Christy’s & Lenhardt’s, and I haven’t had a chance to try it yet.
I think the “bland” and “heavy” thing are unfortunate stereotypes. I love Thai, Tex-Mex, Vietnamese, Indian, you name it, but I gotta say, I’d be way more excited to hear about a good German restaurant than any of the others because the others are ubiquitous.
German food can be wonderful. Sausages, spätzle, German bread, dumplings, and (of course) beer, bring it on!
They’re undoubtedly stereotypical views of German food, but they do have some basis in reality, after all. I would imagine that most people who are only casually aware of German food (that is, not aficionados) see German food as sausages, wiener schnitzel, pork loin, spaetzle, dumplings, potato pancakes, cabbage, and lots of gravy.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t spicy German food, or German food that isn’t dense and calorie-heavy, but it may not be what most people have been exposed to as “German food”.
Still, that description fits “Noodles & Co.” and they seem to be doing all right.
What **TruCelt ** said. Dense and calorie-heavy isn’t keeping people from eating pasta or Mexican food or big steaks. But you’re right in that German food has a bad stereotype, and most people think of it as something not good.
Put it this way - when’s the last time an invite to stop by for brats with a side of potato salad and a beer didn’t go over well? Somehow, though, you invite 'em to come by for a German meal and they somehow think it’s gonna be big heavy bland food. Dude!
I also wonder if it’s not seen as old-fashioned, and something that your grandmother cooked. You don’t see new fast-casual German restaurant concepts popping up – it’s not like someone is doing the equivalent of Chipotle or Noodles & Company for German food. 
Brynda - You ought to compile family favorite recipes from your mom while you still can.
StG
When you’re comparing it with more aggressively spiced ethnic cuisines like Thai, Indian, and even Mexican, German is comparatively “bland.” I don’t think this is a bad thing, though, as not everything needs to be spiced to hell and back. I love Central and Eastern European food, but, overall, the “heavy” and “bland” descriptions are for the most part not inaccurate.