# Why are German restaurants not more popular in the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256 "2016-10-31T14:11:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/21 "2016-10-31T16:30:32Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > I can’t shake the impression that “German restaurant” means “wood paneled dungeon where you eat bland, greasy food that will make you bloated and uncomfortably full but not satisfied.” That has been my experience. This. Plus, “not exotic enough.” A lot of German cuisine has already assimilated into American cuisine at large. What _is_ it with the dark wood paneling anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/22 "2016-10-31T16:33:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Hot dogs (frankfurters) and Hamburgers are as American as their German names! > > Actually, in foodie heaven here on the West Coast there is a mini-renaissance of German food, but it’s sort of considered a once-in-awhile thing as it is much heavier food than folks are used to getting at finer restaurants. Indeed, the “standard” American fare of Meat, Potato, and Vegetable, is essentially German in origin. ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/23 "2016-10-31T16:37:17Z")
I DETEST German food! Sauerkraut is nasty and smelly if you asks me. But I don’t in general like anything spicy. Only mild Mexican foods. Don’t like Indian curry type food either. Too spicy! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/24 "2016-10-31T16:37:20Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That looks fantastic. I recently went to Cafe Berlin on Capital Hill in DC. They got it right on the schnitzel but my daughter had the sauerbraten and it was just ok. The flavor was there but it wasn’t tender enough. It should be slow cooked and fork tender. > > Authentic German cuisine has been so far removed from American culture that if you mention Wiener schnitzel someone makes a dick joke because they think it’s a type of sausage. Despite the fact that I had one grandfather that was born in Germany I didn’t know German food at all until I was stationed there. I’m half surprised that Kasseler Rippchen isn’t more popular. What’s not to love about a pork chop that’s been cured, and then smoked? It’s like a well smoked ham meets a pork chop. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/25 "2016-10-31T16:41:55Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > …in foodie heaven here on the West Coast there is a mini-renaissance of German food, but it’s sort of considered a once-in-awhile thing as it is much heavier food than folks are used to getting at finer restaurants. Ditto for New York. You used to have to go to the Heidelberg on the Upper East Side for sauerbraten and schnitzel, but a few very nice _bierstubes_ have opened in Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan. The heavy food is a turnoff, too, especially in the warmer months. Also, it’s a pretty easy cuisine to cook at home. Why pay $15+ for one dish of sausages when you can pick up a pound of bratwurst and two pounds of sauerkraut for less than ten? If you have flour and an egg in the house you can whip up your own _spaetzel_ in twenty minutes. And a four-pack of Bitburger pints costs five bucks in my neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/26 "2016-10-31T16:43:27Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Indeed, the “standard” American fare of Meat, Potato, and Vegetable, is essentially German in origin. Nah. “Meat and two veg” is British. And the Germans usually dispense with the vegetable. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/27 "2016-10-31T17:22:19Z")
> [@bump](#): > > (FWIW… I go to an [Austrian restaurant](http://jorgscafevienna.com/) for my Germanic-style food. They do it up right!) I will check it out if ever I head back down to TX. One of my favorites: [http://www.mosersaustriancafe.com/](http://www.mosersaustriancafe.com/) After reading some responses I gather it is a combination of factors: 1. German food not considered very ‘ethnic’ and has already been largely incorporated into ‘American cuisine’ 2. German immigrants did not bring with them a significant restaurant culture 3. Possible negative cultural connotations due to handful of global conflicts affiliated with the country in question. 4. Food not very healthy Re: the ‘dungeon’ interior motif - don’t forget lots of cuckoo clocks and beer steins all over the place, along with wait staff attired in [dirndl dresses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndl) and [lederhosen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lederhosen) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/28 "2016-10-31T17:23:30Z")
Thread relocated from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/29 "2016-10-31T17:25:05Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > Nah. “Meat and two veg” is British. And the Germans usually dispense with the vegetable. To the true German, beer _is_ a vegetable. As an ethnic German\*, eating at a German restaurant is like going to a restaurant that serves meat loaf. I go to restaurants for something different, not food I can get at home. Grüß Gott, Shodan - Our motto: We do whatever we are told, providing it’s cruel. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/30 "2016-10-31T17:41:53Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Re: the ‘dungeon’ interior motif - don’t forget lots of cuckoo clocks and beer steins all over the place, along with wait staff attired in [dirndl dresses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndl) and [lederhosen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lederhosen) Dirndl, ach ja! 🆒 Mit Zöpfen, mmmmmmmmmmmmm! :o ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/31 "2016-10-31T17:45:49Z")
Reading this thread makes me think about European cuisine in general as not being all that popular, with the exceptions of French food, which generally occupies the $$$ and beyond type of “Bistro” restaurants, and of course Italian and Greek (the whole pita and gyros craze). Sure, there are occasional Spanish restaurants, and English and Irish cuisine are pretty much limited to pubs. I think you would have to be in a major metro area to see Hungarian and Russian (depending on the people who have chosen to live there). Perhaps the more popular cuisines these days make more use of fresh vegetables than meats, and maybe that’s why meat-heavy cuisine like German is not so popular(?), while many Asian foods have caught-on. That and the variety of spices in Asian foods (there is a reason for the historic spice trade). Another one that should be more popular, or at least have more restaurants, IMHO, is Filipino, considering the large population having origins from that area, especially on the west coast. ---
**Author:** ![Nightaudit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightaudit/32/17181_2.png) [@Nightaudit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightaudit)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/32 "2016-10-31T17:47:37Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think this is the real reason; people commonly eat stuff derived from German cuisine, and going to a restaurant usually means that you get something you’re used to, only with a big side of sauerkraut or red cabbage. > > I mean, I like German food, but outside of traditional English food, it’s probably the least foreign sort that I can think of. > > (FWIW… I go to an [Austrian restaurant](http://jorgscafevienna.com/) for my Germanic-style food. They do it up right!) I second that shout out to Jorg’s… I live in Fredericksburg TX area, and I make many pilgrimages to Plano just for schnitzel and Stiegl. The “German” in F-burg is mediocre at best… Sent from my XT1097 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/33 "2016-10-31T17:51:23Z")
As described in some posts above, I suspect that “German cuisine” is best represented by tailgate parties. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/34 "2016-10-31T18:00:06Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I don’t know but if you’re looking for one here’s a handy state-by-state listing of German restaurants. I doubt it’s exhaustive, it appears to all be self-reported. > > Unsurprisingly the states with the most seem to be Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin, based on a very quick sampling of the site, by myself. > > ETA: forgot the link: [Find German Food Stores and Restaurants by State - Germanfoods.org](http://germanfoods.org/find/german-restaurants-by-state/) > > . Actually, I think you’ll find Texas leads the list. There was a large wave of German immigration here in the mid 1800’s. The Texas German dialect is dying out, but in some of the smaller towns, it’s not unusual to hear it spoken as a first language by some of the older residents. German breakfast rocks! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/35 "2016-10-31T18:11:10Z")
A good German restaurant can stand up to any cuisine (though the operative word it “good”). Sauerbraten is a treat, as are the various schnitzels and sausages. It’s primarily an image problem. Sauerbraten is hardly bland, and neither is red cabbage. I don’t care for sauerkraut, but I’ve never seen it served as part of a meal. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/36 "2016-10-31T18:24:58Z")
We have a [great little German deli and restaurant](https://www.yelp.com/biz/georges-market-calimesa) about three miles from here. Emphasis on “little.” It seats maybe 20 at most. But it’s the place to go if you want to score real German meats and such. The wife isn’t fond of kraut, so that leaves it all for me! But to the OP: I think German food has just transformed into American food. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/37 "2016-10-31T18:40:39Z")
I’d say that most restaurants in the US serve German food. It’s so common that it doesn’t even get labeled as such. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/38 "2016-10-31T18:43:18Z")
I only ate a German restaurant once with my sister and her husband. I had some sausages and they weren’t cooked all the way , it was raw inside so I send my meal back to be cooked better. I was on my last bite and when I went to eat it there was great big dead fly under the piece of sausage ! I was BullSHIT and called the waiter over and show the dead fly and told him that I wasn’t paying for my meal ! He had the manger come over , I talk loud b/c I am hard of hearing and when I am pissed off my voice get louder the manger didn’t want other people to hear about the very dead fly on my plate and the bloody sausages I got ! I told him I am NOT paying for my meal and the manger agreed to this . That was the first and last time I ate a German restaurant. This was in the 1960’s . I really haven’t seen any German restaurants around when I look for a place to eat now. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/39 "2016-10-31T18:58:00Z")
Years ago (about 10) I recall a very nice German restaurant in Albany, NY – I lived in CT back then, and my girlfriend (at the time) lived near Buffalo, and we would often meet halfway for a weekend in Albany, and this restaurant became our favorite. Don’t remember the name, though. I might google it later if anyone’s interested. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/40 "2016-10-31T19:08:08Z")
I come from a German family, but German cuisine has always been near the bottom of my list. Not that there were bad cooks in my family, though; oh, no. It’s mainly that (1) I’m not an enthusiastic meat-eater, especially when it comes to sausages; and (2) it’s one of the very few cuisines I can think of where tomatoes and garlic are noticeably absent. I do have very fond memories of my mother’s kartoffelkloesse, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256.md?page=3)