# 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:** 3
**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, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/41 "2016-10-31T19:24:50Z")
One of the best Christmas dinners I’ve ever had was at a German restaurant in Milwaukee. Smoked pork chops with German potato salad and red cabbage … mmmmmmmmmmmm! :o Like most East European cuisines, the food in Latvia is very similar. At one popular restaurant, I had roast pork joint with potato pancakes and sauerkraut. One serving was enough for two people, and dee-licious! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/42 "2016-10-31T19:58:12Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > 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. I was passing through there a couple years ago and saw a German restaurant. I’ve been to Germany a few times and had some fantastic meals, but I’ve never found a German restaurant in the states that’s as good. I’d have tried that one in Albany but I wasn’t driving. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/43 "2016-10-31T20:04:25Z")
Too many Reapers hanging around, for one thing… ---
**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, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/44 "2016-10-31T20:13:46Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > 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. Alas, the German places in the area have all gone under. Spa Brauhaus in Ballston Spa was the last holdout and closed in 2015. The Bavarian Chalet has been closed for over ten years. There is a place that serves wurst and beer, but no full entries. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/45 "2016-10-31T20:25:17Z")
There is a [German restaurant](https://hollerbachs.com/wtc/) in my neck of the woods that is to DIE FOR. I hosted Ivylad’s 50th birthday there. Live music every weekend, a line out the door, a deli around the corner, and quite reasonable prices. I would bathe naked in their spaetzle. They’re consistently voted best in the county. Plus, they’re a Mom and Pop place that is closed for Mother’s Day for Mama Hollerbach. How cute is that! ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/46 "2016-10-31T21:06:45Z")
“German food” is pretty much the local version of Northern European food–beer, potatoes, bread, sausage, cabbage, onions, and if you’re lucky a herring or something. It’s not distinct enough from British or Irish or Scandanavian or Slavic food, and note that none of those cuisines have ethnic restaurants either. It’s basic home food, which you can serve at home, and so why would you go to a restaurant for it? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/47 "2016-10-31T21:25:16Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > It’s not distinct enough from British or Irish or Scandanavian or Slavic food, and note that none of those cuisines have ethnic restaurants either. Sure they do. There’s at least a few dozen Polish restaurants around here, plus Bohemian, Lithuanian (OK, that’s Baltic, not Slavic), as well as Scandinavian and British and Irish. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/48 "2016-10-31T21:34:22Z")
And there’s a handful (I could think of about 6 or 7 off the top of my head) of German restaurants here, too, including the iconic Berghoff in the Loop (though that’s been stripped down a bit from its former glory.) ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/49 "2016-10-31T21:43:52Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Get thee to Milwaukee, both Mader’s and Karl Ratzsch make a Jaeger Schnitzel, with nary a chili pepper in sight. This thread is making me miss Milwaukee so much. It was a Christmas tradition to go to one of those restaurants. I always thought Karl Ratzsch’s had better food, but I prefer the atmosphere at Mader’s. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/50 "2016-10-31T22:23:51Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > This thread is making me miss Milwaukee so much. It was a Christmas tradition to go to one of those restaurants. I always thought Karl Ratzsch’s had better food, but I prefer the atmosphere at Mader’s. German food is the _only_ thing I miss about Milwaukee. We were partial to the Gasthaus in Waukesha (maybe because it was really close to home), but Google maps says it is permanently closed. I’ve never seen a German restaurant in the US that wasn’t primarily a Bavarian restaurant (the lederhosen/dirndls are a Bavarian thing). Would love to find somewhere to get my all-time favorite German food, Schwäbische maultaschen… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/51 "2016-10-31T22:34:57Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > German food is the _only_ thing I miss about Milwaukee. We were partial to the Gasthaus in Waukesha (maybe because it was really close to home), but Google maps says it is permanently closed. > > I’ve never seen a German restaurant in the US that wasn’t primarily a Bavarian restaurant (the lederhosen/dirndls are a Bavarian thing). Would love to find somewhere to get my all-time favorite German food, Schwäbische maultaschen… THat’s a good point (well, not the Milwaukee part–Milwaukee’s awesome), but the maultaschen/regional foods (although maultaschen are found commonly in Bavaria, too, from what I remember.) I don’t think I’ve ever seen maultaschen at a German restaurant here, either. I’m not 100% sure, though, as it somehow has never occured to me to actively look for them. There is a pierogi place here, though, that makes pierogi stuffed with maultaschen filling (meat, spinach,and herbs and spices.) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/52 "2016-10-31T22:52:50Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > This thread is making me miss Milwaukee so much. It was a Christmas tradition to go to one of those restaurants. I always thought Karl Ratzsch’s had better food, but I prefer the atmosphere at Mader’s. I really miss the old John Ernst Cafe. And the Bavarian Inn. Never did make it to the Gasthaus. The Hofbrau in Sheboygan is long gone too. Oh well, I can make a damn good sauerbraten in the pressure cooker. But dumplings and spaetzle are something I never mastered. Nor good schaum torte. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/53 "2016-10-31T22:56:25Z")
There are several German restaurants in Louisville, which had a sizable German population at one time. I’ve not been to any though. Why go out when I’ve got 30 pounds of cabbage fermenting in the kitchen right now? ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/54 "2016-10-31T23:03:57Z")
> [@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!) A German restaurant that got an award for being the cleanest restaurant? Did they also get one for alway opening on time? Anyway, German food is lovely when cooked by my mother! ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/55 "2016-10-31T23:09:36Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > A German restaurant that got an award for being the cleanest restaurant? Did they also get one for alway opening on time? You’ll notice it doesn’t say _which_ 7 years, either. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/56 "2016-10-31T23:17:44Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Any ideas on why ethnic German restaurants never really took hold of the American culinary landscape the way that other ethnic foods/restaurants have – e.g. Thai, Mexican, Italian, middle eastern, Chinese, Japanese, etc.? If there was a heyday for German cuisine and restaurants in America it would probably be some time in period between the wars around the 1930’s, and it seems these restaurants are dying out and continue to decline as the original owners died off and the children and grandchildren choose not to continue the family restaurant businesses. > > The decline/lack of German restaurants is a bit surprising. If you think about it, there is historically a sizeable contingent of Americans with German ancestry and many popular foods are not entirely alien to American dinner tables and palate sensibilities: schnitzel, noodles (spaetzle) sauerkraut, sausages, beer, various casseroles. It’s a bit curious how no one has come forward with a heavily Americanized/bastardized fast food chain equivalent to say a PF Chang’s or Taco Bell. > > What accounts for the commercial lack of interest in German culinary offerings? > > (Mods feel free to move to General Questions if you feel it is warranted) Cardigan, I’m going to break something to you… Those Potato pancakes… not the most inspired cuisine. Look it’s OK, the Germans don’t need to be great at EVERYTHING. Just be happy your Germanic people have such identifiable ideals of the quintessential German woman in popular culture. Frau: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Qb1_UjIPCTE/maxresdefault.jpg "Austin Powers Best Of Frau Farbissina HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb1_UjIPCTE) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/57 "2016-10-31T23:45:41Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Indeed, the “standard” American fare of Meat, Potato, and Vegetable, is essentially German in origin. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Nah. “Meat and two veg” is British. And the Germans usually dispense with the vegetable. Indeed. Was ist ein “vegetable?” > [@Shodan](#): > > Grüß Gott, > Shodan Ich lachte. 😃 > [@terentii](#): > > Dirndl, ach ja! 🆒 > > Mit Zöpfen, mmmmmmmmmmmmm! :o Yes, but what fun is a restaurant where you can read the menu? > [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Too many Reapers hanging around, for one thing… We ignore them until we are 70, and by then it’s too late. Mmmmmm, dill in everything. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/58 "2016-11-01T00:34:05Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > “German food” is pretty much the local version of Northern European food–beer, potatoes, bread, sausage, cabbage, onions, and if you’re lucky a herring or something. It’s not distinct enough from British or Irish or Scandanavian or Slavic food, and note that none of those cuisines have ethnic restaurants either. It’s basic home food, which you can serve at home, and so why would you go to a restaurant for it? Well, with a British food we did a cunning thing. We’ve taken our food all over the world but we just didn’t call the places that sell it restaurants. Pretty much every major city I’ve been to has had Several British style Pubs selling British food. Here in Stockholm I could probably run off ten without having to think too hard. We can be a very sneaky people. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/59 "2016-11-01T00:39:37Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Ditto for New York. You used to have to go to the Heidelberg on the Upper East Side for sauerbraten and schnitzeld… Yes indeed. I remember it well. Also the Ideal – were you ever there? More of a diner than a restaurant, but plenty of sausage and sauerkraut. And a sort of cafe/pastry place whose name escapes me at the moment, on 86th Street. And there was Schaller & Weber, the delicatessen. Great stuff could be had there. And the Elk Candy store I went to high school in Yorkville. It’s certainly lost its German character since then. ---
**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:** [November 1, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256/60 "2016-11-01T01:09:35Z")
Schaller & Weber is still there! Still has excellent house-made brats, bauenwurst, knockwurst, liverwurst, frankfurters and weiners of every shape and size, and that heavenly Hungarian smoked kielbasa, redolent of garlic and paprika. Plus a wide variety of egg noodles, Central European cheeses, mustards, and even dried spaetzel for when you’re too lazy to beat flour and an egg together. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-german-restaurants-not-more-popular-in-the-us/770256.md?page=4)