I found unfried more common based on a few years living in Germany, but I suppose that could have been a function of where I was and with whom I was usually dining. I definitely prefer unfried.

One nice dish with them is Schwaebische Kaese Spaetzle which is the spaetzle mixed with some grated Emmentaler cheese (and maybe some fried onion, can't quite recall for certain, as it has been a while), then topped with some onions that have been fried crisp and then the whole lot is baked. There may well be some other seasonings in there, I'd have to dig through my cookbooks to know for sure, as I have made it, but it has been even longer than since I've eaten it, but the main flavors are the spaetzle, cheese & onion.