Best German Restaurants in USA?
 

When traveling I seek authentic German restaurants to get my fix of red cabbage and spaetzle. Can you point me to your favorites? And let me know if they are good enough to warrant a special trip.

Some that provided good experiences in the past year:

Gasthaus, Louisville, KY
Imbiss Grille, Wichita, KS
Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter, Stillwater, MN

I know the Berghoff in Chicago has reopened and need to get back there soon.

I'd have added Cafe Berlin in Huntsville, AL until the menu was updated and became less authentic. Still good, but not as good. Excellent pan fried potatos, red cabbage and schnitzel, wonderful desserts.

I can recommend Old German Schnitzel Haus in Hickory, NC. Especially enjoy the sausages and spaetzle.

Asked and Answered Before
 

This question was already the topic of a 93-post thread. You may find many suggestions for places there.

Thanks for the thread referral! I scanned through the thread and compiled this list, organized by state. Since that thread was active 2003-2008 some of these might no longer exist. New additions from this current thread appear here as well.

Huntsville, AL - Cafe Berlin
Alameda, CA - Speisekammer
Anaheim, CA - Jagerhaus
Folsom, CA - Old Europe
Lake Almanor, CA - Black Forest Lodge
Los Angeles, CA - Alpine Village
Los Angeles, CA - Chalet Edelweiss
San Diego, CA - Kaiserhof
San Francisco, CA - Suppenkuche
San Francisco, CA - Matterhorn Swiss
San Francisco, CA - Schroeder's
San Francisco, CA - Walzwerk
San Jose, CA - Gunther's
San Jose, CA - Teske's Germania
Willow Glen, CA - Meridian
Aurora, CO - Helga's
Colorado Springs, CO - The Edelweiss
Denver, CO - Cafe Berlin
New Britain, CT - East Side Restaurant
Washington, DC - Cafe Mozart
Washington, DC - Leopold's Kafe & Konditorei
Washington, DC - Old Europe
Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Old Heidelberg
Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Ambry
Miami, FL - Hofbrau Beerhall
Chicago, IL - Berghoff
Chicago, IL - Chicago Brauhaus (Lincoln Square)
Chicago, IL - Julius Meinl
Des Plaines, IL - Kuhn's Delicatessen
Norridge, IL - Edelweiss
Jasper, IN - Little Munich
Wichita, KS - Imbiss Grille
Louisville, KY - Gasthaus
Boston, MA - Jacob Wirth
Chicopee, MA - Munich Haus
Springfield, MA - Student Prince Cafe & Fort Dining Room
Dearborn, MI - Richters Chalet
Detroit, MI - The Dakota Inn
Minneapolis, MN - Black Forest Inn
New Prague, MN - Schumacher's
New Ulm, MN - Kaiserhoff
Stillwater, MN - Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter
Hickory, NC - Old German Schnitzel Haus
Lake Lure, NC - Gaestehaus Salzburg
Pineville, NC - The Waldhorn
Hoboken, NJ - Helmers
Jersey City, NJ - Zeppelin Hall
Las Vegas, NV - Hofbrauhaus
Brooklyn, NY - Schnitzelhaus
Glendale, NY - Zum Stammtische
New York, NY - Heidelburg
New York, NY - Hallo Berlin
New York, NY - Zum Schneider
Queens/Forest Hills, NY - Chalet Alpina
Cincinnati, OH - Mecklenburg Gardens
Columbus, OH - Schmidt's Sausage Haus
Portland, OR - Gruner
Portland, OR - Rheinlander
Pittsburgh, PA - Max's Allegheny Tavern
Pittsburgh, PA - Penn Brewery
Hilton Head, SC - Alfred's
Myrtle Beach, SC - Cafe Old Vienna
Farragut, TN - Restaurant Linderhof
Manchester, TN - Gasthaus
Dallas, TX - Kuby's Sausage House
Plano, TX - Bavarian Grill
Madison, VA - The Bavarian Chef
Staunton, VA - Edelweiss
Seattle, WA - Feierabend
Madison, WI - Essenhaus
Milwaukee, WI - Karl Ratzsch's

San Francisco, CA - Suppenkuche - solid range of German food and beer.

Seattle, WA - Feierabend - more a bar that serves food. Prost! and Die Bierstube are 2 other Seattle area german pubs in the same group; neither have much for food.

I happen to be watching No Reservations right now, and Anthony Bourdain just went to Heidelburg. He loved it. They serve obscenely large beers in glass boots ("I love my beer in footwear form," he said.). And they server obscenely large portions of apparently-authentic German food. It all looked good...and hearty.


My German friend who lived in San Francisco said she loved this place.

Also check out Walzwerk in San Francisco, a cool East German restaurant.

Found the segment online. Heidelburg is featured about 3:40 into the piece:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkiseBaJLPY

Love the step back in time. Portions are indeed obscenely large!

Not german, but Germanic, ie Austrian is Wallse in New York:
http://kg-ny.com/wallse

This is a seriously excellent restaurant. None of the oompah bands, beer steins, sausage and kraut. But Austrian food and wine that matches anything you can find in Vienna.

Hallo Berlin is included as one of the best German restaurants in the US? Seems that restaurant was included because it is one of the very few places in Manhattan that serves German food. Hallo Berlin is merely ok but it's hardly the best.

I'm amazed that Hallo Berlin was listed by Zum Stammtische is completely ignored. Is that because Zum Stammtische isn't in a favored NYC locale? :rolleyes:

Nope, it wasn't included because nobody had mentioned it yet. Now that you've recommended it, I've added it to the list above.

Maybe somebody could compile a list of good German restaurants in Germany...I've been here 12 years and haven't found a one I would want to go back to. To be fair, the cuisine just doesn't grab me, but the beer is excellent.

We love traveling in Germany and Mrs. Fredd spent a college year in Austria but by the third night we're looking for an Italian restaurant for a little break so I know what you mean. ;)

To add to the list, Mader's is the other famous old Milwaukee German restaurant, at least when we ate there some years ago.

And if I mention Milwaukee and food I have to include the sausage-maker Usinger's. We'd ordered mail order over the years and it was fun making a pilgrimage to the actual shop.

While more Austrian than German, Cafe Katja in NYC is a great little find with superb food and good drinks. It's a bit of a neighborhood hangout (non-pretensious), but *it is* on the LES, so you get all kinds of people.

http://www.cafe-katja.com/

It's on my old street, Orchard Street, which has changed dramatically over the last five years.

Hey! I remember where we went to eat German restaurant on State Rd 84 near FLL airport. I remember where we went to German restaurant a long time ago and we don't have one here in Phoenix, AZ. Perhaps, if you guys can find a German restaurant someplace in northeast Valley.

Are you serious??? :D

Ohhh, I thought the list came from something published. Sorry that I misunderstood.