Das Restaurant

Alright, so lets get to what I consider the most important thing of any traveling. The food. If you go to Germany or any of the other German speaking countries, you will want to eat the food, right? Of course you do, Germans love their meat, breads and potatoes. It’s awesome. Let’s go over a few things you may need to know if you go.

Etiquette

Drinks

For the most part, refills are not free. Remember that, as they will also not just come by and refill the drink automatically. Either you ask as the wait staff comes by or they will ask if you want more to drink. Also keep in mind that water is not free either.

Tipping (Trinkgeld)

So, as you are aware, the waitstaff in the US makes their money on tips. They typically get paid about $2-$3 an hour which is then mostly used on taxes. So in the US we tip 18-20 percent. Well in Germany this is not the case. Tips are included in the total of your cost already, so anything extra you throw at the waitstaff is truly a sign of a job well done, which the norm, if you decide to do so, is 5-10% depending on what you believe that person earned.

Service (Bediehnung)

Don’t expect the wait staff to hover over you like they do they tend to do in Germany. Restaurants in Germany is a lot more about the social atmosphere and there is no rush to kick you out. Also since the staff doesn’t have to work so hard for tips, they don’t try so dang hard to make you happy. Obviously, they should still be friendly and helpful, but its not so over the top as it is here.

The Food

Das Schnitzel

Everybody knows that’s what Germany is famous for. Few people know what it is, or some only relate it to Hot dogs. Schnitzels are essentially just pounded down boneless pork chops that get fried in a pan. There is all sorts of variations to this and depending on the region of the country each variation get’s made different. Do know though, the most popular Schnitzel, the “Wiener Schnitzel” is the only Schnitzel that is breaded everywhere. Depending on region, the Schnitzel may not be breaded at all. Here are some of the popular ones

Wiener Schnitzel – Breaded Schnitzel served with a lemon slice and either Fries or Potato Salad

Zigeuner Schnitzel – Schnitzel served with a sauce primary made of sliced bell Peppers

Jäger Schnitzel – Schnitzel served with a cream based mushroom sauce, Personally this is my favorite

Die Wurst

This is your normal linked sausage. The bratwurst being the most popular, but there are so many good Würste , if all you do is stick to the bratwurst you will be missing out.

Bratwurst – You know these, basic Sausages made to be pan fried, made out of either pork, veal or beef

Rindswurst – These are BeefSausages, tasty but as the name suggests, always going to be made of beef.

Stadtwurst – You will find these mostly in Bavaria, and is a sausage with the meat ground a bit more coarse

Weisswurst – MMHHMMM these things are amazing and if you can find them while visiting Bavaria, worth a try. It’s veal and Pork Back bacon, that is spiced with lemon, ginger and some other stuff. Careful, to many of these will make you sick and also they go bad really quick, because there are 0 preservatives and they aren’t smoked. They are made fresh every morning and usually are served as mid morning meal. In fact the saying goes that they should not be able to hear the chime of the noon Bell.

MISC

Rouladen – Thin beef that is rolled up with a pickle, onion and mustard and cooked up in a brown sauce. Typically served with Red Cabbage.

Leberkäse – Not entirely sure how to explain this but its Pork, Bacon, beef, other meats depending on region and a bunch of spices, ground down very finely and then baked into a loaf. Absolutely amazing with some Spinach and a fried egg on top.

Sauerbraten – Beef Roast that has been marinating in vinegar for at least a day. It is a little tangy but very popular.

Sauerkraut – Do not mistake this for the jarred stuff you get a grocery store. The fermented cabbage dish, tastes a bit better in Germany as it is usually cooked and a lot of the tartness is no longer there.

Rotkraut – Red Cabbage, super tasty

Potato Salad (Kartoffel Salad) – Be careful here, depending on the restaurant, this may truly be a salad. Boiled potatoes, sliced, served cold with some oil, vinegar and a few chopped onions.

There is absolutely 0 chance I can truly list everything that is available, these are some the things I grew up with and thoroughly enjoyed. You should let me know some things you like, down in the comments.