For ten days roaming around Germany and Austria we ate very well. Too well, in fact. Oof. No one has ever suggested that traditional German food is light fare. Quite the opposite. Bratwurst, beef dishes, Wiener Schnitzel, Leberkäse (sort of a meatloaf with a hotdog-ish taste), Kartoffelknödel (potato dumplings the size of baseballs), potato salad, and various types of kraut are all serious dishes. I enjoyed them all. Some more than once. It’s hard to find a bad meal in Germany. We also had Indian twice, once in Nürnberg at Tadsch Mahal, which was excellent, and once in Salzburg at a small (very small) place near our hotel called Indiya. The food there was good, but not up to the standards of the Tadsch Mahal.

In Nürnberg we had several noteworthy meals. One was at the famous Helig Geist Spital (Holy Ghost (or Spirit) Hospital). Very nice inside and out with an interesting mix of traditional and more modern cuisine. Some pics below.

The others were at the Kon Tiki, which is right on the river and has remained relatively unchanged for 30 years, and our first dinner in Nürnberg at the Bratwurst-Röslein, which was right around the corner from our hotel. The latter had Gemütlichkeit in spades.

We found breakfast at the B&B type places to be excellent. Usually breads and croissants with cold cuts and cheese and various spreads. Coffee, juice, and cereals were also included. A couple of places that catered to Americans also had eggs and bacon and sausages. The first hotel we stayed at, the Holiday Inn in Schwabing (part of Munich) had only two options for breakfast. You either ordered room service (pricey) or you paid a king’s ransom (EUR 23.50 per person or ~$36) for the buffet. I could never see spending $70+ on breakfast. I just can’t eat that much so early in the morning. So while we were at that hotel, we walked a block down the street to a very nice little Bäckerei for fresh croissants and lattes. I love the schoko croissants.

One thing that disappointed me about the trip was the rampant expansion of American fast food places. McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks are everywhere. And even worse, they’re advertised on billboards everywhere. The picture below is the small park in the center of Detwang, a tiny hamlet below Rothenburg ob der Tauber that dates back to the 10th century. Everything about this little place screams history and tradition except this ridiculous billboard.

Overall I’d give our dining experience in Germany and Austria 4 Spoons and rate the costs in the Family category. Certainly you can find pricier food and there is no shortage of 5 Spoon places, but we were quite happy with the choices we made.