Over the past few months I’ve been to at least 7 German restaurants in Taipei and vicinity and I thought I’d provide some updates, a lot of the old posts are, well, old. I’m no German (closer to Basil Fawlty) but when we went to the fatherland for Oktoberfest a few months ago, I can say I ate sausages nearly every day, and my better half ate them literally everyday, and German food is our favorite food I think, so as Bill Murray once said “I’ve got that going for me”. In ascending order of greatness:
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Zum Fass (on Xin Sheng I think) - very poor service upstairs, repeatedly had to go downstairs to get the waitress upstairs, nary an apology, only good thing was the beer (Koenig Ludwig IIRC), one of my friends got ill from the steak tartare (but he mighta shoulda known better anyway, it didn’t look right), and the rollmops didn’t taste good. Sausages were OK, and the sauerkraut was good. Will not return because of the service. That was a year ago, perhaps it has improved.
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Wendells (ZS N Rd in Tien Mu) - I heard their Oktoberfest was awesome but I couldn’t make it, went for the first time last week and I must say, though the atmosphere is great in nice weather int he biergarten, and though the bakery was very good, the service was slightly put-off-ish, the sausage platter was just average bordering on bland (sauerkraut slightly sweet and that’s all the taste), and the franks I bought from the deli were very bland. I met Wendel once and he seemed like a nice enough guy, but I gotta, say, very disappointing. Oh and the goulash was, as other posters have said, like tomato soup with barely recognizable chunks of meat. I’d go back for the bread and pastries - wasn’t he a pastry chef or something at the Sherwood once upon a time? I’ll try to get back for Oktoberfest though, I heard it was rockin from 2 different groups.
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Chalet Swiss (Nanjing across from the egg) - see recent topic here, didn’t get the sausages this time round but they are tasty from a year ago, and because it’s Swiss German, the menu is quite different from the other on the list, but the quality is very good, just the stuffiness and some overpricing could use some improvement.
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Smoky Inn (Sanzhi, on the N coast, 1 branch in the city, 1 up the mountain) - over the past few years, have seen this place go from very good to just good. 3 years ago the beer was Paulaner and now it’s Hofbrauhaus, the sausage platters seem to be getting more greasy, and man that huge huge salad with what looks like Trix cereal or Fruit Loops in it has just the worst dressing - like blueberry yogurt. You have to order it in advance before coming it’s so huge. The fondue, while it doesn’t taste totally Swiss (I guess it’s German) is more buttery, but really good tasting, and the bread and liverwurst snacks are fantastic. The smoked meats platter does still taste really good and you get your money’s worth, but seems a little more greasy. Sauerkraut is very tasty as are the mash potatoes. But you have t keep asking for more mustard and they bring you just a dab. They don’t serve water. They don’t have soda IIRC - they have that weird apple juice fizzy stuff. The wait staff is not very friendly in the mountain branch, they are better in the city. They charge you extra for even a little more sauerkraut, and they give you that look like “we’re gonna charge you… really, you sure you want it?” I like Andreas (?) the owner, he’s got a good sense of humor and seems nice enough, but I get the impression this is sort of “you’ll like it my way and I don’t care if you don’t come back”. Worth going in a large group. Kind of far without a car.
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Pan’s Garden (Tong Hu, out past Neihu, way the hell out on Min Chuan) - Peter Pan (is that his real name? what kind of German name is Pan anyway) is a real nice guy, outgoing and a good sense of humor, the place is laid back with nice outdoors, the beer on tap is good (I think it was Warsteiner, or maybe Bitburger, I can’t remember, I got kind of awash in it last time), and his sausages are very nice, so is the kraut and the potatoes. Not a big menu, but the other dishes we got - pork tenderloin, chicken breast in grain mustard - were solid good (not great). Nice place to spend a long evening with friends. A little far out.
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Schwartzwald (An He Rd lane 112) - I’ve had a couple friends say they didn’t much like the sausages. Mrs. Tongues loves them, and I find them very good. Sauerkraut is very good. Potato salad - with mustard and dill and nice and mushy - is great. They sell the biggest pork rib - caramelized - that I’ve ever seen, it’s like twice a gold bar - but I don’t normally order that elsewhere so maybe all Germans eat Godzilla Pigs. Their homemade rye is fantastic, and they serve it chunky-garlic-buttered with some dishes. Goulash barely OK, slightly better than Wendells but I wouldn’t get it again. Chicken cordon bleu is above average. If you just order mustard they bring out the blasphemous French’s brand, but if you ask for the German mustard from the kitchen, they bring you a dollop - so ask twice or thrice. Desserts look great but taste just so-so. Got the choco fondue once, it was what it was, but not great and a little high priced. Warsteiner was tap, the dunkel’s real nice. Overall, very good. When they first reopened last year about, the owner lady was running around and real friendly, but we haven’t seen her there the past few times.
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Paulaner Brewhouse (Guan Du, on the Art University Campus) - To me this place is the best of the lot. It’s in a really pleasant location once you get out there - up on the Taipei Art University campus, with a great view of the city - and even though it has a chain restaurant feel to it a little (well I guess it is, I think it is owned by Paulaner itself), the quality is tops and consistent (been there 4 times now), the beer is Paulaner draught, the sausages are outstanding as is the meatloaf and kraut, the pretzels (bretzel) are doughy and buttery and soft and the butter and liverwurst they come with is very nice too - ask for extra liverwurst and they bring you a big bowl, and no tone like the Smoky Inn wait staff. There is a huge non-totally-German part of menu (like pasta etc) if you come in a group and a few don’t like German food (i.e insane, or vegetarian, which is a form of insanity). Outdoor seating. If it was in the city, it might be ruined, but they would make a mint. I wouldn’t normally flog a big business like this, prefer to help out people like Peter and the Schwartzwald lady, but good is good and this place is solid.
XXX. Zum Adler - finally found the place after 3 years, coming back down from Elephant Mountain - haven’t tried it yet, it’s next up.
I’d include Mr Sausage here, his sausages are quite good, plus he’s got good beer and kraut, plus he’s a nice enough guy (unless you’re Queen Victoria ), but I’m concentrating on German restaurants.
I’m looking for more options, so please post other possibilities!