Local eateries pay tribute to the city’s history with German-inspired cuisine
As a city founded by German immigrants in 1845, there’s history and heritage woven throughout virtually every part of New Braunfels, including the city’s culinary scene. In fact, one of the best ways to experience the city’s German culture is through its food.
From fine dining on authentic Bavarian dishes to feasting on schnitzel in a beer garden as polka music plays, there are several ways to enjoy a taste of the city’s cultural heritage.
Here are a few highlights:
KRAUSE’S CAFE
Stepping into Krause’s Café in downtown New Braunfels is like being instantly transported to a classic German bierhalle.
“We like to say we do Oktoberfest every day here,” said Executive Chef Jeremy “Boomer” Acuna. The largest tap wall in New Braunfels (with more than 80 beers from Texas, Germany and elsewhere on draft) overlooks a cavernous beer hall. Outside, a beer garden includes tables and a stage where live music is offered several nights a week (polka and other German-inspired music is in the spotlight each Wednesday evening).
“The way everything is set up here, it feels a lot like you’re in the middle of Germany,” said Angelica Young, a manager at Krause’s and a German native. “We do have a lot of Germans who come through and agree with that.”
The experience continues with Krause’s menu, which reflects a fusion of German and Texas flavors.
Some of the dishes are authentically German, like the jäger schnitzel, a plate of hand breaded pork, roasted potatoes, red cabbage and hunter mushroom sauce. The Sausage Plate, with local bratwurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage, cottage potatoes and spicy mustard, is another item true to its German roots.
“A few dishes on the menu actually date back to old original recipes from early settlers,” Acuna said.
“We do have a few dishes made from recipes straight from a cookbook at the Sophienburg Museum,” Acuna said, referring to the city’s historical museum.
Some items are German-inspired with a Texas flair, like the Texas Schnitzel (hand breaded pork served with mashed potatoes and jalapeno gravy) and the Schweinshaxe (braised pork shanks served with potato cake, kale and leeks).
Krause’s has been dishing up a taste of Germany since 1959 and remains an iconic local eatery, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
ALPINE HAUS
Speaking of legendary local eateries, the Alpine Haus in downtown New Braunfels regularly earns rave reviews for its fine dining experience. Enjoying a meal here is like taking an elegant European vacation without leaving Texas.
Located in a historic home dating back to 1850, the Alpine Haus prides itself on authentic Bavarian-style cuisine, with influences from the Alpine areas of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, served daily at both lunch and dinner.
The restaurant’s specialties include traditional dishes such as Rinder Rouladen, thin sliced steak stuffed with pickle, onion, bacon and German mustard, then slathered in 2 gravy. Sauerbraten features premium roast beef marinated in red wine. Rinder Goulash tops choice cut beef tips with Hungarian paprika gravy. Alpine Haus also serves a variety of pork, chicken or veal schnitzels, made to order, pounded thinly, lightly breaded and grilled to perfection. Side dishes are also true to their Old-World roots, with options such as potato dumplings or spätzle with gravy, red cabbage or sauerkraut.
Don’t forget to ask your server about pairing a German wine or beer with your meal. The restaurant’s wine list includes wines from Germany, Austria, and Italy, along with other international and domestic options. An extensive beer list also brings a taste of Germany to your table.
Photo credit: Houston Food Trip
WURST IN GRUENE
Sausage may be the quintessential German food. For a taste of fresh bratwurst served up in several tasty ways, check out the food truck Wurst in Gruene. Menu items include The German, which dresses up a bratwurst in house-made sauerkraut (it’s grandma’s recipe, straight from Germany), house mustard, sauteed onions and curry ketchup in a pretzel bun. The Tejas takes a bratwurst in a pretzel bun and smothers it in chili, cheddar cheese, diced onions and jalapenos. Other specialties here include the pulled pork, which comes atop nachos, in a po’boy or on a bed of curly fries.
NEW BRAUNFELS SMOKEHOUSE
When you want to bring a taste of Germany home, the New Braunfels Smokehouse has you covered with a variety of handcrafted sausages, jerky and other German and Texas-inspired deli items and delicacies.
Smokehouse founders began using time-tested German recipes to cure and smoke hams, turkeys and sausages here in the 1940s. Today the Smokehouse offers a retail location and a thriving mail-order business. 3 Options include a Gourmet Sausage Assortment, with six varieties of sausage and a jar of mustard, and the Texas Sausage Taster, a sampler of five pounds of assorted sausages. Smoked bratwurst, venison and pork summer sausage, smoked cheddar jalapeno sausage, chicken sausage – simply put, almost any sausage you can think of can be picked up in the store, shipped to your doorstep or sent to a very lucky recipient as a gift.
Next time you #VisitNBTX, come hungry and enjoy a taste of the city’s German heritage! VisitNBTX.com to plan your next New Braunfels adventure.