Authentic German Cuisine::German Town::Taipei

German cuisine is world-renowned for its meat dishes. A seemingly neatly arranged, unremarkable meal actually has its most complex part completed during the stage of turning ingredients into edible elements. High-quality German cuisine is known for its refined quality and substantial use of ingredients, and unless you have particularly sensitive taste buds, it’s easy to be misled by the heavy use of spices.

There used to be many German restaurants in Taipei touting purebred heritage, but in recent years, as national health awareness has risen, the habit of eating rich and heavy meals has gradually shifted toward lighter and healthier options. German cuisine, known for its smoked meat dishes, has also faded in Taipei’s food scene.

However, truly high-quality German cuisine is far from what I had imagined. In the past, all I could taste was a heavy smokiness, but German cuisine made with genuinely pure ingredients is different. Not only can you taste the original flavor and texture of the ingredients, but natural organic spices are used without any intention of masking the food’s true taste.

This “German Town,” located in the bustling Zhongxiao shopping district near Eslite Bookstore, offers the delicious taste that traditional German cuisine should have. In addition to using natural organic seasonings, all meat products emphasize freshness — some are even delivered fresh from the market that very morning. Ingredients are not overly smoked, preserving their original flavors as much as possible.

Frequent diners around the Shida shopping district might notice, “Shouldn’t German Town be in that quiet alley near Shida?” Indeed, German Town’s first branch was established in 2004 in the lively Shida shopping area. Due to its affordable prices and quality ingredients, it quickly became popular among young office workers and students. To this day, many regular customers have grown from students into working professionals.

Given the increasing number of customers, the original 36-seat Shida branch reached capacity. In 2010, a new Zhongxiao branch was opened near Eslite Dunhua. It not only has more space, with seating increased to 56, but can also serve more guests at once. Although the Zhongxiao branch is located in the pricey East District, its prices remain as affordable as those in the Shida shopping area — which is quite commendable.

However, the restaurant currently does not accept credit cards. This is mainly because the owner hopes to reinvest the costs that are usually passed on to consumers back into the food itself. Moreover, the meal cost is not high, with set meals averaging around NT$250 per person. Even with slight inconvenience, the owner’s dedication is still worthy of praise.

• ◎ Food Introduction


• Tomato Seafood Chowder

• German Lutherweiss Rye Beer

• Crispy Golden Chicken Cutlet

• German Town Mixed Grill Platter