If you're looking for the best German street food, food trucks, and fast food, look no further! I have listed below the 12 most popular German street foods, the best places to try them, and links to recipes on how you can make them at home.
What is German Street Food?
German street food is an array of quick snacks and dishes that are easy to eat on the go. They reflect the German's love for sausages, meat, and bread.
Traditional German street food cuisine consists of German sausages, pork meat, and baked goods such as pretzels and sandwiches. However, trade and immigration have evolved the cuisine of Germany, bringing in new popular dishes such as Doner Kebab and new flavors to existing dishes such as Currywurst.
German food stalls consist mainly of Imbiss Buden - which are little huts where street vendors sell their sausages. You can find them on any street corner in the city center. Other famous street food festivals are Christmas Markets and other big folk festivals such as Oktoberfest in Munich or Freimarkt in Bremen.
You do not have to go to expensive German restaurants to try authentic German food. Here are the most popular street food snacks that you can try for a little money.
You also added links to street food recipes, so you can replicate them at home.
1. Bratwurst
Perhaps the most popular dish in Germany is the Bratwurst. The term describes a plethora of German sausages, (it is as if every town has its own) and you can find about 50 different types in Germany. Bratwurst is a beef or pork sausage that is spiced according to their regional recipe. Which bratwurst you have depends on in which part of Germany you are.
They are similar to hot dogs but are normally served in crusty white bread rolls and mustard (affiliate link) sauce. Not in the soft sweet hot dog bun - which is more part of the New York street food scene than the German. The German sausages are also sometimes served with potato salad or Krautsalat (German coleslaw). [source: Wikipedia]
Where to eat:
You will find Bratwurst anywhere you go in Germany. Enquire beforehand what the regional specialty is: For example Thüringer Bratwurst in the East, Nürenberger in Nürenberg, Frankfurter Rindswurst in Frankfurt, Rostocker Bratwurst in Rostock ...
Make it at home:
2. Döner Kebab
Döner Kebab has been a popular German street food since the 70s. It arrived in Germany through Turkish immigrants. The traditional Turkish dish Döner Kebab is only the meat that is roasted on a rotisserie stick. Then a Turkish immigrant called Kadir Nurman realized that Germans like anything with bread and started selling it in the form of a sandwich [source wikipedia]. At a later stage salad and garlic sauce were added- and this is how German Döner Kebabs were born.
You definitely have to try a Döner Kebab when you visit Germany. Even if it is not your first time trying a Doner, it tastes better in Germany - trust me!
Döner Kebab has established itself so much in German cuisine that it was voted the most popular fast food in Germany in 2023. [source: wirtschaftswoche]. It knocked the iconic Currywurst off its first place which comes next.
Where to eat:
You will find a Döner Kebab Shop in almost every German town. The quality varies, so it is always best to check out the online reviews. The German food delivery app Lieferando makes a yearly survey on which towns have the best Döner Kebab. This year Dresden was the winner. You can check the results [here].
Make it at home:
3. Currywurst
Currywurst is one of the most recognizable best street food dishes in Germany. Again, this dish was brought to us through the influence of outsiders. After the 2nd World War, British soldiers brought over curry powder, Worcestershire sauce (affiliate link), and tomato sauce. In 1949 lady from Berlin called Herta Heuwer mixed these ingredients together and this is how curry ketchup was born [Source Wikipedia]. The sauce is poured over a grilled bratwurst or bockwurst and served with a white bread roll or some french fries.
Where to eat:
You will find currywurst stands in most German towns, but people from Berlin swear that they have the best currywurst.
Make it at home:
4. Fischbrötchen (Fish sandwiches)
Fischbrötchen is the traditional fast food of northern Germany. If you drive to the coast you will find some food trucks and stalls selling a variety of fish sandwiches served in bread rolls. The fillings are marinated often Herring, (Bismarck Herring, Matjes or Rollmops), fried fish, smoked salmon, browned shrimp (Nordsee Krabben), and German Fishcakes. Other fillings include Pickles, Salad, and Remoulade (affiliate link) (German tartar sauce).
My favorite is a German Fischbrötchen called "Bremer". It's a roll filled with a fish cake, salad, and often fried onions. Delicious!
Where to eat:
You will find these fish sandwiches in most coastal towns in the North. However, if you are not traveling through the north and still would like to try a Fischbrötchen, look out for the German fast-food chain called "Nordsee". You can probably find one around the city center.
Make it at home:
5. Laugenbrezeln (Pretzels)
Everybody loves fresh-baked German pretzels. You can find these little breads in any bakery in Germany- and kids love them as well as adults. You can eat them as they are or with butter, cheese, or sliced meats. They are dipped in a lye solution, which is why they get their lovely chestnut color, and sprinkled with salt. They are perfect for the little hunger you get in between meals or for a quick lunch.
Where to eat:
They are available in any bakery in Germany. However, they are a specialty of Bavaria and South Germany.
Make it at home:
6. Belegte Brötchen
Belegte Brötchen are some of the best-loved sandwiches in Germany and are always popular as a portable snack, a quick breakfast, or lunch. Just pick one of the many varieties of German rolls. Plain white, topped with seeds or made with nuts. There are so many different types of bread to choose from. The toppings are often cheese, ham, and salami with salad, cucumber, and pickles. You can also find more hearty sandwich fillings such as a German Schnitzel (Schnitzelbrötchen) or Frikadelle (Frikadellenbrötchen)
Where to eat:
You will find them in most bakeries, and often at train stations in the city centre.
7. Schwenkbraten
Schwenkbraten are marinated pork steaks that are cooked over a swinging woodburning grill. This dish originates from the Saarland, where miners brought the idea of these swinging grills back from Argentinian Gouchos. The marinade is made of a mixture of garlic, juniper berries (affiliate link), thyme, and oregano. They are served in a crusty roll with either garlic sauce or cabbage salad.
Where to eat:
You will find these pork neck sandwiches at Christmas Markets and larger festivals. The most authentic Schwenkbraten you can find will be in the Saarland. There is also a town close by called Idar-Oberstein (in Rhineland-Palatinate) which has its own version of Schwenkbraten.
Make it at home:
8. Flammkuchen
Flammkuchen is Germany's answer to Pizza. Although it is not a Pizza: it is a flatbread spread with sour cream and topped with onions and bacon. It is baked in a stone oven at a very high temperature which makes it so crispy and light. It has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and you will find it in many restaurants and pubs on the menu as a light snack. It is a specialty of the Alsace region near the French-German Border. The French have their own name for this dish tarte flambee.
Where to eat:
The best place to eat Flammkuchen is in the Alsace itself of course, but also in the neighboring Palatinate and Baden. Today you can find Flammkuchen all over Germany, with an array of toppings.
Make it at home:
9. Kartoffelpuffer
Kartoffelpuffer, also called Reibekuchen, are German potato pancakes and are the perfect choice for a hearty quick snack. They are also a very popular dish to cook at home, but you can find them at street food markets and festivals around Germany. I like it best served with some Apfelmus (German Apple Sauce) but they are pretty versatile and go well with other condiments, like mustard (affiliate link) or ketchup.
Where to eat it:
Kartoffelpuffer is at home all around Germany and many other German-speaking countries. However, if I had to pick one town to try it would be Cologne, as here they are deeply embedded in the regional cuisine.
Make it at home:
10. Berliner (German Donuts)
For those with a sweet tooth - just grab a Berliner. Also known as Krepple, Krapfen, or Pfannkuchen (depending on where in Germany you are). These sweet fried German donuts are filled with jams, egg liqueur, or even mustard (affiliate link) (explanation below).
You will typically find them during the German carnival season (Fasching), but in the North of Germany, they are also eaten on New Year's Eve. At midnight everybody takes a Berliner, but one will be filled with mustard (affiliate link) instead of jam. You are supposed to pretend nothing happened if you were the unlucky person who bites into the mustard (affiliate link) donut!
Where to eat it
These are easily found in any bakery in Germany. What will differ are the fillings. In the North and South, they are filled with red jam, in Bavaria with apricot jam, in Franconia and Swabia with rosehip jam, and in East Germany with plum butter.
Make it at home:
11. Spaghetti Eis
It would almost be a crime to come to Germany and not have a bowl of Spaghetti Ice Cream aka Spaghetti Eis. Another national favorite street food that has been introduced to us by an Italian immigrant. He simply pressed vanilla ice cream through a spätzlemaker to resemble Spaghetti. The bolognese sauce is made of pureed strawberries and the parmesan of grated white chocolate.
Where to eat it
If you visit Germany in the summer, you will quickly notice that ice cream parlors (Eisdielen) are extremely popular. Spaghetti Eis is the most popular Sundae in Germany, and it will always be on the menu.
If I had to choose one place to eat it I would suggest the ice cream parlor, Fontanella in Mannheim. This is the original place where it was invented.
Make it at home
12. Handbrot
Foto courtesy of Jana Reifegerste on Flickr
20 years ago you would only find Handbrot in Dresden, but today you can find it at many Christmas Markets and Street Food festivals in Germany. Another name for this iconic bread is "Rahmklecks". It's a bread that is filled with cheese and ham and then topped with a chive-sour cream or a herb quark dip. Translated the name means "Hand Bread" and this is because you can eat it conveniently without any cutlery. Just your hands.
What is your favorite German Street Food?
Let me know in the comments!
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