Suppenküche — Restaurant in San Francisco

Finally made it out here a few weeks ago, after having heard rave reviews about them for years, and I can't say I was particularly wowed - though, to be fair, I don't remember a time when German food has ever really blown my mind.

Potato Pancakes - These were, admittedly, pretty tasty, but it's hard to mess up what is essentially just hashed browns with a side of apple sauce. Or, well, I say it's hard, but a number of the ones we had actually came out slightly burnt and bitter.

Herring Salad - This one can probably be put on me, because the texture of the herring was a lot like that of sashimi, which I'm not really a fan of. Texture aside, the flavors of the overall dish weren't bad.

Meatloaf - I was one of those weird kids that liked meatloaf, so I have a tendency to try it when I see it on the menu. Good flavors all in all, but a bit too salty and plain to me: I mean, yes, there's a lot of flavor in the meatloaf itself, but all the plate is is a slice of meatloaf and a heaping of mashed potatoes, which'll run you $18.50.

So, the real issue here is highlighted by the last item above: it's not that Suppenkuche is bad, it's just that it's not good enough for me to justify going again, given the prices. If not for what I consider to be slightly poor value, they'd qualify for a low three stars instead.

Accessibility Info

Venue - There's a large single step ledge at the entrance, which can be traversed with the aid of a somewhat narrow, portable steel ramp that the staff can bring outside for you. If you're not with a group of friends, I suspect you'd have to try your luck either flagging down a stranger to fetch an employee, or calling their main number to have them bring it out. The inside itself is a bit on the crowded side, and getting to your table may necessitate having to ask some people to shift around.

Bathroom - As far as I could tell, the only restrooms they had had incredibly narrow entrances, and were not...

Came here during Oktoberfest and my group totalllyyy forgot until we got there and it was jam packed! All I wanted was the potato pancakes and the boot-shaped glass of beer but since Oktoberfest was happening, these were unavailable this particular evening. How sad ):

We ended up getting the half chicken, a pretzel, bratwurst sausages, mac'n'cheese and a side of fries. When the food came out, it all looked smaller than we anticipated for the four of us but the meats were all quite delicious. I usually like sauerkraut but for some reason, the ones that came w/ the bratwurst tasted a bit off for me.

On another occasion, I was nearby Suppenkuche during lunch time so we decided to go on in and give it a try. Why not? When else will we ever try German brunch? There was a general brunch menu and a daily brunch menu. This time, the potato pancakes were available so of course, we got it.

POTATO PANCAKES It's like hash browns but with a thicker layer of fried goodness. It almost looked like fried ramen noodles haha but it was very good. It came with a side of cold apple sauce. I wonder how it would taste with hot apple sauce instead?

VEAL + CHICKEN SAUSAGE SOUP W/ PRETZEL Slightly full from the potato pancakes, soup sounded just right. The sausage was tasty but the soup was a bit too salty. It tasted like chicken broth from a can... The pretzel was spot on with the crisp yet soft texture.

SMOKED SALMON OMELETTE My friend ordered this and it was insanely overwhelming in its salt levels. My first bite of it and I'm already doubting if I can even finish it. My friend didn't finish it... he left maybe 7 bites of it behind.

So now I know. German brunch is not the way to go. At least for me. I gotta come back to give this place a REAL try and order the wiener schnitzel with a side of potato pancakes. But as of now, I'm at a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 for the hopes of a good dinner meal here...

Like a bad husband likes to say HE thinks you look great, I think this place is a 5-star. I'm ok with the flaws I feel obligated to report here after two dinners. For now, we go to the many positives. First off it's a German food pub where people sit at whatever table has space! Ya. Warm-lit cozy ambiance. Excellent beer from Belgium. The eggs are smashing said my guest human deviled egg-making-conisseur. Take in cabbage and beet with each bite. Magnificent.The schnitizels, mashed and fried potatoes, cabbage, dumplings, salad, cider, beer, spaetzle, and streudel (from German bakery next door) are super tasty. Pretty darn good is the sauerbrauten, (much better than my spelling), pretzels, duck, and bread pudding. Do skip the "mulled wine" unless you like warm wine with no spice. Such a shame as it's darn cold in the place if not half full. Take a coat people. Word to the cook, Dude, learn now to make real mulled wine and soon. I want to go have some so I can sit in the warm lighting and enjoy some German food in a place where you sit at whatever table has space! Speaking of that, thankfully I did not order the wine at second visit. The stranger human at our table shared that like the stuff I tried earlier in the week, her mulled wine was not. Dang it's so simple to make right! Whole foods sells the spices you need for crying out loud. Start with lots of cloves, some cinnamon, and one or two of those star things and apple or pomegranate juice. After cooking on very low heat for an hour or more, add wine and orange peel, heat up again. Let it sit overnight perhaps. Use those Ikea bottles. Garnish, yadda yadda. At home we add liqueur but you probably can't do that? Finally, at this amazing den, the service is European but you still tip them. Well it's not that bad, haha. Go see for yourself! I LOVE THE PLACE. Five...