Off the beaten path,
just off a busy airport road, is Hans & Franz Biergarten, a
German restaurant that is oddly enough run by a Dutchman, who also owns Addy's
downtown. The restaurant looks quite authentic, plays (horrible) authentic German
music, and has a nice Biergarten
(beer garden) outside. Hans & Franz serves real German food, including Wurst (sausage), schnitzel, Spaetzel, Bratkartoffeln
(baked potatoes), Frikadellen, and fleishkase. I decide to go for my favorites.
I start with the Hungarian
Goulash Soup ($4.50), which is really German rather than Hungarian (in Hungary
Goulash is a stew, in Germany it is a soup). The soup is remarkably authentic,
i.e. it tastes exactly like a German (Hungarian) Goulash Soup. It has a nice kick,
but is a bit too watery.
I then go for the Currywurst ($6.75), my favorite German
snack. The sausage is relatively short, but very thick - in the end, it must
weight roughly the same as a regular Currywurst
in Germany, which is longer and thinner. Its consistency and taste are near
authentic, as is the curry sauce and the Kaiser
Brötchen (roll). Shame they didn't have the curry powder that is normally
sprinkled on it. The fries were more fried than deep fried, but I enjoyed the
herb mayo – it reminded me of the German McDonalds, which used to have it.
All food was so good
that I decided to go the whole nine yards and also try the desserts. I chose the
Apfelstrudel (apple pie), which was a
bit too sweet, but again near-authentic. It was served lukewarm, which I
actually prefer to warm.
VERDICT: 96/100
Who would have known
that one of the best German restaurant in the US is in Greenville, South Carolina?
I can't wait to come back and try more of Hans & Franz’s delicious food!