Best German Restaurants in NYC: World Cup 2026 Guide

New York City has had a German-American community since the 19th century, when German immigrants flooded into the Lower East Side's "Kleindeutschland" and later moved uptown to Yorkville. At its peak, 86th Street between Lexington and Third Avenue was so densely German that it was known as "German Broadway" or — less charitably — "Sauerkraut Boulevard." You could hear German spoken on every block. The neighborhood had its own German-language newspaper.

That Yorkville is mostly gone, replaced by chain stores and luxury condos. But a few remarkable institutions survived — and in Queens, the Ridgewood and Glendale neighborhoods still carry the German-American community tradition in old-school beer halls and social clubs. Germany plays at MetLife on June 25. The New York area's German community will be at full volume for that match.

Yorkville, Upper East Side — The Last German Neighborhood

Heidelberg Restaurant — 1648 Second Ave (at 86th St)

The last legitimate German restaurant in Yorkville, open since 1939. Of the dozens of German restaurants that once filled these blocks, Heidelberg is what remains. The owner has made it her mission to preserve the neighborhood's cultural history, and the menu reflects it: potato pancakes, käsespätzle (egg noodles baked with Emmenthaler cheese), sauerbraten, sausage platters, and schweinshaxe (Bavarian pork shank with sauerkraut and boiled potato). The pumpernickel is excellent. The schnitzel is the real thing. Walk in, sit down, and order the Bauernwurst platter with a stein. This is what German-American New York tasted like for 100 years.

Schaller & Weber / Schaller's Stube — 1654 Second Ave

Next door to Heidelberg, this butcher and deli has been making and selling German sausages, cheeses, hams, and cold cuts since 1937. Their products are shipped nationwide — the German community in NYC has been buying here for three generations. Schaller's Stube, the adjacent sausage bar, is the best casual German eating option on the Upper East Side: affordable beer, excellent sausages, outdoor seating in summer. Come here before a match for a quick bratwurst and a cold beer. The currywurst (sliced sausage topped with curry ketchup sauce) is a Berlin street food classic done properly.

Ridgewood & Glendale, Queens — The Old Community

Zum Stammtisch — 69-46 Myrtle Ave, Glendale

A pub-like room that has barely changed since it opened in 1972. Servers in dirndls deliver frosty steins of beer in a space where the regulars have been coming for decades. The food is solidly traditional German — schnitzel, goulash, braised pork, sauerkraut, spaetzle. This is not a concept restaurant or a themed beer hall — it's a genuine German community pub that happens to also serve excellent food. The Germany vs Ecuador match on June 25 will be screened here, and the atmosphere will be something.

Gottscheer Hall — 657 Fairview Ave, Ridgewood

More community center than restaurant, but one of the most historically significant German-American spaces in New York City. The Gottscheer Hall has served the Gottschee immigrant community — from a region of present-day Slovenia with German cultural roots — since 1924. The food is simple: beer, krainerwurst (smoked garlic sausages), and palatschinken (sweet crepes). This is a place to understand the depth of the German-American community in Queens, not to order a fine dining tasting menu. It's also one of the few places in the city where you might still hear the original Gottscheerisch dialect spoken by older members of the community.

Rudy's Pastry Shop — Ridgewood

A Ridgewood institution for over 90 years. The charming terrazzo floors and the glass display cases of Black Forest cake, cherry strudel, bee sting cake, and cheese strudel are exactly as they have been for decades. The Black Forest cake is the signature — boozy, heavy on cream, with a single red cherry on top. Buy a slice (or a whole cake) before the match and eat it in celebration or consolation depending on the result.

Midtown — The Beer Halls

Reichenbach Hall — 5 W 37th St

A sprawling Midtown beer hall above a Wendy's and a Dunkin' Donuts — the contrast is part of the charm. Bavarian facade, German flags, steins the size of small buckets. The food ranges from Berlin currywurst to Bavarian pretzels to Swedish meatballs (the menu is more "Central European" than strictly German). The space is excellent for large groups and the beer selection is impressive. Will have screens for every Germany match.

Bierhaus NYC — 712 Third Ave

A Midtown German beer bar with solid food, a good draft selection of German lagers and wheat beers, and the kind of communal long-table setup that makes a match-watching session feel like a proper event. Conveniently located for visitors staying in Midtown. The pretzels and sausages are the move; the bratwurst platter with mustard and sauerkraut is a reliable order.

Zum Schneider — 107 Ave C, East Village

A Bavarian beer garden that has been running in Alphabet City since 2000. The East Village location gives it a different energy than the Midtown beer halls — younger, louder, more festive. The beer list is excellent (Schneider Weisse is the house specialty), the pretzels are enormous, and the space gets packed for any Germany match. Outdoor seating when the weather allows.

What to Order: Essential German Dishes

• Schnitzel — Breaded and fried pork or veal cutlet, pounded thin. Order it with spaetzle or potato salad. The benchmark dish of German cooking.
• Schweinshaxe — Braised pork shank with crackling skin, served with sauerkraut and potato. Best in winter but excellent year-round.
• Käsespätzle — Egg noodle dumplings baked with melted cheese and topped with crispy onions. German mac and cheese, essentially. Addictive.
• Currywurst — Berlin's famous street food: sliced sausage smothered in curry ketchup sauce, served with fries. Simple, perfect, and better than it sounds.
• Soft Pretzel — Properly made with lye, giving it the distinctive glossy brown crust. Served with sweet mustard. Never skip this.
• Sauerbraten — Marinated braised beef, tangy and rich. A Sunday roast dish that requires advance planning from the kitchen — a sign of commitment to the craft.
• Black Forest Cake — Chocolate sponge, whipped cream, cherries, and Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps). Order it at Rudy's in Ridgewood to take home.

Germany vs Ecuador at MetLife — June 25

Germany's group stage concludes at MetLife Stadium on June 25. It's their most significant match of the group stage — the finale that will likely determine whether they top the group or finish second. New York's German-American community will be out in force, and every beer hall and German bar in the city will be screened up. Buy tickets early — the Tri-State German-American community is enormous.