None of the sides are standouts. Hot German potato salad (a lunch-only side) is so un-vinegary that it could almost pass for the boiled potatoes, another option. Spätzle, those delightful egg noodles you'd associate with your grandmother if she were German (or Polish, like mine), would benefit from more time in the pan to evaporate the water. German-fried potatoes, with morsels of Yukon golds browned with onions, are woefully under-seasoned and good for little more than soaking up sauce. (Given how many sauces are on the menu — cream, paprika cream, mushroom cream, sour cream, etc. — it's a safe bet that at least one entree at the table is drenched in one.) And the sauerkraut and red cabbage are sweeter than most desserts.
A better choice for that last course is the whipped-cream-topped apple strudel. Made in-house (the only dessert that is), this traditional pastry features a nicely tart filling and tender crust. But it's not sweet enough to erase the sour disappointment left by a meal at Cafe Berlin.
1600 Champa St., Unit 230
Denver, CO 80202
Category: Restaurant > German
Region: Downtown Denver
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Next time I'm nostalgic for the '90s, I'll skip the schnitzel, stuffed cabbage and tomato salad. Instead, I'll buy some truffle oil and brush up on the Macarena.
I think the writer is in need of an intervention. Do you know anything about good food? I really like the selection, the service, the beer, and the outstanding food. I like to try different cuisines and Denver is definitely lacking in German food. If you like to eat boring food then you probably shouldn't eat here. This is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Colorado. If you want great German food you should eat at Cafe Berlin!!
I can't believe how completely off base this review is. Cafe Berlin has amazing authentic german cuisine. I go there to experience the same food that enjoyed when visiting germany. What are you looking for a German american fusion? If you cant go to a restaurant and enjoy their specialty perhaps you should stick to something you understand and can appreciate. I have tried almost all of their dishes and every one of them was perfect, borderline addictive. I really hope anyone reading this article will realize it is just the authors opinion You know what they say about opinions..... give Cafe Berlin a try. I realize I'm just one person too, so check the online reviews .. Urban spoon 4 stars Yelp 4 stars trip advisor 4.5 stars that is a compilation of 450 opinions. Looks like the author has been outvoted.
As someone who currently lives in Germany, and has a great appreciation and knowledge for German cuisine, I find this article to be horribly incorrect. The largest problem with the author's statement is that typically cuisine which comes from a national origin, is unique to that national origin. The menu has been the way its been because it's reflective of German cuisine. Cafe Berlin offers, in my opinion, wonderful German food which is of great quality, and just as good and authentic as it is here in Germany. This isn't Bennigan's, people don't go to Cafe Berlin for new reinventions of the wheel. Your article's logos is like telling the Italian's that pasta has been done already, so they should really start reinventing their entire national cuisine. If you want good German food, you're going to get schweinekotellet mit Äpfeln and sauerkraut, because that's what it is, German food.
@ian.nissen So Germans never create updated recipes or menu items in Germany? Sounds kinda boring. Last time I was there, I had many innovative dishes based on traditional dishes and classics that nevertheless had modern style and sensibility. It's possible to offer flavors, textures, and ingredients that evoke the past without blindly following tradition.
Then again, it's also possible to create exceptional restaurant food from traditional recipes. If Cafe Berlin does neither, then it deserves the review it was given.
I'd like to publish some of these comments in our print edition, ideally with full names/towns (we don't publish e-mail addresses). Denver Dave? Steveville? Five Points? Mmmmm? Let me know at patricia.calhoun@westword.com -- and if you'd rather submit a replacement letter, that's fine, too.
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I'm gonna have to git yer back here, Gretchen. Helga's is much, much better, and when I want to go out for good German food I don't wanna get stuck eating stuff I can make better at home, from mixes. : )
I so totally agree with this review. Cafe Berlin is totally lame and IMO has been since day one and I should know because I was there for the opening. Our last experience there was so bad that we have sworn off forever. Service and food were abysmal. You're better off at Golden Europe, Chinook (although very pricy), or Helga's. For the best German in Colorado you need to take a road trip to Colorado Springs to encounter the really wonderful Heidelberg - that's the very best of the best.
The Old Heidelberg in Springs was phenomenal, and the pastries were unbelievably good. Unfortunately it closed a couple years back, so you can no longer sample the strudel and schnitzel there.
That little trivia question and answer to open this (off-the-mark) review make no sense whatsoever. Because, in 1995, most HS seniors were in diapers and Cafe Berlin opened ... they share the year in common how, exactly?
You know it's poor writing when you lose a reader in the opening sentence.
@FivePoints I graduated from HS in 1995, and I wear diapers now, in 2012. Don't effin judge me.
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This is why we can't have nice things. Please dont change a thing Cafe Berlin. The best Traditionial German food in Colorado. Thanks Gretchen. Your reviews are terrible.
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