Best German Restaurant
Old Heidelberg Restaurant
Located on State Road 84 in Fort Lauderdale, across the street from Lauderdale Memorial Park, the old Tudor-style building that houses Old Heidelberg Restaurant is hard to miss. It’s proudly adorned with German flags and a changeable message board with a seemingly never-changing message: “LUNCH $6.95, DINNER FROM $10.95.” (Though, sadly, the inside prices have caught up with inflation). The dimly-lit, wood-paneled space is filled with German memorabilia, from Oktoberfest posters to Bavarian pennant banners to waitresses dressed in traditional dirndls. While the menu is a celebration of hearty authentic German fare –– with classics like fleischkäse, spiessbraten, and Bavarian roast duck –– the true star of the show is the wiener schnitzel. Served with mashed potatoes and red cabbage, the golden, pan-fried cutlet is perfectly crisp on the outside yet tender and juicy on the inside. Wash it down with an ice-cold Krombacher the size of your head (literally — they serve towering 2-liter mugs), and don’t even consider leaving without trying the homemade apple strudel.