Lunch—German style?

Okay, so hear me out. Yes, we found a German brew pub and yes, we ate lunch there. It might seem questionable to eat German food in Japan, a country known for its delicious, umami-rich cuisine. However, the thing about Japan is that the type of food doesn’t matter—you are still very likely to get Japanese quality. Soba? Curry? Okonomiyaki? Prepared with care, focus, and precision. Italian? German? Prepared with the same amount of dedication.

So we shouldn’t have be surprised that the food at Otaru Brewery was delicious; however, I was expecting something akin to my experience in the U.S. with German food, which has been less than stellar (with only one exception). So I was very pleasantly surprised!

When we walked in, the smell of hops and yeast brought me back briefly to my days as a brewpub hostess. But the decor was definitely German-inspired (think dark wood and long tables), and the robot food runner was absolutely Japanese-inspired. The fish and chips were delicately breaded and even through the deep-fried crust the freshness of the fish was obvious. Casey in particular loved the pretzel, and the sauerkraut was soft with a good balance of tang and mild sweetness. The pilsner and Weiss beers were also very refreshing and hit the spot after a long walk. Kampai!