If you haven’t been to this delicious, unique and intimate little spot with great food, you need to make it a point to try.

A late errand in Fredericksburg takes us to the doorstep of Otto’s German Bistro, steps away from the Pacific War Museum and the Fredericksburg Art Guild Gallery on East Austin Street. We’ve been here before, and it was so good we promised ourselves that we would return.

Otto’s is far from the stereotypical German restaurant in Fredericksburg. It is rustic-contemporary in both décor and menu, featuring local, organic produce while additional high-quality ingredients are sourced from other areas when they cannot be obtained locally. There is a German flair for sure, with lots of German-sounding descriptions, but I have my eye on a very Italian sounding Gnocchi. Michael is leaning toward a Duck Schnitzel. Not your typical schnitzel, that’s for sure.

The menu changes weekly and our choices today may be gone tomorrow, appearing again when the dart hits the bullseye just right, or the sun shines on the perfect field of perfect produce.

However, Gravlax seems to be a standard, even though the accompaniments may vary. I’m torn between starting with this dry cured früchte de mer or the happy hour special of fried sauerkraut balls for $5. The salmon wins. But, I do opt for a Happy Hour glass of chardonnay for the same reasonable price. Michael opts for Brot und Butter—bakery jog bread and organic butter served with beet jam.

When my Gravlax order arrives it looks like Texas Hill Country Spring on a plate. There is a generous mound of dry-cured salmon on top of a beautiful assortment of mandolin shaved cucumber and thinly sliced fennel. It is also amply studded with tender bite-sized pieces of fresh asparagus, green beans, and arugula. The entire vegetable mélange is marinated in a sweet citrusy sauce and combining some of the fresh veggies with the thinly sliced cured salmon is a perfect bite.  Wonderful!

The Gnocchi entree is another exploration in assembling the perfect bite by blending a variety of flavors and textures. A mound of soft savory gently browned Italian pillows on a bed of sautéed vegetables. Deliciously savory kale (I could eat an entire bowl of just kale, it is that good) small cubes of golden beets and turnips blanketed with wisps of sprouts and laced with small mounds of creamy cheese. After eating everything on my plate of Gravlax, finishing the very filling bowl of Gnocchi before me is pretty much out of the question, no matter how delicious.

I am totally bummed to be so full that tonight dessert isn’t even an option. Next time. For there will be many of those, I am sure. Otto’s is very much worth the hour and ten-minute drive to get here—for any number of reasons.

Otto’s German Bistro

316 East Austin Street

Fredericksburg, TX 78624

Otto’s is a small intimate restaurant with limited seating, both inside and on the covered, protected patio. Walk-ins are welcome (first come first served) but if plan to have dinner there I would definitely go online and make reservations. They consistently receive high reviews on Trip Advisor, Yelp, Google Reviews and Facebook (averaging 4 1/2 stars out of 5) and have received accolades in the press since opening in 2014.

Hours

Open Daily – 4 to 11 p.m.

Sunday Brunch – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Contact Information

Phone:  830.307.3336

Email: otto@ottosfbg.com