Our latest installment of Quick Bites brings us to Crown Heights for German's legendary soup.
THE VIBE
Not many restaurants can be classified as truly legendary, but among the Guyanese of New York City, German's is definitely one of them.
Hubert "German" Urling founded the place some 60 years ago in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, where it remains both a vital gathering spot in that city and, as the story goes, one of first stops for expats upon returning home, to get a bowl of Urling's famous Cow Heel Soup. Two years ago, German's sons Clinton and Hubert Jr. brought the taste of Georgetown to NYC, first in Flushing and now to a new, larger location in Crown Heights.
The new German's is a counter service restaurant, with all the cooking and ordering done way in the back. There's no outdoor seating for now, there's very little frontage to work with outside on Utica Avenue, but there is indoor dining at three properly distanced tables. And while in there, you can check out some vintage photographs of the Guyana German's on the wall.
The move, however, is to stop by for takeout or order delivery, and I highly recommend the former if you can swing it, so you can see the food on the steam table, interact with the amiable staff, and save the restaurant from having to pay those third-party delivery fees.
THE BITES
The food at German's Soup is purportedly all prepared according to the original family recipes, and can be variously described as Guyanese, Caribbean, and/or Creole. Soups, unsurprisingly, are at the menu's core, and massive pots of the stuff bubble away on the stove behind the counter. The Cow Hoof is as great as advertised, the broth gulp-down rich and creamy, but if you don't care for cartilage (I happen to love gnawing through the gumminess) the Chicken Soup is almost as good.
Mains comes with a mountain of rice, either regular white or well-seasoned and studded with fat raisins, which went quite well with my BBQ Chicken, an oversized leg-and-thigh combo with a terrific sauce caramelized onto the skin. Or get the Curry Snapper and they'll give you a whole fish (minus the head and tail) just drowning in another first-rate sauce. And make you sure you grab a to-go crock or three of German's fiery yellow pepper sauce as well.
I also made my way through two of German's side dishes, which are almost hearty enough for a full meal, and especially enjoyed the popular Guyanese street food Pholourie, a half dozen or so dense, unexpectedly spicy balls of fried split-pea and flour dough. In a recurring theme, the chutney dipping sauce was superb, and really brought the balls to life. Also good was the Channa, a kind of boil-and-fry chickpea salad thick with curry. I was on a bike and didn't want to risk carrying a beverage back to my local park, but I hear the housemade Mauby is a delight.
THE VERDICT
German's Soup is an excellent local option for good, inexpensive food you can't get everywhere else. Definitely check out the legend if you have the chance.
German's Soup is located at 410 Utica Avenue, just north of Montgomery Street, and is currently open from Tuesday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from 10:30 to 9:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 10:45 to 8 p.m.. Closed Mondays. (718-513-0376; germanssoup.com)
Guyana's Famous "German's Soup" Now In Crown Heights - Gothamist
