German Bakery – Restaurant Review
The restaurant German Bakery has been around in Pune’s Koregaon Park for years…it existed two decades ago and when we recently checked it out, we found it was still going strong. It’s a famous Pune landmark and is usually haunted by foreigners on a budget.
You get baked goods and continental food at reasonable prices. A glass of fresh orange juice for example costs around Rs 35/- and it is real orange juice. In most other restaurants you get sweetened and diluted juice if you pay this price.
It’s not for nothing that the place calls itself a Health Food joint. The apple pie is scrunchy and very full of apple, but not sweet. Same goes for many other “sweet” baked goods. It’s not something that a person with a really sweet tooth (of the Indian kind) will enjoy but if you are looking for authentic low calorie stuff at a reasonable price then German Bakery is the place.
The continental food offered is bland, non-oily and suits the taste of foreigners. The baked potato for instance is lightly flavoured, and so are the veggies. You get a limited variety in food and it’s mostly snacky.
Burgers and fries (tofu burgers too), eggs, toast, salads are popular eats. A dish of baked potato and vegetables (illustrated above) costs around Rs 90/-. Okay, it’s not exactly cheap but considering that authentic continental food is quite expensive, particularly in a clean place, I thought the price reasonable. The portions are decent, compared to some “posh” restaurants selling continental food where they serve fried (!) garlic bread to make up the small quantity of the main dish. Overall I find that in India authentic continental food is not available at reasonable prices, unlike say Chinese food. However many in India may not even like the authentic stuff as it may be considered too bland.
German Bakery has dhaba-like feel and boasts of a casual crowd, both Indians and foreigners. Drugs seem to be around or rather, some of the patrons look stoned out of their wits. A lady sitting by herself at the next table for instance did not move her head an inch (she was staring straight ahead of her) the whole time we were there! And we were there for more than an hour.
As the German Bakery is near the Osho Ashram, you get a lot of ashramites as well as visitors to the ashram here.
Overall, the place is a value for money place, it’s clean, and the service fast. Worth a visit.
Location: Near Osho Ashram, Koregaon Park, Pune.
Related Reading: More restaurant reviews.
(ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ON THIS BLOG ARE COPYRIGHTED TO NITA JATAR KULKARNI. PLEASE DO NOT STEAL AND THIS APPLIES TO NEWSPAPERS LIKE TIMES OF INDIA AND HINDUSTAN TIMES AS WELL)
A wide angle view of India 
Maybe that lady had achieved a state of bliss!! 😀
Oh my god 🙂 I have lots of pictures and fond memories of this place. We used to go to this bakery so often! I can’t ever forget the taste of those cakes and the creamy coffee. I used to buy those Osho chappals for Rs.25/pair. This place is always choc-a-bloc with the young crowd and other westerners who get drawn to Osho ashram. Koregaon Park also has so many other lovely places that are worth visiting! I remember going to that desi “Burger King” where you get rose milk for Rs. 3? That used to be the price 4 years back at least. And they had lovely burgers too. 🙂
I’m actually staring at a picture of me and a friend, clicked right outside German Bakery.
Thanks a lot for this post! I always seem to enjoy anything that you post about Pune.
Ruhii !
If you have those beautiful pics of german bakery – can send some of the best on my email. I wish to use the pics in a TV news report.
Pankaj
Pune
*chuckling at Amit’s comment*
I’m suddenly in the mood for apple strudel. From what I’ve had of German food, I can see how those who are used to Indian food would see it bland or not consider it sweet. Although I do like “Indian sweet” on occasion, a little goes a long way with me, but I’ve never had a big sweet tooth. I love Japanese baked goods and sweets for that reason. Whereas Japanese tend to really like Maneschevitz, a kosher wine, because of it’s sweetness. Hm, maybe it’s too much of that as a child that ruined my tooth. I can imagine Einstein saying, “sweet is relative”.
What’s dhaba?
Dhaba means shack, a food shack. 🙂 – Nita.
Oh my God, Nita, you sure brought back memories – and what wonderful ones! 🙂 Can’t quite call it an ‘adda’, but I’d hang out there quite often with the Max Mueller junta. They had a terrific walnut cake, and coffee 🙂 And there used to be this beggar kid right outside with a perpetually sick baby in arms (don’t mean to sound insensitive, but all of Pune knew her and was convinced it was a ploy :-|). I think she shifted base from outside Marz-o-rin; she used to be there before 😀
A heartfelt thanks for this post. Please do write about such ‘padeek’ hang-outs when you get a chance….I’m smiling as I type 🙂 Good times…
-g
I have been planning a visit to Pune, now this is one more item to edge me towards that 🙂
Food looks ‘healthy-low cal-yum’
not something that a person with a really sweet tooth (of the Indian kind) will enjoy .. if you are looking for authentic low calorie stuff at a reasonable price then German Bakery is the place.
So I guess this place is something related to the new fashion of being thin at all costs, since, as far as I know, German cakes though excellent are very fat with calories. Such a dangerous fashion here, being thin at all costs, especially for young girls.
Btw, does the traditional Indian sweet tooth like calories?
German Bakery…hmm…maybe i’ll visit that given an opportunity. But whenever I go to Pune, I make it a point to get some biscuits and cakes from Kayani Bakery! Their Brazil nut biscuits are out of this world!
Amit, 🙂
Ruhi, Gauri, glad to have revived some of your old memories! For me too it was kind of going down memory lane.
Ruhi, I don’t remember the desi burger kind though, but overall prices have increased, or rather, doubled and tripled.
Gauri, there are such beggar moms all over the place these days! 😦 One is never sure how genuine they are.
Aathira, food is yum alright! 🙂
Mish, for me the sweet tooth thing worked the opposite way. There was so much sugar in everything, so many sweets around, that I developed a kind of dislike towards eating sweet things. Today I do not like overly sweet things, but its nothing to do with dieting. I just cannot get it down!
Man of Roma, I guess it is that kind of place, being basically a place which sells “health” food! However its not the kind of place an average Indian would enjoy as the sweet tooth is too sweet! And generally the average Indian is not into dieting although the fad is catching on in the metros.
Gopinath, Kayanis also sells some tasty stuff but its not health food or low cal food. Its basically all white flour and sugar. Also, German Bakery is more of a hang-out joint, something you cannot do at Kayanis.
Hmmmm….
I love the crowd there……….
their healthy burgers are awesome and so is their breakfast… fluffy omlettes buttered toast and crunchy salads… heaven! ur post makes me want to hop into a volvo and head straight to pune for a sumptuous meal that doesn’t cost a bomb and doesn’t add to the inches on the waist either!
Nice one 🙂
Oh how bland it all seems to you! That reminds me of the sketch on the TV comedy show ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ in the 90s. Did you ever see it? Where Indians in a restaurant here were competing to see who could be macho enough to eat the blandest thing on the menu! Ha! And health food is the blandest stuff of all! I loved that show. With Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal.
This is a nice post. Take it easy.
🙂 my mouth has started watering! I hope i remember this place if and when i visit pune… 🙂
sounds good 🙂
Yummy!! Next time I go to Pune, I m going to check out this place. I didnt know u did restaurant reviews too!
P.S. There is a gems and stones shop on Koregaon Park Road..also one selling gift items. Have u visited those? Are they over priced?
reema, those shops will fleece you. 🙂 – Nita
Love your restaurant reviews especially when it’s about health food!
will check thatout if i ever visit pune ..
35 for orange juice is not bad
This really sounds interesting and off-beat! I am hoping Reema will take me along!
I love this kind of food. Non oily, non chatpata and bland. I think I am really going to like this place. 🙂
I remember once roaming around in Kodaikanal and completely bored of the oily food, we noticed a small restaurant and that was one breakfast I would never forget. Cheese omelette with baked beans. It was absolute bliss.
Now I don’t know why I wrote that episode here but your post just brought back that memory. 🙂
@ Nita : Interesting photos, the baked potato sort of looks a bit strange though. There are some good bakeries up in the mountains and well some are run by Israelis and some by Europeans. Although I agree finding western food in India is a challenge and at reasonable prices. Nepal is much better in this matter.
Lol @Amit No:1’s comment 🙂
Though I don’t like such lifeless (read non-spicy and non- salty/sweet) I too do try them at home once in a while for a change.. Indian food is the best and healthy,with all spices..just that we need to keep limit for oil and masala powders used in the dish..I believe that if we take care of such small things while cooking,indian food is the most complete and healthy food..
Also,maybe due to geographical differences,I find that small plate of food is too overhyped for 90 rupees… 🙂
Talking about sweet tooth of Indians, I once offered some Indian sweets to my Chinese friend (a university batchmate from mainland China). He took a piece and bit into it. Then we kept talking. I noticed that he simply held the rest of the piece in his hand and did not take another bite. After a while, I asked him whether he liked the sweet or not. He said it was intolerably sweet for him and could not take another bite. 🙂
I was taken aback a bit. But that was my first experience of anyone not liking an Indian sweet.
Over time, I have become a little Chinese in my tastes. My Indian sweet tooth has lost its sweetness quite a bit. I’m all for Chinese bland food now!!
SaTaN, Vishesh, thanks for your response!
compulsivewriter, exactly! 🙂
Joss, that’s the Indian taste buds for you! 🙂 So those who are in the minority and like bland food have a problem at many restuarants.
Sakhi, Nomad, if you come to Pune, contact me, and I’ll take you there. 🙂
wishtobeanon, another health freak like me huh! 🙂
Arvind, yeah 35 for pure juice. The ones you get at most juice stalls is diluted with ice and water and sugar and often customers don’t even know it.
Amit, me too like this type of food. Even the Indian food that I like is the non-spicy kind. Actually in our community, our kind of food is bland too. So for us eating bland food is tradition! 🙂 At times when we get a foreign guest and he/she wants to eat Indian food, its not easy to find an inexpensive restaurant which serves non-spicy food.
Odzer, I think we in India are not that tourist friendly. And about the potatoes, the stuff was grated and then baked.
Nimmy, I don’t mind spicy food as a one-off but cannot tolerate it for a second meal in a row. Actually traditional food in our community is bland and I guess that is why our kind of food never became a popular Indian cuisine. In fact if you ask me I like Indian food the best, but the kind we eat, not the spicy kind. And there are two different Amits on this thread. 🙂
Vinod, I know exactly what the Chinese man felt. Even our tea, its syrupy! Luckily I don’t like the taste of overly sweet things, and I don’t have to do what I see many around me doing – struggling to get rid of their habit of eating sweets!
Cool review, I missed this restaurant during my time in Pune. May be I will visit the place if I come there sometime.
If you like western food, you will love it. 🙂 – Nita.
Do you know the biggest, no wait, super biggest fan of bakery products? Yes that’s me. And this means I must visit this place. Maybe they make stuff better than I do…. LOL!
@odzer / finding western food:
… or any international food for that matter. I think we Indians are drenched in ‘mine is the best’ mindset.
If you liked baked food, you will love this as they have the best pies and strudles, and less sweet, so I hope you don’t have a very sweet tooth! – Nita
Your article brought back memories of DU and the good old days! Especially the zombie like lady:) Hmmmm…………
DU! How I miss those days! And I was always broke and used to envy all of you who had more money in their pocket to buy that hot chai and cookies! – Nita.
I never knew you do reviews on restaurants as well 😀 It will definitely come in handy when I plan my trip to India next year ! It is difficult to get fresh juices here in the States! You can find more fruit smoothies than juices.
I love food, although I am not a gourmet eater or anything like that. But I am quite demanding of certain things in a restaurant and therefore usually blog about restaurants, good or bad. – Nita.
How sad to see (also) it destroyed by Islamist Terrorists – all my thoughts to the next of kin to the killed and wounded people.
So sad….