The food of Austria and Germany may not be the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think of Greater Vancouver’s thriving multicultural dining scene, but the city is also home to several spots that serve up a fine schnitzel.

While the dish—which consists of thin, breaded, and fried cutlets (typically veal, pork, or turkey)—may not be the most Instagrammable item out there, it’s filling and comforting. Here are a few local places to find it.

Bauhaus Restaurant, 1 West Cordova Street

If you’re going to give in to your schnitzel craving, why not have one of the best chefs in the city make it for you?

Stefan Hartmann ran his eponymous restaurant in Berlin, earning a Michelin star, before coming to Vancouver to lead the kitchen at Bauhaus. (It was voted Best Other European restaurant by industry insiders in the Georgia Straight’s 2017 Golden Plates awards.)

He puts creative touches on classic German dishes, and every week Bauhaus offers its #TGIF Friday lunch special: weiner schnitzel with seared potatoes and cucumber salad along with an authentic draught Früh Kölsch Beer for $22. (There are different $22 lunch specials other days of the week.)

Klaus’s Schnitzel, 170 West 3rd Avenue, North Vancouver

Before he opened Klaus’s Kaffee Haus with his partner, Jensen Sadikin, in the heart of Chinatown, trained chef Baron Klaus Erich von Hochgotz ran Klaus’s food truck, which specialized in weiner schnitzel.

After von Hochgotz, an Austria native and bonda fide baron, was contracted to cook for an Oktoberfest gathering at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in North Vancouver, he ended up launching Klaus’s Schnitzel at the club. (You don’t need to be an Eagles member to eat there.)

Dinner is served Wednesday to Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. After ordering your wiener schnitzel, you go to a wooden crate to pick your own fresh potato that Klaus will cut up himself to make thick steak fries ($10.50). (You can get Austrian potato salad instead of fries for $13.50.) Other options include schnitzel sandwiches and a vegetarian strudel.

Save room for Klaus’s home-made apple strudel for dessert ($6).

Jägerhof Restaurant, 71 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver

Jägerhof is a Lower Lonsdale institution, having been around for close to four decades. (Current owners Christopher and Kassandra Gehry took over from the previous ones, who retired in 2014 after 33 years in business.)

“We’re not hip or cool, fancy or pretentious but we love our little piece of Alpine Europe here in North Van,” they say on their website. 

Serving German, Austrian, Swiss, and South Tyrol cuisine (including beef rouladen, rösti, spätzle, and bratwurst), Jägerhof offers several types of schnitzel, including the dolce brusco, with a red currant-wine sauce.

There’s strudel here too, as well as flourless Black Forest cake with drunken cherries and vanilla sauce.