UPDATE: PERMANENTLY CLOSED
Restaurant: Herman Ze German
Locations:
- Soho, Central London
Address: 33 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JU
Phone number: 020 7734 0431
Nearest Tube Stations: Leicester Square
2. Charing Cross, Central London
Address: 19 Villiers Street, WC2N 6ND
Phone number: 020 7839 5264
Nearest Tube Station: Charing Cross (Tube and Train stations) + Embankment
3. Fitzrovia, Central London
Address: 43 Charlotte Street, W1T 1RS
Phone number: 020 7323 9207
Nearest Tube Station: Goodge Street + Tottenham Court Road
Food: Gluten free German sausages and fries (among other things)!
We stumbled on this charming little German restaurant while crossing through Soho from Leicester Square to Oxford Street and a vague recollection of it being mentioned on some gluten free groups made us want to stop and ask out of curiosity.
Yes! All their sausages are gluten free! Their fries are also cooked in a dedicated fryer so there is no cross contamination!
Another upside is that the staff are clearly clued up about gluten and immediately pointed us towards safe options on the menu. When you’re coeliac, there’s nothing better than a restaurant that can make you feel safe from the get go. Being filled with anxiety the whole time you’re eating or being reduced to just watching your friends eat in front of you is never fun. 😉
I opted for the currywurst and pomme frites meal (but without the curry sauce, sadly, as it’s not gluten free). While this may seem like a simple meal to some, it’s quite special to me. Both of these foods are rarely gluten free in UK restaurants so it’s somewhat different to usual GF options. You’d think fries would normally be ok – because, you know, they’re potatoes! – but many either coat them in flour to make them crispier or fry them in the same oil as gluten containing foods.
Both were delicious – the fries were so super crispy, just how I like them – and made for a perfect quick naughty meal. Since us coeliacs can’t really eat from chip shops (or very few at least), this is a perfect alternative (albeit a bit more pricy).
After looking at their allergen menu online {here}, I also discovered that there were other gluten free options for sides like coleslaw, carrot salad, potato salad as well as cheese and sauerkraut as choices of toppings.
The restaurant itself is also quite cosy. I love the look of the place with the fairy lights, beer bottle openers inbuilt in the walls and the decor in general. It definitely has a cool, dare I say ‘hipster’ vibe. We were just passing by, grabbing a quick bite, so we didn’t stay long, but I can imagine it would be a nice place to stop by for a drink as well (sadly no gluten free beer though!).
For more information, check out their website {here} and menu {here}.
