Natalie the Nomad: German Pastry & Coffee Shop

Monthly Feature
Natalie has made her way to the Northwest.

The Background
Let me begin by saying that I am not a HUGE breakfast fan. Sure, I can eat a stack of pancakes like it’s my job [wait, do they have those?] but afterward I’m left struggling to get out the door, and all I’m focused on is a nap. What do I definitely steer away from at breakfast time? Sweets. It’s too much of a shock to the system, and all too often my coffee I.V. starts having a combined bad reaction to it and I’m nothing but a worthless, twitchy, cracked out maniac until I crash a few hours later.

The Place
WITH that said, my husband and I found an amazing little German pastry shop upon moving here to Washington state. We have been here less than 2 weeks, I’ve made 5 visits, and when I walked in the other day, the lady working the counter started getting my pastries out before I even ordered them. Either she has amazing memory or I have a problem. The German Pastry & Coffee Shop is simple. Yes, that is the name of the place. Like I said – simple! When you first walk in, you see 2 HUGE pastry displays. The first one is completely full of cakes, desserts, and pies. Up next, the pastry and coffee cakes section. I’m not lying when I say you can smell the pastries before you even walk into the shop – the tantalizing aroma of pastries combined with the scent of light coffee in the air is perfection. I’m just going to be bold, and say this is Heaven’s Air Freshener. The main dining area is a wide open room, with about 35 tables. The walls are decorated with German decor; mainly composed of various artwork depicting famous buildings throughout Germany.

The Food
My usual go-to is the Marzipan Pastry. When I bit into this pastry for the first time, I knew was going to be hooked. The pastry itself is perfect – light, airy, just the right amount of crunchy, and vaguely sweet. Working your fork to the sweet, marzipan is the perfect compliment to the pastry’s outer shell. I love to take my time with this, alternating between the pastry and coffee, and just enjoying the morning. This pastry is the perfect morning “munchie”, in my opinion – slightly sweet, light, and just enough to feel satisfied.

The one pastry is enough for me – not because I don’t want more, but because I’m full at that point. My husband will usually get two coffeecakes for himself, and he has plenty of options to chose from. There are rhubarb, cherry, apple, and plain; the latter of the two are always selling out early, especially on ‘regular’ days like Saturday, Monday and Thursday. Is it sad that I know this from experience? Anyway, I always find a way to finagle my way into a bite, and they are always delicious. I have never had rhubarb before, so I didn’t know what to expect, and I will admit that I was surprisingly taken aback by the bitterness of it. With that said, if it where any other time than breakfast, I would have eaten the entire coffeecake. The base melts away in your mouth, and you are left with the sweet taste of the coffeecake, yet slight bite of the rhubarb.

For the entry’s sake, I picked up a dessert to eat later at home, because all those delicious looking cakes and desserts deserve a mention as well. I do not speak German whatsoever, and from what I was told, this beautiful chocolatey concoction is basically called a German ‘grenade’. I was hesitant to Google this, especially since we are now living on a military installation, but I gave it a go and quickly gave up when I couldn’t find a thing. The outer part is a thin, chocolate shell that encases the entire dessert. The bottom layer is chocolate cake, while the rest of it is a chocolate cake ground with buttercream and rum. The rum is not cooked out, and while it is not overwhelming, you can definitely taste it. It was beyond delicious, and even better – you guessed it – light, and just the right amount of sweet.

The Verdict
The German Pastry & Coffee Shop is a perfect place to go, at any time. The earlier you go, the warmer the pastries, the more plentiful the coffee, and the company more vibrant and ready to start the day. You definitely feel welcome here, and even if it’s your first or hundredth visit, you will be greeted with a warm smile and a polite hello from both the staff and regulars. If you’re ever in the Tacoma, Washington area – do yourself a favor and go!