Hofer’s Bakery & Cafe

Super cute place with delicious food at a great price! Waitresses were kind and dressed up in cute German outfits. Other then my coffee came out a little late and there was only restroom which had quite the line backed up, I give it five stars! Excellent baked treats!

WANTED: FRESH, QUALITY INGREDIENTS!
I only tried a donut that was purchased here. When it comes to donuts, I am very simple and I don’t like any. The ideal donut is light and has a very clean taste that is not upstaged by the fat. I think that the fat used to prepare their donuts is just too heavy and the donut had a «less than clean» taste, (odd taste, recycled fat). I was only able to handle two small bites before I was done.
I did taste their wedding cookies as well and they had the same problem, (a lack of quality ingredients) such as butter and generously sized pecans. As far as I am concerned, lard has no place in baked or fried desserts. I believe in baking with fresh, quality ingredients and anything less is just not acceptable. Not a good choice!

Great location! Authentic German food. The dual language menu was a neat surprise. Friendly service and a nice bakery/​deli shop when you walk in.

Bakery is great but bring your credit card (way — way! over priced) restaurant is like a German «Denny“diner. Nothing that is actually good but nothing too bad to eat either. Good stoner food if the stoner has daddy’s credit card.

Went here every single morning we were in town (3x). Tried Cold Cut, Bagel and Lox, Potato Pancakes, Farmers Breakfast, Belgian Waffles, and rolls. Everything was excellent. Coffee was great. Service was fast and friendly. There may be a wait getting in because the seating area is small. Try sitting outside to be seated faster. Awesome breakfast and lunch. Will always be a mainstay for us when we visit Helen.

This is German pastry heaven in the middle of Helen, GA! Don’t walk through the Bavarian village without stopping here — you’ll regret it. The prices are very reasonable for their authentic German bakery goods. I recommend sharing a cream puff with friends and buying a dozen thumbprint cookies to go, for munching as you finish your stroll through the village. Don’t worry, they sell beer here too for those in your party who need some spice with their sugar.

For those of you who haven’t been to Germany, FYI — it’s a magical place (despite it’s periodically sketchy history). The charm and tradition of this country has been left behind in a few areas throughout the US. Helen, GA is an authentic German town. I can vouch for that. A friend of mine who lives in Cumming invited us up for the weekend. She told me to make hotel reservations at the Helendorf. She explained it looked all festive with bier gardens scattered about, but I had no idea Helen would be quite like this. Sadly we were only staying for one night. Most of our time would be spent taking one of Capital Fireball’s wine tours around the area (will save those details for another review). We did the wine tour and spent a wonderful evening hanging out in town. The following day, we woke up with a moderate to severe hangover and a hunger for a hearty breakfast. We asked a few visitors and the hotel staff for a recommendation and they all pointed us to Hofer’s. I’ve been to Germany several times, and I can tell you, upon setting foot in this place, you are transported across the pond. There’s ample outdoor seating with some live music during the warm weekends. When you enter the door, you find your happy place and start to float like Peter Pan. A glass case chocked full of pastries, cake, cookies and pies will bring a tear to your eye and make your sweet tooth ache with delight. I barely made it past this area. I kept slobbering on the glass. I turned around and there were shelves stocked with German groceries — such things as curry ketchup, lebkuchen etc. They even had German beer available. But, we were there for breakfast and tied one on the night before — no beer for us. We walked up to a waitress dressed in traditional German clothing and asked for a table. The dining room is spacious and decorated nicely. Needing to soak up some suds from the night before, I ordered eggs with a side of biscuits and gravy. The coffee was warm, delicious and gave me the right amount of perk. The food arrived lightning fast. My gal pal and I wolfed it down and were on our way in no time. If I lived in these parts, I’d visit Hofer’s every weekend. If I lived closer, I’d definitely jump on my Harley and take a road trip though here. It’s an absolutely beautiful place in a beautiful town. I will most definitely be back when I need a fix of the German sort. And, I hear the Oktoberfest in these parts is epic. Auf Wiedersehen!

My wife and I both had the potato pancakes. They had a crispy outside without being over cooked. We opted for the sour cream but I’m sure the apple sauce is great.
Our kids had the apple dish and Belgian waffles. The were ecstatic.
There was a pretty long wait but it was worth it. Once we ordered, the dishes came out very quickly.
Our server refilled our coffee many times without prompting.

First, I must say the city of Helen was packed! Families were out and about strolling the city’s Main Street. The people were super friendly and cordial. We felt instantly welcomed and at home with our kids.
Our family had just finished our New Year’s Day hike and was starving. We decided on Hofer’s since we were in the mood for sandwiches rather than a huge meal. They have their own parking area, so we didn’t have to pay to park which was nice.
Going inside you are greeted with the bakery and deli, all so captivating we almost missed the dining area hidden behind the bakery. I must say the dining area is quaint. There is barely room for maybe 9 – 10 families of four. Luckily at the time we arrived there were 2 free tables. I was very pleased to see a very diverse mix of diners eating at Hofer’s, including a very nice Indian family visiting from out of town.
Our waitress was fantastic. We chose the hot pastrami, the roast beef, and the poorboy sandwiches. Of course we had to try their draft beer, we are in Germantown after all and it didn’t disappoint. The food came out relatively fast. I had my hot pastrami and all I could think was yum! The meat was a bit on the light side (wish I just a bit more meat for the price) but the mustard was good and the bread was toasted and crisp. Then I had a taste of my husband’s roast beef, and I was like yum! It’s a cold sandwich which I don’t typically like, but I really enjoyed this one. The sandwich came with kettle chips which was a nice addition.
After our late lunch, we stopped by the bakery and had one of the raspberry cookies (good), éclair (ok) and a chocolate donut (good).
All in all, this restaurant is a solid four stars. I withheld one star for the little extras that would’ve perfected this experience… Such as If my sandwich had a bit more meat, or they served complimentary dinner rolls, or maybe a small soup or German side with the chips, this would’ve been 5 stars for me.

My meal:
Gemischter Wurstteller mit Sauerkraut
Dagi:
Ofenfrischer Leberkase mit Kartoffelsalat under Spiegelei
Dagi, being from Germany, was the expert for this trip. She gives the meals a thumbs up, but the Hazelnut Torte and Black Forest Torte was a huge thumbs down
Servers were busy, and didn’t take notes, so not all of the order arrived. I can understand being busy, but to skip my drink isn’t something you would normally forget
Overall, from what we heard from a few other Germans this really is the place to eat. Dagi agrees.
This was the third place we tried for food, and this was the best so far
We would go here again

Three stars for a decent German-​themed restaurant with average food and acceptable service.
We came here for a light lunch after hiking near Helen. We wanted a beer, a pretzel, and some other snackage, and this place fit the bill.
We ended up ordering spatzel chicken soup, a pretzel, sauerkraut, potato pancakes, Erdinger Weissbrau beer (awesome), and a seasonal beer that was pretty good.
The sauerkraut and spatzel was homemade and pretty good. The pretzels were dry and not very good. The potato pancakes were also underwhelming. Erdinger Weissbrau is awesome, you should drink some.
The location has a cute outdoor patio and entrance. The display case in the front is festive looking but a but lacking in contents when we went through. The service was slow but not painful and the servers seemed pleasant.
Overall, if you order the right thing and keep expectations low, you’ll be fine.

We came here yesterday for dessert and had to come back for breakfast after seeing the menu.
The piece of cake we ordered (black forest cake) was incredible. It was like biting into a cloud. Very light, fluffy, moist, and the perfect amount of sweetness.
For breakfast we ordered biscuits and German gravy and the ham and cheese omelette. Where else are you going to get the opportunity to try braut gravy?! It’s a simple savory gravy on your standard biscuits. Good biscuit to gravy ratio. The omelette was enormous. Could feed two people easily. It comes with this yummy toasted cheesy bread that I loved! And the prices are great too.
But come early! They open at 8. If you come at 9 expect to wait in a line out the door.

My wife, Kay, and I had lunch at this German café as Bodensee was closed. I was hesitant as the reviews are mixed. I can only tell you about my experience for this one meal.
I had the Jaeger Schnitzel as I wanted to be able to compare it to recent dishes at several other German restaurants. This one was among the best and it was huge; really way too much for lunch. I would share it next time. It had a wonderful and proper crispness even under the mushroom sauce. They do allow you to get the sauce on the side. The schnitzel and mushroom sauce were very good as was the homemade spaetzle that came with it. Also included as a side was the Rotkohl. It was very fresh and homemade tasting, although it was a bit sweet for my palate. It had a wonderful assortment of spices in it, was chopped medium fine and had a good taste except for level of sweetness. This place includes a hard roll and a pretzel roll with their entrees, as well as complimentary butter. They do not allow any substitutions. You do not get to pick your sides.
Kay had chicken schnitzel and it was to her liking. It came with potato salad which was not sweet, overly sour or salty. Also included was the vegetable of the day which was green beans. Beans were not fresh, but frozen or canned.
Lunch is served only until 3:00 PM at which time the restaurant closes this time of year. This is a very small place with some outside picnic tables. I imagine in season there would be a long wait or reservations would be imperative.
This is also a pastry shop and they had a variety of delectables which we did not try, but I imagine for a dessert eater they would be fabulous. They even had Sachertorte.
I say you cannot miss with this restaurant. Service was helpful and polite and the clientele was good.

Cute atmosphere. It’s a very small dining area, maybe 50 people at the most so they require that your whole party be present before they seat. Breakfast was good. I got a bacon and onion hash which was not any different than anywhere else I’ve ordered but it was good. My husband got the bratwurst biscuit and gravy which he really loved. The best part is the rolls, so crunchy on the outside but super soft on the inside.
They have a very cute deli which has all of the German meats and cheeses. They also have a bakery which has cakes, cream puffs, donuts, muffins, rugulach, eclairs and many other desserts.
Overall a very quaint atmosphere. Loved it

I am completely appalled today. We came to have this again because it has been so great. We have a two-​year old with us and we get in line behind a group that had a «breakfast ends here sign» with nothing else. We wait thirty minutes to get to the seating area and this lady comes out and tells us it will be thirty minutes before they will seat anyone for lunch. They will not let us sit down or anything.
I doubt I will forget this. Standing around with a restless two-​year old for an hour earns them nothing now. They were easily a five-​star for me before, but this is extremely rude.

The closest thing to authentic German food I have had since I lived in Germany. Be patient though there is almost always a line but worth it.
Ate breakfast, lunch and dinner here. All meals were exceptional.

Good was good
Service was good
Atmosphere was so cute
I would recommend to go and to eat and enjoy all around.

The lack of menu with prices for the bakery was indeed very annoying. My family and I rushed in here as our last stop at Helen, only because my dad’s friend recommended their bakery.
We got a variety of goods including the chocolate cannoli, cream puff, pretzel and the cookies (few more but can’t remember). The cannoli was below average, ive had better ones in upstate ny. The pretzel did not match our tastebuds, too salty. The cookies and muffins werent that good. The creampuff was okay. My dad and brother liked it bc the whipped cream wasnt sweet.
I personally would not go back. I think my dad might, just for the cream puffs. Maybe he was incredibly hungry or something.
The coffee is super over priced. There was one small size (to go) cheap styrofoam cup, tasted like an average drip coffee from Publix, and it was like $ 4.

Go there if you have a big appetite or if you want to have some great European food. This is a place with class and character and a great menu.
A visit is due and soon!

For coffee, sweet tea and a couple corn beef hash breakfasts with a side of grits will run around $ 25 with tip.
Here is the thing you must remember about this place. They are very busy in the morning right up to insanely busy in the morning. What that means is be a little considerate as in expect to wait a bit for a table, don’t expect to take your sweet time once your meal is complete. The sitting room is small and they turn the tables quickly. Despite the rush and close quarters it is worth it. The service is quick, nice, and the food great. Their corn beef hash is awesome and their breads are great as well. Some one complained about the prices not being displayed on the pastries. What is amazing is if you ask them they will let you know the price. To me a must breakfast stop if you are in their area.

What really bothers me about this place is that there are no prices whatsoever posted on anything in the entire bakery display case. Nor is there a board behind with prices like many a bakery would have. Zilch! Not only that there are no prices on anything on their website menus. I did see a price on one white sliced cheese in the deli, most all the rest unmarked too.
Helen is a MAJOR tourist trap. A town with a population of 526 (2013 count) that receive over 2 million visitor a year! So one might say just ask, but should you really have to? Do you really want to hold up these 2 plus million visitors all waiting to be fleeced behind you? It’s easier to just walk out! Do it!
When a business feels they can gouge you for whatever they want, and that you have no business knowing what your going to be paying for something– vote with your feet and go! Would you shop at a grocery store with no prices? I think not! When you find yourself in a major tourist trap and encounter this, I feel it is just totally unacceptable! Beware!
I see another reviewer posts they charged $ 3 for an empty plate without any notice.
There again, if it was posted I understand it in some places yes, but not posted or not advised and just throwing that on your bill too? Wrong again.