Life in the fast lane
Race down to Autobahn 101 for authentic German cuisine
By Sabine Wilson
For the TODAY
When Cezara and Ivan Cherdivara took over the locally-beloved German restaurant Autobahn 101 this past September, they were investing in their ambition to once again run their own restaurant.
“It was our dream,” Cezara said. “Ivan was working for a boss at the time and I had a boss, too. But what we really wanted was to be our own bosses.”
So they decided to make the dream a reality, and put in an offer to Maggie and Roy Baker, the previous German owners of Autobahn 101.
“We are really thankful for the past owners,” Cezara said. “Right after they accepted our offer, Maggie told me I needed to come to the restaurant in two weeks. I followed her in the kitchen every day because she said I needed to learn the process of everything.”
Cezara explained that Maggie would only give the restaurant to someone who respects and understands German cuisine. Cezara eventually won Maggie’s stamp of approval.
The Cherdivaras are originally from the Eastern European country of Moldova, where they owned a Mediterranean fusion restaurant. They moved to the coast nine years ago.
“We had our training on making food from Germany and Austria but did not expect we’d be owning a German restaurant and preparing German food on the Oregon Coast,” Cezara said. “But we love it here. We love people and we love food so it works out well. The people here are very welcoming and always offer us friendly advice.”
The couple is also working on other developments as they get settled in, including an outdoor Biergarten, complete with a cover and heaters so it is Oregon weather-friendly. Their goal is for the project to be done by April.
“We are working hard every day,” Cezara said. “We do not take this opportunity for granted.”
While the Cherdivaras maintained much of the previous menu, they certainly are not taking any shortcuts to ensure their cuisine lives up to its name. The staff at Autobahn invest a significant amount of time in prep-work for their fresh menu.
“We have a great, hard-working team in the kitchen,” Cezara said. “Over 90 percent of our menu is always fresh and made in-house. We prepare and bake our bread and pretzels fresh every day. Same goes for our burgers, spätzle, fries, beer cheese soup, goulash and schnitzel.”
A good indicator of whether or not food is freshly prepared is if the customers are greeted by the delightful aroma of food cooking when walking through the front door.
When walking into Autobahn 101, you are most certainly welcomed by the smells of fresh bread, worldly spices, sausages and slow-cooked veggies.
“We love all kinds of food,” Cezara said. “But German food is something special.”
As for Ivan’s favorite menu items, refer to the burger section of the menu. The burgers are a sizzling ⅓ pound Bavarian-style mix of ground beef and pork sausage seasoned to perfection with various spices and coupled with your choice of a classic sesame bun, German brotchen bun or a delicious pretzel bun. The burger is garnished with creamy mayo, crunchy lettuce, juicy tomato and onion.
As a side, you have a choice of made-from-scratch salty and crispy fries or German potato salad, served hot or cold.
They also serve a mouth-watering bruschetta, a perfectly toasted rustic bread with soft diced tomatoes, spreaded garlic and tasty basil topped with a beautiful balsamic glaze drizzle.
“We don’t really have a most popular item because everyone wants something different,” Ivan said. “The whole menu is good with different favorites for different people.”
My personal favorite is their chicken alfredo spätzle. Spätzle is a dish made from a batter of flour, milk, eggs and salt that creates delightfully chewy threads comparable to an egg noodle or dumpling. It is then combined with chicken, sauteed onions, sweet pepper and mushrooms. The alfredo sauce brings the dish a velvety consistency matched with a delicious brotchen bun.
When paired with their Weihenstephaner wheat beer, every sense is activated and your taste buds feel nothing but pure satisfaction.
While Autobahn 101 has an impressive tap and drink menu, they are a very family-friendly restaurant.
As you enter, there is a charming family zone to your right with a sizable wooden table, piano and games.
“We are quite proud of our kids corner,” Cezara said.
In the entrance to the restaurant they also have various arcade games like Pacman and pinball.
Whether you come for the delicious food, the games, the warm hospitality from Ivan and Cezara, the positively German decor or for a delicious beer, you are in for a positive experience.
Autobahn is located in Lincoln City at 1512 SW Hwy. 101. They are open Thursday through Sunday from 11:30 am to 10 pm and on Wednesday for takeout from 12 to 6 pm.
Join them for “Jam Nights” on Sundays at 7 pm. For more information, go to autobahn101.com.