Just re-read your post and noticed you mentioned potato pancakes with sour cream/applesauce. I lived in Germany from 1945 to 1955 (yep, I’m old). It was a standard on our dinner table. Still love it. A great side dish for sauerbraten, along with fried red cabbage and apples.
My barometer of a good German resturant is the quality of their roasted duck and the obligatory spinach salad.