(CNN) — It's easy to stereotype the German gastro scene as all oompah bands, gargantuan beer steins, and buxom waitresses wearing dirndls.
There's nothing wrong with that broad brushstroke, and during Oktoberfest in Munich it's spot on.
But there's more to the country than the Bavarian standard of pale brews and a wooden slab of sausages with mustard and rye bread (not to mention wiener schnitzel, which is actually named after the capital of Austria).
Nowadays, the German bars and restaurants that have proliferated around the world come in many forms.
Sure, some are in traditional timber-clad beer halls with liter-sized steins lining the walls and waiters in lederhosen.
But others are modern spaces punctuated by polished concrete, or even beachfront shacks shaded by palm trees.
No matter what form they take, the common denominator for the best German bars -- besides beer, wurst and sauerkraut -- is a sense of what's called "gastfreundschaft," says Marco Santomauro, the general manager of New York City's Paulaner Brauhaus.
The Munich brewery licenses more than 30 locations around the world, including 22 in China and six in Russia.
"This one word describes a feeling as well as a place," says Santomauro, who was born in Munich and worked for the brewery for 23 years.
"It's cozy, homey, but also means being surrounded by good people that you like. Every place tries to achieve this welcoming feel."
Given the thousands of German bars and restaurants worldwide, the dozen that follow barely scratch the surface. But any of them would satisfy globetrotters with a hankering for a cold beer, a hearty meal and a warm welcome.
The Heidelberg in New York has been serving typical German food and beer since 1936.
Bar Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
With about 12 million citizens of German heritage, Brazil has the second largest link back to the mother country in the world, behind the United States. There are even some cities in the south where German is considered a co-official language of Portuguese.
But the life of the party, naturally, is Rio de Janeiro, which at one time had more than a dozen German bars.
One of the most famous, Bar Lagoa, was once called Bar Berlin after the German capital until it was changed during World War II.
The simplicity of the restaurant has remained, and now waiters in white jackets and black ties are known for being efficiently straightforward. Impress your travel buddies by ordering your draft beer with the Portuguese word "chope," pronounced "shop-ee."
Zum Franziskaner, Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm's entry has the distinction of being one of the oldest bars in the world. Founded by German monks in 1421, Zum Franziskaner moved to its current location in 1622, though the building has been redeveloped twice since then. It's such an institution that locals simply refer to it as "Zum."
Tradition reigns in both the cuisine and the cozy decor. The restaurant gives off a...
Read More: Best German bars and restaurants around the world.