From brown curry served in a toilet-shaped bowl to phallic-shaped popsicles, Taiwan has no shortage of wacky eats. But an Italian restaurant in New Taipei City has crossed the line from creative to outright offensive, and has come under fire for naming a dish "Long Live the Nazis."

"When we were deciding on a name for this pasta dish, it never occurred to us that the word Nazi would stir up such controversy," said Chao Ya-hsin, the 24-year-old manager of the Rockmill restaurant, who offered a sorrowful apology over the restaurant's lack of sensitivity.

Ms. Chao said the purpose of the original name "was simply to help customers" make the German connection to the pasta dish, in which German sausage is the primary ingredient. There was also a pizza that went by the same name. Ms. Chao said in the year that the restaurant has been selling the dish, it hasn't received any complaints.

"In fact, it is considered one of our most popular dishes," she said.

But after a local TV station aired the story about Rockmill's controversial dish name last weekend, the restaurant faced so many complaints from the public that it decided to change the name of the dishes.