Let's go back to the Germany posts! With our next Germany trip coming up in May, I'm trying to get a move on and finish my blog posts about our most recent trip in August last year! Today: restaurants.
I'm not sure if it's just my family, or small city living, but restaurant dining doesn't seem to be a big part of everyday German life. Restaurants are quite expensive, and they certainly don't have the huge variety of cheap eats that we are lucky to have in Melbourne. (Box Hill, I love you). For example, going out to dinner at a sensibly-priced restaurant for a family of four could easily cost €100. So restaurant visits seem to be more for special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, confirmations... (Or in my family's case, when their favourite Australian visits!)
However, since the children have all grown up, Sandra's parents have found themselves eating out more frequently, and on this trip they were all excited to take us to different restaurants that they'd been trying with their friends or that they'd discovered on their bike trips across the country.
You'll notice that we mainly visited traditional German restaurants on our trip - I love German food, Sandra misses German food when we're in Australia, and I don't see the point of going to the local Chinese or Japanese restaurant when in Germany. Bring on the schnitzel! (Note to self: potential autobiography title).
A few things I've noted about German restaurants in Germany that I've visited:
That was a long introduction. Let's look at some food.
I'm not sure if it's just my family, or small city living, but restaurant dining doesn't seem to be a big part of everyday German life. Restaurants are quite expensive, and they certainly don't have the huge variety of cheap eats that we are lucky to have in Melbourne. (Box Hill, I love you). For example, going out to dinner at a sensibly-priced restaurant for a family of four could easily cost €100. So restaurant visits seem to be more for special occasions, like birthdays, weddings, confirmations... (Or in my family's case, when their favourite Australian visits!)
However, since the children have all grown up, Sandra's parents have found themselves eating out more frequently, and on this trip they were all excited to take us to different restaurants that they'd been trying with their friends or that they'd discovered on their bike trips across the country.
You'll notice that we mainly visited traditional German restaurants on our trip - I love German food, Sandra misses German food when we're in Australia, and I don't see the point of going to the local Chinese or Japanese restaurant when in Germany. Bring on the schnitzel! (Note to self: potential autobiography title).
A few things I've noted about German restaurants in Germany that I've visited:
- You can just take a seat at a free table, no need to be shown to your seat.
- Drinking just tap water is not really a thing, and depending on what size you order, you're easily looking at an extra €3 each for a drink. Beer, wine, a soft drink, sparkling water, or my favourite: Apfelsaftschorle (apple juice mixed with sparkling water). Indeed, whenever it comes to my turn to order a drink, I usually panic and reflexively exclaim: "Apfelsaftschorle bitte!"
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| Coke, Apfelsaftschorle and herb bread at Quattro Mori |
- It's usual to receive a complimentary plate of salad to eat as an entree before your main. I think this is a really nice touch. As you know, I tend to subsist on a hearty meat-and-potato-based diet when in Germany, so a refreshing plate of nicely dressed salad is always welcome.
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| Salad at Kreuzhofbauer |
- You should learn the magic word: Seniorenteller. This means "senior's plate", and lots of restaurants offer this option. Basically it means you can ask for a smaller portion of any of the meals, at a slightly reduced price. It's ok for non-senior people to order these too! I find myself opting for the Seniorenteller after a few weeks of big German portions or if I've smashed a big breakfast.
- You can choose your own side - the menu might say that the schnitzel comes with chips, but it's totally cool to ask to swap them for, say, Bratkartoffeln (fried potato slices), Spätzle pasta, croquettes, or whatever side you want (as long as the restaurant serves them).
- Desserts are usually not super exciting (and I've never managed to be hungry for dessert after a big German meal). I'd suggest you save your appetite for a trip to the Eiskafe or the Konditorei.
- Waiter / Waitress will come and take payment at your table. They wear big wallet bumbag things with the cash.
- A specific tip is not required, but it is nice to round up the bill.
That was a long introduction. Let's look at some food.
Kreuzhofbauer
Biedensandstrasse 33
68623 Lampertheim
Germany
Ph: +49 6206 4771
Website
I've written about Kreuzhofbauer before - they're a farm in Lampertheim that have a restaurant and beer garden. On Wednesdays they have a "slaughter menu", where they offer a variety of dishes made from the freshly slaughtered pigs from the farm. (The pork cheek with mashed potato I tried back in 2011 was delicious!) In the season, they offer asparagus and strawberry dishes, and on regular days they do a mean schnitzel. These guys are really well priced (there are lots of dishes for under €10), the food is great, and the produce comes from their own farm out the back. It's easy to see why this place is so popular with locals and out-of-towners alike.
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| Kreuzhofbauer |
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| Zwiebelschnitzel mit Bratkartoffeln Schnitzel with onion sauce and fried potatoes |
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| Schnitzel mit Spätzle, Pfifferlingrahmsoße und grünem Bohnensalat Schnitzel with Spätzle, chanterelle mushroom cream sauce and green bean salad |
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| Bohnensalat Green bean salad |
Zur Krone
Römerstraße 43
68623 Lampertheim
Germany
Ph: +49 6206 59433
Website
Zur Krone is Lampertheim's oldest restaurant, and I'm fairly certain has been around since the 1860s. Their schnitzels are freaking delicious, and they seem to have a wider variety of sauces than the other restaurants I've visited. Their cobblestoned terrace is a nice place to enjoy dinner on a warm night. (N.B. The portions you see in this picture are Seniorenteller - a normal sized portion here is two whole schnitzels per person - mein Gott!)
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| Zur Krone |
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| Flammkuchenschnitzel mit Bratkartoffeln Schnitzel topped with Flammkuchen topping (sour cream, onion and bacon), with fried potatoes |
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| Schnitzel mit Paprikarahmsoße und Pommes Schnitzel with paprika cream sauce and chips |
Ristorante Quattro Mori
Forsthausstraße 7
68623 Lampertheim
Germany
Ph: +49 6206 9271093
Website
We visited the local Italian one day for lunch when our original plans of visiting Krone for lunch fell through because it was closed. This was an enjoyable lunch, but not my favourite - the pizzas were good and well priced, but we were utterly defeated by the portion sizes, which were enormous, even by Germany's generous standards! (The spaghetti Sandra's sister ordered was enough to serve three people easily). Next time we must remember to share a pizza rather than ordering our own.
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| Pizzeria Quattro Mori |
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| Pizza! |
Zum Tahlblick
Ohlystraße 3
64342 Seeheim-Jugenheim
Germany
Ph: +49 6257 81981
Website
Zum Tahlblick, (literally "to the view of the valley"), is a gorgeous restaurant located on the top of a hill in picturesque Seeheim-Jugenheim. We'd already visited Zum Tahlblick on our most recent trip to Germany in 2013, and can attest that they do meat really well (especially the meats they serve in individual pans - oh lecker!) On this visit, I had the most delicious pan fried Forelle (trout) which came with potatoes and lots of herby melted butter. It was absolutely gorgeous and I savoured every last mouthful!
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| Zum Tahlblick |
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| The View of the Valley |
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| Forelle (trout) |
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| Pfifferlings-Pfännchen - Schweinemedallions auf Spätzle mit Rahmpfifferlingen Chanterelle Mushroom Pan - pork medallions with creamy chanterelle mushroom sauce |
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| Croquettes instead of Spätzle! |
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| Lende mit Pilzsoße auf Spätzle Pork fillet with mushroom sauce and Spätzle |
Hagenbräu
Am Rhein 3
67547 Worms
Germany
Ph: +49 6241 921100
Website
Hagenbräu is a restaurant and brewery, right on the Rhine river in the historical city of Worms. You can enjoy their beers at the restaurant, or buy barrels of it to take home - 10 litres, 30 litres or even 50! They do a special beer of the month - when we were there it was the very tasty "Drachenfeuer" (dragon's breath) beer made with beetroot. This is a great spot for a sunset meal or a drink.
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| Hagenbräu |
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| Hagenbräu |
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| Tasting paddle |
Sandra's dad comes here quite frequently, often when he's on a cycling trip. He even has his own "Hagenbräu diet" - a half litre of beer, with a pretzel and a sausage. I tried this Hagenbräu diet, and it was sehr gut.
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| Brezel mit Bierknacker (mild und pikant) Warm pretzels and beer sausages (mild and spicy) |
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| Markklößchensuppe mit frischem Gemüse Bone marrow dumpling soup with fresh vegetables |
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| Gulaschsuppe mit kräftigen Rindfleischstücken Goulash soup with hearty stewed beef |
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| Wurstsalat “Schweizer Art” mit Käsestreifen und Pommes Frites Sausage salad with cheese strips and French fries |
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| Käsespätzle mit Röstzwiebeln und Salat Cheese spätzle with roasted onions and salad |
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| Brauhauspfanne mit Bratkartoffeln und Speckbohnen in der Eisenpfanne serviert (Medallions vom Hähnchen, Rind und Schwein) "Brewery Pan" with chicken, beef and pork medallions, served with fried potatoes and bacony beans |
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| Schweinshaxe mit Püree, Weinsauerkraut Pork knuckle with mashed potato and wine sauerkraut |
Guten Appetit! Man, I am really looking forward to our next trip to Germany!
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3 comments
I love Apfelsaftschorle except of course I didn't know the German name for it. And Bring on the Schnitzel is a great memoir title ;)
ReplyDeleteCheese spatzle omg...if someone didn't want to go to Germany, they would have changed their mind after seeing all this food!
ReplyDeleteI love cheese spätzle so much! We've been making it at home and it's so comforting! I hope to share the recipe here soon! :)
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