Ulm Restaurants

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Appearances can be deceptive and so it was with Zur Krone in Ulm. Actually, it's in Söflingen, a small suburb of Ulm proper which just happens to be in Baden Württemburg. Well, just in Baden Württemburg and about as close to Bavaria as you can get without being there. In fact, you can use the Bayern Ticket to get to Ulm even though it's not in Bayern and it only takes about 2-2.5 hours to get there from Munich.

While Zur Krone was not my main purpose of going to Ulm, it was high on the list. Second in fact to visiting a brewery in Neu-Ulm, which is just across the Donau and in fact, is in Bavaria. Is this getting too complicated for you? Well, let me try harder. Zur Krone looked a bit dated when we waltzed through the back entrance after passing a very full outside eating area. Unfortunately, it did not look as old as their website had heralded it. It is reported to be the oldest restaurant in Ulm and was first refered to in 1320 as a lodge of sorts. Well, the interior now looks more like 1975 and no matter how much you like Quentin Tarantino, that just ain't good. Orange and formica do not bode well for great old historic brewpubs and that is what this “recent” renovation has left Zur Krone looking like. At least you can't say it's one of those too cute upscale places with a copper kettle from 2007 behind a glass enclosure for diners to gawk at. Anyway, once you get used to sitting in a period piece, it grows on you like a Tarantino movie.

Of course, you don't just go to breweries to enjoy the ambience and when it comes to beer and food, Zur Krone is DYNOMITE, BABY! It was just after noon and since we had two breweries on order this afternoon, we opted to split two small beers as an aperitif while waiting for our meals. My wife had the Urtrunk Dunkles (€2.20 for .3l) which was amber with a creamy head and chocolate malt aroma. It featured a big chocolate malt flavor with a bit of roast before a dryish bittersweet finish. This was worth the trip in itself and had me rethinking the .3l portion rather than a full half liter, especially since you only save 30 cents and we were sharing! I got their Spezial Hell (€2.20 for .3l) which was deep golden with an equally creamy head. It featured a cereal grain palate with some malty sweetness that bittered slightly in the finish. It was not as clean nor as interesting as the Dunkles. The smaller pour was a good choice with this one. With our meals coming out, we decided to go with full size half liter portions of our next beers. I had read that their light colored bock beer was one of the best in Germany but was sad to find that they were now producing only the darker version of the strong beer. Whereas previously they had both a Natureisbock Dunkle and Hell, they now only had the former. It was May so they also had a Maibock but when I found out it was only available in bottle form, I decided to save that for a take home beer. So, we got a Natureisbock Dunkles (€3.50 for .5l)which was on tap as well as their Keller Pils (€2.50 for .5l). The bock was deep amber with a very dense creamy head and big roasty palate. There was some chocolate and alcohol notes before it bittered nicely in a long semi-dry finish. It was lovely and had me lamenting the loss of a surely great hellerbock version. The Keller Pils was deep golden with a similar cereal grain component as the Special Hell but a firmer hop profile made for a dryer crisper beer.

Favorite Dish: Oh, yes. We ate too. The food was every bit as good as the beer, possibly even better. I ordered the Rostbraten Jäger Art (€16.90). I was pleasantly surprised when they asked how I wanted it and they didn't flinch when I said rare. On the receipt, it even said “blutig” and bloody it was. It was very tender and juicy as well and came in a lovely brown sauce and was topped with a ton of gorgeous mushrooms. The side of home made spätzle was excellent and a perfect compliment to the sauce. It came with a salad as well and while not cheap, it was a big portion and the quality was superb. Doreen had the Maultaschen (€8.90), a ravioli-type dish typical of Schwabish area that Ulm is part of. They are filled with meat rather than ricotta cheese and this version found them cut up into pieces and fried with egg and vegetables. It was delicious as well.

Needless to say, we were stuffed so dessert was out of the question. I did grab a few beers to bring home though, one of their excellent Urtrunk Dunkles, one of the Natureisbock, and of course one of their seasonal specialties, the Maibock. The latter came only in a small .33l bottle which I drank the next day. It was deep golden and all to easy to drink at 7%. It had an initial big malty palate followed by a burst of hops before a long dry bittersweet finish. It was lovely and again a sure sign that their old hellerbock would have been an excellent beer, especially on tap. Perhaps it will be brought back some day!

In need of some food, flying time and me seem to have a partnership, it is where I am, how strange.....
So I always have to make the most of life, wherever I am, lolol.

so again, in need of some food this seemed to be fine and indeed it was.

Goodness me, just the right time for ASPARAGUS, snow-white and tender and soft like butter.......so that we ordered.....

We couldn't have chosen better!

This Bier- und Speisegastst?tte is really old: it was already serving meals in 1377 but I doubt if Asparagus would have been on the menu at that time.....



Favorite Dish: The proud owners are the family Ritlewski......

and we appreciated their ASPARAGUS very much!

A very old place in the oldest part of town. Lots of locals, but I wasn't turned away. Excellent beer in HUGE glasses, and if you want to eat they have Swabian specialities like Spätzle and Maultasche (a bit like ravioli).

Drei Kannen offers beer specilities and traditional German food of good quality. In summer you can sit in the pretty, quiet backyard.

The restaurant belongs to a Bavarian brewery that owns restaurants in several towns.

The 'Gerber Haus' is located in the quarter 'Fischerviertel', near the parking garage 'Fischerviertel'.
It's a bit hard to find, as there are many restaurants all around, but if you like delicious food and don't mind to pay a bit more you should definitely go there. Atmosphere is great, big windows giving a view on the litttle river 'Blau', mixture of rustic and local interieur. Quiet and no smoky air!
It is famous for it's fish- and vegetarian dishes, but you can find a great variety of local dishes, which are also very recommendable.
Service is good, staff is mostly Swabian ladies, sometimes a bit shortspoken :-) but never mind, that's a local attitude.
Guests are mostly business-travelers and elder locals.
Open daily 11.30-14.00 and 17.30 till end.

Favorite Dish: Look out for the menus of the day.

Barfüßer / Barfuesser is a restaurant which serves 'local' (-> Bavarian) food and home-brewed beer which is very tasty. Good food, but heavy. Prices are average, I'd say. Very big place right in the city-center, in sight of the Ulmer Muenster (cathedral).
There are many tourists and you will most likely stumble over someone wearing either an A&F sweatshirt or an USS-something cap, asking for a 'Weisswurst-sandwich'. (tip for those: remember to peel off the skin of the weisswurst)
Every tuesday evening there's a caraoke-event at Barfuesser's and the place is bursting with people. Sing and get a pitcher for free.
Open daily 10am - 1am (2am thursday to sunday).
There's another Barfuesser restaurant with Biergarten at the Danube on the Neu-Ulm side (oposite the Maritim hotel).

Favorite Dish: Schweinshaxe mit Kartoffelsalat or Flammkuchen and a pint Dunkles Bier. Mh.

Alexandre is located in the old town hall ('Rathaus') in the city centre. It serves all kind of food, from breakfast - lunch - diner. It is a big place and mostly very crowded. They have music playing all day, it's atmosphere is loud and busy. Prices are average. Food is good but nothing special. Local and international dishes and snacks. Interieur is modern, other than you would expect from the outside. The old town-hall building is richly decorated and quite a sight.
Many people come here to have a few drinks, as they serve a good choice of beer and cocktails too.
Young guests, many students.
Open 9am to 1am, 2am on weekends.

Restaurant 'Weinkrüger' serves a big choice of local dishes - rustic interieur and atmosphere. It burned down a few years ago but the building was restored completely. Prices are reasonable, food is good, quite large portions. Mainly visited by tourists but you can find locals also. Staff is of east-bloc origin, you can hear lots of Russian. Very good and friendly service.
Located like so many other restaurants in the cosy quarter 'Fischerviertel'.

Favorite Dish: Local dishes. Great 'Spätzle' :-)