Darmstadt Restaurants

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Recently I have read a review about this restaurant in our local newspaper and immediately a colleague and I decided to try it out during our weekly “girls evening”. We both love near-east food and already thoughts of hummus made our mouths watering. And it proved to be so good that we will come much more often.
We have been here on a cold March evening, the outside tables weren’t available yet. But it must be great when it is warm outside, since the restaurant is located in a rather quiet neighbourhood, no much traffic in the evening. We couldn’t decide from the menu since everything sounded very delicious. So we asked the owner and he recommended the “Meza”, a selection of all delicacies. It is available as meat and vegetarian variance. We opted for the vegetarian one. It took some time but then he arrived with several small dishes full with these mouth watering specialities. I didn’t count but it must have been approx. 12-14 of these. Among others the selection was taboulé, hummus, egg plant cream, okra, falafel and chickpea cream. This all came with the typical pita like bread and it was refilled whenever we needed more. And since I am addicted to any kind of yoghurt drinks, I ordered ayran. The second one was with fresh mint and i liked it even more.
Our bill came to 32 Euro, which wasn’t much in my opinion. And we will be back.

Directions:
From Jugendstilbad (art nouveau baths) east of the city centre, walk south into Riedlingerstraße (the small street nearest to the baths entrance). It is on the left hand side. Parking either in front of Jugendstilbad or across the street.

Credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible, vegetarian meals available.
Opening hours: daily from 11:30 – 14:30 and from 17:00 – 23:00.

Location of Libanon on Google Maps.

© Ingrid D., April 2011 (just in case, RickS or others come along and think they can steal texts).

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This restaurant is an excellent choice for anyone who likes potatoes. The menu is full of dishes with potatoes, and of course many of them are for vegetarians. In summer they put chairs and tables onto the little square outside of the restaurant which is ideal because it is in a not very crowded area of the city, so not that loud and not infested with car fumes.

I have been here several times and I really like their potato pancakes (Reibekuchen, Kartoffelpuffer would be the German names). In addition they have baked potatoes (in a foil with creamy sauce), potato salad, fried potatoes, potatoes au gratin, potato soup – you name it!

The prices are moderate and often very reasonable given the sizes of the dishes. Last time we had a sheep cheese salad and it was more than enough to feed a team of football players.... Each dish is below 10 Euro.

Luckily they have an English menu as well: click on “Speisekarte/Menu” on their website and select from the options (soup, salad, potato dishes, etc): a new window will pop up where one can select the English version.

And obviously there are reviews about the restaurant on the German version of Tripadvisor. They have a small sign telling this in the window.

Opening hours:
Daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (note to self: ideal to drag dad when he comes on a Saturday at lunchtime....)

Directions:
From Luisenplatz, Darmstadt’s main square, walk towards the castle, turn right at the castle square, walk right hand side past the former city hall (now with restaurant “Ratskeller”), turn off to the right at restaurant “Bockshaut”, and once you are at the little square it is to your left, behind the Italian restaurant.

Location of Kartoffelhaus Pelle on Google Maps.

© Ingrid D., March 2011 (just in case, RickS or others come along and think they can steal texts).

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Braustübl is a nice and usually crowded pub with own brewery.
Ideal for groups, a lot of different beer is available as well as very good meals (snacks and normal size), local and Bavarian style.
It is better to make a reservation is better, as it is usually quite crowded.

Braustübl has 2 locations in Darmstadt. The biggest one is opposite of the train station and has seating for approximately 100 people in several floors and rooms, including a nice type of winter garden part. The other one, called City-Braustübl (of which I have added the website below) is smaller and located in Wilhelminenstrasse (near St. Ludwig Church and the theatre).
My photos are of the bigger one, which I visit regularly with friends and colleagues, as it has the nicer interior and is bigger (thus we might squeeze in somewhere in case it is crowded). The city centre's restaurant is similar and also excellent in the dishes :-) They also have a courtyard for the sunny days.

Update May 2009:
I should mention that credit card payment is accepted and that they also have an English menu. This, however, with strange names for several dishes. Beef roulade was translated into beef olive (and my American colleague didn't have a clue what this name meant) and several other strange names. But... this doesn't influence the quality of the dishes :-)

Update February 27, 2011:
I should mention that Braustübl, the one opposite of the train station, opens on Saturday not before 4 p.m. We found this out after I wanted to invite my dad for lunch. But luckily the city centre Braustübl is opened all day and evening! Thanks guys and thanks again for another marvellous set of meals. Your Leberknödelsuppe (liver dumpling soup) was as good as always. Dad loved his pork fillet with cream sauce mushrooms and Spätzle (the Swabian "noodle" dish) and I loved my bread dumplings in creamy mushroom sauce (will I ever eat anything else there??). And I kept mumbing that I must take Richie & Doreen here :-)

Favorite Dish: My most favourite beer here is Export beer, and I prefer bacon dumplings in creamy sauce with chantarelles. The Bavarian specialities, salads, soups and meat dishes are excellent as well. They have 4 vegetarian dishes (and of course more, if you count meatless salads and soups). Oh my, now that I am writing this, I feel I should visit them soon again.

I should mention the different beer options. They all come in 0,2 or 0,4 l and range from export to pils to Märzen Dunkel and Zwickel, as well as 0,5 l Hefeweizen and Kristallweizen. Quite interesting for beer lovers who didn’t found their favourite are the little 0,1 l glasses for sampling the different options.
Richie and Doreen – are you ready to come and try all that?

Location of Braustübl on Google Maps (the one near the train station),
Location of City Braustübl on Google Maps (the one in the city centre).

© Ingrid D., September 2004, several updates since.

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Braustub'l is traditional restaurant with its own brewery. We didn't make a reservation but were quickly shown to a table shared by an other couple. This surprised me as it is not done in the U.K. but a fine example of German efficiency. The menu is in German only but thanks to the help of my friend, the meal was ordered and we had a nice chat with the other couple who both sang Darmstadt's praises. The web site is from the City Centre restaurant of the same name but the dishes are similar.

Favorite Dish: The Rosti Pfifferlinge - a potato cake with creamy sauce and loaded with chanterelles, a wild mushroom known as Queen of the Forrest, served with a fresh green salad was very delicous indeed. The portions are a bit big for my small appitite but I enjoyed what I could comfortably manage. My husband's favourite thing here, as well as the food, was the local Darmstradt pils beer.

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Lots of beer choices, a good range of regional foods which are well-prepared and at reasonable prices.

A pleasant inner courtyard to sit and eat (or drink) and warm evenings, with fairy lights and tinkling water feature.

I had the Bauernhandkäse mit 'Musik' (two kinds of radish in this case) and bread. It was very good, and went beautifully with my dunkelbier. Fortunately, the 'Musik' does not work on me. :-)

The website has menus and prices.

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The interior alone of the oldest German pub in Darmstadt (since 1795) makes a gem out of this restaurant, which already has a long history. In 1580 the "Bockshaut" was founded as a tannery. In 1795 it was transformed into a wine tavern and restaurant, and the sign of the guild, i.e. the skin of a male goat ("Bockshaut"), was chosen as the name for this tavern.

Today you can enjoy Hessian tradition in the stylish restaurant, in various banquet rooms or, when the weather is fine, on the cosy terrace under a vine bower.

Favorite Dish: When I have been there, a Hessian set meal was on offer, SEVEN courses for a mere 18,90 Euro.

1. (Apfelwein mit Sekt) a glass of apple wine with sparkling wine - this is a strange mixture for my taste

2. (Zander-Lachstimbale mit Feigenschmand) pike-perch and salmon pie with fig sour cream - this was out so we got
2. medium roasted venison with salad - THIS was a culinary delight, both the meat AND the salad !!

3. (Bärlauchsüppchen) ramsons' soup - creamy with croutons

4. (Odenwalder Häppchen) white bread crisply fried in garlic butter with parsley and creamy balsamic vinegar - a small dish for buying time to digest the previous two

5. (Maispoularde mit Schupfnudeln) spring chicken with a type of thick noodles made of potatoes, flour and eggs - finally the main dish, BUT this was too salty and rather tasteless after the great venison starter

6. (Kochkäse) homemade sour milk cheese mit dark bread, onions and caraway - a typical Hessian combination

7. (Ananas in Honig genraten mit Eis) pineapple fried with honey, served with ice cream and whipped cream - the sweet sin at the end

This is my favorite restaurant in Darmstadt.
It is a real french restaurant: Just good food and drink, but no snobism, no waiter with his nose high in the air. No frills, but nice ambiente.
It's just a place to have great food and wine (and whisky).

Favorite Dish: Menu changes frequently. Ask about recommendations of the day.
I love how they combine salad with meats like foie gras or rillettes.

If you're in the country for beer, go to Ratskeller and have one there.
They brew it themselves, right in the pub.
It's unfiltered and tastes different to beer from larger breweries.
They also serve food, which is traditional german "Brauhaus" fare.

Favorite Dish: Beer: Helles, Märzen