Zum gemalten Haus, Frankfurt am Main

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We this was an interesting loud place. We dined with my boyfriend's friends. The food was pretty good but not the applewine which is commonly served in this region. I would have preferred beer or wine instead. But, my boyfriend insisted I try it. In Germany, it's common to eat your main meal (dinner) at lunch time. In the evening, you usually eat a light meal. A plate of sliced meats which is umm, umm good! Again, I don't know the names of the dishes we had but I got some nice photos of it!

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By no means a secret and recommended in many guidebooks, Zum Gemalten Haus enjoys its place in Frankfurt's historic section of Sachsenhausen. You have the choice of eating on the sidewalk, eating in the outdoor but covered smoking area, or inside. I chose the smoking area because it offered cover from the clouds threatening rain.

The restaurant itself has a decent menu at reasonable prices. The featured beverage is Frankfurt's signature libation of apfelwein, or apple wine. Similar to cider but a bit drier and more refined, the drink should be sipped and not gulped, lest you suffer an unexpected kick when you next stand up.

Favorite Dish: I tried one of the lunch specials, which included a cup of soup and a portion of Presskopf (head cheese) with bratkartoffeln (pan fried potatoes), along with a pint of apfelwein. Very tasty and cheap -- my total bill came to EUR 11 including tip.

The "painted house" is located in the Sachsenhausen area. As its name says, every wall has a painting on it, which creates a very nice atmosphere.

Favorite Dish: If you go there, you must try the "Rippchen", a thick pork chop served with sauerkraut and home made cider.

"Zum gemalten Haus" or "to the painted house", which is so colorfully depicted in the photo, is something not to miss. Rumored to have the best service and apple wine amongst the apple wine lokals in the Schweizer/Textor Str., this is the best bet for picking up on local color when visiting Frankfurt. On Sundays they sometimes have live music in local dialect. It's the one restaurant you keep expecting Heinz Schenk to pop out of the corner (Heinz Schenk is the Frankfurt equivalent to Lawrence Welk)

Favorite Dish: The have the best "Rippche mit Kraut" or boiled pickled porc steaks with Sauerkraut.

The have the worst Green Sauce, which is scandlous! they are the only ones who still make it with salad oil instead of plain yoghurt which is not everybody's thing.

This is one of the original Appelwein cellars of Frankfurt.
On the street the name sign has a green wreath underneath - this indicates one of the few appelwein cellars left.

From the street you go into a courtyard & then into what looks like a small house - in fact there is lots of space & lots of rooms at the back. Everything is wooden & the waiters are all dressed in white coats.
It is full of tables with benches & the appelwein is filled into glasses from a huge copper fountain.
Food is traditional German wurst, ham, pork chops with the best potato salad I've had.
The portions are quite large but very good value.
I'll add the photo when I can.

It sounds touristy & probably is, but there were plenty of locals in there as well. We were told it can get very busy when there are shows on in Frankfurt - lots of business entertaining.

Favorite Dish: Potato salad - well cooked sliced potatoes dressed in butter & mustard.