I'm traveling with 3 friends and we have an excursion from our river boat to Heidelberg. The boat does not leave port until late so I think we may be able to get their shuttle back after the excursion tour is over. If so we will want a place to get some good German beer and food. We will be in the historic center below the castle. Suggestions? I'm sure the cruise director can suggest some places but I loved RS forum folk's suggestions in the past on trip to Italy.
Posted by
Lancaster PA
243 posts
Zum Roten Ochsen (since 1703) should fit the bill. Check out the website to see if it what you are looking for.
Posted by
North Carolina, US
90 posts
We enjoyed Vetter's Alt Brauhaus http://www.brauhaus-vetter.de
Posted by
Germany
1117 posts
I beg to differ about the "Roten Ochsen". In my experience, it's a favorite place for tour guides to lead groups of American tourists, and I do expect they get a nice commission from the owners.
They call themselves a "historic student pub", but all the while I lived in Heidelberg, I never once saw a student go in there, only groups of American tourists.
My advice would be: Simply stroll down Hauptstraße ("Main Street") and look at the pubs. There's lots of them. You'll see where the locals go, and you will easily find a nice place. If you are lucky and the weather is fine, you may even find a table outside and get to enjoy some fun people watching and true Heidelberg life with your food.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
My absolute favorite is the Schnitzelhaus. The name says it all. Features a hundred or so varieties of schnitzel.
The restaurant isn't hard to find if you know where to look, but it isn't on the main shopping drag, so you won't just stroll upon it unless you know the address.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2324 posts
I enjoyed Palmbrau Gasse on Hauptstraße (main pedestrian street).
Posted by
139 posts
Schnitzelhaus Alte Münz down by the river. The gimmick is 100 different kinds of schnitzel.
Posted by
Wiesbaden, Germany
791 posts
I second the Roten Oxen. We lived in the Altstadt for a couple years and tried as many restaurants as we could but always avoided the RO because of criticisms similar to what Anna wrote above. A couple months before we left we decided to try it and we were absolutely blown away. The ambiance and sheer amount of old artifacts and historical photos and such on display give the place an old world feel and the food was just incredible, some of the best we had anywhere in the town. Great local beer and wein selection as well. We loved it so much we ended up going back a couple more times before we left. Whenever people ask me for a restaurant recommendation, the Roten Oxen is always my first one.
My second recommendation would be the Schnitzelhaus, as others on here have said. They have 103 different kinds of schnitzel on order so there is something for every taste.
Posted by
Germany
1117 posts
What I said was not founded on anything I heard but on experiencing the Roten Ochsen myself, and on years of living and studying in Heidelberg. My criticism mainly referred to their claim of being a "students' pub" which they most certainly are not, and to the fact that I only ever saw groups of American tourists walk in there, which is just simply the truth and makes me suspect their tour guides got a good commission.
If you find you like the place and the food, sure, fine with me. If you find you have fallen into a tourist trap, well, you can't say you haven't been warned.