I loved my experience here! The staff was nice and the food was absolutely delicious. We did the wine pairing with our meal, which I would personally recommend. The flavors and presentation was complex but playful. We were the only foreigners there, but everyone treated us kindly and the other customers were lovely to discuss with. The meal comes out a bit slow at times, but that is my experience with similar restaurants. It's more about enjoying the experience than having a quick meal. read more

Be very careful when booking this restaurant to read the reviews about slow service. A major disappointment. While the food is quite good there is a serious problem with the service pacing and the attitude of the chef/owner that has yet to be acknowledged. Why Michelin would award two stars is a mystery still. Very sad And hope for better days to come. The atmosphere is lovely but the meal was a disaster. read more

This is not a review. It's a love letter. The great Casey Stengel once said, "There comes a time in every man's life, and I've had plenty of them." What a marvelous statement that is. This is true with me. I have been very lucky to have had many great experiences..been raised in a great family, received an excellent education, and learned to appreciate the finer things in life as well as the simple. Among the finer is the adoration of haute cuisine. A year ago, I met someone very special from Germany. Her name is JoAnn. A long distance relationship is a gamble at best. But when feelings are genuine, it makes the odds of success better. Last week, I embarked on a trip to visit her for the first time in her hometown of Nürnberg, nestled in the deepest part of Franconia/Bavaria. This quaint city is best known for its Christmas Market, one of the largest in the country, for its modern City Center and culture, its magnificent medieval cathedrals, and signature bratwurst which I enjoyed very much. Any journey outside of NYC will always motivate me to find the best restaurant at my destination. After weeks of research, JoAnn and I decided to make our special Saturday night out at Essigbrätlein. Built in 1550 and reminiscent of a traditional Gasthaus tavern, Essigbrätlein is situated on a quiet cobblestoned nook in the Sebald Castle Quarter, just north of the Pegnitz River. Known as a Gewurzkuche or "spice kitchen" in German, Essigbrätlein's Executive Chef and owner Andree Köthe earned his first Michelin star in 1999 and a second in 2004 and proves that Nuremberg still lives up to its historical reputation as a stronghold for spices. Köthe was the first German chef to introduce the New Naturals School, an offshoot of the farm-to-table movement so widely present here in the United States. The New Naturals emphasize a greater focus on herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables. Israeli cookbook author Ruth Sirkis cites that Andree Köthe "is a master of herbs and spices. He talks about them with admiration and love. He likes them fresh and dried, whole or crushed, sharp or delicate. He talks about the great differences in the tastes, colors and textures between raw, dried and cooked ingredients. Chef Köthe believes that in each dogma of this cooking process, the food will begin to take on new characteristics. The colors of foods give him the ideas and then inspires him to prepare plates full of creativity and imagination. He loves herbs and spices; and pays special attention to their natural layered combinations with fruits, vegetables, meats and fish." JoAnn and I arrived Essigbrätlein at 7pm for its only nightly seating. Beside the front door is a bell hung from a pulley that allows you to signal the staff inside. The small and intimate dining room only seats about 20-25 guests. We were the first to arrive, but within a half hour, the house was full. Lined with dark wooden panels and crowned glass windows, it was originally a meeting place for wine merchants and now plays host to discerning foodies. We chose the 109€ six course tasting menu. One also has the option to go a la carte. The wine list is vast and impressive; chock full of the expected Rieslings, Grüner Veltliners, and Gewürztraminers and hundreds of others from around the world ranging in price from 40€ all the way into the four figures. A basket of artisinal grain bread with luscious pea butter preceded an interesting parade of amuses. The first amuse was a sweet and playful Pumpkin Cream filled Tuile coated with Sesame Seeds. Next, came a savory Bread Nugget with shaved Pepper Egg Yolk wrapped in a grape leave. The last starter was a fantastic wire suspended Morel coated with an addictive Almond Paste and Licorice nub. From the wine menu, we ordered a crisp local Riesling (59€), which was fastidiously poured sparingly to the pace of our evening. The opening course of the main tasting menu was an astounding sextet of Red Beets, Cherry Blossom Tomatoes, Horseradish and Sweet Woodruff. This was followed by a vibrant Lake Trout in a pool of Fresh Peas and Clover. Mini napoleons of Celery Root, Apples and Rocket Lettuce were some of the best bites in recent memory. The service is superb and despite my initial worries about the language barrier, the staff was completely able to explain in English what we were eating and drinking. The next fish course was divine; Arctic Char topped with Picked Rhubarb perched atop a decadent Potato Gratin. JoAnn and I opted for an aromatic and full-bodied Sonoma County Syrah with notes of red currant, pepper, dark chocolate and whiskey to pair with our absolutely exquisite Lamb with Sautéed White Onions and Mustard Seed. Once the desserts arrived, the dining room was in an oxymoronic quiet fervor with smiles abound everywhere. A molten Citrus Cake quenched into a velvet Vanilla Sorbet floating in a fiendish Watercress Jus. Our rapture concluded with a mosaic of fruit-filled chocolate slabs, lulling us into a serene state of bliss. read more

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During our two weeks in Nuremberg we wanted a treat of a night. Many of my husband's colleagues highly recommended Essigbratlein for a special meal and they were spot on. The menu is all about the vegetable, but don't let that turn you off if you love meat in anyway because the chef here is a magician with vegetables. We had the 7 course tasting, I'm not sure if there was even an other option because that was the only one waiting at our table. We had several amuse-buches beforehand, all little bite size beauties of vegetables wonderfully displayed and flavored. The menu alternated between two full vegetable dish, then raw fish, then vegetable, then cooked fish, vegetable and ending with lamb and dessert. I tend to love heavy meaty dishes but this tasting menu was filling and prefect. Every dish was an exploration of the different parts of vegetables and a myriad of ways to present and flavor them. Not a cheap meal, but highly recommended. read more

Every course was remarkable at this magical, tiny restaurant with a door bell. It's the one reason I would happily return to Nurnberg and recommend that you eat pretzels for a week if thats what it takes to save money for a truly wonderful dining experience. read more

My boyfriend and I went for lunch & we had a 4-course-fixed menu with wine included. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. They explained every dish in English to us and didn't charge 2 of the 4 glasses of wine because I only had a little of each. The price is on the high end but it's definitely worth it for a special occasion. read more

Started out great, with wonderful amuse bouches, interesting Franconian Riesling, & intimate atmosphere in a 10 table restaurant. We were the 3rd couple to arrive for our 7 PM reservation. And then it went downhill as the restaurant slowly filled. Instead of the first 3 tables being served the prix fixe, set menu at approximately the same time, it was 5 tables being served together, then 7, and finally all 10 tables, meaning we weren't getting the next course until the rest of the diners caught up. We waited 20 minutes and more between courses, which ruined the flow and limited our enjoyment of the evening. Seven small courses took 4 hours to get through (we finally left at 11), and all diners finished simultaneously, though some entered after 8 PM. If the restaurant can only handle one seating, they should make that happen intentionally vs. having it happen on a de facto basis because the restaurant can't stagger the order in which the food is fired. I think the food was all very tasty, but I forgot what each course was about because it took so long to be served them. The server to whom we complained blamed this on a small kitchen. I blame it on bad kitchen management. Sadly, we would not return. read more

This restaurant is the best and my very favourite restaurant/food in Germany for me ( of the ones I have tasted, even compared to the star restaurants I tried in Paris). Why? because the food is absolutely top quality and extremely imaginative and creative cooking in the highest level. Even a boring salad is so interesting and complex of different tastes coming together. I wished they were in Cologne. thats the only critic I have! read more