Not your typical German pub. Lively even in the middle of a Thursday. The waiter had no problem drinking with us and even gave us the glass to take home as souvenirs. My first time in Germany so I didn't have anything else to compared the food. The waiter was honest and told me the portions are large so I shouldn't order anything except the main course. Boy was he right, I couldn't even finish it. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Best beer in Cologne, Germany - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

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We loved our visit here; our first time in a German beer hall. We came for lunch and though there were a lot of patrons, the interior is deceptively spacious and we had no problem finding a table. We were waited on immediately; our sweet, competent, bilingual waitress was helpful, patient, and gave us just enough rope to have a little fun with the language barrier. The food was delicious; highly recommended if you are not counting calories. The beer was top notch of course, and the prices fair given the touristy location. PS - There is no atmosphere of course; it's a beer hall! read more

After traveling all the way from the west coast of America we finally made it to Cologne, checked into our hotel, and were ready for our first German beer hall experience. Gaffel am Dom was nearby and we were not disappointed. Of course, we had nothing to compare it to, so my rating may be off base. But for two jet-lagged weary Americans, the whole experience was a delight. Our server was friendly and quickly explained how it all worked. We both had different versions of schnitzel that were excellent. And the Kolsch flowed freely. The atmosphere was rocking as large groups and smaller families enjoyed an evening out. It may be there's better beer and food but there couldn't have been an easier introduction to a classic German institution for two travelers who spoke no German. I'd happily return read more

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Make reservations, it's really hard to find a table!! We miraculously found one the second time we walked through. We ordered a meal for 4 but it was way too much food. It could have fed 6 people!! It was soooo delicious. Good cold beer. It was not easy to get refills and paying took a bit but we enjoyed our meal! Would come back!! read more

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My go-to in Cologne. Many locals say it is the best and I do normally agree with that . For those who may be tired of Kolsch bier, they have, at times, microbrewed beer from the area. Had an insanely good PNW style IPA here a couple times. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Y'all know what this crispy hoof is! - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

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Huge beer hall type of restaurant. They have a lot of different items like schnitzel, pretzels, sauerbraten and more. I tried the schnitzel with mushroom sauce it was very good. The pretzel was dry and stale . It didn't come out as fresh as it should. The beer was pretty good for Kölsch. I really didn't like the Kassler vom Grill it was tough and had a bad taste with a disgusting cabbage underneath. The service is typical and was ok but the place was so loud and crowded it wasn't pleasant. They don't know English very well here and when it's so loud it can be difficult to get a clear order. Our server made some mistakes that we had to correct even though I was ordering in German. read more

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I'm visiting Cologne as part of a month long European vacation and I decided to stop for lunch at your location just in the middle of the Dome and the Köln Hbf. Since I am an 80 y/o lung cancer survivor I was feeling short of breath and sat down for a second to inhale my breathing medication. One rude, unpleasant woman came out from your store and demanded in a loud voice in a completely unfriendly, uneducated and disrespectful manner that I "immediately move away from the chair". Of course after that disproportionate response I was not able to get my lunch at a place where these kind of people are allowed to serve customers. If I were in the USA I would say she was acting like a white trash MAGA woman. I suppose Germany as well as every other country has elements life this jerk occupying positions of customer service that are not fit for their level of education. Sent from my iPhone read more

Gaffel am Dom - Gaffel am Dom - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

This place is right outside the train station and Cologne Cathedral. It was busy for dinner, but we were able to find a table. The atmosphere is great! I ordered the Viennese Style Schnitzel with french fries and mixed green salad, and we ordered a pretzel to share. They keep bringing Kölsch when your glass is empty, and you have to put your coaster on top of your class to tell them to stop. The schnitzel and fries were excellent, and the Kölsch was very good! The pretzel was cold and tough which was a little bit of a letdown. It took a little while to flag down our waiter to pay. Altogether, our meal was great, and we'd go again! read more

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It was awful. We waited for the food to come more than 40minutes and after the meal, it took us to pay more than 30 minutes. All the other customers were leaving after the payment but the waiter looked at us and just went to the other table. We were so furious and just going to leave and then the waiter stopped us and said about the payment. He didn't even say sorry and said the machine was working slow. He's name was edam or eden what ever. RACIST RESTAURANT read more

Gaffel am Dom - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

The service was good, except when your made fun of asking for whiskey. The food was dry dry dry. The schnitzel was so bad I only ate half. The fries that came with it was very soggy. The reason two stars instead of one is the fact that the salad was really really good. In the end, find somewhere else to eat. Don't go here for the tourist trap that it is. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

This place may seem like a tourist trap since it's right near the train station and cathedral. Whether it is or not, it's a fun place to grab food and a brew! If you can snag a good table, you're in for a good time with lots of loud German locals enjoying their lives. I went during a futbol game and people were going nuts over it. It's funny because everyone was watching a small screen. It wasn't like in the US where sports bars have like twenty 50-inch HD flat screens. For a good time, all you need here is some Kölsch beer and the Pork Knuckle. read more

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Good food, great ambience, convenient location. The servings were huge. Must try (at least once!) when i. Koln. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

Gaffel am Dom was one of several restaurants we visited in Köln and it was the best. We ate inside the restaurant, though they also have extensive seating in front of their building on the square. The ambiance was outstanding - classic German Beer Hall with wood walls, high ceilings, and interesting tchotchkes decorating everything. Groups were large and small, with a long table of locals seated just behind us enjoying an extended meal and conversation. Our server was terrific, friendly and helpful, and had even recently visited our state in the US. The food was also terrific - tasty, very German, creative (more than just meat and potatoes), abundant, and high quality. The same went for the weissbier we shared at our table. We appreciated the slower pacing of the service, very much the local standard. No one gave us the bum's rush that is so typical in the States. I look forward to stopping by again some day! read more

This restaurant is enormous and I learned very quickly the way the Germans drink Kolsch, haha. I had the best schnitzel of my life here. I ate until I was uncomfortably full. So, the Kolsch - you get this very small glass that costs like 1 euro. Once it's empty, they pick it up and replace it with another and this continues to infinity. The way to show you are done drinking is to put your coaster over your glass. So go in prepared! read more

We enjoyed the bar service. Excellent beer and experience as we learned Kölsch tradition.

Solid fresh food and beer right next to the train station and cathedral- beyond the watch shops and coffee shop. Service was adept at English and always nearby when needed. We had a salad, onion soup, and potato cakes with applesauce. Everything tasted fresh. For lunch on Sunday ample seating was available for small and large groups - we just grabbed what table we wanted and a server brought out menus. Bathrooms are in the basement and require stairs. read more

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Came here with a group of thirty last Sunday night. Please note if you don't show up in time they do give your table away. No worries we can wait in the meantime there is plenty of beer to drink. Very friendly warm atmosphere when tables did open up our group got broken up. I had my favorite Wiener schnitzel with red cabbage and fries. Fries were not my favorite cut I prefer them crunchy and skinny. The Wiener schnitzel was great and the red cabbage complimented the dish. For dessert we all shared the apple strudel with whipped cream was awful. Most restaurants seem not to be able to do everything perfect so I wasn't surprised about the dessert. Being a large city and many people in town for Anuga it isn't surprising that the restaurant is stressed with the crowds. We tried doing shots but couldn't get any of the known liquors the waiter brought over shots a little too strong for me. Definitely makes you miss home. read more

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We had a wonderful experience here. We sat outside and the beers started flowing. Our waiter was great, very personable, funny and spoke great english. We were in for lunch so we ordered Jagerschnitzel and Black Pudding. The Black Pudding came out first and was delicious. Our waiter kindly warned of what it was when ordering but I knew what I was in for and was extremely satisfied with what I received. Shortly after the Jagerschnitzel was delivered. It was a solid 10! Just perfect. The schnitzel was thin and crisp, the gravy was rich and heavy on the mushrooms. It came in a separate jar which keep the schnitzel from getting soggy. The beers were absolutely delicious and continued to flow as long as we let them. We started timing the waiter and the longest we waited from finishing a beer to receiving another was 2 minutes and 15 second. Not bad if you ask me. I would highly recomend! read more

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Came here at the recommendation of the hotel. We arrived about 7:30pm on a Friday. The place was extremely busy and it is not a small place either. I think we may have gotten the last table in the place but we had to go upstairs. While we were here we discovered there was a soccer game that started at 8:30pm which had a Cologne team playing and we were seated right under the big screen. This place is a Kolsch brewery of which Cologne is famous and Cologne is very proud of their Kolsch! It is located across the plaza from the Döm of Cologne. Which is the largest gothic church in northern europe and 4th tallest in the world. Supposedly, the three wise men are buried here. We ordered the meat platter for 4. Although it took a while since it was busy, when it arrived, it was huge. Grilled pork knuckle, boiled pork knuckle, bratwurst, sausage, schnitzel, fried potatoes with bacon, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, french fries and a variety of sauces. It was well picked through when done. Overall, this was a great experience. And very exciting with all the locals cheering the home team. And go figure, we just stumbled on it. read more

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I ordered one of their specials, ''Himmel un Aad''. The taste is ok. However, I found two pieces of plastic in my plate. I told the waiter and he just simply said ''Sorry'', that's all. The safety of the food is not guaranteed, and all they do is one ''Sorry'' word. read more

Gaffel am Dom - plastic chips - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

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Reasonably priced, great tasting food. Great portion size. Server did not speak much English but the menu showed English translations. One of our favorite meals on our after-college Europe trip read more

Any place that serves of pork that has crispy skin AND is almost as large as my head automatically gets 4 stars in my book. I was worried that this might be a tourist trap because of the large number of tourists, but this was on the recommendation of a local and I was there with a local. Apparently there are all sorts of local rules that even a German who is not from Cologne wouldn't know, like: don't finish your beer if you don't want another one to be brought to you, and when you are done, cover the glass with the coaster. We had no problems with service, but maybe having someone who speaks German helps. The Schweinehaxe was massive and can feed 4 people. We ate about 2/3 of it because we are pigs when it comes to eating pig. It was super crisp on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside. The Mett was just OK, I guess I just can't get into eating raw pork, even if it is super fresh and safe. This place is fun, authentic and checks off that big beer hall and giant pork knuckle boxes off my list of must dos. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Mett - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

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Amazing amazing amazing! And thats putting it lightly....we had a table reservation for 2.5 hrs and we though "what the hell are we gonna do for that long". Well, we ended up staying 4.5 hrs! Ralph the server was wonderful. We started off with the beer. If you know kolsch well Gaffel is the best. Plus you are eating next to the Dom, so cant get much better. We each got dinner, which was quick, hot and amazing. We sat and ate slowly, drank more beer and just soaked up the fun. People coming and going, its loud but a blast! Dessert was great as expected. Our table reservation was over and didn't want to leave, so Ralph said the table across the room was leaving their reservation early and we could have it until their end time! Soooo, after 36, yes 36 beers we went out to the market! Even got Raplhs apron!! You must go....you will love it. read more

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This was a perfect spot for a bite and a couple of beers. Our waiter was fun and made it easy to select a snack The good was very good slsoy read more

Gaffel am Dom - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

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My friend and I went on a quest to try as many of Köln's best beers at the best beer places. We ranked each Kölsch beer after it was all over. Our journey had some interesting paths but some great stories were created on our journey. So I think from a tourist stand point this is the best location for a brewery simply because it's by the Dom that being said its not really near any of the others which is disappointing. This place I huge inside, crazy how open it is in here. It would be a great place to celebrate Octoberfest. To me it just gave me that kind of feeling. You can see the gigantic gold containers where the beer is brewed. The only downfall is the service was quite slow but I think it's because the place is normally busy and so large that the staff might not see you. Even though I didn't get a Kölsch here, I had my favorite beer that I have had so far in Germany. The Gaffels Sonnen Hopfen was incredible. The best summer beer I have ever had. Better than any summer shandy, Sam Adams summer brew, any Shock Top I have ever had. This will be my new go to Summer Beer for sure. read more

Gaffel am Dom - My favorite beer - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

Really amazing food. Had the wonderfully roasted pork knuckle. :) Came on a recommendation from our hotel and not disappointed. Come early as it may be packed even in early evening. read more

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Horrible place, rude waiter, keep charging you drinks you didn't order and then make up some lame german rule about putting a coaster on your glass in order to tell them you don't want anything, where as in every normal country in the world you just order a drink when you want to. Also their beer is absolute horse piss, you'd think with Belgium next door, they'd do better Germans in this place are rude, miserable wankers Customer service, unknown term read more

We dined at Gaffel am Dom after touring the cathedral. The food was delicious and the brewery restaurant is very cozy. The beer is served in the .2l gold-rimmed glasses and is very refreshing. Our waitress was very friendly and we had a great experience. read more

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When you walk in and sit down, it's never "what would you like?"; it's "how many would you like?". The Kölsch is great as is the service. Great vibe. We've never eaten here...just Kölsch. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Lecker! - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

Gaffel am Dom is right by the station and Dome so it's in a very touristy area. When I say this you realise that it is a bit more catered to tourists. That's not to say it is not awesome. It actually is though I preferred (in my other review) Colner Hofbrau by the waterfront. The food was really fantastic. Roasted suckling pig, fried potatoes and slaw. Fuelling the all day drink session like a boss. I just German beer halls. What can be better than great beer and equally great food. read more

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Again I am eating in a tourist destination. Yet again I was pleasantly surprised. My server was pleasant and the food was great. I had the potato soup with bacon and the baked pork on toast. I love potato soup and find many places do not make a good one. It is either too watery or so rich that you lose the taste of potato. This was a three bears potato soup - just right. I tried the German snack of baked pork on toast. The pork was so rich even with the raw onion that I needed some mustard which my server brought. When combined with mustard it was the perfect dish. I left full, but I knew there were more stops in Köln to make on this trip. This place is literally steps from the cathedral. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Yum - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

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This place is a tourist trap. The schnitzel and Kolsh beer were average at best. If you come here, expect to get bumped by the rude chinese tourists running around. I mean the food and beer wasn't that bad, but I've had better. The service was also kind of sh*tty, our waiter made us feel like we were bothering him. 2.5 stars rounded up. read more

Owned by one of Cologne most famous breweries. Great building, Great location and as good as Kolsch beer gets. Also serve delicious traditional German food in big portions(my favourite was schweinshaxe). Can get a bit touristy sometimes though read more

Was taken here by some locals. Their meat platter was ridiculous. The roasted pork knuckle was especially tasty. Best of all--they keep bringing you beer until you tap out! Think churrascaria except with beer. If only there was a combination of the two in one place! read more

Gaffel am Dom - Pork knuckle on left. - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW

The food was good but the service was a joke. We came in a bigger group and the guy was beyond rude to us. He ignored us for 40mins before he actually took our drinks order and then another 30mins until he took the order for the food. Adding to that he had an attitude and treated us if we are worth nothing. When we were done and paid he threw the change on the table, so hard it fell down on the floor and he shrugged and walked away. Never coming back again, really not worth it. read more

I love the Gaffel. It is a perfect quick stop for local cuisine and and a few quick Kölschs before you are heading onto the train. The Himmel en Äd is very good, and the Reibekuchen with Tartar are also great... add a lot of Gaffel Kölschs and you are good to go read more

My wife and I tried 3 bierhalles in Cologne: Früh, Peters, and Gaffel. They were all great, but Gaffel just came up a little short - It was just super standard fare that just didn't inspire. Technically everything was fine, and our waiter was very friendly and happy to speak English to us (so that was different). But the beer, the food, the ambiance, meh. Though there is a bierkeller downstairs - That could be fun to check out if I come back! read more

Stopped by with a colleague to catch the football game - lots of kölsch beer but and tv screens, but the food seems like it comes right out of a Sysco or Sodexo truck, into a microwave, and onto your table. My asparagus flatbread was ok (asparagus season in germany), but the schnitzel was like a brick. read more

We went to this restaurant after touring the area. It's located right outside the Koln Cathedral. Great beer & good service. We tried the cheese plate. It was good. They brew their own beer and it's good. The prices are a bit high, but to be expected in this locale. read more

My experience was awful. Our waiter was rude and service was slow. One of our meals was nothing like we thought & I wanted to order something else. When I finally got our waiter to order something new, he got very defensive and demanded that I pay for the original meal! I planned on paying for the original (to throw in garbage) and get a replacement. Not after his reaction! We paid and left immediately. Had we had another server, I think it would've been different. read more

Gaffel am Dom - Pork knuckle still had hair on it! Needless to say, that meal wasn't touched! - Breweries Near Me - Cologne, NW