My home away from home while in Dusseldorf.
Feels like walking into a neighborhood pub/tavern/dive back in the States but with an authentic German feeling. Neither 'Sam Malone' nor 'Cliffy' were there, but I believe Gunther and Klaus might occasionally make an appearance.
So what can you expect when you walk in to Zur Uel? I was there on a Saturday night, Sunday night and Monday night. In order, I'd share the words 'hopping', 'dead quiet' and 'friendly neighborhood pub' to describe each of those nights respectively. Yes, I should have tried different restaurants. Easy to say when you aren't jet lagged, or aren't working 16 hour days and getting 3-4 hours of sleep per night. Zur Uel was convenient to my hotel and in the Altstadt so shoot me!
Food? Not too bad. I personally have no issue with German food besides the fact that they seriously overcook vegetables. Can you boil/cook my carrots for less than 37 hours next time? I have finished teething so I think I can handle a little crunch! That said, one always gets a simple house salad to go along with heavy meat entrees, potatoes of some kind and bread.
Beer? Really enjoyed the Fuchsen Altbier. The locals should be proud of it. It's delicious and goes down easily. They bring it in .25 liter glasses and it is bottomless...beware though as it packs a punch. As others said, the beer fairies just never let you run out. The waitresses constantly swing by at the instant one's glass is on the last sip. It's like a drive-by beer shooting...you just sometimes don't know which direction your new beer came from, but it's foamy and delicious. The waitresses keep tabs on your totals by marking your beer coaster with a pencil and total you up at the end of the night.
Service? Germans get a bad rap on service. It is a case of a few bad apples spoiling it for everyone else and creating a stereotype. Trust me...service was solid and friendly on night #1 while it was crowded; and great on nights #2 and #3 when it was quieter. Super friendly, appreciated my effort (and we laughed about my destruction) of their language, and they coached me to improve my basic vocabulary and grammar, were my friends by night #2 and looking forward to my next visit to Dusseldorf. Faux friendliness? Seemed genuine to me.
Why only four (4) stars? CASH ONLY. I know it is not the custom to take credit cards in Europe and Germany in particular, but I genuinely would have spent more if they had taken cards. However, I was saving my cash for taxis which I needed desperately at times (like when headed to the airport.) So Zur Uel saved 3-4% on merchant credit card fees and it cost them 10-20% in a larger tab. Sounds like a NET loss to me. A loss for both sides.
Still suggest coming here. Say Guten Abend for me. read more