Bombay Erfurt

If you like spicy, Germany isn’t the place for you. Many Germans aren’t fond of spicy food.If you are craving Indian food without the risk of Delhi Belly, head on over to Bombay, where the Indian hosts try to make an almost authentic experience in Erfurt possible. The restaurant is dark, and the decor reminds me of the 80s, but the waiters are very friendly, and it seems that everybody who goes here are regulars.

I tried the number 68, a sweet chicken curry dish, served in my very own warmer, and rice with sweet red sprinkles. Yes, I have a sweet tooth. I was pleasantly surprised, and I was full by the end of the evening. The dishes are pricey, around 10 to 12 euros, and the drinks are also around 2.80 to three euros. I didn’t try their authentic Indian lassis, salty, not sweet, but I promised myself to try them next time. Preferably in the summer, during the annual Domstufe opera festival. Insider’s tip: A few well-placed tables outside offers a free view of the stage (or at least a free listen) without paying the 20 to 40 euro tickets.

Bombay Restaurant Erfurt
Domplatz 35
99084 Erfurt
Tel:0361 5400535
Fax: 0361 5400530
Email: tisch@erfurt- bombay.de »

Gingko Sushi

For the best and most authentic Japanese dining experience in East Germany, look no further than Gingko, a Japanese restaurant run by an elderly Japanese couple. I took a co-worker who had worked in Japan for a year, and he gave the best possible compliment you could give a Japanese restaurant:

“It smells like Japan in here!”

The prices are reasonable. Whenever I am at Gingko, I always order the Salmon sashimi with bean sprouts and caviar on hot Japanese rice. At 8.90 euros, it’s like having 10 Salmon sushi rolls on the cheap, cos it’s basically the same ingredients. An added bonus is that all meals come with bottomless hot green tea and if available, a small serving of fruit as dessert. He also has beer, at typical 2.90 euro prices. For wine drinkers, he has a cellar with a good selection of wines, where he also hosts parties of 10-30 people. His sushi is pretty expensive, but if you stick to his meals, like Takoyaki (3.50€ for 4 pieces) , or Chicken Teriyaki Barbeque, you would be assured of a delicious and filling meal at a reasonable price. Go there for the Lunch specials, when it’s much cheaper. If I sound like I an ad, it’s because I have nothing but praises for Gingko after a disappointing experience at Nagano Restaurant at the Lange Brucke.

The owner is a pleasant man who engages his customers in conversation.He is well-traveled, speaks German and English, and is interested in opera. His wife is nice and friendly, but only speaks Japanese. If you want to practice your Japanese, this is the perfect place to do it!

Gingko Sushi

Pergamentergasse 6

+49361 6015415

Your loyal wench at your service–Christoffel

Medieval-themed restaurants usually get a bad rap. I guess some people find the whole idea of dress-up silly.  Imagining Janeane Garofalo dressed up as a wench could tide you through.

If you are into traditional Thüringian food, and would like the atmosphere to go with it, I suggest Christoffel. The menu at Das Schildchen may be hard to read, but reading the menu at Christoffel is downright impossible if you don’t know any German. The good thing about the German language is that the use of obsolete words sounds better.

They don’t use glass, but modern cutlery is thankfully available. Hearty Thüringian food, while delicious, is not for the faint of heart. What you see in the photo are Thüringian potato dumplings (Klöse), chicken, and a tough steak that we thought was beef but turned out to be freshly shot venison, and gravy. At the side you see heavy duty salad mixed with Sauerkraut, and the plate at the upper left hand corner is red cabbage salad.  Drinks were a bit pricey, almost two euros for non-alcoholic drinks and 2.90 for a pint.

The menu above was 22 euros, good enough for three people. It may be a bit pricey, but it is definitely a cheaper alternative than Lutherkeller, another medieval-themed restaurant in the area.

And a tip: If you’re looking for the restroom, try asking for the “Donnerbalken”

Wirtshaus Christoffel

Michaelisstr. 41
99084 Erfurt

Tel.: +49 (0) 361 – 26 26 943

Koko Sushi

Gone are the days when one had to trek to big cities to get a “Japanese fix.” A small Japanese renaissance is blooming in Erfurt, and one of the best places to go is Koko Sushi, in front of the Prädigerkirche in Erfurt.

Modeled on the “conveyor belt” sushi bars in Japan, this sushi bar has small boats floating round and round an artificial river, with the sushi plates on the boats. The simplest veggie rolls (the light green plates) cost around € 2.50, while the more expensive ones are €5.50, up to 6 euros. If you don’t watch what you eat, you could easily rack up a 20 euro bill. Yikes.

Their Salmon nigiri sushi is pretty good, about €4.50 a plate for two pieces, but I always come back for the seaweed salad with sesame seeds and chili. Yum. Beer is pretty expensive, almost three euros. They have a separate wine bar for people who want to have liquor with their sushi. The booths and the way the bar is arranged is cute and minimalist with light, almost pastel colors.

What I like about the restaurant is that it is very tourist-friendly. The waiters are prompt and speak English, and the menu has no words, just the picture and the price of the dish. You can also skip the menu and grab a dish off the boat. You can tell how much it’s worth from the color of the plate.

So if you’re feeling Japanese, try Koko Sushi

Meister-Eckehart-Straße 8

99084 Erfurt

0361 60130409

Bistro Le Gaulois

It’s a shame that good food can be tainted by bad service, but that was the experience had at Le Gaulois.

The server, a woman in her 50s, maybe spoke deficient German, or perhaps she didn’t have experience waitressing.

My friend ordered two flambees, one for me, one for her, while our other companion ordered just a glass of water. I joined in while my friend was ordering, I stopped her, thinking that I wanted something else, but I settled for what my friend ordered for me. The waitress didn’t even bother to confirm the orders. She brought in three flambees instead of two, and raised a stink when we protested. The owner, a lovely man from French Guyana, apologized for the mix-up and engaged us in conversation.

As we were eating our flambees, we found a hair in my meal, an otherwise lovely mozarella, mushroom and spinach concoction with a flaky, crunchy crust. Then she charged us for the third flambee by not giving us change, even though the owner wrote on the receipt that the 5.50 charged for the flambee was to be stricken from the bill. We told the owner, who then gave us our money back.

Lovely location near the Gera river, delicious food, friendly owner. But he should really fire that waitress.

Bistro Le Gaulois

Kreuzgasse 5 99084 Erfurt.

Das Schildchen

Erfurt isn’t lacking in restaurants serving local cuisine. Schildchen is one of them, and it’s worth the search through the maze of the city’s medieval streets.It actually is very centrally located, but it’s tucked away at the crook of an alley, making it hard to find, if you don’t know where it is. Once inside, the homey atmosphere and candlelit interiors make it a good place to have intimate conversations. The location makes it so easy to do.

The menu has a lot of meat and potatoes, and the card itself can be hard to read because the print is in old German script, which was used in Germany till the 1930s. They do have excellent salads, and I have to say that they know their meat well. The chicken that came with my mango curry salad was sumptuous.

It would be a good idea to pre-order food if you belong to a large group, since it took our odd group of 30 ages to get served. The place will set you back €5 to €10, and the beer is about 2€. It is certainly worth a try if you like your meat right.

Schildchen

Schildgasse 3
99084 Erfurt

Mc Kinelly

I find it odd that every German town must, must have an Irish pub. Well, I guess that applies to every average-sized town in the world. Mc Kinelly is one of two or three Irish pubs located in Erfurt, and I have to say it’s more authentic than the other one. Let’s start on why, shall we?

1) The other Irish pub showed football instead of Rugby during the Rugby World Cup, even when two Kiwis asked to switch the channel.

2) The Canadian, American, English, Scottish, and Irish expat community who gather here Friday nights.

3) Dennis, the Irish bartender, who serves Guiness with a three-leaf clover imprint on its foam. Very cool

Need I say more?

Well, for a pub, they serve mighty portions of good, hearty food. I had Broccoli casserole, and the menu has an awful lot of cheese and meat in it. If you’re vegetarian, they serve salads and excellent fries . Cozy interiors and a great beer garden at the back where you can sip your ales, stouts, and Guiness while enjoying the summer sun is another seling point. The kitchen closes at 11, but you can continue drinking until around 2 on weekends.

Expect to pay 6 euros on average for the food, though the steaks cost 9 euros. A bottle of beer is around 2.40 to 2.60 euros, the same is true for the Guiness. They also serve bourbon, whiskey, and proper drinks that will keep happy boozers knock back a few drinks too many.

Mc Kinelly

Johannesstraße 39

The Glashütte

Once upon a time, a man named Napoleon wanted to be emperor of Europe. So he conquered Germany and marched through Erfurt and held office on a hill in the middle of the city called Petersberg, by then a military fortress that had been in place for almost two hundred years.

Another two hundred years after Napoleon stood on its ramparts, Citadelle Petersberg has been experiencing a different kind of invasion—from tourists, that is. And for the hungry tourist, one of the oddest things they would encounter is a glass/concrete/steel building amidst the old churches and military garrisons: The Glashütte. The Glass hut is anything but a hut. It is a cold, modern building with very chic furniture, a pronounced epidemic in many restaurants here in Erfurt. Everybody wants to be so trendy, it’s painful.

Once you’re in the restaurant, the reason for the glass walls become apparent. A 180° panorama of the city and beyond is available from almost every table. It is a very pleasant way to spend a summer evening with buddies and a cool beer.

Once you get over the prices (expect to drop at least 10 euros, food and drink) and the oh-so-trendy china, the food isn’t bad. Sure, they serve pasta with lemon balm leaves, but it somehow works, and how! The 9 euro schnitzel is so huge, it practically fills the entire plate. Definitely not the time to throw stones.

This is an excellent place to take visiting friends, or for a romantic dinner.

Glashütte

Petersberg 11-12

Telephone number 0361/ 6015094

Look Ma, no hangover!—Modern Masters

James Bond would feel perfectly at home here in Modern Masters, where everything from Martinis to Mojitos can be both shaken and stirred. This bar has a very sophisticated atmosphere, a place where a grown-up would feel grown-up. This is a place where I love to go and unwind, where the bartender already knows that he should lay a Mojito Leonardo before me five minutes after I sit.

The bar is located inside a very old building, and sitting inside makes me feel as if I were inside a ear’s den, dark and cozy. Modern furniture, lounge music contribute to the jazzy, bossa nova feeling. The drinks list is long. They even have two menu cards, one for the specials and one for the staples, to keep up with the number of drinks they have. If this seems all too confusing, don’t worry, I can assure you that every single cocktail in the joint is good to the last lip-smacking drop, thanks to the efforts of owner Torsten Spuhn, winner of several national and international cocktail mixing awards. Ask the bartender for recommendations that fit your tastes.

Since the joint doesn’t serve food, make sure that you enter their premises with a full stomach to enjoy their cocktails thoroughly. And non-smokers beware: This is a smoking bar.

The only minus point that I could think of is its restrooms, located at the basement. It is very damp in there despite the exhaust fans, and the moisture in the air makes the restroom smell musty.

The cocktails are a bit pricey, € 7 on average per drink. And since this is a very popular watering hole, the place is always packed. Get there early: it opens at 5 p.m., Happy Hour is until 8 p.m., when prices of all cocktails are 50 % off . On Blue Tuesdays (a play on the German slang “blau”—meaning “blue” or “drunk”), cocktails are knocked down 50% + 1 euro. Credit cards not accepted.

I swear, the drinks are so good you won’t even notice you’re soused until you stagger to the restroom!

Modern Masters
Michaelisstr. 48
99084 Erfurt

Tel./Fax: (0361) 550 72 51

Opening hours: 5pm-2am (weekdays)

5 pm-3am (weekends)

Palais Wachsberg

Palais Wachsberg

Looking to propose to your girlfriend? Well, Palais Wachsberg is possibly the place to do it. It has very modern, tasteful décor, minimalist meets nature, the kind that is trendy nowadays. The shelves are decorated with glued on beans. Dishes like Strawberry Risotto further seal its hip status. Individual booths ensure privacy, and they could place a long-stemmed candelabra on your table if you wanted to. They have a glass-ceilinged function area for weddings and parties, and a sealed-off section for smokers.

The ingredients are fresh, and they don’t overdo the number of dishes in their menu, which is a welcome change from certain restaurants that overwhelm the diner with choices. They’re into bread and spreads, but I chose their Rösti (hash browns) and Porkchop with mushrooms and melted cheese. It came looking like a cheese casserole. Being a cheese lover, I had no complaints.

The dish was ok, nothing mindblowing, but not bad either. The porkchop was tender and juicy, the potatoes were not overly greasy. They didn’t put Cheez-whiz on my dish, but real cheese melted in the oven, so I had to eat the cheese fast before it became gummy. I ordered a vanilla-filled chocolate cupcake with cherry compote on the side for dessert. It was freshly baked, warm and succulent in my mouth. Yummy!

The prices are not on the cheap side, ranging from 6 euros for the baguette with spreads, and 15 Euros for their fish meals. My dinner cost me € 8.70, and the dessert just below four Euros. Still moderate, but not to be done everyday. They also have daily lunch specials until 3 pm, just in case you want to save a bit of money.

In my opinion, It would be a restaurant where I would take the wifey during “date nights.”

Palais Wachsberg

Futterstraße 13