Altertümchen in Köln

Stopped by spontaneously. Very tasty and friendly 👍

Very nice restaurant and very friendly staff, always ready with a funny joke 😂. The food was delicious. I'd happily go back. Greetings from the East 😂🥰👍

Typical Cologne pub, homemade food at fair prices.

Very warm welcome and excellent meal. Whether it was the main course or the dessert. The owner is very friendly and all the dishes are typical German dishes, which is exactly what I was looking for in Cologne.

Very warm welcome Finally, a real meal! Everything is homemade and very good (goulash/Wiener schnitzel/tarte flambée and generous dessert) Very reasonable prices Highly recommended

We went there for dinner with a group of five. We already knew the place from previous stays in Cologne. The food was delicious and plentiful, the beer was fresh, cold, and served quickly, and the atmosphere was very quaint and friendly. We'd love to return as guests next time we're in Cologne :-)

Thank you for the lovely evening! Great, quaint pub, great service, and delicious food.

Nice cozy little restaurant, delicious Kölsch, food too. We liked it. The only minus is probably the lack of card payment.

A truly Cologne-style restaurant, and Jupp (the owner) and his wife (the cook) are Cologne natives themselves. The lunch special from 12-2 p.m. is highly recommended. Freshly cooked food is available every day, or you can order it from the à la carte menu. On Wednesdays, they serve potato pancakes. But please note: The restaurant is closed on weekends. We love going there!

The food is amazing. I haven't had such authentic schnitzel and fries in years. Everything was perfect, from the food to the Kölsch beer. The service was super friendly.

On July 7, 2025, our second and LAST visit to this inhospitable establishment... Although we were the ONLY guests (apart from one guest at the bar), choosing a table wasn't possible (the barkeeper's harsh tone): EVERYTHING IS RESERVED!... We then took a seat at an assigned table. It was drafty here because the adjacent entrance door was open. When I pointed this out, the barkeeper replied, "We need some fresh air, too..." and left the door open... We then chose from the "lunch menu" a Wiener Schnitzel with French fries and mixed salad, and beef goulash, pasta, and mixed salad... each with Kölsch beer... While clearing up, the barkeeper asked if we "liked" it... When I said no and explained the reasons, he freaked out and started shouting at us... Absolutely tasteless!!! I had only answered his question by criticizing the "freshness" of the French fries, which must have been lingering for a while that day (dry, hard, and partially burnt). Regarding the "Wiener Schnitzel," I allowed myself to say that I enjoyed it better on our first visit... Conclusion: The proprietor (at least today) has completely missed his calling; he could rather apply for a job as a bouncer. ----------------------------------------------- The paradox here is the restaurant's own advertisement on the website, which reads: About us We warmly welcome you to Em Altertümche. Try our home-style cooking and let yourself be enchanted by our classic ambience. With our team in the kitchen and our friendly service, we are entirely at your disposal. We do everything we can to make our guests' stay as pleasant as possible. Do you have a special request? Feel free to contact us! Petra and Jupp Engelman, Em Altertümche German Restaurant Cologne... -------------------------------------------- The discrepancy between one's own expectations and reality couldn't be greater... By the way: During our visit, not a single guest showed up for the reserved seats...

Quaint Cologne restaurant with good, affordable home-cooked food and equally fast and friendly service.

Highly recommended 🤩😍 ... relaxed atmosphere, great staff (boss & team), very good potato pancakes and the best Kölsch - Gaffel 🍻😋👍🏻

Honestly, it's a place worth the detour, typical German, well-frequented, a very nice owner, tasty food... what more could you ask for?! I'm won over and I recommend it to you.

Very good dining experience, host was lovely. Cosy German pub with local food. Cash only

A solid restaurant with good food and a traditional Kölsch beer. Friendly host, fair prices, and pleasant service. Unfortunately, card payments are still unacceptable. No longer in keeping with the times.

Great food and nice atmosphere. Very pleasant.

Always fresh Kölsch! Delicious food, always fresh schnitzels and great service.

Great food and always fresh. As soon as you order a schnitzel, you hear knocking in the kitchen. The aioli is fantastic. We always love going there!

Delicious food, good prices and great service.

Super good food that is prepared with love. Everything is just right here. Warm owners.

The restaurant offers a good selection of meat and vegetarian dishes. My sirloin steak with fried onions was very good quality and perfectly grilled medium rare, as I ordered it. When it comes to side dishes, you can choose between fries, baked potatoes, hash browns and more. Beforehand there was a small side salad as well as bread and aioli. The service is typically Kölsch, a little rougher than some people are used to, but with a lot of charm and humor. Drinks and food came very quickly before, during and after the meal.

Vegan dishes are also possible upon request (Schupfnudeln with tomato sauce).

A very cozy and authentic restaurant. Home-style cooking at fair prices and really good and friendly service. I'd be happy to return.

Highly recommended friendly and down to earth Good price/performance ratio

Great combination of antiquity and fresh food.

Great german food with its own small personal improvements. For example, kurrywurst is with a brown kurry sauce, not kurry ketchup. Delicious onion soup. Friendly service. Local, family owned pub atmosphere.

This is still authentic: delicious beer, cheap food, authentic Köbis, already set up.

Wednesday potato pancakes. Good card. Price, performance is right. Just a lovely evening

Authentic atmosphere, good food

Nice, rustic Cologne pub, delicious food, very good prices, great service. Completely satisfied.

We went there for dinner last week as a family. The food was very tasty and more than just good home cooking. The service was also very attentive and nice. All in all, a quaint restaurant that is highly recommended. We would love to come back.

Authentic, good home-style, warm and everything homemade...very special: the beef broth at the front...just like grandma's!

After a short stay in this “restaurant” I can only advise against stopping here for human reasons. My wife urgently needed to go to the toilet and I was prepared to pay and drink as a guest. Already in the entrance area we were treated very unfriendly. The suggestion that we were smearing his toilet made both of us suspicious and perplexed. After further unfriendly comments, I decided to point out the innkeeper's (unfriendly) behavior and leave. We then found a toilet and a drink in another location. For me, helping and NOT insulting guests is one of the basic conditions of gastronomy and humanity. Best regards

Very authentic, family business, tasty and atmospheric.

Very tasty food. Great service and a great ambience. Always happy to come to you. Keep it up.

Very nice and friendly, the food is perfect and the portions are huge. Simply to recommend

Great, authentic ambience, friendly service and top schnitzel.

One of the best schnitzels I've ever eaten in Cologne! The service was very accommodating and the food was really tasty. You can tell straight away that everything is freshly prepared. I will definitely come more often, thank you!

Classic Cologne inn with very good cuisine

Impeccable service, delicious Rievkoochen, great staff,… clear top tip!!!

Looked rustic, old-fashioned, in itself a welcome image of an old restaurant for me. It was a shame that as a younger person you ended up being insulted by the innkeeper, "whether you had sprayed or stuck something in the toilet." I said, somewhat surprised, and still gave a tip of 1 euro for a 9 euro bill. Maybe. Will be treated more kindly next time, let’s see 🤷🏼‍♂️ But then you'll probably be surprised that only regular customers come. Apart from that, it is a criminal offense to accuse someone of such absurdities without any solid evidence. Simply undignified... Unfortunately I didn't get to eat even though I would have liked to wait until 6 p.m., but accusing people of crimes unfortunately spoils your hunger :(

Traditional, authentic food and surroundings. Really enjoyed the food and drink, great value and great hosts! Highly recommend! Would advise booking (which I did very easily via email) Cash only so make sure you go prepared.

Large portion of sausage with fries. It was technically good for the price and performance. But: We wanted to share a portion - that was laughed at a bit. And then we were only given a few cutlery with the reasoning “one meal - one cutlery”. Later we got cutlery again. Everything was a bit uncomfortable and tense. Maybe because we're not from Cologne? No idea.

We landed here today on our short trip to Cologne and we would love to come back. Good beer, good "accelerator", good cheap food and great atmosphere.

Owner run, great service, the schnitzel was very tastey.

I was in Cologne with two friends at the weekend. The boss and the service were great! We felt very well taken care of and had a lot of fun :-) We were also allowed to borrow a skat sheet. The schnitzels we had were really tasty! Absolutely recommended!

Nice, rustic pub with a great landlord and very good food. Price performance is great, definitely worth a visit!

Delicious food, friendly and funny boss

Wow... If you find a hotel near here, be sure to come here. The steak, French fries, and schnitzel are crazy delicious. The beer is also fantastic. I was amazed while eating it. The seasoning is a little salty!

Great pub, great host!!! Super delicious food at really good prices!! Ambience of a traditional Cologne inn. Repeat factor 100% Thank you for the great evening. Harry and Achim

Food was great and service was very friendly!

A really nice evening with good staff, delicious food and good beer! Everything perfect and thanks to the kitchen! Was my highlight in Cologne <3

Nice, rustic pub, the landlord knows how to have fun and is an original 😁

Very cozy, a great host and very good food. I'd love to come back again.

Great restaurant, away from the kebab bar. If you're looking for Cologne flair, you've come to the right place. Everything is freshly prepared.

I was staying locally and found this one by chance. Lovely little place. You can feel a family vibe inside. Quite a decent traditional menu. The food was good and the portion was generous. The gentleman serving was super nice. I would suggest adding a bit more info in English and also offering the possibility for card payments.

A real “Veedels pub”, very good “home cooking”, great service. Family business in the truest sense of the word. I'd love to come back 😉🍻

2024 and this place stopped in the 90s. No card payment possible!! (not a temporarily broken terminal but not at all). Overall it's a bar that serves food. Maybe the food is the best around but I haven't had the opportunity to try and never will

We were here for the first time but not the last. Delicious food. Fast service, reasonable prices.

Super delicious food... the owner always has a good saying... great service 👍

Food on point, plus delicious gaff...top

Relaxed atmosphere, delicious cuisine and clean toilets

We went to “Em Altertümche” for dinner on our first evening in Cologne. The food was great, the service from the boss was friendly, attentive and entertaining. A recommendation that “that’s too much” has proven to be correct. No pointless, loud background music, no hustle and bustle like in some other central restaurants in Cologne - pleasant all around. Everything TOP!

Are guests in Cologne and have rarely been treated so warmly. Food great and service impeccable. We'll definitely come back

Expectations would be fulfilled.

Very tasty food, decent portions and great service. Very rare to find something like this. I'd love to come back when I'm in Cologne again.

Quaint Cologne pub with a friendly owner.

Cash only. Dinner from 6pm only but drinks all day. Very reasonable prices for a very good food (Vienna schnitzel & spatzel The salad & the French fries).

Visited twice on a business trip in October with several colleagues, it was worth it! Good German cuisine that fills you up (unanimous opinion: very good steak) and a Cologne original as the host. At the end of the second visit, we were able to say goodbye to him and gain a few insights into the planning of the celebration in the house at Wieverfastelovend. We recommend!

Wir waren zum zweiten Mal mit Kollegen hier zum Kegeln und anschließendem essen. Der Service unten auf der Kegelbahn ging immer schnell. Das Essen war super gut. Angefangen von der super Gulaschsuppe über den Beilagensalat mit Brot und hausgemachter Aioli bis zum Grillteller. Sehr empfehlenswert. Kommen sicher wieder. Danke für einen schönen Nachmittag.

Hier gibt's definitiv die besten Käsespätzle 😋 Die Bedienung ist auch super und das Ambiente gemütlich. Eben ne schöne kölsche Kneipe 👍😉

Ich kann das "Em Altertümchen" nur empfehlen. Der Service ist erstklassig, sehr freundlich und auch auf der Kegelbahn im Keller "auf Zack. Sehr zu empfehlen ist das Hüftsteak mit Röstzwiebeln, qualitativ hochwertiges Fleisch, auf den gewünschten Punkt gegart, Respekt! Nicht zu vergessen, die Aioli, die vorab mit Brot und einem kleinen Salat gereicht wird, absolut Topp! Ein rundherum gelungener Kegelabend mit tollem Essen vorneweg. Danke an den Wirt und sein Team!!

Super freundlich, tolles Essen...was will man mehr. Einfach klasse!

Wir hatten einen tollen Abend :)

Wir waren nur auf ein Kölsch hier. Flotter Service und leckeres Kölsch.

Einfach nur empfehlenswert! Preise noch absolut fair - sowohl für Essen, als auch für Getränke. Portionsgröße beim Essen wahnsinnig gut! Die Kegelbahn funktioniert einwandfrei und der Service ist wahnsinnig nett! Danke für den schönen Abend!

Essen war super. Kölnerische Kneipe... Nur komisch das het zu Tage dort keine Kartenzahlung möglich ist.

Einfach nur gut. Absolut ein Besuch wert. Ganz tolle Gastgeber, super Essen. Gute alte Deutsche Küche. Man möchte gar nicht gehen. Selten so toll bewirtet worden.

Freundliche und Aufmerksame Bewirtschaftung.

Deftig und lecker. Kölsch hat man in der Hand bevor man sitzt. Richtig so

Urige Kneipe, Toller Gastwirt und leckeres Essen. Ein echter Geheimtipp.

Super leckeres Essen, toller Service und echt Kölsch! Danke für den tollen Abend!

Unsere Vereinsstammkneipe von Fantasica Colonia 1948 - Absolut TOP

Typical german place if you want to have authentic food. I really enjoyed their wine and they had a really good Jägerschnitzel. The portions are big and the prices are reasonable. You get something for your money here. Would come back again!

Leuke zaak, de beste schnitzel ooit gegeten. Bediening zeer vriendelijk

Solide Kölsch-Kneipe mit durchschnittlicher Küche. Nicht weniger, nicht mehr. 3 Sterne

Heerlijk bruin café... Gezellige maar rustige sfeer.. Lekker eten en lekker drinken (ook alcohol vrij)

Superessen , faire Preise und freundliches Inhaberpaar ! !

Gutes Essen und gute Bewirtung!

Je kunt er goed eten voor een schappelijke prijs. Een beetje een Duitse versie van een bruin café. De keuken gaat pas om 18 uur open, dus dit is geen aanrader voor vroege eters. Hier kun je alleen contant betalen! Hou daar rekening mee!

Previous reviews were accurate....the food here is fantastic, best schnitzel I've had in my 5 days in Germany. Classic experience at a reasonable price, and friendly owners. Some notes: CASH Only..."no cards please" Wednesday is their day for reibekuchen (potato pancakes) Danke!!!

Le service très sympa, les flammekueche sont excellentes ! Un cadre typiquement allemand. Je recommande !

Wir waren mit einer größeren Gruppe dort und wurden sehr nett aufgenommen. Das Essen war super und das Ambiente urig Kölsch. Gerne wieder

Super netter Wirt, für den Preis sehr gutes Essen! Verbesserungsvorschlag: Hinweis "nur Barzahlung" am Eingang, auf der Speisekarte und/oder auf der Website ergänzen ;)

Aufmerksame Bedingungen lecker Essen

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 🤗🤗🤗🤗 Freundlich Eine kneipe mit Kleiner Karte Ist kein Gourmet Tempel. Essen schmeckt trotzdem. Komme gerne hierhin.

Lecker Essen, gepflegte Getränke und nette Wirtsleute. Unbedingt besuchen.

Der Wirt sehr nett, schnelle und freundliche Bedienung, das Essen sehr lecker. Wir werden gerne wieder dahin gehen:-)

Ordentlicher Besitzer, der das Lokal noch mit dem Herz am rechten Fleck führt und die wichtigen Werte aufrecht erhält. Die Qualität des Essens ist unschlagbar und dann noch zu einem sehr preiswert. Jederzeit gerne wieder. Klare Empfehlung!