Bier-Esel in Köln

As always, amazing food and great service! We'll be back.

Delicious food, super friendly service. Top Top Top

We went to the Bier-Esel on Monday and ate mussels there. They were excellent. Even our non-mussel-eaters loved them. We'll be back!

We sat outside. The server was nice, friendly, and quick. We've had mussels that were a bit better. And the pasta with chanterelles was also good. The portion could have been a bit larger. But as always, we'll be happy to come back.

Sit down and eat, it tastes like mom's.

Just a great little restaurant, the older blonde lady that helped us was amazing just straight to the point LOVE IT even for foreigners (we’re dutch and don’t speak much german) but just the “Beer?!” Was enough. A normal Beer is 2,50 and its good beer too! Food is cheap and delicious! 100% would come back here if i visited Köln again

Food came very quick and friendly staff! The currywurst was delicious!!

Was there today for lunch, great service, food was very tasty, we always like to come back

I went to Bier-Esel especially to try the käsespätzle. This is a straightforward dish of pasta and cheese. That may not sound that inspiring, but sitting there with a regional speciality, a glass of kolsch and the relaxed, everyday atmosphere of the place, it was all very pleasant. Kolsch is served cold in small glasses and the recommendation is that it is drunk before it warms up. I think that is good advice.

We come here every year to eat mussels and fries. This year (2025) it was particularly delicious and spot on. Kudos to the chef (September 3, 2025 - 7 p.m.) and thanks to the friendly waiters ❣️ It's a feast every time!!! Highly recommended.

Delicious food, delicious Kölsch beer, the waiter was friendly (rare), everything was great.

Great service 😃 Anytime again 😀

You get the ambience you see and the delicious food.

Since we discovered this restaurant, it's become almost a must-visit when visiting Cologne. Delicious food, attentive and friendly staff, and prompt service. Highly recommended.

Top-notch restaurant! Fast and friendly service! Excellent cuisine! Delicious! We'd love to come back again! 😊

A must in cologne best brewery and food service are fantastic

Currently serving: Schnitzel with chanterelle cream. Delicious!

excellent traditional German cuisine...

They don't pay attention, they look the other way

Can recommend, you can't go wrong

My brewery in Cologne – a warm welcome, and a special mention to Ruth!!! Potato pancakes with salmon and tartar are a treat, always a pleasure to come back for!

Top restaurant! Fast and friendly service! Excellent and generous cuisine! Affordable prices.

Great place to stop by. Very friendly service. Lovely ambiance. We'll be back 🥰🥳💯👍

It was very tasty, recommend!!!

Quaint, clean, friendly, and top-notch food. Excellent schnitzel sauce on the side and top-notch sauerbraten.

We were just here for a few beers, no problem, very friendly service!

I think the Bier-Esel (Beer-Esel) is a top location for visitors from out of town. We were recently there with our American relatives, who couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that this inn has been around since 1297. 🤭 The service there is as robust as the rustic decor, but very attentive and always there. The food is unpretentious, plentiful, and solid. If you want to sit outside in the summer, you should make a reservation; otherwise, you'll be sitting inside. ℹ️ The tavern "Zum Esel" (The Beer-Esel), located on Breite Straße, was first documented in 1297. It was already a brewery in 1319. Beer was brewed there until 1873, when the brewery changed hands. In 1892, the Sünner Brewery took over the establishment, and in 1912, Fritz Austermühle transformed it into Cologne's "first mussel house." He imported fresh North Sea mussels and served them to the inland locals, who, let's face it, had no excuse not to eat mussels—if you can get them at the local pub, you'll do it. Mussels remained and remain the specialty of the "Bier-Esels" to this day. The pub burned down in bombing raids during World War II, was rebuilt in 1948, and fully restored in 1962. After further renovations and reopenings (most recently in 2014), it remains a cozy link to Cologne's relaxed past.

A traditional restaurant that's a must-visit. Modern German cuisine, as well as grandma's recipes like kidneys, are delicious. There's something for every taste.

Very varied, creative cuisine, a lively chef, plenty of "ze luure," and always guaranteed pleasant conversation with the next table. A diverse pleasure, whether inside or outside!

A lovely Cologne pub with a good menu. Very nice outdoor seating and friendly service.

We really enjoyed our meal at the Bier-Esel. Now, in the early evening, we were able to get a table without a reservation. However, it's better to make a reservation in the evening. For dinner, we had herring, Wiener Schnitzel, and Mayer's Hacksteak. Everything was delicious. The service was fast and incredibly friendly. If we're ever in Cologne again, this will be our first stop. Greetings to Dimitri and Micki.

Seasonal menu: Sausage salad with mixed peppers, fried potatoes. The best sausage salad I've ever eaten 👍: finely balanced, finely chopped, not too much onion or peppers, so the flavor overpowers them. Even better than my mother's ❤️. If I could, I'd give it more points. I'd gladly come back anytime.

I had a Jägerschnitzel with fried potatoes. The meat was good, but the sauce could have been seasoned better; the fried potatoes had obviously been in the pan for a while. The 0.33l Sinalco Cola for €4.40 was also completely overpriced. I won't be going there again.

Everything was great and the service was very nice

We went there during Christmas market season and it was fantastic! Food and beer were delicious and service was friendly and fast. I recommend this place !

Typical German meal, good value for money, the waiter is very friendly. The only downside is that I was a little scared of the seat where I sat because there were a few flies flying around, and the cups were not cleaned and had a bit of beer smell. Everything else was good. Recommended

Great food and super friendly service in the heart of Cologne. We had a great time outside in the beautiful weather.

Very decent food at good prices and great service.

A typical Cologne pub. Delicious food and friendly staff

Wonderful food, wonderful smells, and a proper old-school Kölsch atmosphere. I honestly think they serve the best Haxe in Cologne, and that says a lot in this city. Crispy on the outside, fall-apart tender inside. Pure joy. The beer sauce brings sweet and bitter undertones. The slightly sweet and tangy krautsalat is a flavor bomb. I’d take home a big jar if I could. The deliberately overseasoned bratkartoffeln, with char from the oven, add salt and a deep bitterness that ties it all together. The only downside? The Senf (mustard) is nothing special. But honestly, you won’t miss it with everything else going on. The Bier Esel might be a donkey, but it knows exactly what it’s doing. Einmal im Monat? Nein, zweimal im Monat, if I have the time.

All in all, very good. We'd be happy to come back.

Delicious food, good atmosphere.

The food is always very good quality and the staff is super friendly. Even the chef lends a hand.🙏🏻

I stopped there spontaneously for a break and had a delicious meal. The service was very attentive. I would definitely recommend it.

Very good restaurant that I highly recommend if you want to try traditional Koln meal

A very busy restaurant where you can enjoy a wonderful meal. Delicious regional cuisine. Friendly and efficient staff complete the experience.

The waiters were friendly and polite. The food was good but the portions were a bit small

We went here based on the ratings for a local Cologne experience but left a bit disappointed. I was really looking forward to the mussels but they did not have them since it was not in season. We went in June. Instead we got the blood sausage and schnitzel and also the raw pork starter. The Mettbrötchen came shortly and was good. We waited over an hour for the mains and with no acknowledgement for the wait. This was around 9pm on a Saturday night, busy but not packed. The food was nothing spectacular but there was a piece of foil in my apple sauce (assuming it’s from the packaging). I notified the server after we paid, as it wasn’t a huge bother. He notified the chef who happened to be in passing. Again, no acknowledgement from either of them. Maybe this is the norm here, I am not sure.

I discovered this restaurant by chance and luckily managed to snag a table. It's a truly lovely place with a cozy atmosphere that immediately puts you at home. The Sünner Malz is delicious – I highly recommend it! Especially when paired with delicious spaetzle and a small salad, the meal becomes a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I highly recommend it.

Delicious food, friendly waiter. Highly recommended.

Very tasty and great attentive staff, we felt very comfortable with you 😉🫶

We ate here last night, based on a recommendation. A cozy and quaint restaurant. The cellars were very nice, and the food was delicious.

Fantastic German food! The soup and schnitzel were fantastic. Highly recommend if you are looking for a delicious German meal!

We'd love to go back :-) We were there the day before yesterday in beautiful weather and sat in the beer garden. I would have loved to eat mussels, but unfortunately, they're not available again until September, when mussel season begins again. The food is very good and tasty, and the waiter who served us was very friendly, relaxed, and on the ball. We can recommend the Bieresel any time of year.

Good food, nice setting and friendly service, even though it was busy we were warmly welcomed. The schnitzel was very good, tasty sauce with lots of fresh mushrooms

We were completely satisfied. The brewery dishes and mussels were top-notch. The waiter was superb. The Sünner Kölsch was delicious. We'd gladly return.

Best place for schnitzel and curry-wurst. Make a reservation on weekends!

Highly recommended! Top-notch food and service!

Very tasty Cologne specialties, good fast service 🤩

Actually, the food was great, the Kölsch beer was excellent, everything was perfect. It's a shame the waiter charged us for four Cokes we didn't have. Unfortunately, we noticed too late.

Sünner Kölsch and very good food 👌🏼

Friendly team, very good cuisine, delicious beers! Always happy to come back!!

Great food, very good service. I recommend it!

I had the knuckle of pork. Soooo delicious and crispy. That gets a plus for the stars. There were seven of us and we ordered different dishes. The rest of the group was also five stars satisfied. If I'm ever in Cologne again, I'll definitely stop here again.

Good food.Good service. Nice evening.

The food was really tasty - the service was A1, always there if you had a question and very friendly. The prices were really reasonable, considering that the restaurant is close to the cathedral and there are quite a lot of tourists there.

Delicious Kölsch, great food. Gladly again!

The food was delicious, the service was good and it was cozy. It's easy to go there. Portions could have been a little bit larger.

Went here spontaneously for lunch today after shopping. Friendly welcome, delicious food, delicious Kölsch. Fair prices! My daughter, 13, also liked and enjoyed it. Clear recommendation 👍🏻

Went in spontaneously last night. Everything full. But the super nice waiter with the HSV tattoo 😊 gave us a table. There were four of us. Kölsch (Sünner) absolutely delicious The food is awesome Whenever we are in Cologne, we come back👍

Everything fine. Very tasty food. Would love to come back.

We went in spontaneously because we liked the menu outside and didn't want any “street food”. A super quaint shop, we received a very friendly welcome. Top service, super delicious food!!! Hats off! I haven't been this excited in a long time. 👍🏼👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Good, classic brewery. Great and attentive service

The service is simply 1a, anyone who can deal with children has scored all the points for me. Thank you very much for that!

Great Brauhaus, the food is particularly good. Had the Schweinhaxe, really enjoyed it. Service was a little slow, but not terrible. They were very busy.

Very cozy and 100% delicious. I can only recommend it

Super friendly staff, very good food

We went to eat at Bier Esel based on a recommendation. We weren't disappointed! The service was very friendly and on the ball and the food was also delicious at absolutely fair prices. We can easily recommend this restaurant.

Highly recommended..delicious schnitzels and also potato pancakes.😋😋😋

Nice place, friendly service, delicious food. We Düsseldorfers would love to come back😋

Visiting Cologne also means beer donkey

Everything is great about this restaurant. The food is so incredibly delicious and the service is really quick and friendly. You don't usually see this in breweries.

A great restaurant with good food. The staff is friendly and attentive.

Very tasty mussels and typically Cologne-style, relaxed but very friendly service. I'd love to come back.

5/5 experience!! Really appreciate that they have the allergens listed on the menu. The servers were so friendly and welcoming. We really enjoyed our meal.

Just great here. The food is great. The Köbes is in Cologne as usual. The Kölsch just keeps going. Here you can develop good muscles. Would love to come back.

The Kölsch brewery with the oldest tradition of eating mussels there. Highly recommended

Super friendly service! If you're there with a group, there's something for every taste. The mussels are extremely great and come in many variations. Be sure to reserve so that you can be sure to get the number of seats you want.

Apart from the great staff❤️ you can also eat really delicious food there and there is something for everyone.

We were just there with a few people, every meal tasted good. Even the sinner Kölsch was tasty. Can definitely be recommended

Not only did I have an excellent meal here, but I was also treated excellently. The food was fresh, piping hot and deliciously cooked, and it also gave me great joy to come to a house where the employees were happy and in a good mood towards their colleagues and also showed this to their guests. Should I be in Cologne again, this restaurant is definitely worth a visit again. Thank you!

A wonderful and charming place! We’ve been here twice, and the food is absolutely perfect. The mussels are our absolute favorite – we tried the À la Chef style and were blown away! Highly recommend!

Great mussels, great service, great atmosphere ☺️

Nice German pub with authentic food. Service was good, ordered the schnitzel with fried potatoes and Jaeger sauce. Everything was cooked perfectly, good flavor and yummy. I would come back to try other things on the menu.

Staff friendly, again at any time

Delicious food, delicious beer, nice atmosphere, very nice service

Highly recommended, always happy to come back.

Very friendly service. The mussels are world class. Kölsch goes very well

Super tasty mussels and high quality.

We got a table for 4 people at short notice. Staff is very nice. We ate the mussels. Super tasty 😋