El Chido in Lörrach

Great restaurant. Delicious cordon bleu! Always happy to come back!

By far the best food I've ever had. The staff was very friendly and attentive. Thank you, Shkupi, for your hospitality. I highly recommend it.

We booked this hotel as an overnight stop on our return trip from Italy to Germany after a motorcycle tour. Upon check-in, the hotel's namesake/owner wasn't very friendly. It seems to be her way to appear somewhat grumpy, even if she doesn't really mean to, but it leaves a slightly unpleasant impression. She showed us our rooms and pointed out that the entrance to the hotel/dining area would be closed in the morning and that we would have to leave the hotel via a kind of covered terrace and an external staircase through the beer garden. My room wasn't large: a double bed, a wardrobe with eight hangers, no two of which were alike, a bedside table, a small table against the wall, and a chair. That's about all that could fit. The window overlooked the beer garden. It was appropriate for the price range. The towels were adequate; they were freshly laundered and smelled pleasant. The bed was more comfortable than it looked, the duvet was too warm for the weather (so I didn't use it), and the pillows were much too large and thick. The water stood in a large, wide puddle in the bathroom, about half a centimeter deep at the shower tray. I considered sacrificing my towels and drying it myself, but then decided against it, got dressed again, and went downstairs to "Bianca" to ask her to take care of it. It took her a moment to understand what I wanted, and she explained that the cleaning lady had already cleaned the room... so she grabbed a mop and mopped up the water. A little moisture remained, but it dried quickly with the window open. The shower is quite cramped; if you turn around in it, you accidentally change the water temperature setting. The shower head is huge and heavy; it probably once had a hundred different settings but has lost the battle against limescale. After finishing my shower, I discovered that the shower wasn't leaking, and the floor was dry... I didn't use the hairdryer, whose cord was loosely draped over the door frame and then plugged into an outlet. The roller blind on the window was broken; the winding mechanism was lying on the windowsill. To open the window, I had to carry the blind to the small table. The plastic box containing the roller blind strap was hanging on by only one screw, so I decided not to use the blind as a precaution. The next morning, after showering, a bit of thread fell out of the towel. I picked it up and threw it in the small wastebasket in the bathroom. I then noticed that it hadn't been emptied; in fact, it was half full. So much for "The cleaning lady did a good job!" The beer garden is located in the building's courtyard. That's not a problem, since the hotel is on a main road. The courtyard is shady and pleasant, with plenty of greenery and several large umbrellas. The tables and chairs are fine. However, the entire surrounding area looks neglected, very old, and in some places simply dilapidated. The beer garden is located in the courtyard behind the building. The cook stands in the kitchen, dressed in civilian clothes (jeans, t-shirt), with the door open, preparing food without gloves or a hat. When he's not working, he sits in the same clothes with friends in the beer garden. My side salad was simple but fresh: a few lettuce leaves, a lot of the tough heart of the lettuce, two slices of cucumber, and half a tomato. The "Hunter's Schnitzel with Spätzle (large portion)" consisted of two schnitzels and noodles that were short and curly, resembling Spätzle. The schnitzels weren't breaded! I left almost the entire second schnitzel; it was sinewy and gristly. My first drink, a large Coke, was nice and cold. All the other soft drinks I had were at room temperature and had to be chilled with ice cubes. A restaurant serving only one cold Coke on a warm Friday evening! Conclusion: Really only for the most hardy and undemanding overnight guests.

Okay for a quick espresso at lunchtime.

Excellent food, friendly service, even though the restaurant was packed on Thursday for Sour Liver Day. Sour liver for €9.50 with rösti and salad is something you'd hardly make yourself at home. Highly recommended.