Em Krützche in Köln

Fast service, we finished our starter and main course in 40 minutes. Expensive! The food is mid-range at high prices, the goat cheese salad was a disaster! A tourist restaurant, nothing more!

Em Kreuzschlitz is a Cologne restaurant on the Rhine. The seating is comfortable, and the food is really good. It's surprising that in a Cologne restaurant of this location, they don't serve Kölsch, but only Bitburger. The service still has room to be consistently attentive.

We chose the establishment based on reviews and came for lunch. There were free tables, but they tried to seat us in a cramped dark corner next to a noisy group - it felt like they just wanted to "hide" us. The menu was brought after an indecent pause, as if they were doing us a favor. The staff behaved with arrogance that did not correspond to either the level of the establishment or the situation. We could not stand it - we went to a neighboring restaurant. I can't rate the food - I didn't get around to it. The service is below any criticism.

It's a pleasant place to sit outside and watch the hustle and bustle of the old town. The interior is beautifully decorated. The service is cheerful and friendly. The food was okay for the old town. I expected more for the price. The taste was a bit bland for me. A very good wine list.

It's a nice spot on the Rhine. The food is decent. I think the desserts are expensive. Like most places in Cologne, they ask for cash for anything under 20 euros. If you're looking for a beer, it's best to bring cash.

I visited this restaurant on my birthday, and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The waiters were extremely friendly and attentive. The service was excellent—just as you would expect from a traditional establishment.

The food isn't served the way you'd expect it to be. Extra side dishes, extra sauces... So if you really want to go out for a delicious meal with a variety of options, this isn't the place for you.

We had a wonderful meal here. Highly recommended!

We had to wait quite a while for drinks and food to be served. The food was okay, and the service was also good. However, it wasn't great. Prices are rather high. For example, a bottle of water (7.5 dl) costs €9.50. And: They don't serve Kölsch beer. 🤔🫣

Delicious food, best location you pay

An institution with upscale, home-style cuisine. I'd happily return anytime! The outdoor seating is also very nice.

Very good food, good wine selection, very friendly service

The food was just good. Nothing over the top, but tasty and comforting. We had a lovely spot along the boulevard, and it was nice and quiet, which really added to the experience. The service was friendly and relaxed, exactly how you'd want it. I had a stew with Potato noodles. The raisins gave it a sweet twist that worked surprisingly well. All in all, a really pleasant evening.

We had dinner at this restaurant yesterday – the reviews were promising, and there's a Michelin star on the door. Unfortunately, in our opinion, it wasn't deserved. The service was inconsistent about who was serving whom, and there was a huge mess with the ordering process – some guests sat there for over an hour without eating. The food was okay, but not particularly good, and the portions were small (especially considering the price – and I usually complain about oversized portions). There was also chaos with the payment process again – tables were swapped during the booking process. Whether this was just the case on that one day or always the case, we can't say, but for us, this was our first and last time there. We speculated whether the good reviews came from previous owners or a different chef, but this is far from fine dining.

Very very slow service, portions are small, prices are higher than in the other places in the area. It is a beautiful building though.

Very high quality dishes! Staff super friendly and accommodating. We've walked past a few times, but decided to stop by because of the good applications. Will definitely come back!

We ate there a few days ago and I have to say, for what you get it is clearly too expensive and the food only tastes mediocre. And the amount of food is not compatible with the price. Sorry, but won't eat here again.

Can highly recommend the restaurant. The service was competent and more than friendly. The food was prepared to perfection. If you confuse eating with eating, you should go to McDonald’s. Food is served here that you can enjoy. Kudos to the chef. Chapeau

A good recommendation, all-round good for guests with style.

We waited for food for over an hour. In such a situation, at least a free drink or a discount is given.

Were there on April 30, 2025 for our mother's 90th birthday. The service is very good. The food was good. Rustic atmosphere. It was a lovely event and a very successful evening. Thanks to the Krützche team.

Food was very ordinary, especially the schnitzel. Sides and beer was good. Service was also good. Nice atmospheric restaurant near the River.

A higher-end, formal German restaurant

After showing me the bill, the waiter on the terrace added a tip during the card payment without even asking me. That’s unacceptable — I only realized it when I looked at the receipt after asking him for it! I would have gladly left something myself, but after this, I won’t be going back. I strongly recommend everyone double-check what they’re being charged when paying by card.

Food overpriced, average brewery cuisine!

The food was delicious but the prices were a bit too high for me. The service was very good, friendly, the waiters were pleasantly chatty without neglecting their work. The atmosphere was very clocky and beautifully rustic.

Special 0.4l for €8.80 It's really no fun anymore, sorry Still 3 stars for the food and the good location.

A nice, well-located place, but not at all recommended. The food is basic, limited in quantity, and quite exorbitantly priced. I'd only go there for a beer.

Nice, classic German restaurant. A bit chaotic when it comes to organisation but it worked out in the end. Food is good.

We visited this upscale restaurant and found the atmosphere and ambiance to be extremely pleasant and stylish. The clientele was also very pleasant. The food was truly excellent: the beef liver, the pike-perch fillet, and the Wiener schnitzel were all very tasty. The high ratings from other guests are definitely justified. Unfortunately, there were a few minor inconveniences during our visit: We had ordered still water, but initially received medium, which was corrected without any problems. I had specifically requested that the fried potatoes be prepared without bacon, but they were still served with bacon. This meant I had to wait about 10 minutes for new fried potatoes, which meant I had to eat my main course staggered. This was truly annoying and difficult to tolerate. Furthermore, the schnitzel was unfortunately not presented very appetizingly: traces of grease were visible all over the plate. I'm not sure if this was caused in the kitchen or during serving. However, our server was very helpful, friendly, and did everything he could to resolve the situation as best as possible. Despite the above points, we would definitely give the restaurant another chance and would happily return to experience it again.

Friendly service, delicious food. The menu is a bit limited. But better that than a lot and not very well done.

The Em Krützche immediately impressed us with its cozy terrace and great location right in the lively heart of Cologne. Perfect for enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city while dining in a relaxed atmosphere. We ordered the Wiener Schnitzel – and it was definitely worth the wait! It was very tasty, perfectly fried and high quality. A small negative point was the somewhat long waiting time, but the friendly service made up for it. The only point of improvement: Unfortunately, our table was very wobbly, which was a bit inconvenient. Nevertheless, overall a clear recommendation for anyone who wants to enjoy good food in a traditional and charming atmosphere! 🍽😊

Super, very tasty Valentine's Day menu!

Although we didn't have a reservation, we were warmly welcomed on Sunday evening and organized a table for us in the already full restaurant. We each had a starter, main course and dessert. The food was excellent; the liver is very tender, the schnitzel is fried crispy. Compared to many restaurants in Cologne, you could taste that they cook with fresh, good oil. The atmosphere reminded me of my grandmother; I immediately felt very comfortable and homely. The small dining room, which had 6 tables, was quiet and cozy. Discreetly decorated for the upcoming carnival. The waiter was extremely friendly and accommodating without seeming or being pushy. He even took the time to answer in detail a question related to the Cologne Carnival. The price-performance ratio was very good. However, prices have generally risen significantly compared to previous years. However, we noticed this throughout Cologne. We will definitely stop by here again the next time we are in Cologne and enjoy the excellent food. The entire evening was a pleasure! Thanks to the entire team!

Ambience ok, service nice but stressed. Unfortunately, the meal was Wiener Schnitzel with fried potatoes and salad. Not recommended.

Best recommendation for this Cologne restaurant. We had a very good dinner and the service was just perfect and left nothing to be desired. We'll definitely come back

Very good, very nice, everything was delicious

We went there for a two-course goose meal. The service was very nice. The food, on the other hand, was very mediocre and overpriced! The audience averages 70 years old. Facility a bit outdated. In my opinion not a recommendation.

We discovered the restaurant by chance. We were greeted warmly at the door and I mentioned to the waitress that we had stopped by spontaneously here are. This was not a problem; We were seated immediately and also had pleasant people sitting next to us who greeted us and congratulated us on the New Year. Here the guests were long-established Cologne residents. We put together a 3-course meal and enjoyed a generous amount of beer and wine. The prices are reasonable for the quality of the service and products.

Great food and service, mostly local repeat diners. Very nice dinner in this authentic place!

Very tasty food and good service. Had Sauerbraten and Wiener Schnitzel. We'd love to come back 👍🏻

Always nice to attend our annual goose dinner in this long-established, but not stuffy, restaurant. Very nice and competent service, good wine selection and delicious desserts. The Wils Weeks in spring are also recommended.

Very nice German traditional restaurant where time has stood still. Courteous and very friendly staff who strive to ensure guest satisfaction. On December 7th, 2024 we escaped the hustle and bustle of the city center and found a quiet place here where we ate a sauerbraten with dumplings and a veal schnitzel with fried potatoes. Top cuisine, highly recommended.

Yesterday we were able to experience a very nice evening "em Krützche". In addition to the fantastic food (goose with red cabbage, chestnut dumplings and apple with cranberries) as well as a delicious Medoc, we had incredibly attentive service. The service team worked hand in hand, even the service employees who were not responsible for us were always attentive and helpful. AND!!!! We laughed so much and had so much fun with the staff, many other restaurants can learn a lesson from that, thank you very much! We'll be back!

As a non-Cologne resident, I am lucky enough to be invited to a Christmas goose dinner once a year. This has been fantastic for years (juicy and with crispy skin) and the side dishes including sauce etc are also a dream. Here the charming and always good-humoured owner also carves herself.

Traditional goose meal. Price/performance is not right. Goose menu for €66 with liquid goose fat and a simple cheap roll, as well as small goose and meat portions.

Beautiful location with perfect, friendly service. My dog ​​was given water as soon as we arrived. The goose menu was extremely tasty and the wine recommendation was excellent. The white wine was also excellent. Clear recommendation 👍

Great place, atmospheric, tasty specialities

Unfortunately, the goose fat before the goose meal was liquid. There was also a simple, baked 08/15 roll. What was missing here was a nice slice of bread with a crust. The soup was not seasoned. The lamb's lettuce was underwhelming. The goose portions were very small. For €66, far too expensive for the quality👎

We were greeted very friendly and got a great table for two without a reservation. The food was exceptionally good. (Goose liver terrine, sauerbraten with dumplings, Maultaschen with black pudding filling) Price-performance fits perfectly! Although the restaurant is on the fine side, the price was great for two. approx. 75€

Ate delicious goose. Quite something special. Carving at the table was a feast for the eyes.

Highly recommended, top service, great ambience.

Didn't feel welcome as we went for drinks only..

I usually only write good reviews. But what we experienced there today still concerns me hours later. Very nicely covered. Waitress (trainee) also super nice. Had to wait an hour for the food. It doesn't work at all. To eat. The salad was a disaster, as was the potato salad in water sauce and carelessly served on a small bowl. With 2 mini schnitzels for 28€. impudence. Went there with 13 people and paid €490. If I had been alone I wouldn't have paid for my schnitzel with the “potato salad”. The soup wasn't bad but nothing special. Mixed throughout. It's more for tourists who never come back. I'm so disappointed that it doesn't exist.

Had a great meal with colleagues. Service was good and friendly.

Very tasty food and very nice service! I can highly recommend the potato soup and veal liver!

I didn’t like food and beer here. But nice view to the river. And good staff.

A very cozy restaurant, very nice and attentive service, delicious food... Cologne was worth it.

Pretty, time-honored restaurant right on the Rhine. As a starter we shared the goose liver terrine with apple and ginger salad (see photo). Really delicious! I had the pike perch with herb risotto, my wife had the Wiener schnitzel with spaetzle instead of potato salad. Both very good and at moderate prices. Very friendly and attentive service.

Very nice traditional German food.

The restaurant is centrally located with a view of the Rhine and the Hohenzollern Bridge. You can sit outside as well as inside. The price level is a little higher but the quality is good. I would particularly like to mention the good service from our waitress Bekim. The little one is lucky to have such a good employee. He was very attentive, friendly and quick. He knew how to deal with the guests. The food was very tasty.

Cozy place with nice garden. Schnitzel had a bit strange taste, too small too. Greasy potatoes.

Great, beautiful restaurant, great menu with local references, very nice service.

We won't go here anymore. The salad we ordered was partly soggy. My corresponding criticism was commented with 'I'll tell the kitchen'. Not even an apology. Traditional house with poor cuisine.

I hesitated at first because there is no Kölsch there. Looking back, I'm glad the four of us stopped there. The staff was super friendly and quick, special requests were fulfilled and we sat comfortably outside. The main thing: every dish was great. From the potato soup to risotto, Viennese schnitzel and beef liver to the redfish fillet: everything is top notch, perfectly cooked, simply delicious.

I liked it very much, I tasted it for the first time, there was excitement along with the European championship. I liked the snacks very much

Food was a bit small in terms of portions, otherwise nice service and an old Cologne atmosphere.

Traditional Cologne restaurant that doesn't serve Kölsch. I just haven't experienced Pils yet

Our first meal in Cologne. We are sharing the pictures. It is a place with a beautiful and old architecture on the banks of the Rhine river. The food was close to our taste.

The food in the restaurant was very, very tasty. The three of us had sauerbraten, asparagus and schnitzel. Our waiter Bekim was very open-minded and very accommodating. We'd love to come back!

Very good food and friendly staff! Gladly again!

The food was average and overpriced. I can't recommend this place to tourists, especially those who don't speak German or are vegetarian. Ordered a vegetarian soup from an English menu, confirmed it's meat free nature with the waiter, yet unfortunately I still ended up sausage in it.

really bad. I have no idea how it came to have a one-star Michelin in 2018. As of 2024, food is poor. There are far more decent places in Cologne than this. Beers... nothing to report, traditional and simple.

Super delicious food with super nice people

We had a really, really excellent evening at the EM Krützche. In addition to the best Rhenish food and a convivial atmosphere, there were also friendly conversations with the staff. We had a lot of fun and we look forward to seeing you again soon :)

Very tasty food and particularly nice service. We will be back!

The cream puff was delicious with a pot of cafe and the view of the Hohenzollern Bridge and Rhine. Very polite quick service. I can recommend it to everyone.

Cozy and historical place....Sauerbraten is amazing and one of a kind.....Service is also very classy....

We stopped here spontaneously today, the service was very friendly. The food was super tasty and came quite quickly. We'd love to come back.

Well-kept terrace directly on the Rhine promenade. Nowhere in the old town are guests better served.

Have enjoyed coming there for years. This time we waited two hours for the food, which came in dribs and drabs, and side dishes were added upon request. The drinks bill was presented in advance, as the waitress was supposed to continue working in the house (?), but she remained on the terrace. Service bad but nice. Dear people, if you have staff problems, take fewer reservations or accept fewer walk-ins on the terrace. Talk to the guests. They have more understanding than you think. Otherwise, as with us, the only thing left is to stay away as a guest.

Very tasty Wiener Schnitzel with crispy fried potatoes, served by the nice Mr. Krämer, top!

Very tasty, very friendly and top location. The fried potatoes are absolutely top notch.

It was delicious, view of the Rhine, tables in the cool outdoors with nice service. Price performance is right here for the location in the center of Cologne

Nice, traditional restaurant! But be careful: it is - at least it feels like - the only restaurant in Cologne that doesn't serve Kölsch!😁

A time-honored and historic restaurant in a pedestrian zone directly on the Rhine. Beautiful outdoor terrace to linger and relax. Good cuisine and relaxed staff. Prices are adjusted to the location.

The best schnitzels in Cologne, friendly staff and a great outdoor space with a view of the Rhine. One of our favorites when we are in Cologne.

Food was good. It offered German traditional food. The waiter was very friendly to us. We had very good time there. Location is great, it's by the riverside. We could enjoy the meal and took the look to the river view. Highly recommend

A very nice restaurant. Food is very good,

Food and restaurant top as always. I can only recommend

Wow, such great food and service despite being in a location that doesn’t demand it. The Salmon and potato dish was heavenly.

We visited on a Saturday night in March, without a table reservation. Got a table straight away without any problem. We were seated in a room on the second floor. Not many other guests there, so nice and quiet. Cosy atmosphere, a bit nostalgic. Felt like this was probably a really fancy place back in the days (80's) and the interior decoration was still in the same style. So a bit outdated perhaps, but nothing wrong with that. Quaint and cosy. Very nice service. Our waiter was friendly, service minded and came to check that everything was okay every once in a while. We did not feel we had to wait for our food any longer than customary. The waiter also gave us nice tips about the food on the menu, when asked, which was very kind. The food was good. Perhaps not exactly to our taste, but well cooked, tasty and nicely plated. We could not complain about anything. A very nice experience.

The four of us sat very nicely inside at a table near the entrance. The service was very nice and accommodating. The potato soup only had three small pieces of meat, but tasted good. The Rhenish Sauerbraten was very tender and tasted very good. But there could be more spaetzle on the plate than satiety. The very expensive ice cream over €10 consists of two small scoops of ice cream and cold raspberry jam and lots of cream.

One of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. The restaurant is absolutely overpriced for the quality and all the dishes were of poor quality/tasted bad. We ordered a goat's cheese salad for €17. We got green lettuce leaves, some of which were already completely moldy and poorly dressed, 1 cocktail tomato, 1 radish and 3 tiny slices of goat's cheese. The vegetable variation for €20 consisted of 2 sliced ​​potatoes and some cabbage, which only tasted like the roux. The fried potatoes on the schnitzel were burnt. The service was very nice at first. When they noticed that we were dissatisfied with the food, they ignored us as much as possible and took the full plates away without comment. Despite negative feedback, we had to pay for the meal in full.

My mother's review: On February 24th, 2024 I celebrated my 80th birthday in the Krützche. We were 27 people. There was only a positive response from all the demanding ones. Every detail was perfect, the beautiful fireplace room was lovingly decorated, the menu was a highlight, and the service was perfect. An all-round worthy event! The next celebration is always “Em Krützche”.

A very special place to feel good

Apart from the dirty tablecloths, there was an inattentive service that in 1.5 hours only managed to bring me 3 small pilsners, forget my side salad (no one was there to point it out) and be rude. Unfortunately completely unsuitable for a special occasion that was planned. Of course, it is difficult to find skilled workers these days, I understand that. But that won't work with temporary workers who have no idea. Disappointing.

The service takes forever for everything, the bread was bone dry, the food was somewhat ok. The bad thing is that you give the impression (silver cutlery, white tablecloth and napkins, emphatically formal service, etc.) as if you were a better restaurant, but then fail miserably at everything. There are enough good breweries nearby, it's better to go there.

Very courteous service from the young ladies and delicious food. Insider tip: the great goose liver terrine! I would love to come back again, not just at Christmas time!!

I didn't like the food. The service was also not to my satisfaction.