Essighaus in Heidelberg

A quaint and cozy inn in the heart of Heidelberg. Here you feel comfortable, receive friendly service, and can enjoy excellent German cuisine at a very good price-performance ratio. A soup was served with almost every main course; in our case, a clear vegetable broth with noodles. It was delicious but unfortunately not quite piping hot – a shame, really, as the flavor was superb. The salad was fresh, served with a delicious yogurt dressing, and included homemade raw vegetable salads such as carrot, coleslaw, and red cabbage salad. The main courses were absolutely delicious. The sauerbraten with hand-cut spaetzle was divine. The cordon bleu was also highly recommended, served with a delicious gravy. The 400g rump steak with fabulous crispy fried onions was excellent. The service was attentive and friendly. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because the soup was only lukewarm.

I haven't experienced anything like this in a long time. We waited 2.5 hours for our food! I waited 45 minutes for my drink! Admittedly, it was very busy, but that doesn't excuse this absurd wait time. The Käsespätzle (cheese spaetzle) were very basic, partly cold, absolutely nothing special, and there wasn't much of a portion, even though I'm usually someone who doesn't finish my plate at restaurants. For almost €19, it's outrageous. On top of that, the place only accepts cash and doesn't give out receipts. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth... never again!

Luckily, I got a table on Saturday. The service was very friendly and the food was perfect. Excellent value for money.

A charming restaurant in the old town with very tasty food. Unfortunately, card payments are not accepted, hence only 3 stars.

It took over an hour between ordering and the arrival of our food, which wasn't exactly elaborate. My Käserspätzle was very average, with some parts cold and others hot. The atmosphere was nice, the service was okay, but I think you're better off sticking to the beers.

Excellent cuisine (Thuringia in the heart of Baden!). Very friendly service.

The food was very good. The service was quick and friendly. The price was reasonable. Excellent. I'd gladly come again.

Very tasty dishes. Extremely polite and attentive staff. Unfortunately, only cash payments are accepted.

Great restaurant, superb food and very attentive service.

Quaint, cozy, down-to-earth, good home-style cooking, attentive and very friendly service – definitely worth a visit!

Great shop, great food, and great service. It's especially beautiful outside in the summer, but also very cozy inside. Plus, almost all dishes are served with a soup of the day.

The food was okay, but the main course portion size could have been larger. I loved that they served a soup of the day with every dish. The soup was delicious. Friendly staff. Unfortunately, I wasn't completely full.

I had a delicious salad with great turkey strips. If you're looking for a classic local atmosphere, based on the decor and ambiance, you'll find it here! Unfortunately, the wine in the spritzer wasn't that good.

A local resident from Heidelberg recommended the Essighaus to us, and rightly so! The goulash with spaetzle was excellent, the meat tender, and the sauce truly flavorful. The rustic ambiance perfectly complements the setting. Highly recommended!

The food itself was okay, but the service was truly awful. We had to wait forever; the main course came first, the soup of the day after, and the side salad last. There was no apology or even a smile; the food was simply slammed onto the table. Friendliness is especially undervalued here. I wouldn't recommend this kind of service to anyone.

The food was good, nothing to complain about. The service wasn't particularly enthusiastic, and the kitchen staff could handle smoking a little differently. Restrooms were clean. Otherwise, you can eat there normally.

The trout and cordon bleu were delicious and the service was very attentive.

The food was inedible, and the waiter spoke to me in a disrespectful tone. After this experience, I wouldn't eat there again or recommend it to anyone.

Stopped here on a Monday evening during my vacation. Lovely ambiance and a lovely courtyard setting. The food was plentiful and plentiful. The price was more than reasonable, too.

Great, traditional restaurant with a lovely beer garden and a rustic pub atmosphere. We'll be back!

Food is fine but Waiter‘s attitude is a little rude…

A quaint restaurant with regional cuisine and an imaginative menu. Our visit there wasn't satisfactory. After more than half an hour, my wife and I were asked what we had actually ordered. After repeatedly asking when the food would finally arrive, it ultimately took well over an hour. The excuse that the kitchen was newly staffed and hadn't yet gotten used to working together didn't make up for our frustration. Had we been informed beforehand of the likely wait, we would have taken action.

Good food, fresh and tasty, friendly service, one dining room is very cozy, a slightly larger dining room and tables in the backyard are also OK.

The food was good, as was the selection of drinks. The interior ambiance was nostalgic. Service was very good.

We were there with a group last weekend. Everyone enjoyed the food, and the prices are reasonable for Heidelberg. Unfortunately, the whole thing lacks a finishing touch. For example, it would be normal for a whole trout to be served with a plate of rubbish, and my table neighbor's schnitzel had burnt crumbs on it. A lot could be achieved with a little more effort.

Cash only CASH ONLY This is displayed at the entrance in several languages. Unfortunately, there was NOTHING about this payment option on the website, what a pity. The Sauerbraten was superb, the spaetzle was AMAZING. They were the best spaetzle I've ever had in a restaurant, thank you. All dishes come as a soup of the day with soup and salad. Generous portions, everyone will be satisfied here.

I didn't notice any of the comments about the slow service! Super friendly and very attentive. The food was delicious, though I can't comment on the soup because I left it out of my order. If you're looking for German cuisine without too many tourists, you've come to the right place!

The food was very tasty and the portions were veeeeery large.

We came here for lunch as soon as they opened. The Portions are generous and I liked that many main dishes come with a small soup kind of included in the price. The waiter was very friendly. It’s cash only, which is a bit weird for such a touristy location, but they advertised it very well on the website and at the restaurant even in many languages.

A bit hidden, but definitely worth a visit. Very friendly service and super delicious food, from the starter to the salad to the main course, simply top-notch.

A very cozy evening at the Essighaus! The rustic brewery ambiance is truly inviting. Although service was a bit slow at first, we were served very friendly, relaxed, and attentively. The sausage salad was delicious, and we were able to sit here late into the evening in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Down-to-earth, high-quality, and reasonably priced, all in Heidelberg's old town? Yes, it exists. We had a very good lunch here and received friendly service.

I was here with a larger group and actually found the service quite good. Our server was friendly and frequently asked if we wanted something to drink. The selection of vegetarian dishes wasn't bad, but unfortunately, there were no vegan options. I had the cheese spaetzle for €17.50, and for the price, I was a bit disappointed. While the spaetzle were homemade, they unfortunately had little taste of cheese and were rather watery and unseasoned. My meat-eaters, however, were satisfied.

There were eight of us at Essighaus and we were very disappointed. After ordering at 7 p.m., we waited 90 minutes for starters (salads and soup of the day) and a total of two hours for the main courses, forcing two guests to leave early. The food was largely of poor quality – my schnitzel was still raw inside and came with the wrong side dish, and the cheese spaetzle was cold and tasted stale. In the end, only two out of nine people were satisfied. On the positive side, my friend's rump steak was decent and the servers were friendly and helpful; they couldn't do anything about the chaos in the kitchen. The restaurant itself is nice, but on our visit, the ratio of waiting time to food quality was unfortunately completely off.

Always happy to come back. Friendly staff and great food.

Locale aperto fino alle 23. Cucina e servizio buoni. In particolare grazie a Valentin e alla sua collega che ci hanno accolto con tanta cortesia e gentilezza. Consigliato!

Large, long-established inn with a lovely outdoor area. Service on the phone and on site was friendly, but not very present. I was brought the menu, and then no one came to take my order for 20 minutes. The same thing happened to other tables... Franconian sausage salad with cheese and bread €12.90 and 0.5 liters of Kellerbier €5.20 - both were good, and I would eat there again, where many Heidelbergers frequent. June 27, 2025, 7 p.m. "Essighaus", Plöck 97

An unassuming restaurant with simple decor. The home-style food served here is, however, very good! We ordered schnitzel and sauerbraten. They came with side salads and a soup to start with. Everything here is fresh and homemade, which is reflected in the taste. If you're looking for authentic "food like grandma used to make," you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended and excellent value for money, a great restaurant. Reservations are recommended – it got quite busy as the evening progressed.

Nice atmosphere, very friendly and attentive service. Sausage salad with fried potatoes 😋

We were here on a Saturday evening. It was quite busy, but we were lucky enough to get a table for two in the beer garden. Ordering drinks took quite a while. For dinner, we ordered starters and salads. The main course came first, followed by the soup, and then the salad. The food was very tasty, but the order was... Afterward, we ordered espressos. That also felt like another half hour. The service really needs improvement 👆

Highly recommended. I didn't eat there today, but they had a home-style menu with reasonable prices. Service was good, but they were overcrowded today.

So there were nine of us there. The service was very nice and everyone tried hard. The food was plentiful and we were completely satisfied.

First of all: Heidelberg is very expensive if you want to satisfy your hunger. Here, the price-performance ratio is quite good (at least for the food), and the food is even cooked in-house. Everything tasted very good (and fresh) – the soup, the schnitzel, the salad, and especially the fries – simply perfect. It was a very pleasant experience in the garden. The staff were cheerful and accommodating. We would eat here again.

After 50 minutes, the first dish arrived, and after another 40 minutes, the last dish arrived (for four people). We've never experienced such chaos! You could almost feel the soles of the waitress's shoes as you walked. The first three dishes tasted fine. Unfortunately, the cheese spaetzle was swimming in cheese...inedible. Too proud to apologize, rude replies, and then they charged us the full amount. Thanks for the miserable evening.

Super friendly staff, amazing food and great service! Celebrated a family birthday there with a big group and we all got our food fast and all together 😊

At first, we had to wait for a table in the courtyard. But one became available sooner than announced. Unfortunately, we then had to wait 15 minutes for our drinks order. Our food order was taken at the same time. Drinks took another 10 minutes... Drinks should be served faster. Considering that the dishes include soup and salad, the price is put into perspective and the meal is good value. The soup of the day (tomato soup) was unfortunately just lukewarm. The children's schnitzel was a very good deal for €8. Amazing. The beef goulash could have had more bite, but it was okay. What I was disappointed about, however, were the pork medallions in a creamy mushroom sauce. It was so dark with peppercorns, bay leaves, and oddly chopped mushrooms, it was strange. When I asked, I was told that's how it is at Essighaus. Overall, the pork medallions are too thick and sometimes flimsy. Even the ones in pepper cream. The backyard has the charm of a mixed parking lot and has been rather makeshiftly renovated.

Muy buen ambiente y servicio. Nos sentamos en el biergarten y disfrutamos a fondo de nuestra comida, especialmente las enormes (y deliciosas) ensaladas. Yo tenía el queso de oveja con tzatziki y el otro tenía el jagerschnitzel (cerdo con una salsa de setas muy sabrosa). Buena gama de artículos para vegetarianos y una gran carta de cerveza también!

There were five of us. We ordered three 400g rump steaks. 1 medium rare, 2 medium, 1 without onions but with garlic, and 2 with onions and garlic. The medium rare was medium, and the 2 medium were unfortunately well done. The 2 steaks were also missing onions and garlic. One had only garlic. The meat was tasty and tender, but not as ordered. It was a shame, because after waiting 1.5 hours (we had been warned beforehand about this due to high demand), I expected to get the meat as ordered. The waitress was very friendly.

Extremely over-salted rump steak and hunter's schnitzel with a "mushroom cream sauce" without cream, but with extra salt. Unfortunately, it was inedible. I ordered pollock but didn't get it, no apology, and paid full price. The salad alone was edible.

We were in the beer garden. It was busy, but everything was civilized. The service was super friendly. The food was good, home-style, and top-notch. We'd go back anytime, and definitely recommend it.

Super delicious, down-to-earth food. It tasted great and I was full! Top!

It was delicious, but the asparagus wasn't peeled properly and was difficult or impossible to cut with the knives, the pancake was burnt, sometimes there was no one there to talk to for 10-20 minutes, apparently quite understaffed, we had to wait a very long time for the food and for individual items and the first dish came at least 15 minutes before the next, it was also very loud.

The German minced steak tasted almost like canned meat, and the potatoes weren't particularly fresh. The salad and soup were okay. The service was unsympathetic, and the fact that you can't pay by card is a no-go.

Unfortunately, the food was abysmal. The soup and sauce were insufficient and tasted like they came from a package.

Great value for money. Everything was very tasty and delicious, including the soup of the day as a “greeting from the kitchen”, which is probably automatically served with most main courses. Would come back there at any time. The young service team does its best and is very friendly, but if it's very busy you might want to turn a blind eye if it takes a while... ;)

Home-style food at a reasonable price.

A place with a beautiful patio to eat authentic German dishes.

A beautiful day with the Rhine Neckar S-Bahn ended in the Essighaus. Come again

Very pleasant restaurant. The ambience is rustic without being depressing or too dark. The food was really good, fresh and good quality. The service was friendly, attentive and humorous.

Delicious German cuisine...we'd love to come back.

The food was of very good quality. I would like to give a full 5 stars, but unfortunately there are a few points: no credit or debit card. We were here outside lunchtime around 3 p.m. However, the service was quite slow; it took numerous minutes just for the card to arrive.

Best food in the old town ☺️ Unfortunately only 2 stars because of no card payment in 2025. Impossible.

Unfortunately our experiences weren't so good, there were very long waiting times for the food on Friday evening, unfortunately there was also a lot of confusion at the tables, in some cases the wrong dishes were brought to the tables. The service really tried, but was ultimately overwhelmed. The food itself was mostly quite good when it was finally brought properly. So we won't come again. P.S. An espresso or schnapps on the house would actually have been a nice gesture.

Quaint restaurant in Heidelberg. Recommended. Cash payment.

Quaint inn with delicious food at comparatively affordable prices. These typically also include soup of the day and salad. Unfortunately, the staff is often sparse. As a result, longer waiting times and forgotten orders occur more often. It is advisable to keep track of what you have already received and what you have not and to ask in good time.

The food was ok, but unfortunately the service was very rude.

Solid like 30 years ago when I was a student. Soup, schnitzel, salad.

Waiting time too long - 30 minutes for a drink and 2 hours for the main dish - that's not possible

Excellent sauerbraten, cozy atmosphere, excellent waiters

Always great, always very tasty, absolutely fair prices! Absolute recommendation!

Positive: The service was friendly and nice even at a late hour.

This is also a great place to eat with larger groups. The food is consistently very good. The service is also TOP. We were there with 13 people. The friendly waiter remembered the order without writing it down! And when serving, everything is distributed to the right people. Respect. You rarely see that.

Just wanted to go here because of the good restaurants at Christmas. Then I got really annoyed on the phone that the store was closed. Then why is she even answering the phone?! So unnecessary

Great pizza prepared quickly for an incredible price

Crowded, loud, stuffy and you don't need it. We were already full from that. Typical tourist bar

Tried the vinegar house. It was okay. Not so nice ambience, service ok, food ok. You can do it.

If you want to eat well, at fair prices, in a pleasant atmosphere, with quality and effort, this is the right place for you. Here you can get a Jägerschnitzel with a starter and salad for around €22, which is what you pay just for the schnitzel in other restaurants. In addition, the dishes are carefully prepared and everything is not homemade (sauce, dressing and even the mayo). Friendly employees!

Service friendly effective. Ambience suits the old town. Food, the pictures of Alt Heidelberg in the dining room are great, that's it, the food is worse than any kebab stall. Daily soup over salted, worse than Magi Instant. The main dish is over-salted, it's burnt, but hunger drives it in. What the hell is going on in the kitchen, every finished dish from Rewe gets a better rating. Not recommended. Sad for the situation in Heidelberg. The best thing was the Dachsen Franz beer and the wine from Adam Müller Leimen.

Food portions are huge, quality is amazing, taste is delicious and ambience is classic ♥️

Sensational for good, hearty German food! Best Schni-Po-Sa!

It was just beautiful and also delicious. Not star-rated cuisine, of course, but good home-style cuisine with a somehow special flair. We'll definitely be back soon. Thank you for a very nice evening!

A beautiful, old inn like before. The food is home-style and good. The prices are absolutely reasonable, especially since soup of the day and salad are included with the main courses. The service was very nice, but it was very busy. So you shouldn't be in a hurry...

Restaurant where the locals come. Good food but service was a bit slow. You get soup with your main course.

A typical German restaurant with excellent service, both in English and German. We felt very comfortable and enjoyed the food!

Rustic restaurant with honest and inexpensive food, great service and nice people.

Was absolutely great. Although it was very full, we managed to get space for 7 people at short notice. Very friendly service, great food, what more could you want? Thank you!

Very nice inn with an authentic atmosphere. Not a tourist magnet, but very pleasant because you can have peace and quiet depending on the time. The sauerbraten with spaetzle and red cabbage is highly recommended. The wild boar roast that is currently on offer also tastes good, but at least for us it is a bit dry. Upon request, the slightly too fizzy spritzer was poured with juice, which I found very nice.

Rustically functionally furnished, good home-style German cuisine. We enjoyed it very much. Very good price/performance ratio.

Great old town restaurant with friendliness and good service.

We ended up in the vinegar house by chance and we were thrilled. Where else can you get a meal like that with soup of the day for that price? The food was consistently great, the soup had a lot of ingredients, a delicious and large salad and the main courses were all excellent and huge portions. But the very best thing is the service, super nice and accommodating, everything was served quickly, quickly and hot and even though the shop was packed, every guest was warmly welcomed and an attempt was made to offer everyone a seat. 5 stars are still not enough!!!!!!!!!

no longer THE vinegar house like before

Super delicious food. Great team, I would love to go back here. Keep it up GREAT.

We were here with a larger group (30 people). The drinks were very good and the service was friendly. The food, on the other hand, was unfortunately very below average in my opinion. To me it seemed like the kitchen couldn't handle this amount of dishes. We waited over 70 minutes for the food (we were warned in advance that it might take a little longer). If you are looking for a place with the rustic ambience of an old inn and would like to stop in in smaller groups, you will certainly have a better experience ;)

Never again. After a few years of being away because of a different landlord, I heard from an acquaintance that the Essighaus had a new tenant who used to serve there. I lived in Heidelberh for decades, and also exactly opposite the Essighaus Pöck No. 56. We We ate there very often, but what we experienced on Saturday was enough to last forever. My wife, her sister and her husband and I ordered pork loin with onions. The best thing was the onions. Word probably didn't get around in the kitchen that pork loin went with the meat heard what was being fried. Each of us returned our plate, which was more than half full, because the meat was so tough and not chewable. Even the waitress felt sorry for us and probably noticed that there was no tip, which is always a matter of course for us, because I worked in the catering industry in the old town for years.

Good home cooking. Schnitzel, rump steak, braised dishes. Always delicious.

Average food, questionable product quality. Bad service with long waiting times. We had to wait almost 30 minutes for the first beer. If the owner is unable to find enough staff (hint: increase hourly wages), he should close half of the store or immediately warn customers that they have no chance of receiving decent service.

Today I ate delicious Trout Müllerin with boiled potatoes and a side salad. The veal schnitzel with fries and side salad was also very good and the portions were very good.

If you want something good you need patience, but it's worth it, very nice service, delicious food, good

Very good food in a rustic restaurant and very nice service. An insider tip.

Unfortunately, absolutely no recommendation. The Cordon Bleu was completely black the first time and would be returned. The second star is only given because the waitress apologized and there was a new Cord Bleu. Unfortunately, this came with the same fries as the first Cordon Bleu. Unfortunately it was about 20 minutes old and just warmed up.