Roter Hirsch in Jena

If you are in Jena you should eat there, good food.

The kitchenette is very spartan—just one glass, no cups, and barely any cutlery or cooking utensils. That's too little. The price is reasonable. Toilet paper and towel dispensers are a nuisance. It's quite noisy in the mornings due to delivery and bus traffic. Central location. It's doable if you're on a budget. The restaurant is good!

I've been working and traveling in Germany for two years, and this is the best restaurant I've ever visited. The waiters are very friendly and the food is delicious. I ate the best pork knuckle in Germany here.

The service has deteriorated significantly

Hagen doesn't feel like cleaning the room every day. The dishes are taken away at breakfast.

Unfriendly, arrogant, and incompetent: Service and information provided during a room booking. Not recommended.

I spontaneously decided to stop here for dinner at 6 p.m. All the shaded tables in the small beer garden were occupied, only the last one in the blazing sun 🌞 was still free. But I was so hungry for a Thuringian roast beef with fried potatoes that I was willing to put up with the sweating. The two male servers were extremely friendly and quick. My meal was delicious 😋, maybe just a bit too greasy... Despite the waiter shortage during the summer/holiday season, there was a temporary waiter who brought the drinks and did his job quickly and friendly. The value for money here is good, and the "Roter Hirsch" is highly recommended.

Tradition prevails in the restaurant, and the decor is in keeping with the building. It was busy, with guests of all ages, hence the corresponding noise level on the first floor. The food and drinks were good, but the portion of the grilled meat was more suitable for normal people, not comparable to the Croatian one. The seasoned meat is regional and delicious. I would definitely recommend it.

I can only give one review of the food. Unfortunately, I expected much more from such a traditional establishment.

A very cozy old inn in the center of Jena with parking in the courtyard. The rooms are small but OK. They don't have a toilet or shower. These are shared facilities. I highly recommend booking the rooms facing the street, as you can hear the loud kitchen extractor fan from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the courtyard rooms.

Traditional Thuringian cuisine. Very good.

This place! Just fantastic!!! Over 300 years in business. The food was so perfectly traditional. Great wine. And the waitress was perfectly German. A bit gruff but nice and checked in at the right times. The outside in front is perfect for people watching. All of Jena seems to go by these corners.

In the center of town is the Altdeutsche Gasthaus, where you can get a good lunch even during the week. It's not that common these days, but I highly recommend it.

I highly recommend this restaurant. Quaint and cozy. Delicious food and good service.

We went to this restaurant with friends. The atmosphere was quaint, the service was excellent, and the food was very good. They serve delicious home-cooked meals at reasonable prices. Our server was very friendly and always in a good mood. The food arrived relatively quickly and was of very good quality.

I only visited the restaurant's beer garden. Friendly service and good food.

A restaurant we frequently visit!

We had a very good meal there 👍 nice staff very reasonable prices

Unfortunately, I have to retract my positive review. The food has deteriorated considerably since then. My salad was missing the baguette that was listed on the menu. No one asked for salad dressing (I had two to choose from). A dumpling was missing. The sauce tasted like an artificial thickener, and the seasoned meat was full of capers. Unfortunately, we won't be coming back.

Attentive staff with good local cuisine in a lovely ambience.

We had delicious solyanka and steak au four. Friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere.

I can only recommend it if you want to not only eat but also enjoy traditional Thuringian cuisine, great atmosphere!

Super delicious, home-style food and really friendly service! Highly recommended!

The aspic with fried potatoes is very tasty. But the service could be a bit friendlier. Otherwise, everything was okay.

Very tasty food and friendly service.

The Rote Hirsch offers good, home-style German cooking at a reasonable price. The food is fresh and served fairly quickly. I found the taste to be average. You can tell that not everything is made in-house here either. The staff is very friendly and quick.

Delicious home cooking served at record speed. There are virtually no waiting times with the very attentive and friendly service staff. The food is excellent and the interior is as cozy and rustic as befits the tradition of the house. Clear recommendation! I had to deduct a star because the steak au four came instead of the schnitzel au four. There are worse things.

Auf der Durchreise gesehen und angehalten - am Ostermontag um 12:00 Uhr hatten wir Glück. Es war noch ein Tisch im Eingangsbereich mit Blick in die Küche frei. Die Bedienung im Untergeschoss war die unfreundlichste Bedienung, die mir je untergekommen ist. Ihr Ton war nicht angebracht sie hat die Augen verdreht bei Rückfragen und war eigentlich völlig ungeeignet, um Gäste zu bedienen. Warum diese Frau dort arbeitet und noch nicht entlassen worden ist, kann ich nicht beurteilen, aber eigentlich gehört sie nicht in den Servicebereich. Der Kellner im oberen Stockwerk war sehr freundlich, als wir uns an ihn gewendet haben, da die Dame, die uns eigentlich bedient hat, nicht in der Lage war vernünftige Auskünfte zu geben. Das Essen war Durchschnitt. Ich würde es nicht als gut bezeichnen, sondern Massenware auf dem Niveau einer durchschnittlichen Kantine. Selbst die Thüringer Knödel schmecken zu Hause besser, wenn man sie mit einem fertigen Teig von Henglein zubereitet. Ich kann dieses Lokal nicht weiterempfehlen !

Jena’s oldest restaurant. 516 years old. Very tasty, very friendly and cute in the nostalgic shape of the house

Very cozy, very friendly, very tasty, very inexpensive.

We had a very tasty meal here, portion size was okay; Price-performance fits. We'd love to come back. The restaurant on the ground floor is very rustic and authentic. Rustic upstairs too, but newer. Conclusion: Overall, an honest inn with delicious food and drinks at reasonable prices.

Very good German food and fast service. Prices are moderate by today's standards. What is striking is the large number of staff, which probably speaks for the management. It's a bit uncomfortable on the ground floor and the chairs are hard, but well, you can bear it to eat. All in all recommended.

I was here for dinner WITHOUT staying overnight. This means I can't make any statements about the rooms yet. The restaurant is nice, the food is delicious and the prices are great for the large portions. I had a knuckle with fried potatoes and very sour sauerkraut. (I don't know whether Thuringian sauerkraut is regularly more acidic than Hessian sauerkraut.) That's the only criticism I noticed. I would love to come back.

Very nice restaurant with friendly staff and very, very good cuisine. We were thrilled

Great restaurant with traditional Thuringian cuisine and small but nice overnight accommodation. Not only interesting for tourists (in addition to the numerous regular customers), but also for business travelers thanks to the family atmosphere and the friendly attitude of the (especially younger) staff. Down-to-earth and uncomplicated, just the way you like it as an Austrian guest.

The employees are super unfriendly!!

Good cold beer and traditional German dishes!

Spontaneous visit to the restaurant for dinner

The food was really top. Thuringian cuisine. The portion sizes were reasonable. The service was polite and quick.

On February 14th, like many others in Jena, we were looking for a table for two. After several attempts, we finally landed at the Roter Hirsch. It was also busy, but we were lucky and got a table for two. The restaurant is located in an old building, which doesn't feel uncomfortable. The service was fine, if not particularly friendly. The menu offers a good selection, and there are also suitable dishes for vegetarians. Our starters – spiced beef and salmon tartare – were truly excellent. The main courses also tasted good, and the portion sizes were reasonable for the price. One negative point, which ultimately led to a rating of three instead of five stars: the side dish, red cabbage, was still cold when served. However, after we complained, they reacted quickly and apparently heated the plate in the microwave, because the arrangement remained unchanged. Afterward, everything was hot and tasted perfect. Another minor criticism: If the menu offers a bottle of water, it shouldn't be made of plastic. The supplier offers an equivalent alternative in glass bottles, which is hardly more expensive for restaurateurs.

I really liked this very old restaurant. The overnight stay is just as rustic as the inn, with a toilet and shower across the hall. The whole house, everything crooked, unfortunately including the bed. You almost roll out. Takes getting used to.

Supper good food, good value for money, I'll be happy to come again when I'm back in Jena.

Yes. The food is very good. The price is okay.

Incredibly sad about this lousy service. Today we tried again. The three of us went into the restaurant, and there were only four tables occupied, and the two ladies were standing in the kitchen talking. They were visibly uncomfortable being asked for a table. One of them came over and roughly placed the cards on the table, without a word. No hello, no nothing. I asked for the children's menu, and she replied, totally annoyed, "Wait a minute." In an unacceptable tone. We left the restaurant and are now, unfortunately, eating somewhere else again. THIS WAS THE LAST CHANCE FOR THIS RESTAURANT. As an entrepreneur, I know good service is important and would be happy to offer them employee training. Best regards, Maria Lekhi - The Academy for your Growth

The reception of guests was a complete disaster. We wanted something delicious to eat, but when you're greeted like that, you lose your appetite. No thanks, we'll spend our money elsewhere. Greetings to the older lady who was super unfriendly. There was no service that day.

nice staff, delicious food, recommended

Unfriendly waitresses. Never again.

4.80 euros for a glass of mineral water.

I've rarely been to such a disgusting place as this. Apart from the fact that the waitresses were very unfriendly, the food didn't taste good either. The restaurant also made a very dirty and uncomfortable impression.

As always, what can you say like at home the women/service are cheeky and the beer is cold 😉😊

The two of us ate in the restaurant yesterday and I have to say I can't understand the negative reviews here. But these are just snapshots and personal feelings. My partner and I were thrilled. We had reserved for 6:30 p.m. and arrived 10 minutes early, which wasn't a problem. The waiter was very nice and accommodating, we were able to choose the table and were served immediately and very nicely. I had a beef broth at the beginning which was very tasty. My partner had schnitzel with fried egg and fries. The schnitzel and fries were homemade and super tasty. I had the ox cheeks with russet cabbage and dumplings. The cheeks were tender as butter and the dumplings were homemade. Everything was very tasty. The price-performance ratio is great. We'll definitely be back.

Very cozy, rustic, tasty, very friendly, happy every now and then

Very nice restaurant, food is inexpensive, good and portions are large.

The food absolutely delicious. So a clear 10/10 and at an unbeatable price. Service was also top 👍 I can't rate the room. Absolute recommendation!!!

Kartoffeln waren kalt, das Fleisch ungewürzt und die Bedienung total unfreundlich. Die Krönung war der „Kaiserschmarren“…nie wieder!

Super fast and nice service and the food was very tasty

Well attended on Tuesday evening. Food came quickly and tasted good. Service friendly, fast and courteous. Thank you 😘

Good home cooking, but with room for improvement. Neither of us liked the fries at all, the rest was ok, but not great

Even though the inn was very busy, the service was good. The food, on the other hand, was unfortunately only warmed up incompletely and tasted okay. The biggest point of criticism was the treatment of the openly anti-democratic right-wing clientele. We would have assessed things differently in a university town.

The best Thuringian food in all of Jena from a gastronomic perspective. The roulade is unbeatable. But what's not so nice anymore is why does the mineral water have to come from Lower Saxony?

Rustic restaurant with good food

Very rustic restaurant, you can also get a seat at lunchtime without a reservation, the food was very tasty, the price was reasonable, the staff was very nice. Not a long wait for the food.

Very nice restaurant. A good selection and the children's menu was very popular. Very good food. Friendly service.

Delicious food, nice atmosphere and nice and attentive staff 😊

We had a spontaneous meal there yesterday. The fried potatoes are addictive. The inn is cozy. Would love to come back.

Unfortunately, you cannot reach this store by telephone even during opening hours. 10 attempts of continuous ringing. This only gives the possibility of assessing the service as subpar. The rest could therefore be similar.

Was yelled at and chased by an employee (big wears glasses) for no reason because we rolled on an e-scooter (walking speed) as we walked past the restaurant. Then he became aggressive, scaring not only us but the guests. In the end it jumped 20m behind us, which I think made the guests feel uncomfortable. I can't understand at all why someone could be so unfriendly if they didn't want to resolve things peacefully. I really find that disgraceful. It should also be mentioned that we are minors. Catastrophe.

Employee (tall with glasses) runs aggressively towards passers-by for no reason.

I spontaneously decided to eat at the Roter Hirsch. The ambience of the ancient inn is authentic and the menu is also traditional. I didn't wait 7 minutes between ordering and eating! This is extremely fast even by fast food standards. The high quality of the food was even more astonishing. The drinks also came quickly. There is free WiFi. The service was friendly and there at all times. I can only recommend the Red Hirsch without reservation.

Very nice restaurant with a dining room. Very good German cuisine.

Very good service and very good food

Historic, 515-year-old inn with delicious rustic Thuringian cuisine without frills and chickimicki.

Overall ok. My meal (falaffel) didn't really correspond to what was on the menu. They forgot the stewed tomatoes and the can was something..... When oho had finished breklmaing, three small cocktail tomatoes were delivered on a plate, soaked in a lot of butter. The service was extremely unfriendly, but maybe that's how it is in the city... Would choose a different restaurant next time

It's a nice inn. The schnitzel with fried egg and fries is also very tasty. The inside atmosphere is very cozy. Outdoor area also fine. The service good. We'd love to come back again

There's still good old home cooking here. Freshly prepared and very, very tasty. The inn has the typical old town atmosphere, is very well maintained and clean. The staff is friendly and courteous. The waiting times are absolutely okay. The location is very central and accessible by all public transport. If you arrive by car, you can use the surrounding (usually paid) parking facilities without usually having to walk for more than 5 minutes. In summer, the beer garden also offers outdoor seating. My conclusion: great location, highly recommended.

The restaurant is amazing. On the first floor there are several rooms, beautifully furnished, multiple styles. The service was great, the lady was perfect - we came with children, so she immediately brought us a children's menu that you could color and crayons. More professional behavior, a minute after she brought the food she came over to ask if everything was ok and if we were happy. She spoke to the children several times and brought them Haribo candies after the meal. Smile all the time. More than maximum satisfaction.

Very good food and great service. The price and the rose beer are also okay.

Gut gegessen, sehr freundliche Bedienung, herrlich geschlafen und ein reichhaltiges Frühstück. Das alte Gebäude war ein Erlebnis an sich, alles alt aber blitzsauber!

Food too greasy, onions too mushy, drinks like water too expensive. 0.4 for €4.90 🙉 Don't come back.

I had a plate of red venison, the meat was good, the onions were wobbly, the sauce was way too fatty, the fried potatoes were excellent, but the vegetables with it from the jar of mix pickles for €25 were definitely too expensive and a glass of still water was €4.80, that's not possible. ... and we didn't get the starter soup at all

Great, delicious cuisine. Great atmosphere. Nice personel.

I can recommend it at any time! Food great and service anyway! Many more years!

A wonderful inn! Was here visiting Jena and grandma recommended it! The food was very tasty and plentiful. Kudos to the kitchen! Very friendly service. A super nice team and very helpful in a difficult situation. Thank you again! We will be back.

We had dinner in the inn with 6 people. For three of them the food was good, for the others the side dishes were cold. The cuisine is home cooking.

Was okay. Nice service, quick and friendly.

We arrived very late, around 9:15 p.m. Nevertheless, it wasn't a problem to order something else to eat. The waitress was super friendly, the dishes were beautifully prepared and the food was incredibly tasty.

We had dinner as part of a conference and were very satisfied. Friendly and courteous service, tasty food and a good price-performance ratio.

Good cuisine, good price-performance ratio

We were there for dinner today. The liver was so deliciously seasoned and tender. Top price and nice atmosphere. Highly recommended, thank you!!!

Food was good, but not outstanding. And for good it was a little bit too expensive. Service was friendly. In general, however, it unfortunately fell a little short of my expectations of a good German restaurant.

Very good German food. Dumplings with roulade and salmon were very, very good. The service was also friendly and even though it was a full house, we were served quickly for lunch on Thursdays. Gladly again and only recommended.

We ate there on Monday evening, great service and great food. Meat was completely on point, soooo tasty 😋, would love to come back.

Absolutely delightful traditional German restaurant, with delicious food, and great service - they fed me real well after a very long journey, despite the fact they were closing very soon. Cheers, and will be back very soon!

Very very tasty food, good portion for a good price. Only recommended

Food was ok, hence the 2 stars. The waiting time and the service, however, are not justifiable. We were there with 2 children. After exactly an hour our starter soup came. After 1.5 hours and repeated requests, the main course arrived. There were still a lot of places available, so it couldn't have been due to high occupancy. After paying, the waitress left without saying goodbye. Unfortunately we won't be coming back.

Very nice, rustic inn with good, local food. The service can be quite overwhelming at times...

Thank you for the delicious regional dinner. We were very satisfied and would love to come back. Very friendly staff keep it up.

I went there again after a long time and I still like it. 😁 It wasn't German, but it had an Italian touch, but I'll definitely come back again. It's a lovely location in the city 🏙 and the ambience is perfect. At some point there will be German cuisine there again for me. 😁 🤭

Very friendly staff and very tasty cuisine. Be sure to reserve

I live the vintage vibe of the restaurant. Every corner looks beautiful and charming. We were nicely received and suggested to have a seat upstairs. For the food, I order a grillhaxe which is a grilled pork knuckle and sauerkraut. The combination was great and the sauerkraut was not sour as sauerkraut should normally be, but there was a hint of sweetness which was refreshing! The mustard was divine. However, they gave too many potatoes I couldn’t finish them and felt so sorry about the food waste, but it was really too much. So, if your stomach doesn’t have an XL capacity, don’t forget to mention to the staff that you want less potato.