It’s a good idea to look for a traditional bierhaus when visiting Germany. While staying in Ratingen – for the boat show boot Dusseldorf – my husband and I found a homey German brewery/restaurant very close by our hotel.
Ratinger Brauhaus is not a touristy spot. The patrons seemed to be mostly locals or at least German. Clearly many were regulars too. It’s a very lively and busy restaurant, but even then, the service was very attentive and quick.
The restaurant did not consistently look the same. In the middle was a pub with the kind of traditional decor you would assume you’d find in a bierhaus.
On the side you could find a more modern look, as seen below. And at the back, it looked quite plain, like something for functions where many chairs and tables are needed. If possible, I would opt to sit in the more traditional section.
The local beer in the Dusseldorf region is called Altbier. This restaurant brews their own Ratinger Alt. I am more of a cocktail person but of course I had to have a taste. Alt is quite fruity and has a copper colour. The number of beers you drink will be marked on your drink coaster, so don’t lose it.
What you should keep in mind is that each time you finish your beer, you will be brought a new one almost immediately. Without asking. At the end of the evening, to show that we were finished, my husband took his wallet out and put it on the table. I’m not sure what the correct way to signal “no more!” would’ve been, but this is how I observed the other patrons did too.
We were very hungry on our first evening and were lucky to find this place as the portions are huge! I had the schnitzel. Oh my. There were two schnitzels, some fries and a lovely salad.
My hubby loved the schnitzels so much that he had the same thing the next night. I decided to be a bit more adventurous and had the sauerbraten – a kind of pot roast – with red cabbage and potato dumplings. It was an interesting meal but the sour taste of the pot roast was a bit too adventurous for me. I also tried a Weissbier but must say I prefer the Alt.
The prices at Rantinger Brauhaus are excellent for the size, freshness and quality. All in all, we visited three times – twice for dinner and once for a nightcap. On our two last evenings we were greeted as regulars. Kudos to the staff for the friendly atmosphere and making us feel at home.
Address:
Bahnstrasse 15
40878 Ratingen
Germany
Have you ever visited a traditional German bierhaus?
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
it leaves me wondering too what would be the right signal to turn down beers lol 🙂
I have visited Frankfurt in December, but the focus then was really on the gluhwein lol 🙂
the food looks delicous too… 🙂 regardless that you didn’t love the meal, it’s great you’ve decided to be more adventurous, I always want to try new meals when I travel too, whenever possible 🙂 love how you tell your stories, Suvi!!
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Thanks so much on your lovely comment Alexandra! 😘 Frankfurt and gluhwein sounds fabulous to me ☺ Did you visit any Xmas Markets?
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I hope Germany was fun, i hear thats where they make the best ice cream, or was that Italy, im not sure? We would love to have your opinion at Gastradamus if you ever have the chance, take care and keep traveling, that way your not stuck in a bubble.
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Yes thank you, Germany is always fun. Germany is known for beer and sauerkraut – Italy for gelato 😀 Thanks for your visit!
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I love a bierhaus and this one looks really good – the food looks delicious.
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I love how you can find a bierhaus in any little village in Germany – I think Ratingen even had several!
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I’ve only been to one traditional beer house and that is Hofbrauhaus in Munich. I love schnitzel as well!
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Hofbrauhaus must be fun as well! I would love to go to Munich 😀 Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting!
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Hi, Suvi. Let me know when you are in Munich or Germany again. I am here for a semester and would like to meet fellow bloggers as well.
I am happy to read travel posts and I will appreciate it if you visit mine as well. 🙂
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I’m just reading your blog right at this minute 😀
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Super! Danke 🙂
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I always have a schnitzel one evening when I visit Germany,. I’ve not heard about the beer mat marking system anywhere before though, very interesting to learn how it works and how to prevent more pints arriving!
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Schnitzels never taste the same as in Germany I’ve noted 🙂 I don’t really like to drink beer anywhere else either. I was a bit panicky about how the pints kept on coming 😉
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Wonderful, I love Your post. We love Germany and have made numerous road trips there. I love drive fast, as You remember from my About-page. I have not visited to Düsseldorf, but when I worked for my airline, I made part of the huge computer project, we flew to Düsseldorf during two years many time and from there we continued to Aachen, because the software provider had the base in this extremely beautiful old town.
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I love Germany too! I am dreaming of a Christmas market in Munchen. Hopefully this year. And as you say, the roads are great for anyone who likes to drive fast. Thank you for your kind comment Matti!
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