German Arms Hotel — Restaurant in Hahndorf

Horrendous. Do not bother eating at this place if you have taste buds or would like to eat within hours of ordering. Firstly we received half of our meals and then our other three meals (including a kids) seemingly fell off the face of the earth. After asking for said missing meals twice I was told 2 of them were on their way while they russled up the kids meal. At this point those first meals had arrived 20 minutes prior. When the meals finally arrived I asked to speak to the manager, who told me it was a miscommunication on their end that caused the significant delay in our meals. He offered me a free drink, I told him we had drinks and did not want any more. After negotiation he said he could refund me a kids meal. At this point I asked what was in the pork belly I ordered because it smelled like Chinese five spice, he told me the only seasoning in the dish was salt. I asked to speak to the chef as I knew it contained either CFS or star anise, which I can not eat. Nowhere in the description was there a hint of any Asian inspired spices, it was in fact described as cider glazed pork belly with potato galette. The chef confirmed that it did indeed contain star anise, and that he could make me another. I asked how long this would take as the children were done, and frankly so was I. I was told 5 minutes, and whilst the new Pb sans star anise did in fact arrive within 5 minutes, it tasted like it had been blow torched and was now 'seasoned' with a sizable helping of carbon. Upon deciding that I was not going to eat it, I'll have some yummy Handorf market sourdough instead, I was treated with the charming sound of young male vomit hitting the pavement from three tables up. 15 minutes later and it's still there although the young male is not. It should be noted that the young waitstaff and chef were polite, if somewhat insincere in there apologies. The manager seemed concerned with quashing the issue with minimal effort and concern, and was actually quite unpleasant. Reasonably expensive for lackluster pub fare. Toilets were filthy and the toilets used had no toilet paper.

The family did not enjoy the meal or the atmosphere. Our greyhound enjoyed the...

Restaurant reviews are subjective things. At the end of the day, it's about the taste your visit leaves in your mouth, literally and metaphorically. So when the staff were pleasant enough if not the most on the ball, that was fine. Ordered five dinners, mine - pork hock - arrived first, then one other several minutes later. Pork was pretty great, no complaints. But the other three meals didn't arrive. 20 minutes later, only after we'd gone twice to check with the staff, they finally arrived. Kids almost too tired to eat. Pretty poor but not the end of the world. Except the pork belly (atop wan and shapeless potato galettes) was apparently full of Chinese five spice (actually just star anise), not what one would expect of "cider glazed" pork belly in a German restaurant, and not what we can eat. Manager's response to our complaints was to repeatedly try and fob us off with a free drink, which we didn't want. And to claim that the apparent five spice was just "salt", one of the more insulting statements we've heard. Zero genuine desire to make things right. Finally got one kids meal refunded and the pork belly re-made without star anise... and it was burnt. Almost certainly blowtorched, and poorly, to get us dealt with ASAP. So that was that. Kids finished up their food and braved the filthy bathrooms before the car ride home, and a young gentleman vomited in the gutter a few tables away.

Postscript: how is it that any restaurant, anywhere, can ever serve up soggy boiled broccoli like it's an RSL in 1981? Microwave-steam fresh brocc with a little salt, done in minutes and it's perfect. It's easier to cook broccoli so it's delicious. Are they working with frozen produce, is...

#The fat bikers guide to fine dining reveiws# What can I say, the German arms has always been a favourite for so many south Australians. Ive had so many great meals there over the years that when asked where I would like to eat out for my birthday it was the first place I suggested. The meal started with a dozen kilpatric oysters that surpassed the expectations I already had from this establishment. This was soon followed by a crowd favourite "German potato salad". with expectations of grandeur, my hopes were shattered with the dry floury texture that only comes from old frozen potatos. These were immediately sent back to the kitchen by a very apologetic waitress. The next dish was suggested to serve 2 to 3 people. Clearly not German people. Perhaps very small people with gastric bands. The pork knuckle may have actually been a knuckle and not ankle joint judging by the size. Quick note for the chef if the bone is hanging out over an inch from the meat it's probably time to take it out of the oven. After this I thought it was my duty to talk to the chef. I showed him the inch thick biltang and in his words "to dry and unacceptable " meanwhile i see several good sized knuckles sitting there ready to be thrown out from the empty venue. the manager (i assume) arrived to discuss our grievances. Pot luck was the reason we got for the small dry hock , and the salad was never frozen.. then we paid full price and left to snickering from the staff. I would have left 2 stars for the oysters, waitresses and great beer if it wasn't for the managers poor response. Very disappointed that another fine German institution brought to its knees by people that...