Restaurant Genuss-Atelier — Restaurant in Dresden

I am writing to express my disappointment with the service I received at your restaurant on 8.6.24. As a Michelin star establishment, I had high expectations for both the food and the service. Unfortunately, my experience did not live up to these standards.

During my visit, I initially selected a dish from the menu but later decided to change my choice. When I communicated this to our waiter, their reaction was less than professional. The waiter made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome for altering my menu selection, which significantly detracted from my dining experience. Instead of accommodating my request graciously, their demeanor suggested that my change was an inconvenience. Other guests at the restaurant also chuckled at the hostess' comments to the kitchen.

Given the high cost associated with dining at your restaurant, it feels particularly bitter to have had such a negative experience. I chose your establishment to celebrate a special occasion and was looking forward to a memorable evening. Regrettably, the attitude of the waiter overshadowed what should have been a delightful experience. I believe that such behavior is not in line with the high standards your restaurant aims to uphold.

I hope that you will address this issue with your staff to ensure that future guests receive the level of service expected from a Michelin star restaurant.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Response to owners comment below: Dear Nicole,

Thank you for your detailed response and for acknowledging the concerns I raised about my visit on June 8, 2024.

I appreciate your apology and the insight into the situation from your perspective. I understand that last-minute changes can be challenging, especially in a Michelin-starred establishment where precision and planning are paramount. I apologize for any inconvenience our menu changes may have caused.

However, I would like to clarify that my intention was not to focus solely on the change in our menu choice but rather on the overall experience, particularly the way it was handled. As a customer, it is important to feel welcomed and accommodated, especially in a high-end restaurant where service is a key component of the dining experience. The discomfort I felt from the reaction, as well as the comments made in the restaurant, significantly impacted our evening. Additionally, other restaurant guests overheard you yelling in the kitchen, which led to some guests laughing. This further added to the uncomfortable atmosphere.

I would also like to mention that we were very polite throughout the evening and specifically asked if the change could be applied only if possible, to which you responded that it was no problem at all. Additionally, the extra whisky that was tasted was paid for, contrary to any impression that we took advantage of your hospitality.

On a positive note, I want to acknowledge that the rest of the staff was extremely nice and professional, which added some positive aspects to our overall experience.

Thank you again for addressing my concerns. I appreciate your dedication to maintaining high standards and hope that this feedback helps improve the experience for future guests.

Best...

Marco, our waiter for the evening, is the only positive part of this review. He was friendly, competent and funny. The service alone is the reason for the fact I didn't put 0 stars. However.... the food was unequivocally THE worse I've ever had. And I've been going out to restaurants a lot all my life! Out of the hundreds and hundreds of places I've eaten at all over the world (from simple snack/pizzeria/pub grub to Michelin starred restaurants), I have never found the food so awful. The entire 4-course meal was literally disgusting, sadly. They attempt to pass off as high-end gastronomy with fancy presentation (shown to us onscreen after the meal) but the flavours and textures were simply ghastly. Way too much salt was also used, to mask the absence of any notably enjoyable flavour.. Germany is not known for good gastronomy, and that's ok : they have other areas in which they excel. But please, don't pretend you can cook when you cannot. This was catastrophical. The experience of the Dunkelrestaurant is supposed to be mostly about eating in pitch black darkness, I get that. But the food should at least be edible! I couldn't eat any of my courses and gave them to my husband (he is German and will usually eat anything in order to avoid waste, but even he agreed it was tasteless, too salty and not worth the price...). I felt sick to my stomach for hours after the meal, into the night. The dark concept in which one cannot see the food they eat nor the environment, was original.. but not enjoyable. It was awkward, and took away from the experience of eating, which also passes via our vision. We first eat with our eyes... I understand that this isn't the case for sight-challenged people such as Marco, but for the rest of us who have been lucky enough to see in this life, the habit to see our food is too hard to lose so abruptly. Lastly, the pricing is absolutely outrageous. We spent 186€ on 2 people (4 courses, a glass of poor tasting wine and a small shot of pear liquor). The pear liquor which they make themselves was he ONLY element I liked, it was very nice. But not worth nearly 200€ ... not even close ! All in all, a huge disappointement and a salty (meal) pricetag at the end... Not to be repeated. Sorry guys, I have to be honest, as a food enthusiast and coming from France, the taste of food is very important to me and this was a massive let...

Thank God, we are not living in a dystopian culinary novel in which Michelin guide is an address book of a global high-end dining chain with the same menu in each part of the world. Our reality is far much better: the restaurants acknowledged with Michelin stars are very diverse, they should and indeed offer unique experience. Genuss-Atelier is undoubtedly doing it, otherwise the esteemed anonymous inspectors wouldn’t have given it the star. And its uniqueness is perfectly fitting to my personal taste. Elegant and cosy atmosphere in a stylishly renovated cellar; service that is neither obtrusive nor condescending, but competent, efficient and respectful, wine list representing crème de la crème of the regional wine production, and food which I will remember in details for the rest of my life. The creations of Chef Blonkowski and his team are modern and at the same time referring to different culinary traditions; imaginative with strong accent on the seasonal, and delightfully surprising with a carefully considered blending of flavours, textures and colours. But what really won my heart and gets my personal highest ranking is that I and my partner could enjoy this amazing food in a charming atmosphere without feeling embarrassed for not being affluent and without busting our budget. Haute cuisine is an art in which are used best quality ingredients, so understandably it has a price, and yet in this restaurant you can appreciate it in an affordable way. Which for me matters because I don’t see Michelin guide as a platform assisting status display of rich people but as an acknowledgement and celebration of gastronomy at its best. If you share this opinion, it’s definitely worth visiting...