Gaststätte Alter Simpl — Restaurant in Erlangen

RUDEST experience ever. If you want your evening ruined if you book a table for 8:30pm on a Friday,, get ready: After booking a table for a special evening with a (quite celebrity) guest having flown in from abroad, to enjoy a nice Erlangen/Frankonian special food evening after getting off the plane at Nürnberg, I was told that I had booked for outside but with a grimace I could either sit in the rain or "sit in the less attractive area of the restaurant" as it was raining. When you ask for a nicer table in the area where there are lots of empty tables, you then get asked three times "if you are going to order soon or what" with the most annoyed face and there was no warmth at all. If you bring someone from the UK or USA here, they will have the worst first impression of Erlangen and Germany in general. Food was okay-ish but this memory makes me ashamed of where I live, and my corporate guest was shocked by the lack of welcome. If staff wants to go home at 9pm although there are bookings during that time, or if staff maybe doesn't like people who speak English, they can communicate this kindly and warn ahead of time, when a booking is made.

The only nice person there was a lovely young chap who put my steak back on the grill to make it more well-done as I am pregnant. HE had a smile on his face, the only one among all the staff, he was accommodating (Thank you!), and without him being so nice I would have probably left and lost all hope for gastronomy in this town.

I would only come back here for a beer in the garden if I was allowed to order one without anyone making me feel like I am a bother and if anyone actually had some friendly...

Alter Simpl is a classic German restaurant not for the faint hearted. They serve all the classical German dishes you can think of, especially the famous Nürnberger Wurst.

You must reserve in advance otherwise it is very challenging to find an empty spot. I unfortunately didn't feel welcomed by the waiter greeting me. After I mentioned I didn't reserve in advance, he immediately mentioned that there are no empty tables, but there were numerous in the upper floor and I know because some of our colleagues were already sitting at their table upstairs and confirmed so.

I must say though the food is phenomenal, it has such an authentic taste and a hearty feeling to it. Some of those recipes must be original from hundreds of years ago. I got their grilled pork with wurst meal, it was tasty fulfilling and had a big portion, all that while very modestly priced. The schnitzel meal comes with not 1 pieces, but 2. This i couldn't believe, because they are huge. The meals are served with fresh salad with a side of roasted german potatoes. For dessert I got the deep fried apple rings covered with cinnamon and sugar which comes with 2 scoops of bourbon vanilla icecream and whipped cream, a perfect end for a perfect meal.

They also have many kinds of beer to choose from. They are all very fresh with a silky texture to them.

If I'm ever in Erlangen again, I will go straight there for dinner...

Refused service when arriving two hours before closing.

I came on the recommendation of a local for a smoked beer, however I was told to go away when I arrived at 22:05 on a Thursday. A man working there told me the kitchen was closed. I said that was Okay, I would just have a drink. He said no and that they stopped letting people in at 22:00. The restaurant was busy but had open tables, so I asked if I could just order a single beer. They again told me no.

Their website clearly shows they are open until mid-night, Google also shows the hours open until midnight, and that the hours were verified a week ago by phone.

I got a drink from the cafe next door. People came in after I was turned away and people were still outside ordering drinks after 23:00.

I was refused service here for no obvious reason. Maybe the restaurant...