Zirbelstube — Restaurant in Freiburg im Breisgau

If you’re in Freiburg and consider yourself a fan of fine dining, you simply can’t miss the Zirbelstube at the Colombi-Hotel. Yesterday, my mother and I decided to indulge in a dinner here, and it was an evening well worth remembering. We were greeted warmly and promptly escorted to our table, where we dove into the 6-course menu, complete with expertly paired wines.

The evening kicked off with an amuse-bouche—a delicate beef tartare paired with freshly baked bread, nut butter, and Fleur de Sel. A delightful start, but things only got better. The first course, Breton lobster, was a high point, but the star of the evening had to be the turbot. It was melt-in-your-mouth perfect, served with understated elegance, true to the French tradition—no excessive frills, just pure culinary harmony.

The veal cheek ravioli with sweetbreads and mushrooms was an intriguing dish, rich in flavor, but the duck with turnip sauce, while perfectly cooked, didn’t quite deliver the “wow” factor we were hoping for in the main course. That said, the dessert, a tropical fusion of Tahitian vanilla, passionfruit, and mango, brought the meal to a brilliant close, alongside the exquisite petit fours—lemon tart, Black Forest cherry cakes, and pralines.

The cheese cart was impressive, offering a variety for every palate. And the wine pairings? Simply sublime, with a standout Riesling and Bordeaux to complement the courses. The sweet wine selection with dessert was particularly stunning, truly the cherry on top.

The restaurant itself is classically elegant, oozing French fine dining vibes. However, we were slightly surprised not to be offered an aperitif—perhaps a glass of champagne to kick off the evening—and we would have enjoyed some soft background music, as the room was quite still, making neighboring conversations a little too audible.

All in all, it was a fantastic evening. A big thank you to the team, especially the impeccable service. We’re already looking forward to coming back when we’re...

Very traditional old style gourmet restaurant. The quality of food is excellent, even if every course had some bit delusional aspects like a boring rabbit terrine, an undefined vegetables bed under the superb fish or a tasteless frozen cream mousse on the dessert dish (the ice cream was awesome though). Big minus is the service, despite the efforts of the young members of the crew, the senior ones lack completely of customer attention and friendliness, not even a single smile during the whole dinner. Moreover they started to setup the room for the next morning breakfast while half of the tables where still occupied with guests.

In conclusion the food is good, wines are well matched but overall not a...

What a great experience in this one star restaurant. We came here by chance as we stayed at the Colombi. Excellent service, the food was really outstanding, super classical French, focused on amazing sauces and refined flavors. Loved the langostino and the slow cooked pigeon was on point. Had the rhubarb desert and some cheese from the huge selection. Pairing was great. Really worth a visit at the end of a fabulous Freiburg Old...