Mitten Drin — Restaurant in Whau

I went for the breakfast buffet, which I had been looking forward to since they were based in the city.

When I told them I'm only one person, the owner got really rude and said no, no, no, I can't do one. I can't give one person a whole table, no. No. We are too busy. You have to ask someone to sit with them.

At first I thought he was joking, but no, he was dead serious. At that point I felt extremely unwelcome. If I hadn't already paid, I would definitely have left!

He huffed and puffed away and said he will look and see.

In the meantime I started dishing.

The set up is extremely disorganised. There is a bottle neck at the door. There's one queue where you first have to pay, then to the left there is a queue where you find the warm food and bread. Then you have to fight your way through the waiting-to-pay queue to get to the coffee and pastries queue.

I stood waiting like an idiot for the owner to come back, feeling extremely vulnerable and standing in everybody's way. That's when a customer in the queue asked if I were OK. I said they are not willing to accommodate a single person, and I have to go beg someone to adopt me for the next hour. They were 3 gents and said I could join them at table for four.

They were very friendly and tried to include me in conversation, but it was very awkward for everybody, and I could not enjoy my meal, eating in front of strangers.

The food was fine. It wasn't outstanding or incredibly memorable, but it wasn't bad. Mine had gone cold because I stood around waiting for the owner to come back.

At the hot selection there was cut up sausages of different kinds, bacon, scrambled eggs, cheese grilled mushrooms, courgettes, fried tomato, two types of baked beans. Then they had different types of bread butter and two types of jams. They had croissants and some apricot jam pastries, cocktail sausage rolls and hash pops. There were also mixed fruit, sliced cold cuts, cheese, two types of sweet/slices, panna cotta, and a chia seed dessert. All of this is served with apple or orange juice, tea, and coffee.

It's a fairly big selection of food. So there will be something you will find to like. I did like the courgette, mushroom, and apricot pasty. If I wasn't sitting with strangers, I would have liked another helping, but I was too embarrassed to go and dish more.

Unfortunately for me, because of how I was pretty much chased away and forced to sit with strangers, the food got stuck in my throat. It was a very disappointing experience and I definitely won't be back. If you're single, or widowed, or a new immigrant in a strange country, don't bother...

Finally made it to Mitten Drin and now wish I would have gone a lot sooner! As this was my first visit, this review is based on a small selection of the food only.

The pork knuckle (Schweinshaxe) is really good, crispy and crunchy on the outside, juicy and tender inside and well, but not over-seasoned nor is it too salty. Very delicious!

Pretzel aka Bretzel is authentic with substance and seems like it was well made from scratch. Even though I really liked it, it was outshone by a very simple, yet impactful “knuspriges Knoblauchbrot wie von Mutti” (crunchy garlic bread just like mum used to make) that wasn’t soggy or dripping nor too dry, but just right instead… Yummy!

With great sadness I have to report I was way too full for desert but had three bites of the Apfelstrudel anyway. Very nice!

Beware! I will be back! Next time I’m really keen on a Schnitzel and want to check, if the fantastic claims about the Tiramisu can hold up.

Managed to barge in on a super busy night, yet staff were really friendly and onto it. Respect.

If I had to nitpick, I’d say, I wish I would have had a steak knife or similar to better deal with the delicious pork knuckle crackling.

Tschüß und bis demnächst 🤝 (bye and see...

I recently visited Mitten Drin, a German restaurant in my neighborhood, and had a great time. One of the things that stood out to me about the restaurant was its funky interior design. It had a cool, modern vibe while still feeling authentically German with its wooden beams and cozy alcoves.

The service at Mitten Drin was excellent. The waitstaff were friendly and attentive, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that you could order electronically from your table. This was especially convenient given the current pandemic and the need for contactless options.

When it came to the food, Mitten Drin did not disappoint. I ordered the pork hock platter and was blown away by the generous portions and the quality of the meat. The sausage and sauerkraut were also delicious and tasted like they were made with traditional recipes. To wash it all down, I had a big stein of beer on tap, which was cold and refreshing.

Overall, I had a very enjoyable evening at Mitten Drin. The food was great, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was fun and welcoming. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a taste of authentic...