Just a stone throw away from the Untere Strasse lies a very nicely decorated winebar in Heidelberg's Haspelgasse. When I heard this from one of my friends, I was very excited and thought, finally a respectable winebar in Heidelberg. Entering the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised at the interior and the set-up of the winebar/restaurant. Yes, Oskar has two entrances directly opposite one another; you can either enter the bar area (smoking) or the restaurant (non-smoking), very practical.
Naturally, the important question here is how does Oskar rate as a restaurant and winebar? As a restaurant, I would give Oskar 4 5 stars. The food was excellent, service was fantastic and even though we were there on a Sunday evening and the restaurant was very empty, we still felt the special charm that Oskar radiates. As a winebar (Vinothek), I would give Oskar only 2 + stars. Sorry to say, it did not fill my expectations as a winebar. It felt like a ordinary restaurant. The open wine list showed only 3 reds and 3 whites and the bottle winelist did not display anything special either. I would say that this winelist and open wines did not stand out in any way against many other restaurants in Heidelberg. But what I really found disappointing was that when we ordered a bottle of St. Emilion (very good at EUR 29,50) we were presented with standard wine glasses. In my personal opinion, any restaurant that adds the word Vinothek to their name should know the important of wine glasses to the amateur wine lover. They should now that wine lovers like to smell, sniff and swirl their wine, they enjoy the entire wine experience and this includes allowing a St. Emilion to breath, something that it does not do every well in a standard everyday (very small) glass. Sadly, when I asked for larger glasses, I was also told that they did not have any.
In conclusion, yes I would recommend Oskar Vinothek & Restaurant for their good food and service, but if you are looking for an exceptional wine experience, I am sorry to say this is not the place, wine lovers in Heidelberg will have to continue their search. read more