Spousal Unit and I joined a boatload of friends (literally!) for a Christmas Market cruise on Gate…read more1. (Review of the cruise to be posted separately - but it will be great!). While wandering the old town and it's very nice market (and enjoying abundent gluewhein mit flaming rum) we settled down for a nice lunch at Schlenkerla. Great choice! First, the smoked beer. Not my favorite, but hey, when in Bamberg ya gotta try it. The menu was not extensive but that's not a negative. I think too many restaurants offer too many choices with too little quality. Not a problem here. My friends ordered gulasche soup; a baked potato with salad combination plate (with two "small" baked potatoes drenched with what appeared to be fifteen pounds of butter); very tasty sausage with very, very tasty sauerkraut; and what I ordered: Bamberg style stuffed onion with mashed potatoes. I thought I was being virtuous. I must rethink my definition. The two very large onions were stuffed with a pork/bacon/bread/herb mix then roasted. Delicate taste that paired beautifully with mashed potatoes and smoked beer/beef stock sauce. Wunderbar! Look, I'm not a fan of tourist traps. Schlenkerla is certainly well-promoted to all of the tour operators, but most of the diners were obviously local. The menu was the same for all, as was the service. Excellent choice, and highly recommended.

Famous for their Rauchbier I now got to try their food. They got the typical local dishes. We had…read morethe Krustenbraten and Tafelspitz. Both dishes were well prepared. They are quite busy in summer, but they made space for our large group. Great hospitality. But for some reasons they do not entertain bachelor parties.

Yum. YUM. Might be my favorite rauchbier in Bamberg, a smoked lager, very mild, but so tasty in a…read morecool setting. Across from Spezial and I highly recommend it...service was good, it's Germany. People friendly.

This is an average beer hall in Bamberg It does appear popular with the locals, but it is not as…read moreinviting as the other breweries near the river or the town center. We stopped here on our Brewery Tour offered by the Information Center. It is across the street from another stop, but away from the rest of Bamberg action. Good: German beer; service; locals like it Bad: Location; meat tray (see picture)