Sünners Bier-Esel
The Place
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This is a cozy little pub
which boasts a history of over 700 years! The original building was
torn down in the mid 1800s when the Prussians took control of the city and
"modernised" things, then it was destroyed again in WW2.
But it was rebuilt on the same spot, and the tradition continues on to
this day. |
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You find it on Breitestrasse, in a somewhat trendy and in
part somewhat pricey area of town. The easiest way to get there is
to find Ehrenstrasse from the Friesenplatz subway station, walk to the end
of Ehrenstrasse, and continue on to Breitestrasse. It’s really
just the same street with two different names. Shortly after the
name change the street turns slightly to the left, then back to the right
again, and you’ll find the Bier-Esel on the left hand side just where it
turns right again. |
eating Himmel und Äd |
I originally found the place on my first day in Köln when I was just walking
the streets trying to re-acquaint myself with my surroundings. They were
the first place I saw serving Sünner’s Kölsch, so I went in for a quick
glass of beer and ended up being very impressed with the place, and had to
come back twice more. A rather
small establishment when compared with most Brauhäuser (though there are
smaller), the locals who were present at lunch time when I was
there the first time were only a middle-aged lady of about 50 years of age,
and a friend of hers perhaps 10 years older. They were both very
friendly and jovial, and I chatted with them for the few minutes I was there
enjoying what would become one of the most interesting Kölsch beers I would
discover in the city. As I left after only one beer the younger lady was
just sitting down to enjoy the Kölsch Kaviar she had ordered as I was coming
in, and as I walked out I heard her calling to the waitress “mit vielen
Zwiebeln, bitte!”, i.e. she wanted lots of onions on it, please. I was
later to discover that she is not alone among Kölners in her love for onions.
I made at least two trips back to the Bier-Esel, this time taking a bit more
time to enjoy the atmosphere and get a better feel of the place. The
wait staff were very friendly, and in fact on my last trip there my waitress
had noticed me taking notes so she came and started talking to me about the
place. She told me what I had already known – that the place is over
700 years old, but also gave me a number of pamphlets with a lot of great
information on the place.
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When you walk in the front door you immediately have to make a choice of left
or right. On the right is a small room with the bar, and then at the end
of the room an exit to get back into the left side, which is where the tables are
found if you want to sit down for a bite. Long and narrow, there are
approximately 2 to 3 dozen tables inside the Bier-Esel. Even though the
current building was build after WW2, it does nonetheless present a very
pleasant décor which adds to the enjoyment of the beer and the food. |
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If
you walk to the very back of the long-narrow room you cross into a small
sunroom which at first glance looks like an outdoor patio, but upon closer
examination you see that although it does get ample sunlight, there is a glass
roof on the small room which keeps the 7 or 8 tables protected from the
elements. It did however appear as though part of the glass roof would
slide back and expose the customers to the fresh air, but the day of this
visit was overcast and quite chilly for the middle of August, so I don’t
blame them for keeping it shut. |
History
PUT HISTORY HERE
The Beer
Almost no nose leads into this very interesting rendition of the
local Getränk. Extremely refreshing on the palate with some apple and
what seems like cherry notes. Washes down smoothly to a finish on the very
lowest end of the “Kölsch-Bite” scale. The fruity notes are quite
different from every other Kölsch I’ve had, and are most pleasing to these
taste buds.
The Food
Kölsch-Kaviar
The Kölsch-Kaviar at the Bier-Esel was served the same as everywhere else
I’ve eaten it except that though they did cut the blood wurst lengthwise
down the middle, they actually left the two pieces together on the plate and
didn’t serve it open-faced like all the other places do. Not that it
really made a difference because it was still a very yummy Kölsch-Kaviar.
Himmel und Äd
though also a type of blood sausage like Kölsch-Kaviar,
that's about where the resemblance ends. Very yummy
eating!
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On my last trip there I ordered Himmel und Äd (I'm shown above eating it) for the first time, and
finally found out just what it is. Another specialty of Cologne whose
name translates to "Heaven and Earth", it is a piece of Blood Wurst this
time fried instead of boiled as it is with Kölsch-Kaviar. It is served
open-faced with loads of fried onions on top, and is swimming in a sea of a
wonderful and very sweet applesauce on one side, and a lovely creamy potato
puree on the other. In between was a small side-salad composed mostly of
blue cabbage and a piece of tomato. All-in-all it was a very enjoyable
meal, though probably a bit fatty to be eating every day. |
It should also
be mentioned that the Bier-Esel is Cologne’s self-proclaimed specialist in
mussels. Unfortunately I’m not a huge fan of mussels so I didn’t try
them, but the menu had at least 2 or 3 pages full of different mussel dishes,
and that in itself certainly impressed me.
Last Updated 2003.01.14 @ 20:17
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