Orangerie

Rating: 16
Author: Gault&Millau

Strandallee 73B, 23669 Timmendorfer Strand, Germany

16/20
Remarkable Restaurant

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1 PHOTOS

Chef: Thomas Lemke | Simone Melis
Cooking: French | Gastronomic | International | Local | Seafood | Vegetarian
Services: Access for people with disabilities | Accommodation | Electric charging station | Private Parking | Private Room | Terrace
Style: Bar | Elegant | Romantic | With friends

Gault&Millau's review 2025

There are places where nothing changes, and it's a tragedy. And there are places where nothing changes, and that's a good thing. Okay – the ambience is debatable: The Orangery on the beach promenade breathes what was once considered classic chic sometime in the eighties: seating compartments with floral patterns, room-dividing belly-high walls, golden table lamps, a veritable chandelier, long curtains, the walls paneled cream-colored with gold trim. You can like it if you were around 60 in the 1980s, but by then you're usually already dead by 2025. The kitchen, on the other hand, is completely lively: Lutz Nieman, who worked at the Orangerie for almost four decades, handed over the sceptre at the end of 2024 to his long-time sous chef Thomas Lemke, who acts on an equal footing with Simone Melis, who has joined the team as a new addition and previously worked as head chef at the Gambero Wine Bar in Bad Schwartau and as sous chef at Hamburg's Seven Seas. So there is no need to worry about continuity in quality, nor about the fact that some of the house's classics will still remain on the menu. The langustino is still solidly truffled in the quaffable crustacean jus, the sole is still fried whole and filleted with green asparagus and mousseline sauce directly at the table. Taro Bünermann is still responsible for the outstandingly good pâtisserie, and Ralf Brönner is in his third decade the knowledgeable and sovereign master of the extensive cellar, glasses and tables. It remains to be seen whether and what will change. We are sure: The Orangery will not want to scare away its seated audience - this is already shown by the long-planned and gently implemented transition.