Storchen Restaurant

Rating: 16
Author: Gault&Millau

K4983, 79189 Bad Krozingen, Germany

16/20
Remarkable Restaurant

1 PHOTOS

Chef: Fritz Helfesrieder | Jochen Helfesrieder
Cooking: French | Gastronomic | Home cooking | Local | Seafood | Vegetarian
Services: Accommodation | Garden | Private Parking | Terrace
Style: Casual | Elegant | Romantic | With children | With family | With friends

Gault&Millau's review 2025

The Storchen in Schmidhofen has been an institution since the inn was built in 1764 to look after the pilgrims in the neighbouring chapel - and a real family business, which two generations keep running at lunchtime and in the evening with three menus and a large à la carte selection. Where elsewhere the great lamentation and whining sets in when you ask about the state of affairs, here people say "We are satisfied" - and as always, they work hard for success. In the cosy, white-roofed parlour or in the beautiful summer garden with a small pond, no-frills, seasonally influenced classics are served in culinary perfection. If we ask for the special, extraordinary, extravagant elsewhere, we quickly realize that this approach would be completely out of place here, and that a haven of well-made classic cuisine like this should be preserved at all costs and rather spared from overly innovative and experimental. By the way, it is not surprising that this traditional cuisine attracts mainly older people (also from nearby Switzerland). But this cuisine also tastes good to younger people, and the service is also extremely family-friendly. The fact that this idyll is a stone's throw away from the Martin Waßmer winery is noticeable in the opulent wine list - and also in its most hospitably calculated prices, as you often find them between the vines and only rarely in the urban ambience. This also applies to the fine French-based country house cuisine that the Helfesrieder family serves: a gently spicy smoked fish mousse on trout tartare, an artfully arranged walk through the cottage garden with herbs and vegetables, bitterly sour pickled, served with nut butter and lime cream. The aroma of kaffir lime in gazpacho of young peas shows that they are also quite inclined to international influences, as the kitchen in general knows how to handle spices – finely adjusted – masterfully. The lukewarm salad of Breton wafer-thin lobster with couscous, crunchy melon and fat hen, as well as leg (three butter-tender slices of absolute top quality) and ragout (à part) of local venison in a fine, light stock with pointed cabbage quiche and aromatic pepper cherries with braised radish: a perfect course! And the fact that the dessert comes largely from the hotel's own garden fits the style of the house. Last tip: Pay attention to special occasions such as the fish weeks in late winter or the slaughter menu in autumn - it's worth it!