1st November 2022.
Having just done an interview promoting the UK’s wonderful pubs, it’s only to be expected that I spend the rest of the week eulogising the German ones.
Their buildings are often gorgeous, the beer consistent and quaffable, and the köbes in Dusseldorf and Cologne as cheery, chatty and efficient as you could hope. Just like the young staff in the UK are, in fact.
Some tourists had a different take on Uerige, the place that raises Dusseldorf from essential to, er, unmissable.
Now, I couldn’t possibly guess where these two visitors came from, so let’s assume they’re Americans.
Americans bemused by the concept of a pub that serves beer, and doesn’t really care for your alternate “choices”, and certainly doesn’t expect you’ll want to pay with a card.
It’s not hard. Sit round the tables (there’s hundreds of them),
wait for the 250ml glasses of Alt to come, let the köbes mark the increasing number of glasses on the beer mat, don’t get drunk, pay in cash, on to the next one. It’s not hard.
Last time here Uerige seemed a Top 10 pub, even though it was standing room only, and still does. The Alt still reminds me of Sam Smiths OBB, perhaps the interior does a bit, too (Cittie of Yorke, perhaps).
Dave went inside to take some photos. I did, too, but the interior actually seems a bit secondary to the street drinking*.
Take your picture,
but don’t get in the way of the seamless operation, will you ?
Only €2.20 a glass, so (checks calculator) that makes 11 glasses, which is almost 3 each. Such restraint.
We paid in cash, and didn’t ask to split the bill.
*Their website is an absolute joy, and includes this lovely diagram of their “public house”.
retiredmartin 
An absolute gem. One of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.
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Yes, your pics remind me of pints of OBB in the Princess Louise, Martin.
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Although there was no notice there saying: “The consumption of spirits during beerdrinking is forbidden here. (It harms your health and my business) – The Licencee.”
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Is that what the sign in German says ? I assumed it was “Do NOT ask for a taster; the death penalty has not yet been repealed in the Ruhr”.
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The other one says “Who drinks well sleeps well, and who sleeps well does not sin, and who does not sin goes to heaven”
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Martin, I’ve been struggling to keep up with the sheer number of your posts, but these recent ones on Düsseldorf have brought back fond memories of the the visit Matthew and I made to the city five years ago.
They also serve as a reminder that a return trip is long overdue. For the record, I have never had any bad experiences with the Kobes in either of the Rhineland cities.
ps. Does anyone take note of Trip Advisor these days? 🙂
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Paul, I think Trip Advisors reviews are used by Bing Maps, which is where I saw them. I’ll certainly take a look at recent reviews on Google Maps when we’re away, to see what it says about food quality and value, but I’m sure you’re right that Trip Advisor is a bit discredited these days.
I think that Matthew and yourself were visiting Germany quite regularly about the same time as I was heading there regularly in the 2010s (Nuremberg and Franconia, Berlin, the Ruhr etc). And endlessly fascinating place.
German pub/restaurants are much simpler affairs than most Americans and Brits might expect. The point about “they kept bringing beer when I finished one without asking me” is a good example of how a little research goes a long way !
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From my first visit to Düsseldorf in 2009 through numerous ones in the following decade or so, Uerige slowly worked its way up to being my favourite pub and Altbier: https://whenmyfeetgothroughthedoor.blogspot.com/2012/07/flying-to-franconia.html
I’ve never had any problem with standing outside in summer, or along the drinking corridor in winter, or with the waiters there – their slightly gruff humour is surely part of the appeal of this wonderful pub.
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Just read your 2012 post; nothing much has changed, though I guess you might not risk leaving the airport with only 3.5 hours between planes these days !
https://whenmyfeetgothroughthedoor.blogspot.com/2012/07/flying-to-franconia.html
When I visited in 2015 nearly everyone was standing, seemingly all the way down to the Rhine. It was great.
Oh, and some people have no humour !
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