Kunst Cafe am Vogelwoog has a Biergarten in a park setting with a lake view. The cafe cooks homemade grilled German dinners and hosts live music events some evenings. (Kunst Cafe am Vogelwoog/Facebook)
“For the main course: Great weather.” That’s the menu at Kunst Cafe, according to a post on its Facebook page.
Kunst Cafe am Vogelwoog is nestled in a forest park on the outskirts of Kaiserslautern, with outdoor seating and lakefront views. The restaurant serves classic grilled German dishes from a chalkboard menu that changes daily, as well as breakfast, beverages and desserts, depending on the time and day.
That’s one of the many charms of the restaurant. It’s run with a friendly local vibe that is unpredictable in the details yet traditional in its food offerings and woodsy setting.
People in the area have called Kunst Cafe one of the most beautiful beer gardens in Rheinland-Pfalz and compared it to Seewoog imbiss in Ramstein, but with fewer Americans and more authentic German food.
Kunst Cafe features outdoor dining in a beautiful setting on a lake in a forest park. The restaurant is in Vogelwoog Park just outside Kaiserslautern city. (Heather Benit/Stars and Stripes)
The dinner menu is limited. For example, on the Friday night I ate there with friends, the pleasant English-speaking German owner told us there were three main dishes to choose from.
They were wurst salad with fries for 10.80 euros, schnitzel with potato salad for 12.80 euros and pfannengyros with kraut salad for 13.80 euros.
Kunst Cafe offers takeout but not delivery. Enjoying a meal on site is the preferred option, though, because the eatery’s primary selling feature is its Vogelwoog location.
Pfannengyros with kraut salad served on Friday, July 8, 2022, at Kunst Cafe at Vogelwoog Park, on the outskirts of Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Heather Benit/Stars and Stripes)
Fries and the grill-cooked gyros at Kunst Cafe at Vogelwoog Park in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on July 8, 2022. (Heather Benit/Stars and Stripes)
A wurst salad with french fries is served for dinner on Friday, July 8, 2022, by Kunst Cafe at Vogelwoog Park in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Heather Benit/Stars and Stripes)
We ordered the wurst salad and gyros to share, plus an extra order of fries (3 euros) and two beers (9.40 euros), then grabbed a picnic table outside with some privacy and a beautiful view of the lake and swans.
The fries and kraut salad – and, of course, the beers – were consumed the quickest, and we nibbled on the gyros. The wurst salad was the least popular item, and we concluded that sliced sausage in salad form is an acquired taste.
On the next visit, I will order something simple like a drink or fries to save money and spend more time in the park.
Its amenities include a fun forest playground with a slide and swings, hiking trails and a peaceful path that circles the lake. A pedestrian road leads to it from the parking lot off Vogelwoogstrasse, so be prepared to walk.
A paved road through the woods leads to Vogelwoog Park and Kunst Cafe in Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Heather Benit/Stars and Stripes)
I recommended checking the restaurant’s Facebook page to see what’s being served and when, and also what live events are scheduled.
Some hours and menu items have been curtailed because of COVID-19 restrictions and economic changes. Last year, the cafe resumed its Oktoberfest with a variety of beers.
“What more could one ask for?” asks a Kunst Cafe Facebook post. With a lake, the forest, German food and beer, I couldn’t agree more.
Kunst Cafe am Vogelwoog
Directions: Vogelwoog Park is tricky to find. On Vogelwoogstrasse, there’s a subtle turn as the main road curves. Try putting Vogelwoog Parkplatz into the GPS.
Prices: Dinners range from 10 euros up. A la carte fries are 3 euros. Beers are about 4.70 euros.
Hours: Variable. Check the Facebook page for the latest opening hours.
Information: Online: kunstcafeamvogelwoog.de; facebook.com/KunstCafeVogelwoog
The menu at Kunst Cafe at Vogelwoog Park in Kaiserslautern changes daily. There were three main dinner offerings on Friday, July 8, 2022, including pfannengyros, schnitzel and wurst salad. (Heather Benit/Stars and Stripes)
