A cat suns itself on top of a brick wall in the beer garden at Poerrbacher Hof, a home-style German restaurant near Schwedelbach, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
Tucked away in a tiny farming village off the beaten path even by Kaiserslautern standards is a gem of a country restaurant serving up home-style German staples and unique house and seasonal specialties.
The Poerrbacher Hof has long been a favorite of locals in the surrounding communities west of the city near Ramstein Air Base, according to a friend and frequent customer who’s lived in the area for years.
Poerrbach, named after a stream that runs through a pasture, is connected to neighboring Schwedelbach by one of two narrow roads that wind a short, hilly distance between the two villages.
The restaurant maintains much of the rustic charm of the original 1886 stone farm it occupies. My favorite feature is the cobblestoned courtyard, centered on a stately plane tree, with leafy branches that shade most of the more than a dozen tables set up outdoors.
The addition of large clay pots bursting with flowers of various colors, ivy running along the restaurant’s stone facade, and a lounging black house cat make the beer garden one of the best seats for miles on a pleasant summer evening.
Of course, the garden’s spell would be broken if the food didn’t measure up. I’ve eaten at least four times at the restaurant, each time trying something new, and have never been disappointed.
Spinach dumplings in a browned butter sauce heaped with parmesan cheese at Poerrbacher Hof are a unique twist on traditional German bread roll dumplings. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
Traditional schnitzel at Poerrbacher Hof near Schwedelbach, Germany, can satisfy a hearty appetite. The country restaurant is a favorite of locals. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
A meal I still think about is the “ochsenfetzen,” a plate of thinly sliced pieces of tender beef in herb butter with a side of sauteed potatoes, a baguette and salad. I don’t typically eat much red meat and it’s on the pricey side at 30.50 euros. But it was worth it for a special occasion.
On a recent outing with my 14-year-old son, I went meatless and tried the spinach dumplings, or semmelknoedel, which were about half the price of the beef.
The dish comes from a tradition in Germany to make bread roll dumplings with stale bread rather than letting it go to waste. The Poerrbach dumplings kept the pleasantly bitter spinach balanced with browned butter sauce and parmesan cheese.
Sun drenches a corner of the beer garden at the rustic Poerrbacher Hof restaurant near Schwedelbach, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
A plane tree in the center of the beer garden at Poerrbacher Hof, a home-style German restaurant near Schwedelbach, Germany, offers ample shade for patrons during the summer months. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
A brown broth with matzo balls and minced vegetables was the soup of the day during a recent dinner at Poerrbacher Hof near Schwedelbach, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)
Across the table, my son wolfed down his two hearty slices of schnitzel and mountain of french fries before I could muster a “you can take some home if you can’t eat it all.”
We also tried the day’s soup special, a dark brown broth with minced vegetables and two matzo balls. It tasted like something my Scottish grandmother would make for anyone in the family fighting a cold — minus the matzo balls.
The rest of the menu at Poerrbacher Hof is varied but concise. There are a few types of salads, either vegetarian or a choice of turkey breast, salmon or beef. Fresh game from local hunting grounds provides the meat for sausage, liver dumpling or saumagen, a meat patty made with wild boar.
Other specialties include an omelet with vegetables and herbs, turkey steak in a mushroom cream sauce, baked king prawns on garlic spaghetti and a potato pancake covered with ham and Appenzeller cheese.
The restaurant has an extensive beverage menu of soft drinks, wine and beer. On our last visit, dessert specials included chocolate tart with strawberry yogurt and cream, and a lemon-rosemary sorbet in a Pfalz Secco, or lightly sparkling wine. We were tempted but too full of schnitzel and dumplings.
Poerrbacher Hof also offers indoor dining in rooms hung with deer skulls and taxidermy work, creating an atmosphere that feels like a rustic hunting lodge.
The inside is cozy but not as charming as the beer garden, so my advice is to head over to Poerrbacher Hof before the weather turns. Make a reservation, as the courtyard tends to fill up on temperate days.
Poerrbacher Hof
Address: Talstrasse 16, Schwedelbach, Germany
Hours: Thursday to Saturday from 5 p.m., kitchen closes at 9 p.m.; Sundays and German holidays, from 11 a.m.; kitchen 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Prices: Main dishes range from about 10.50 to 37.50 euros, with most in the 15-19 euro range. Kids meals cost up to 10 euros.
Information: www.poerrbacherhof.de; +49 6374-70776. Reservations recommended, can be made online or by phone.
