Vetter's Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus: Where to Eat in Heidelberg

Steingasse, between the bridge and the church

Steingasse is a short street with a lot packed into it. At one end stands the twin-towered gate of the Alte Brücke over the Neckar. At the other end, the red sandstone of the Heiliggeistkirche rises over the Marktplatz.

Vetter’s sits at number 9, roughly halfway along. That makes it one of the easiest places in the Altstadt to find. It also makes it one of the most visited. Everyone crossing from the bridge to the market square walks right past the door.

What a Brauhaus pours

The clue is in the name. A Brauhaus is a brewhouse, and here the beer is the main reason to come. Vetter’s is best known for Vetter 33, a very strong bock that once held the Guinness record as the world’s strongest beer. Treat it with respect: it is a slow sipper, and you won’t want to drink it in steins.

If you’d rather keep a clear head for the castle afterwards, start with the lighter house drafts. Ask your server what is on tap that day, since a brewpub’s range can change with the season.

Plates built for beer

The kitchen does the beer-hall classics. Expect food that is filling and salty, built to go with a glass rather than to show off. Look for:

• Sausages, the obvious match for a cold draft
• Schnitzel, the breaded cutlet that fills most of the plate
• Pretzels, good for sharing while you decide on mains

Prices are mid-range for central Heidelberg. The current menu and prices are posted at the restaurant, so check there rather than relying on old figures online.

Sharing a table, Heidelberg-style

This is a very popular place, and German beer halls have their own etiquette for coping with the crowds. These habits will make the evening easier:

• Shared tables are normal. If a long table has free seats, ask “Ist hier noch frei?” (is this seat free?) before you sit down. A nod means yes.
• Wait for the server. Staff take your order and bring the bill to the table. You don’t order at a bar counter.
• Toast properly. Say “Prost” and look each person in the eye as your glasses touch. Germans take the eye contact seriously.
• Tip as you pay. Round up, or add about a tenth, by telling the server the total you want to pay. If you’re paying cash and don’t want change, say “Stimmt so”.
• Carry some cash as a backup. Ask about cards before you order if that’s how you plan to pay.

For a group on a weekend evening, try to book ahead. Check the official website for how to reserve.

Picking your hour

Vetter’s opens at 11am every day. It closes at midnight from Sunday to Thursday and at 1am on Friday and Saturday. That gives you plenty of choice, so the question is mostly how much noise you want.

Weekdays are the easy option: 11am–11pm is the quietest stretch on both weekdays and weekends. The weekend crunch is what to avoid. Between 1pm and 11pm on Saturdays and Sundays the hall fills up, and finding seats for a group gets harder.

If a weekend is your only chance, an 11am lunch right at opening lets you get in before the 1pm rush. On a Friday or Saturday, the late hours until 1am are good for a nightcap after dinner elsewhere.

Getting there and what’s around it

From Bismarckplatz, walk east along Hauptstraße, the long pedestrian street through the old town. Turn left towards the river at the Marktplatz, and Steingasse is the lane running down to the bridge. The walk takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

To cut it short, take a bus to the Rathaus/Bergbahn stop, a few minutes’ walk from the door. Give yourself an hour for a meal and a drink, longer if you settle in.

A beer here is easy to fit around the main sights:

• Alte Brücke, at the bottom of Steingasse, with views across the Neckar
• Heiliggeistkirche and Marktplatz, at the top of the street
• Heidelberg Castle, reached by the Bergbahn funicular from Kornmarkt, just south of the square
• Philosophenweg, the hillside path across the bridge and the best view back over the old town