Down the Steps from the Mädler-Passage
Auerbachs Keller sits under a shopping arcade. You come in from Grimmaische Straße into the Mädler-Passage, a glass-roofed arcade built between 1912 and 1914. The entrance to the cellar is partway along, and a stairway takes you down below street level.
Bronze figures stand guard at the top. On one side are Faust and Mephistopheles. Facing them are the students Mephisto put under a spell. The sculptures date from 1913. They are the reason so many people stop here with a camera before they ever think about dinner.
Faust’s Foot and the Barrel Ride
You come here for the food, but also for one scene in a play. In Goethe’s Faust, Mephistopheles brings Faust to Auerbachs Keller, plays tricks on a table of drinking students and then leaves. In the legend behind the scene, Faust rides out of the cellar on a wine barrel.
Goethe knew the place first-hand. He studied law in Leipzig between 1765 and 1768 and drank here. The cellar was already old by then: a wine tavern has run on this spot since the 16th century, and 1525 is the usual founding date.
The legend shows up all over the building. Old paintings of the barrel ride hang in the historic rooms. One small ritual happens up in the arcade, too. People rub the bronze Faust’s foot for luck, and you can see which part of the statue gets touched most because it has been polished bright.
The Rooms Below
The cellar is several rooms of different ages, not one hall. The big main room, the Großer Keller, has vaulted ceilings and a lot of decorated woodwork. That room is what the editorial description means by an “ornate traditional cellar”. Most walk-in guests and larger groups end up here.
The older historic rooms are smaller. Many people walk to them after the meal just to look. Their names tell you what they are about:
- Goethezimmer, named for the poet who made the place famous
- Lutherzimmer, after the Reformation-era link to Leipzig
- Fasskeller, the barrel cellar
- Hexenküche, the “witches’ kitchen” from Faust
Some of these rooms are booked separately for groups and events. Ask your server which ones are open to look into on the day you visit.
What Goes on the Table
The kitchen cooks Saxon food and the wine list covers Saxony. Pay attention to the wine. Saxony is one of Germany’s smallest wine regions, along the Elbe near Dresden and Meissen, and its wines rarely show up outside the region. Ask for a Saxon white by the glass and you will drink something you won’t find on most menus in Berlin or Munich.
The menu changes, so check the current one. These are the regional dishes to look for in any Leipzig cellar of this kind:
- Sächsischer Sauerbraten: marinated pot roast, usually with dumplings and red cabbage
- Leipziger Allerlei: the city’s spring vegetable dish, traditionally served with crayfish
- Leipziger Lerche: a small marzipan-filled pastry named after the songbird pie it replaced
- Saxon beer, if you’d rather skip the wine
Prices are mid-range for central Leipzig. That is reasonable for such a well-known address, though it’s not a budget meal. Prices are printed on the menu at the table.
Timing Around the Odd Hours
Check the day before you plan around lunch. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays it opens at 5pm, so there is no lunch service. On Monday, Thursday and Sunday it serves from 12pm to 10pm. On Friday and Saturday it serves from 12pm to 11pm.
Foot-traffic data gives a clear picture. Weekends between 12pm and 8pm are the busiest time. If you show up without a booking then, you may be waiting on the stairs. The quietest weekday window is 9pm to 11pm. Keep in mind that the restaurant closes at 10pm Monday to Thursday, so a 9pm table on those nights leaves about an hour. Friday is the night when a late, relaxed dinner works best.
Getting a Table Without the Scrum
The tour groups know this restaurant too, so plan ahead. Here is how a visit usually goes.
- Book ahead for weekend lunches and any evening in December, when the Leipzig Christmas market brings crowds to the old town. You can reserve through the restaurant’s official channels.
- Wait to be seated. Even when the main room looks half empty, don’t just pick a table. Some tables are reserved for groups.
- See the arcade first. The statues are easier to photograph before you eat, because the crowds around them build through the afternoon.
- Ask for the bill. Servers in Germany don’t bring it until you ask. Say “Zahlen, bitte” and you’ll be paid up in a couple of minutes.
- Tip the German way. Round up or add roughly 5 to 10 percent. Tell the server the total you want to pay as you hand over cash or card. Don’t leave coins on the table.
- Carry a card and some cash. Ask about payment when you book, since practice in older German restaurants varies.
Dinner usually takes 90 minutes to two hours, including a walk through the historic rooms.
Getting There and What’s Nearby
Auerbachs Keller is right next to the Markt, Leipzig’s main square. The nearest stop is Leipzig Markt, a station on the S-Bahn City-Tunnel. From there it is a short walk south along Grimmaische Straße. If you’re arriving by train, Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is roughly a 10-minute walk north through the pedestrian old town.
Several sights are within a few minutes’ walk, so you can build a half day around the meal:
- Altes Rathaus, the Renaissance old town hall on the Markt, now the city history museum
- Nikolaikirche, the church where the 1989 Monday prayers and protests began
- Thomaskirche, Bach’s church and the home of the Thomanerchor, just west of the Markt
- Naschmarkt, behind the Altes Rathaus, with a statue of the young Goethe as a student
Come up from lunch and you can be inside the Nikolaikirche ten minutes later. Come up after a late dinner and the Markt will be quiet.
Frequently asked questions
When is the quietest time to visit Auerbachs Keller?
On weekdays it is calmest between 9pm and 11pm. Avoid weekends between 12pm and 8pm, which are the busiest hours. The restaurant closes at 10pm Monday to Thursday, so a late weekday table on those nights gives you about an hour.
Is Auerbachs Keller open for lunch every day?
No. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays it opens at 5pm and closes at 10pm. On Monday, Thursday and Sunday it serves from 12pm to 10pm, and on Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 11pm.
How do I get to Auerbachs Keller?
It is at Grimmaische Str. 2-4, reached through the Mädler-Passage arcade. The closest station is Leipzig Markt on the S-Bahn City-Tunnel, and Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is roughly a 10-minute walk.
Do I need to book a table?
Book for weekend lunches, December evenings during the Christmas market, and for groups. On a weekday evening you may be able to walk in, but a booking is safer because tour groups use the main hall.
What is the Faust connection?
Goethe drank here as a law student in Leipzig in the 1760s and later set a scene of Faust in the cellar. You can see the legend in the paintings of the barrel ride in the historic rooms and in the 1913 bronze statues at the arcade entrance. People rub Faust's foot on the statue for luck.
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