Gaststätte Lommerzheim - a Cologne classic

I was trying to remember exactly who it was that recommended a visit to Gaststätte Lommerzheim, a classic, old-style Cologne pub on the other side of the River Rhine. First of all, I thought it was Retired Martin, and then Boak & Bailey sprang to mind. I did a few searches on their recent posts about Cologne, (RM Dec 22; B&B Nov 22), but nothing came up. Then I had one of those “lightbulb” moments, and turned to my own blog, and posts written about my previous visit to the Dental Show, back in 2019.

Sure enough, on a post written in March 2019, the following comment came up, from a reader called Robert. Enjoy Cologne, Paul! I hope it is not too late, but by all means try to visit Gaststätte Lommerzheim or Lommi as the locals call it. Just a short stroll away from both the fair and the Hyatt and probably the best place to experience proper old-style Cologne Brauhaus atmosphere. Great Pork chops as well as Päffgen on tap! And some great stories to tell about Lommi, the old landlord, who once turned down Bill Clinton so his regulars could come in that night! 12 March 2019 at 13:51

Suddenly, everything clicked into place, and whilst I still don’t know Robert’s identity, I can certainly confirm he was spot on in his recommendation, concerning Gaststätte Lommerzheim. As hinted at, in an earlier post, my chance to visit Lommi’s came last Thursday evening, when I called in at the pub on my way over to a glitzy, formal dinner, hosted by our parent company at Cologne’s prestigious Regency Hyatt hotel.

The dinner was scheduled for a 7 o’clock start, which was cutting things fine seeing as the Dental Show doesn’t close until 6pm. It’s been a mad rush in previous years, dashing back to the hotel for a quick wash and brush up, only to then charge back across the Rhine for the dinner. Even a pre-booked taxi is no guarantee of getting to the Hyatt on time, given the amount of rush-hour traffic in Cologne. I don’t do rushing anymore – unless I absolutely have to, so my plan was to leave the exhibition at the same time as my colleagues, and then make my way to the Hyatt, on foot, calling in at Gaststätte Lommerzheim on the way.

It was a 15-minute walk to the latter, and then an additional 15 minutes to the hotel, meaning ample time for a few Kölsches at Lommis, and still not be late for my dinner appointment. I took a direct route from Köln Messe, passing beneath the multitude of rail tracks that make up Köln Deutz station. Emerging the other side, I reached a mainly residential district, sprinkled with the odd retail outlet. What I didn’t manage to find was a cash machine, or Geld Automat as they say "auf Deutsch." They didn’t seem particularly common in Cologne, but perhaps I wasn’t looking in the right places. I needed some of eh folding stuff, as I knew that Lommi’s was cash only, but fortunately I still had a €5 note in my wallet, plus a pocket full of change.

Turning the corner into Siegesstraβe, I could hardly fail to spot Lommerzheim, as it stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. Compared to the surrounding, contemporary buildings, it obviously belonged to a different era, and the most likely explanation was the pub had somehow miraculously survived the bombing of World War II, that had flattened much of the surrounding area. The frontage looked as if it might once have been tiled, the wooden window frames seemed in need of a few coats of paint, and written large at the top of the building were letters spelling out the name - DORTMUNDER ACTIEN BIER. This puzzled me, as the beer market in Germany is still very localised, and to see the name of a brewery from a city, nearly 100 km away, was something I hadn’t come across before. I soon discovered that Kölsch, rather than Dortmunder was the beer on sale inside the pub, so I imagine the exterior sign is, like the pub itself, a survivor from a bygone age.

There was a handful of people milling around by the entrance, so I squeezed past and slipped in through the entrance at the centre of the pub. It was undeniably crowded inside, with every table and chair fully occupied, mainly by diners. There were also several ranks of drinkers propping up the bar – English style. This is something I have rarely seen before in Germany,  and again this is where Robert provides an explanation, with another comment on my post from 19^th March 2019. He states that “in the old neighbourhood Eckkneipe / Corner Pubs, you will find people sitting or standing together at the bar, although you will probably not encounter these kind of places that often as a tourist.”

I wondered how I would get served, but a couple of local women took pity on me by making sufficient room for me to get served. Päffgen Kölsch, dispensed from a wooden cask behind the bar counter, was the sole beer on sale, retailing at €2 a glass. Päffgen is one of the few independent Kölsch brewers remaining in Cologne, and in my view its beer is one of the best. I paid for my beer at the point of dispense, not realising that if I wanted a further glass,  I should have requested a beer mat, or Dekal. (Decal was an American word for a transfer when I was growing up).

This made sense, especially in a pub where seating was at a premium, as the drinker carries his or her own Dekal around with them. Then, each time a fresh beer is ordered, the bar staff make the usual tick on the beer mat, and the drinker settles up at the bar at then of the session. Fortunately, the staff were sympathetic towards a novice like me, and I was able to pay for my second beer at the bar before leaving.

Gaststätte Lommerzheim was one of those pubs you feel privileged to have visited, but rather than , coming across as a throw back to a bygone era, it struck me as a living organic entity. A real community local, catering to a wide age groups and a diverse range of customers. As well as serving some of the best Kölsch in Cologne, the food looked really inviting too. People were enjoying themselves, either in small groups or conversing with friends and neighbours.

I’m really glad I made the effort to track the place down, and experience it for myself, especially as I don’t know whether or not I shall be returning to Cologne. As you get older you really need to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves, just in case they don’t some around again. Being able to visit places such as Lommi’s, makes foreign travel all the more worthwhile, and I look forward to seeking out similar classic pubs, in other parts of the world.

Brauhaus zur Schreckenskammer

I’m not sure as to when I first came across Schreckenskammer-Kölsch. It must have been prior to my penultimate visit to Cologne, which was in 2019. This was at a time when I believed I had drunk virtually every Kölsch available in the city, so stumbling upon Schreckenskammer came as something of a surprise. I bought a 500ml bottle during that 2019 trip but was determined to track down the Schreckenskammer pub on my next visit to Cologne, little thinking that, thanks to Covid, the trip wouldn’t be for another four years!

Today, I’m back home and writing this post exactly a week after finally managing to sample some draught Schreckenskammer on, not just its own turf, but actually in the Schreckenskammer pub itself. Doing a spot of research though, brings me no nearer to discovering exactly where this particularly fine Kölsch is brewed, but worse than that I have discovered there is no exact figure available for the number of different Kölsch’s brewed in the city. This means that despite my earlier comment in the opening paragraph, I certainly haven’t drunk virtually every Kölsch available in Cologne.

Kölsch is described as “one of the most strictly defined beer styles in Germany”, but despite this, out of the 20 brewers that make up the Kölner Brauerei-Verband (Cologne Brewers Association), only 11 of them actually produce Kölsch. So, without wasting anymore time debating over which company brews which brand of Kölsch, and where, let’s cut to the chase and reflect on last Wednesday’s brief visit to Brauhaus zur Schreckenskammer.

Situated to the north-west of Cologne’s imposing main rail station, or Hauptbahnhof, the Schreckenskammer pub was quite easy to find, particularly with the assistance of Google Maps, on my Smart Phone. My colleagues and I had been quite close to the pub, the previous evening, when we attended a Kölsch-fueled barbecue, hosted by the German arm of our parent company, at the Lindner Hotel Som Residence, and it wasn’t much further to Schreckenskammer.  Leaving my colleagues to walk back from the dental exhibition, I took the train across the river Rhine, and headed straight for the pub. There was rather more spare time available that evening, as we hadn’t planned on going out until 8pm, due to the impending arrival of a colleague, who was travelling across from England.

Schreckenskammer is situated in Ursulagartenstraße, close to the church of St Ursula, and it was the distinctive looking tower of the church that acted as my guide – along with Google Maps, of course. I was aware from online photos that the pub was quite a modern building, as the original had been destroyed by Allied bombing, in 1943. The current pub dates from the 1960’s, and according to my researches, isn’t quite in the same location as the original pub.  It is still quite an attractive looking building, which overlooks a paved area at the entrance to the church. Pleased with myself at having found the place, I gingerly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

There was a small room over to the left, with its own serving counter, complete with some casks of beer, in full view of the customers. There was a handful of customers present, plus a member of staff behind the counter. It looked very much like a “private bar,” so I headed, instead, for the larger, and more spacious room to the right. It was laid out with plenty of tables and chairs, but very little in the way of empty places, as most seemed occupied with diners.  I sat myself down at the end of one such table, with my back to the window. I do this in most pubs, as I like to see what’s going on, rather than sit with my back to the action. 

When the waiter, or Kobe, passed, by with his tray of glasses, he uttered the word, “Kölsch,” and almost without waiting for an answer, placed a full glass on the table in front of me, whilst at the same time marking a fresh beer mat, with a tick. The beer was served in a badged glass – as per the photo and was rather good, with a deep golden colour and plenty of body. The pub itself was buzzing, with a lively mix of customers, spanning several different age groups. I got the impression that most of them were local, drawn from the nearby flats. I wanted to take a few photos but was thwarted in this when the waiter directed a young couple to the far end of the table. He explained, in German, of course, that they had a reservation, but it was OK for me to continue sitting where I was.

When he returned and exchanged my empty glass for a full one, I asked whether a reservation was required for later that evening. My colleagues and I had a traditional Cologne tavern in mind for that evening, and given its relative proximity to our hotel, plus its obvious credentials as a “proper” Kölsch house, it would have been ideal. The menu too, looked tempting, very traditional and reasonably priced, but sadly the waiter informed me that they were fully booked, that evening.

I finished my beer and resisting the temptation of a third – I knew that my colleagues would have  king-sized thirst on them, I drank up, settled my tab and departed. On the way out I managed to take a few shots of the “private bar,” without drawing too much attention to myself, and headed back to the hotel. I thought I’d be clever and navigate my way back, without re-tracing my footsteps to the station.  I knew our temporary residence lay on the other side of the tracks, but somehow, I became disoriented, despite tapping in my destination onto Google Maps.

It didn’t really matter, as there was plenty of time, and it was interesting exploring a part of the city I hadn’t seen before, but for whatever reason, I found myself heading back towards the station, guided by the imposing presence of Cologne’s magnificent cathedral. This “wrong turn” allowed me to pick up a few goodies at the REWE supermarket, beneath the tracks; one of many retail outlets occupying this prime shopping area. Along with some snack items for the family back home, I bought myself four bottles of Kölsch, including a bottle of Schreckenskammer.

Continuing onto the hotel, I bumped into a couple of colleagues who had also been out shopping. Like me they were making use of the limited amount of free time, between exhibition commitments and pre-arranged evening social arrangements – eating and drinking mainly, and on two occasions with members of our parent company.  They informed me that the colleague we were waiting for had still not arrived, although when we reached the hotel, we discovered she had just checked in.

I too, needed to pop back to my room and change into something more comfortable, before enjoying a couple of glasses of Gaffel Kölsch in the hotel reception area. We set off into central Cologne, with the intention of securing a table at Früh am Dom.  As mentioned previously, Früh is a maze of inter-connected rooms, spread out across several different levels, and was absolutely heaving when we arrived. We were fortunate then that one of the waiters managed to squeeze us in.

So, we had our traditional, Cologne tavern evening, although I can’t help thinking it would have been even more authentic, if there had been room available at Brauhaus zur Schreckenskammer. Next time, I report on a visit to somewhere even more traditional, that is a survivor from a bygone age. Gaststätte Lommerzheim, situated on the opposite side of the River Rhine, in the area of Cologne, known as Deutz, is a must-visit, old Cologne pub, which has gained quite a reputation in recent years, amongst beer lovers and beer writers. All will be revealed, next time.