Destille - Görlitz

We were directed to this restaurant by a friend living in Goerlitz – and were pleased we followed her advice because it is tucked away in a part of the city we might not otherwise have explored. It is an establishment well known to and...enjoyed by local residents because it provides wholesome, German, food. We both took the Confierter Tafelspitz – boiled fillet beef. It had clearly been cooked for a long time because it was soft and succulent falling apart in the dish. It was served with a tasty vegetable bouillon which added extra flavour and grated horseradish to provide some sharpness. An enjoyable tasty meal in a home-cooked style; it is worth searching a little way out of the city centre for this restaurant.

As a German, I believe I have a good impression what to expect from a traditional German restaurant. I went to Destille following the ravishing reviews here and left very disappointed. The meals tasted like convenience food I ate better in some canteens. My...partner ordered a fairly expensive mushroom dish, which came with two mushrooms and the wrong side. Staff said: sorry, but rest assured it tastes good anyways. We had to tell them that normal restaurants would offer something to guests to make good for the problem. Eventually they granted us a Euro discount. Never again. Other places in Görlitz offer by far better food and service.

I was suggested to try Schlesisches Himmelreich while in this part of Germany and I found it here. This is an old-style restaurant adjacent to a modernised hotel, and it was very good. Service, food and beer were excellent, and I was able to get...in here to my surprise on a Saturday night. Not quite in the middle of Görlitz but a very short walk away. Recommended.

We were determined to try the Schlesisches Himmelreich (google it before leaving Görlitz and our Rick Steves guidebook recommended the Destille. We were not disappointed so perhaps this really is the best one in town? Beef carpaccio to start was excellent, the pasta dish my...wife had was good. Goosberry liquer afterwards delicious. We arrived at and were lucky to get a table, so reservations are recommended although it was half empty when we left. The young guy servings us was professional but not especially friendly should try smiling once in a while. If you found this review helpful, I would appreciate your vote.

We stayed in the adjacent hotel, so it was a given for us to also try out the restaurant. As it was warm we sat outside next to the Nikolai-tower, one of the historic sites of Goerlitz. The menu wasn't extensive and there were hardly...any vegetarian dishes on there, we nearly walked away. But we found one in the end, advertised on the blackboard of daily specials. The food arrived quite quickly and was good. Not the best meal either of us ever had, but that was obviously because our choice was so limited. Prices were quite reasonable and service was friendly.