James M.
Yelp
I go to Aachen once a year and stay for four days. For the past six years I have made sure that one dinner was taken at Am Knipp. This is one of the last of a vanishing breed in Aachen, the neighborhood tavern that serves good and plentiful food. It is family run with one brother in the kitchen overseeing things and the other dispensing beer and other drinks at the bar like an octopus juggling clams. On the weekends the place is carefully organized chaos with locals three deep at the bar either drinking as an end goal or drinking while waiting for a table. In fact, on a recent Friday night I watched the restaurant equivalent of the old circus clown car, but in this case the patrons kept coming in and when you thought the place would be completely clogged with humanity another group of six hearty lads with a thirst would squeeze themselves through the door and into the scrum at the bar--a wonder to behold. The beer is fresh and the place is the very definition of "Gemütlichkeit", welcoming, cozy and high spirited. The interior of this old building is suggestive of everything historically German. Now as to the food, it is typical of the region, schnitzels, chicken, calf's liver, flammkuchen, steaks, etc. I normally get the schnitzel and they have both a version with cream and mushroom sauce and a creamed pepper sauce. Both are excellent and with the large mixed salad (really great) and the roasted potatoes, you need nothing else to keep you happy. With a glass of wine this came, on a recent visit, to around €23 all in and well worth it. Now, attention class and listen carefully, it is absolutely necessary to book a table at this extremely popular place. Those who don't, all visitors to Aachen (the locals know better) will leave very disappointed because they will be told by the hard working but frenetic waitstaff that they are full and that's it. It will no doubt seem abrupt but there is no time for explanations or being open to persuasion by the most charming tourist. If you follow this advice you will be rewarded by a very rich culinary and socially unique experience.