Balthasar

I visited Balthasar in Cologne with friends who live in Germany and speak the language fluently. As a tourist, I was really looking forward to enjoying a nice evening, but unfortunately, the experience left me disappointed. We ordered both starters and main courses at around 8:10 PM. The starters didn’t arrive until approximately 8:40 PM, which was already quite slow. However, the real issue was with our main courses. By 9:20 PM, we still hadn’t received them, so we asked the waitress about the delay. Her response was a series of excuses: that they were busy with outdoor tables and that we were supposed to inform them when to proceed with the main course. This was never communicated to us beforehand, and frankly, made little sense—especially when the table next to us, who ordered well after we did, had already received their food. When we raised this point, the waitress claimed that the other table hadn’t ordered starters, which again felt like just another excuse rather than a genuine explanation or apology. Worse, she insisted that “this is how things work in Germany”—a comment made in front of my friends who have been living here for over eight years and knew this was not true. Even after all this, at 9:45 PM, we still hadn't received our food, and no effort was made to apologize or offer any form of compensation. When the food finally came, it was fine, but certainly not worth the two-hour wait and the poor service we endured. Overall, this was a frustrating and disappointing evening. Good food means little when the service and communication are so lacking.

Very tasty food (and at the neighboring tables everything I saw looked incredibly appetizing). Very fast service, attentive and smiling staff. Very pleasant atmosphere.

The food was nice but the service was amazing! Our waiter Cathy (or Kathy?) was incredibly nice and sweet, absolutely the best waiter, she made the evening very very more pleasant

Delicious food, I had the Kalbschnitzel,good portion. Our waiter was very nice,looked after us very well. We had a good time. The music got a bit too loud around like 9 o'clock, but other than that we enjoyed the place.

We had a wonderful meal and would highly recommend. Service was good and the atmosphere was perfect. Nice simple decor and large bathroom. Pricing is fair. Staff was very helpful.

I’ve had lunch at Balthasar. The whiskey sour was well mixed and the stuffed chicken with mashed peas and young broccoli was fingerlicking good. I do definitely recommend this restaurant. It’s on the pricier side but worth every penny.

I was impressed with the menu. Very special one, extraordinary. The dish is simply amazing, especially the green purée. The waiters are friendly, the atmosphere is pleasant. I will certainly visit this place again. Thank you, guys. You're doing very well;)

Simply sublime, service was great. The food very tasty, good portions and didn't wait long for the food. Loved the music which added to the ambience. Definitely recommend!