I don’t know about you, but I’d never heard of apfelwein before visiting Frankfurt. What exactly is it? Apfelwein, or ‘Apple wine’ in English, is basically a still, sour alcoholic cider that Frankfurt is known for. Compared to the average American hard cider, Apfelwein is a bit stronger (5-7% ABV) and very dry/tarte. While some people like to drink it straight, it is often diluted with sparkling water, lemonade, or orange Fanta. Apfelwein is definitely an acquired taste and not for everyone. My husband doesn’t drink beer, so our household has tried a LOT of different ciders. So of course once we learned about Apfelwein we had to give it a shot. We really liked it, both straight and mixed!
You’ll find apfelwein served at many restaurants or bars in Frankfurt, but there are also dedicated cider restaurants called Apfelweingaststätte. They are mostly focused in the Sachsenhausen neighborhood, on the south side of the river Main. We were a bit overzealous thinking that we could hit 7 taverns in one afternoon – we only made it to 4 across our two days in Frankfurt. Our DIY apfelwein tour was a great cheap(-ish) way to kill a few hours and explore the city – we only spent about $75 including lunch and a snack.
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Looking for more to do in Frankfurt? Check out my 2 Day itinerary.
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Where to Stay: Hotels in Frankfurt, Germany.
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Need a caffeine boost? Check out the coffee shops I’ve visited in Frankfurt.
Cider Tavern Stops
Every time we decide to do a tour – whether it be beer, wine, or cider – we start from the furthest location and work our way back toward where we’re staying. It’s much easier to stumble back to your room from a few blocks away than from the other side of the city! Usually I’ll find plenty of other tours online to use as a baseline for building ours, but surprisingly that wasn’t the case with apfelwein – I couldn’t find a single website with a tour route! While I doubt we’re the first to do an apfelwein tour, hopefully this will help other people planning one in the future.
Zur Buchscheer
Schwarzsteinkautweg 17, 60598 Frankfurt am Main
Our first apfelwein stop was a bit off the beaten path, but venturing out into a not-so-touristy area was totally worth it. Zur Buchscheer has been making their own apfelwein since 1876. They have a charming little patio space out front that reminded me a lot of the back porch at my parents’ house. Since it was the tail end of a heatwave (85+ degrees in September!) we sat outside, so I can’t speak to the look/size of the indoor space. An FYI for those of you that like us aren’t super confident with the small amount of German you know, only one of their staff that day really spoke English (the other knew just enough to take our order). I’m assuming that is likely because of where they are located. But we all made it work!
We hadn’t tried apfelwein before, so we ordered based off what I’d seen recommended online: 2 ciders and a bottle of sparkling water so we could taste it straight and then mix to our preference. In total we spent just €12, about $13 USD. While I can’t confirm they accept cards, since we paid in cash, my research online (Reddit) says they do.
Zum Gemalten Haus
Schweizer Str. 67, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
Compared to our first stop at Zur Buchscheer, Zum Gemalten Haus was significantly larger. It’s located directly in the heart of the Sachsenhausen neighborhood, on a street that was bustling with activity. Inside the décor was very much what I expected of a traditional German tavern – lots of wood and earthy tones. There is a ton of seating available both indoors and outdoors. Because of the weather most of the outdoor seating was already taken, so we sat inside by a doorway for some airflow. As someone that overheats very easily, it actually felt pretty nice inside considering how hot it was outside and the lack of air conditioning inside.
We switched it up and went with the sweeter option this time – two glasses of apfelwein and two orange lemonades (I’m assuming that means Fanta, but I didn’t confirm). We could have gotten away with just one mixer, but it was probably a good idea to hydrate a little bit! Costs were similar to stop 1 at just €12.50. Our waiter was SHOCKED when we told him we were attempting to hit as many apfelwein places as possible in a row. That probably should have been a hint that we weren’t going to make it through our entire list!
Apfelwein Wagner
Schweizer Str. 71, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
While seemingly similar in size to Zum Gemalten Haus, Apfelwein Wagner felt a little more tourist-friendly than the other stops on our list. They were the only cider tavern we visited that had a separate English menu available. It’s located just down the street from Zum Gemalten Haus, making it easy to hit both spots in quick succession. We stopped in around mid-afternoon on a Saturday and it was surprisingly empty (each spot was, to be honest). I’m assuming they are all PACKED at dinner time and in in the evening.
By this point we hadn’t eaten since lunch, so we figured it was probably a good time to order a snack. Along with our 2 glasses of apfelwein and a Fanta, we also split an order of Spundekas. If you haven’t had Spundekas before, it is a cheese spread/dip made of a mix of cream cheese, quark, paprika and other seasonings. It’s typically served with pretzels and/or bread. We actually ended up ordering it a few other times during our week in Germany. I was pleasantly surprised that even with the snack, our total bill came out to just €15.60.
Klaane Sachsehäuser
Neuer Wall 11, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
We took everything we learned from our first three stops the day before and applied it at Klaane Sachsehäuser. We ordered our apfelwein pre-mixed with a little sparkling water instead of making a mess or diluting too much by trying to mix ourselves. It was another warm day, thankfully not as hot as the day before, so we decided to sit outside. Thankfully most of the outdoor tables here are covered, because it started raining pretty steadily midway through our lunch.
Drinking on an empty stomach is never a good idea (especially for short girls like me!) so we got full meals along with our apfelwein. My cheesy spaetzle, while very oily (I somehow managed to drop some on my pants), hit the spot. Jasper went with a classic frankfurter and sauerkraut. I’m not sure what exactly they did differently than what we’ve had in the US, but neither of us actually like sauerkraut and yet we both ate a bunch of it here. Lunch and drinks cost us €30.
Some other food and drink tour ideas for your trip to Frankfurt!
Other Apfelwein Options
As I mentioned before, I’m not sure what made me so confident that we’d hit 7 different cider taverns in two days let alone in one afternoon. My original list had as many as 12 places on it before I narrowed it down! These three will be at the top of our list for our next visit to Frankfurt.
Daheim im Lorsbacher Thal
Website – Große Rittergasse 49, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
We fully intended to stop at Daheim im Lorsbacher Thal – one of the most popular/famous of Frankfurt’s apfelwein taverns. I had made dinner reservations here for our first night, but we made the mistake of taking a “quick” jetlag nap after our first 3 apfelwein stops and slept through it. We tried to stop in for lunch the next day, but unfortunately thanks to the rainy day their outdoor area was closed and inside was fully booked. Be sure to make a reservation!
Fichtekränzi
Website – Wallstraße 5, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
I wish we’d been able to make it to Fichtekränzi, since its located within walking distance of both Daheim and Klaane (making it easy to try all 3 if you wanted to). This particular tavern dates back to 1849, making it one of the oldest apfelwein bars in Frankfurt! Keep in mind they are cash-only unless bill is more than €30, then they will accept debit.
Apfelwein Solzer
Website – Berger Str. 260, 60385 Frankfurt am Main
Like Zur Buchscheer, Apfelwein Solzer is a bit of an outlier – it is the only tavern on this list that you won’t find in the Sachsenhausen neighborhood. Instead, you’ll have to travel a bit northeast of the city center to the Bornheim neighborhood. Similar to at Fichtekränzi, Apfelwein Solzer is cash-only unless the bill is €50 or more.
Did I miss any other great apfelwein spots in Frankfurt? Let me know in the comments!
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