In the Deutschland 2012 Hotel and Restaurants Red Guide Michelin increased the number of star restaurants in Germany to 249 and vastly expanded the list of Bib Gourmand restaurants.
The Michelin Deutschland 2012 Red Guide awarded “La Vie” in Osnabrück a third star to keep the number of three-star restaurants in Germany to nine. Germany now has 32 two-star restaurants (ten new in 2012), and 208 one-star restaurants. The value-for-money Bib Gourmand restaurants increased by 45 to 431. Michelin’s Germany red guide also describes over 6,000 other hotels and restaurants in all price categories and comfort classes.
New Three-Star Restaurant in the Michelin Germany 2012 Red Guide
Germany continues to sport nine three-star restaurants in the Michelin Deutschland 2012 red guide, second only to France in the number of three-star restaurants per European country. “La Vie” (Thomas Bühner) in Osnabrück was elevated to Michelin’s highest category, while “Gourmetrestaurant Lerbach” in Bergisch-Gladbach was demoted to the two-star category.
Germany’s nine Michelin three-star restaurants (“exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”) for 2012 are: Restaurant Bareiss (Claus Peter Lumpp) in Baiersbronn, Schwarzwaldstube (Harald Wohlfahrt) in Baiersbronn, Vendôme (Joachim Wissler) in Bergisch-Gladbach, Amador (Juan Amador) in Mannheim, La Vie (Thomas Bühner) in Osnabrück, Victor’s Gourmet Restaurant Schloss Berg (Christian Bau) in Perl, Gästehaus (Klaus Erfort) in Saarbrücken, Waldhotel Sonnora (Helmut Thieltges) in Wittlich/Dreis, and Aqua (Sven Elverfeld) in Wolfsburg.
As before, no three-star restaurants can be found in Germany’s larger cities. The small Black Forest town Baiersbronn (population 15,500) continues to be a gourmet heaven in Germany with two three star restaurants, a one-star restaurant (“Schlossberg”), and three Bib Gourmand restaurants.
New Star Restaurants in the Michelin 2012 Deutschland Hotel and Restaurants Red Guide
Michelin awarded ten restaurants with new two-star ratings (“Excellent cooking, worth a detour”) to increase the number of two-star restaurants in Germany to a new record 32. Berlin and the holiday island Sylt now both have three two-star restaurants while Hamburg, Cologne (Köln), Lübeck, and Munich (München) all have two each. “Hummer-Stübchen” in Düsseldorf was the only two-star restaurant from 2011 to have lost a star in the 2012 guide.
The Michelin 2012 Germany red guide lists 208 one-star restaurants (“Very good cooking in its category”). Although 23 restaurants were awarded their first stars, several deletions ensured that the number of one-star restaurants increased by only three.
Berlin is finally gourmet food capital of Germany with ten one-star restaurants, followed by Munich (München) with nine, Stuttgart with eight, Hamburg with seven, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt am Main with six, and Cologne (Köln)with five one-star restaurants. “Margaux” in Berlin has been identified as one of four rising stars with the possibility of a second star in the near future.
Value-for-Money Bib Hotels and Bib Gourmand Restaurant in Germany 2012
The Michelin 2012 Deutschland red guide also saw an increase in the cheaper but good Bib Hotels and Bib Gourmand restaurants categories. Of the 4,227 hotels described in the Germany 2012 guide, 218 were awarded with the Bib Hotel (“Good accommodation at moderate price”) while 219 was considered particularly pleasant establishments for its particular comfort category.
The number of Bib Gourmands (“good food at moderate price”) increased by 45 restaurants to 431 in Germany, with 78 new awards (and 33 deletions). For Germany, Bib Gourmand restaurants must serve a high-quality three-course meal for cheaper than €35.
The Michelin 2012 Deutschland Hotel & Restaurant Führer
Michelin’s 2012 red guide for Germany is a hefty 1,440 pages thick and describes well over 6,000 hotels and restaurants. The hotel and restaurant reviews are in German only but non-German speakers can rely on pictograms and introduction remarks in several languages.
The official retail price of €29.95 is respected by Amazon Germany
An iPhone and iPad version of the Michelin Germany 2012 hotels and restaurants red guide will only be available from March 2012.