Holzgarten

The story

Holzgarten Erlangen | Bib Gourmand Weinbar & Seasonal Restaurant

The name says it all: Holzgarten sits on Holzgartenstraße, a small street in Erlangen, and that straightforwardness carries through to the place itself. A Weinbar & Restaurant, it serves seasonal international cooking with a strong Franconian backbone. In 2025 the team was “very proud” to receive the Bib Gourmand from the Michelin guide, an award that recognises good quality, good value cooking – and they’ve kept that standard for 2026.

The kitchen: seasonal and direct

The menu changes regularly – the website notes that before spring fully arrives, they close out mussel season with “Muscheln Holzgarten”: jumbo mussels in white wine with cocktail tomatoes and chili, served with a spelt baguette. That same spelt baguette turns up alongside a smoked pea cream with goat’s quark and mint, or a tarama blanc made from white cod roe with a house-made coriander-mint oil. Other dishes lean into the season: a Brussels sprout salad with oyster mushrooms, Manchego, and a soft-boiled egg; a radicchio di Castelfranco plate with marinated anchovy, lemon-chili compote, and spinach cream. For main courses, there’s rabbit loin involtini wrapped in Parma ham and sage, with spinach potatoes and white wine. The kitchen works in two evening turns – roughly 17:00–19:45 and from 20:00 – so guests can choose a rhythm that suits them.

Wine and beer from the wall

Holzgarten pours its house wines straight from the wall – literally, from a tap system. The Holzgarten-Cuvée comes from Weingut Höfling in Franken, and there’s a bio rosé from the same region. The wine list reaches deep into Franconian producers like Zehnthof Luckert, Drei Zeilen, and Pars Pro Toto, plus a handful of German and Austrian growers. For beer drinkers, there are two organic beers from Brauerei Pfister in Weigelshofen: a full-strength Landbier and an alcohol-free version.

The space: indoor and outdoor

The dining room features an open kitchen, and the team asks guests not to bring dogs inside – but outside, on the small street, they are welcome (there’s a water bowl ready). The outdoor seating area is a key part of the experience, tucked into one of Erlangen’s smallest streets. The vibe is relaxed, the service direct, and the food speaks for itself.