Hohenhaus Grill

The story

Hohenhaus Grill – Farm-to-Table Country Cooking in Herleshausen, Germany

Hohenhaus Grill

At the Hohenhaus Grill, the land itself sets the menu. Chef Lars Pfister and his team cook from what the estate’s own fields, forest, and herd provide, turning the bounty of the Ringgau region into straightforward, deeply satisfying country cooking. The restaurant, which holds a Green Michelin Star for its serious commitment to sustainability, is part of the larger Hotel Schloss Hohenhaus, a former 16th-century knight’s estate set in a sprawling Victorian park.

What makes the food here so distinct is the self-sufficiency that Gault & Millau called unmatched in German fine dining. The restaurant has its own hunting grounds, slaughterhouse, farm, and well. The grain for the bread is grown in a field you pass on the way in. The brown mountain sheep graze on the estate’s pastures. The menu changes daily based on what is ready, but you might find Hohenhaus game ham with Ringgau crème fraîche, a bone-in rib-eye from the estate’s organic cattle, or saddle of the mountain sheep with a mustard crust and celery two ways.

The bread alone tells the story. The Hohenhaus Grill bakes its own Ruchbrot and spelt rolls using a house-cultivated sourdough starter that has been nurtured for years in the valley’s microclimate. Each batch matures for over 48 hours before baking, a labour of patience that yields loaves worth the trip. They are served with lard from the Datteroder woolly pig or butter and salt from the Luisenhall saline in nearby Göttingen.

The dining room seats 40 in the style of a modern hunting lodge, and in summer the sun terrace opens to views across the valley. The sommelier team curates a wine list that has been built bottle by bottle, with pairings designed to match the estate’s cooking. Whether you come for a full dinner or a Sunday afternoon slice of cake with coffee, the Hohenhaus Grill offers a version of farm-to-table that is not a concept but a daily practice, rooted in one place.