Wirtshaus Meyers Keller

The story

Wirtshaus Meyers Keller: Michelin-Star Country Cooking in Nördlingen

A Wirtshaus with a Star

On the edge of the Nördlinger Ries, overlooking the crater landscape, Wirtshaus Meyers Keller is exactly what it claims to be: a tavern through and through, but one that holds a Michelin star. Chef Jockl Kaiser runs this place with a simple, stubborn conviction—no compromises on quality, deep respect for the people who grow and raise the food, and a menu rooted in the seasons and the region. This is country cooking at its most refined, yet it never loses its down-to-earth soul.

The Michelin inspectors recognized the high-quality cooking here, and the restaurant also holds two red toques from Gault & Millau. But the team’s own words say it best: “We are a Wirtshaus out of full conviction. That includes edges and corners.” There is no glossy mainstream, only honest, deeply flavored dishes that come from knowing exactly where each ingredient comes from—the farm, the dairy, the forest.

A Place for Living

Meyers Keller calls itself an “Ort für Lebensfreude”—a place for the joy of living. The interior is warm and unpretentious, with a large garden shaded by ancient trees. In summer, the Winzerfest brings winemakers from top estates to pour their wines while the kitchen prepares matching bites. Guests wander between stands, tasting and talking under the old trees.

Once a month, the “Kaiser-Brunch” transforms the Malzboden event space into an open-kitchen brunch experience. It’s far more than a buffet: dishes are prepared à la minute, following a zero-waste philosophy, with house-made specialties and seasonal surprises. The same spirit drives the Küchenpartys, where a changing theme brings strangers together around the pass to share food and conversation.

Tradition Meets Responsibility

Jockl Kaiser’s cooking is described as “traditionell innovativ”—digging deep into flavor, developing it, passing it on. The kitchen works with top producers who share their philosophy, from local farmers to artisan cheesemakers. The result is a menu that changes with what’s best at the moment, whether that’s game from the Ries forests, fresh mushrooms in autumn, or the first spring vegetables.

A small shop, the Lädle, sells the same quality ingredients and kitchen tools, and on Saturdays fresh produce like raw milk cheese, fish, and seasonal specialties. This is a restaurant that lives its farm-to-table ethos every day, not just on the plate but in every aspect of the business.

At Meyers Keller, you come for the star-worthy cooking, but you stay for the genuine warmth and the feeling that this is a place where food, people, and the landscape are all connected. It’s country cooking as it should be: honest, generous, and full of life.