Grilled Pork Knuckle at Haxenhaus in Köln
It was already dark in the city of Köln or Cologne in Germany. I know it isn’t that late yet but it was winter and the days are short. I think I was just trying to find an excuse to go back to the hotel since it was cold and difficult to move around. There wasn’t any snow but I wasn’t prepared for that level of cold. I thought I brought my gloves with me but they weren’t in my pocket so just bringing out the camera or even the phone can be a painful experience. I was walking along a street is just behind the River Rhine and it seems to be lined with various restaurants.
Old Style Lantern at Haxenhaus in Köln
This was my first time in Germany and I would like to say that I am not all that familiar with German cuisine. However, I do know that the food here would be quite similar to what I had in Poland, which is basically, sausages and a lot of other meat. One of the things which I do know about German cuisine is their pork knuckles or schweinshaxen or just plain haxen. I am no stranger to this dish and I know it can be very good. Most of the restaurants along this strip pretty much serve this, but nothing says good schweinshaxen like naming your store after it.
Inside Haxenhaus in Köln
I saw this place named Haxenhaus which is basically house of pork knuckle. It wasn’t full at the time of my visit so I was able to quickly get a seat. Naturally, I ordered one of their signature knuckles called the Augustus. It came with the promised roasted knuckle but also with two types of sausages. One looked like a traditional long sausage but the other one is like meat loaf, except it tasted like a sausage. This is all served on a bed of potatoes and sauerkraut. I have a good idea of what to expect when eating German style pork knuckles. The skin may look good but it is seldom crispy. The skin at Haxenhaus was no different. I only wish that it is crispier. The meat was good though but you would need some of that sauerkraut to cleanse your palate every now and then. It is definitely a vegetarian’s nightmare. I had difficulty finishing all the food but I was at least able to finish all the meat and sausages. It was a great meal, would have been better if the skin was crispy but I don’t think that is the style of German pork knuckles.
The restaurant itself is very traditional. There are large tables in the restaurant where people would share with other tables. I was eating alone and I ended up sharing a table with another group. It seemed to be a nice place to hang out if I wasn’t so tired from the travel from that morning. To push everything all down, I had some local beer which is made in specific style in Köln – Kölsch. I can’t say that the beer was anything special, since I had better tasting beer elsewhere but I still try the local stuff whenever I get the chance.
Haxenhaus
Frankenwerft 19, 50667 Köln, Germany
+492212704990
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