Gut Hügle Erlebnishof

The evening left us stressed and we won't be coming back. It was noisy, crowded, and so hard to move around that conversation was almost impossible. People queued to the door for tables, and the crowd by the register made the Coke, Fanta, two juice spritzers and water almost unreachable. After eating, we left straight away. We had paid €29.90 per person in advance and were assigned a sticky table. The others looked just as bad. There were too many tables for the room: our two chairs backed onto another pair, and neither table could be reached without moving one. In front, there was barely 40 cm to squeeze past; the woman seated there hardly had room herself. The two dining sections were both much too packed. It also wasn't accessible for disabled guests, and wheelchair users couldn't reach the buffet. The buffet was downstairs. The website promises hearty meat dishes, vegan options, a salad bar and a dessert station, but labels were missing or confusing. The cold counter had no labels, and it wasn't clear which food was vegan. The desserts were four kinds of mousse and one cake, with two items unlabeled. The selection didn't live up to the dessert station description, and anyone with an intolerance such as lactose intolerance probably shouldn't expect a dessert option. The dishes weren't clean either. Glasses were smeared, something was stuck inside my dessert glass, and we had to wipe the dirty cutlery with a napkin, even though we'd picked a table that looked clean. Of the food, only the chicken breast and battered fish were good.

It was a disappointing evening from start to finish. We booked the buffet but nobody told us it wouldn't be available. The food seemed to be reheated ready-made dishes, and not very well: the sausage salad was dry, the salad wilted, and the Spätzle were hot outside but cold in the middle. The bread basket from the menu only came after we asked. The server was unfriendly and wouldn't bring sauce for the schnitzel. Then I had to go to the cashier to pay, and with a card you have to remember to explicitly decline the tip.

The staff were polite, the food itself wasn't bad, and there was a good range of hot dishes, though some were cold. But what was sold as brunch felt more like an early lunch after a meager breakfast, and our experience was the worst brunch we've had. The way management handled the feedback also felt unprofessional. We can't recommend it and won't return. We'd booked Sunday brunch for my husband's birthday. The website says the farmer's breakfast runs until 10:30, with brunch guests starting at 10:30 and paying separately. It allows an hour for breakfast, and says hot food should be available from 11:30. Our email reservation was confirmed, with a promise of a "nice" table. At 10:30 the restaurant was packed. We were asked to pay and tip upfront, then given orange wristbands. Our table upstairs was beside about 30 pairs of shoes belonging to children and parents from the play barn, which wasn't pleasant while eating. The whole restaurant was incredibly loud. My husband had an acute knee problem, so we were fortunately able to move downstairs. One employee said there was no space because he had 400 guests that day, but a colleague found us a table. Three other nearby tables were empty and stayed that way, perhaps because their guests had left. So much for the first employee's explanation. Hot food was put out immediately, and everyone rushed the buffet, including the yellow wristband breakfast guests and hotel guests. It was nearly impossible to get through. The breakfast selection was mostly leftovers and wasn't replenished at first: there was no fruit salad, croissants, bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles or coffee cups. Some hot items, including fries and Kaiserschmarrn, weren't heated. Labels were missing in places, and a dispenser beside the fries held chocolate sauce, where you'd expect ketchup. It was presumably meant for the Kaiserschmarrn beside it. After about 40 minutes, the room emptied as the breakfast guests left after their hot meals. By 11:40 it was quiet, and nothing else was replenished. If someone really wants to visit Gut Hügle on a Sunday, booking the farmer's breakfast and staying for the "free" lunch may work better, with a fuller spread and fresh hot food. But anyone booking brunch should expect a sparse breakfast and an early lunch that may be cold. I raised the issue at the restaurant. When I asked why the hot food came almost an hour before the advertised time, and said it was no wonder everyone was still eating it, the employee replied that the owner didn't mind hotel guests having hot food too. I also emailed management and got no reply. Breakfast had been completely full, so I assume the owners don't feel they need to respond.

The estate is nicely laid out, the idea behind it makes sense, and the atmosphere is pleasant. But the restaurant was a huge letdown for us. We found the food unappetizing, and there are very few vegetarian choices. Even the children sent their pizza back because they couldn't eat it. That was especially frustrating on a longer stay, since our room had no kitchen and we depended on the restaurant. As vegetarians, the meals really brought down the visit, and we won't come back.