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I’m not a beer drinker, but I enjoyed this charming restaurant. Its name focuses there with Mondial meaning “the tradition of the house” and 1516 to signify the year of the German Beer Purity Law. This didn’t hold my interest but the reviews of the food drew me in.
Mondial 1516 offers a menu of classic German fare with modern twists. It’s not far from the Cologne Cathedral but was anything but touristy. We were the only Americans I observed while dining.
Anthony’s Take: This restaurant feels cozy and welcoming. I made a reservation on OpenTable and when we arrived our table was reserved. Service was good overall, which is not always the case in Germany. We found the server friendly. Dishes and drinks arrived quickly. She came back frequently to check on us. The food was tasty and the location convenient. We’d come back.
Decor & Vibe
The interior is bright but the space feels warm and inviting. It’s not a big restaurant and most tables can see into the open kitchen. We were seated closer to the bar with a nice view of the passersby. The restaurant is decked out for Christmas with lights, greens, and poinsettias tastefully added around the room.
Our table was ready when we arrived. I loved the little poinsettias on each table.
Food
We were seated with a great view of the people walking by the restaurant. Its proximity to the Cologne Cathedral (and Christmas market at this time of year) made for some great people watching. I had reviewed the menu online before and knew what I wanted before arriving. The menu is small and there are two days where they offer special dishes – schnitzel and potato pancakes. We weren’t there on one of those days and enjoyed some of the standard fare.
We both started with the Pumpkin Cream Soup. It wasn’t particularly creamy and a little salty, but we both enjoyed it since it was cold outside.
I had the Codfish in Brown Butter with saffron risotto and tomato paprika confit. The fish was perfectly cooked and I enjoyed the flavors of the risotto.
My husband chose the Pork Belly, which was served with a poached pear, snow peas, and chorizo madeleines. The pork was tender and flavorful. The pear was pretty plain, but good. Neither of us liked the madeleines. They were dry and did not taste like chorizo.
Drinks
As mentioned, Mondial 1516 is a place for beer. Thankfully, they also offer a full bar with great cocktails like this festive Cranberry Spritz and several wines by the glass and bottle.
Overall Impression:
Mondial 1516 offers a small, but tasty menu in a warm, inviting space. We were satisfied with all of the dishes we tried. This is a great place for a casual meal when you want a break from the tourists or much larger (and louder) nearby beer halls.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
