Die Krone

Verdict

If you have already eaten at Die Krone once, the case for going back is direct: two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) confirm this is not a flash of good form but a consistently reliable kitchen. For a country cooking restaurant on Staufen im Breisgau's main street at a €€ price point, that is a difficult combination to beat in the Black Forest region. Book it again, this time pay closer attention to how lunch and dinner differ in pace and value.

Return Visit: What Changes and What Doesn't

The first visit to Die Krone tends to be about discovery: the room on Hauptstraße 30, the pricing that sits well below what the Bib Gourmand usually implies, the cooking style that leans on regional German country tradition under chef Jimmy Shen. On a second visit, you can afford to be more deliberate. The fundamentals stay consistent; that is precisely what the Bib Gourmand recognises; but your second visit is the right moment to compare the lunch and dinner experiences against each other rather than simply accepting whichever time slot you first booked.

Lunch at a Bib Gourmand venue in a German market town tends to offer better value per euro than dinner, Die Krone fits that pattern. The midday sitting typically draws a local crowd: residents from Staufen and visitors passing through the southern Baden wine country. That translates to a less formal pace, often a shorter menu, a room that feels grounded rather than performative. If your first visit was dinner, lunch is the version worth trying on the return. If you came for lunch first, the evening sitting rewards you with a slightly fuller kitchen and more time to sit with the wine list, a consideration given how well this corner of Baden-Württemberg is served by local Pinot Noir and dry Riesling producers.

Lunch vs Dinner: The Practical Comparison

At €€ pricing, Die Krone sits in a tier where the gap between lunch and dinner spend is meaningful. Dinner tends to involve more courses and more time; lunch is the tighter, faster version. For a solo traveller or a couple passing through the Markgräflerland en route to Freiburg or the Rhine, lunch is the more practical option, you can walk Staufen's old town before or after, the booking window is generally easier to fill at midday than on a Friday or Saturday evening. For a group that wants to sit longer and explore the wine pairing, dinner is the better frame. Neither sitting underdelivers on the cooking; the choice is really about how much of your afternoon or evening you want to commit.

is consistent across both sittings, which suggests the kitchen performs without meaningful drop-off depending on the time of day.

Timing and When to Visit

Staufen im Breisgau sits in the Markgräflerland, a wine-growing corridor that runs between Freiburg and Basel. Late spring through early autumn is when the town and its surrounding vineyards are at their most accessible, a meal at Die Krone pairs naturally with a walk through the vine-lined lanes or a visit to the castle ruins above the town. That said, the Bib Gourmand is awarded on the basis of year-round consistency, not seasonal peaks, so a winter visit during the quiet months can work well if you want a less crowded room and easier booking. Avoid the highest summer tourist weeks (late July and August) if you want a calmer midday sitting, the town draws visitors during those weeks, the restaurant will reflect that.

For day-of-week timing, midweek lunch on a Tuesday or Wednesday gives you the most relaxed version of the experience. Weekend dinner, particularly Saturday, will be the fullest and most energetic room.

Know Before You Go

How It Compares

Explore More in Staufen im Breisgau

For other dining options nearby, Ambiente and Höfli both offer farm-to-table approaches worth considering if you are spending more than one meal in the area. For a broader picture of the town's food and drink scene, see our full Staufen im Breisgau restaurants guide, our full Staufen im Breisgau bars guide, our full Staufen im Breisgau wineries guide, our full Staufen im Breisgau hotels guide, and our full Staufen im Breisgau experiences guide.

If you are using Die Krone as part of a wider Black Forest and southern Germany food trip, the following venues are worth planning around: Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn for three-Michelin-star classic French in the Black Forest, JAN in Munich, Aqua in Wolfsburg, ES:SENZ in Grassau, Schanz in Piesport, Victor's Fine Dining by Christian Bau in Perl, Restaurant Haerlin in Hamburg, CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin, and Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach. For country cooking comparisons across borders, see 21.9 in Piobesi d'Alba and Andrea Monesi, Locanda di Orta in Orta San Giulio.