Restaurant in Waldenbuch, Germany
Two Michelin stars. Plan the drive.
Gasthof Krone in Waldenbuch holds a Michelin star for 2024 and 2025 under chef Erik Metzger, offering Classic Cuisine at the €€€ tier — a price point that undercuts most of Germany's one-star competition by a meaningful margin. With a 4.7 Google rating across 299 reviews and a traditional Swabian Gasthof setting, it is a strong value case for serious diners routing through the Stuttgart region.
Gasthof Krone operates at a booking difficulty level that rewards planning. This is a hard-to-book Michelin-starred restaurant in a small Swabian town, and if you are waiting until you arrive in the Stuttgart area to secure a table, you have already waited too long. The practical approach: treat reservation lead time as the first decision, not an afterthought. Once the table is confirmed, everything else about a visit to Krone tends to fall into place.
Waldenbuch is a compact town in the Schönbuch nature park, southeast of Stuttgart, and Gasthof Krone at Nürtinger Str. 14 occupies the kind of address that tells you something before you walk through the door. The word Gasthof carries a specific weight in southern Germany: it signals a building with roots in hospitality that predate the modern restaurant category entirely. That spatial inheritance matters here. Where many starred restaurants in Germany occupy purpose-built or heavily renovated spaces, Krone carries a physical presence shaped by its history, with proportions and character that a newer room simply cannot replicate. For the explorer-type diner who reads context into space, this is a genuine differentiator.
Krone has held a Michelin star in both 2024 and 2025, with chef Erik Metzger at the pass. Two consecutive years of recognition at this level is not incidental; it signals a kitchen operating with consistency, not chasing a single exceptional season. The cuisine type is listed as Classic Cuisine, which in Michelin's vocabulary means technically grounded, product-focused cooking that respects established cooking methods without using them as a creative crutch. This is a meaningful distinction from the more experiential or concept-driven formats you encounter at higher price tiers. Classic Cuisine at this level tends to reward diners who want serious cooking in a format that still feels like dinner rather than a performance.
The price range is €€€, which positions Krone a full tier below the €€€€ houses that dominate Germany's top-flight dining conversation. That gap is worth stating plainly: you are getting Michelin-starred Classic Cuisine at a price point that undercuts Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn, Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach, and Tantris by a meaningful margin. For a diner weighing value-per-star, Krone is one of the more rational choices in the southern German corridor.
The Gasthof format has a direct bearing on the drinks experience, and this is where Krone's positioning becomes particularly interesting for the food-and-wine enthusiast. Traditional southern German hospitality establishments have always maintained a close relationship with regional wine, particularly the Württemberg producers that operate within a short radius of Waldenbuch. The Swabian wine country is not the most internationally discussed German wine region, but for a diner willing to look past Mosel and Rheingau, it offers Trollinger, Lemberger, and Spätburgunder from producers who rarely appear on export lists. A Gasthof-rooted restaurant in this geography is structurally well-placed to offer exactly this kind of cellar depth.
Specific wine list details are not available in the current record, which means we cannot confirm individual producers or price brackets with certainty. What the venue category, geography, and Michelin recognition together imply is a drinks program serious enough to complement Classic Cuisine cooking at star level, with a regional bias that a broader urban restaurant would be less likely to maintain. If a locally-anchored wine selection matters to your visit, this is the right question to put directly to the restaurant when booking.
The Google rating of 4.7 across 299 reviews is a meaningful trust signal at this sample size. A 4.7 at nearly 300 reviews, for a starred restaurant in a small town where the visitor base is deliberately self-selecting, reflects consistent execution across kitchen and front-of-house alike.
Krone works leading for: couples or small groups treating a meal as a destination event; food-focused travellers routing through Stuttgart or the Swabian Alb who want a starred meal without the full €€€€ commitment; and explorers specifically interested in what Classic Cuisine looks like in a genuinely traditional Swabian setting rather than a remodelled city space. It is less obviously suited to large groups or anyone who needs a flexible same-week booking, given the booking difficulty level.
For further context on dining in this part of Germany, see our full Waldenbuch restaurants guide. If you are building a longer itinerary around the region, our Waldenbuch hotels guide and experiences guide cover the surrounding area. For comparable Classic Cuisine at the one-star level elsewhere in Germany, Meierei Dirk Luther in Glücksburg and ES:SENZ in Grassau are worth a look. If you are open to travelling further for a similar value-versus-prestige calculation, Schanz in Piesport and JAN in Munich both operate in comparable territory.
Address: Nürtinger Str. 14, 71111 Waldenbuch, Germany. Chef: Erik Metzger. Price range: €€€. Awards: Michelin 1 Star (2024, 2025). Google rating: 4.7 (299 reviews). Booking difficulty: Hard. Current hours and booking method not confirmed; contact the restaurant directly or check current availability through a reservation platform.
Quick reference: Michelin 1 Star, €€€, Waldenbuch — book well in advance, contact directly for hours and reservation availability.
Yes, with the right expectations in place. Two consecutive Michelin stars, a traditional Gasthof setting, and Classic Cuisine at the €€€ tier make this a credible special-occasion booking, particularly for couples or small groups who want substance over spectacle. It is not a theatrical or multi-course avant-garde experience — the Classic Cuisine format is grounded and considered rather than performative. If the occasion calls for genuine cooking in a room with character, Krone delivers. For something more experimental at a higher spend, CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin or The Table Kevin Fehling in Hamburg offer a different register entirely.
Possible, but the Gasthof format and Classic Cuisine style tend to be most comfortable for two or more. Solo diners at starred restaurants in Germany often do better at counter-format or tasting-menu-only venues where solo pacing is built into the service model. That said, a 4.7 rating across nearly 300 reviews suggests front-of-house is attentive enough to handle solo guests well. If solo dining in a similar price bracket is the priority, The Table Kevin Fehling with its counter-only format is specifically engineered for it.
Specific menu details are not confirmed in our current data, and menus at this level change seasonally. What the Classic Cuisine classification and Michelin recognition together suggest is a menu built around technical precision with strong regional product sourcing, rather than shock-and-surprise creativity. The safest approach is to order the full menu rather than à la carte if that option is available , at this level of cooking, the sequencing of courses is part of the value. Ask the restaurant directly about current seasonal highlights and wine pairing options when you book.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in the current venue record. Traditional Gasthof formats often include a bar or Schankraum that operates separately from the dining room, which in some cases allows for informal eating and drinking without a full booking. This is worth asking directly when you contact the restaurant. If the drinks program interests you independently of a full dinner, our Waldenbuch bars guide covers additional options in the area.
Waldenbuch's dining scene is focused rather than broad, and Krone is the town's flagbearer at the starred level. For alternatives in the wider Stuttgart and Swabian region, our full Waldenbuch restaurants guide covers the local picture. For one-star Classic Cuisine comparisons further afield, consider Meierei Dirk Luther in Glücksburg or Obauer in Werfen if you are open to a cross-border extension into Austria. For the full €€€€ tier in Germany, Victor's Fine Dining by Christian Bau in Perl and Waldhotel Sonnora in Dreis represent the ceiling of the country-house dining format.
At €€€ for two consecutive years of Michelin recognition, Krone is one of the stronger value arguments in southern German fine dining. The one-tier price gap below the €€€€ houses , Schwarzwaldstube, Aqua, Vendôme , is real money per head across a full dinner with wine. The 4.7 Google score across 299 reviews reinforces that the quality-to-spend ratio lands well in practice, not just on paper. If you are specifically weighing Michelin recognition against budget, this is where to put your money in the region.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasthof Krone | Classic Cuisine | €€€ | Hard |
| Schwarzwaldstube | French, Classic French | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Aqua | Contemporary German, Italian/Japanese, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Vendôme | Modern European, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| CODA Dessert Dining | Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Tantris | Modern French, French Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes, and it's one of the stronger cases for a destination-meal occasion in the Stuttgart region. Two consecutive Michelin stars (2024, 2025) under chef Erik Metzger give the meal a credential to match the occasion. The Gasthof format adds a grounded, unfussy quality that works for couples and small groups who want serious food without a maximally formal room. Book well ahead: this is not a venue you can drop into last minute.
It depends on the format. The Gasthof setting is generally more relaxed than a city fine-dining room, which can make solo dining feel less exposed than at a formal tasting counter. That said, at €€€ per head with a Michelin star, solo diners should weigh whether the full experience lands better with a companion. If you're a food-focused solo traveller routing through the Waldenbuch or Stuttgart area, it's a reasonable call; just confirm table availability for one when booking.
Specific menu items are not documented in available data, so naming dishes would be guesswork. What the record confirms is a Classic Cuisine format at Michelin-star level under chef Erik Metzger. In practice, that points toward a set menu or tasting format rather than a broad à la carte selection. check the venue's official channels to confirm the current menu structure before visiting.
Bar seating specifics are not confirmed in the venue data. The Gasthof format traditionally includes a more casual front-of-house area alongside a dining room, so informal seating may exist, but whether it offers the full Michelin-level menu is unconfirmed. Call or email ahead if bar or counter dining is important to your visit plan.
There are no other Michelin-starred venues documented in Waldenbuch itself, so Krone has no direct local competition at this level. If you're flexible on location, the Stuttgart region and Baden-Württemberg have a high density of Michelin-recognised restaurants. Tantris in Munich operates at a comparable price point with a longer track record; Schwarzwaldstube carries more stars but requires a separate trip into the Black Forest. For the Waldenbuch-specific destination-drive format, Krone is the only credentialed option on record.
At €€€ with two consecutive Michelin stars, the price-to-credential ratio is reasonable by German fine-dining standards, where starred restaurants at this tier often run significantly higher. The Gasthof framing keeps the experience grounded rather than formal-hotel inflated. The stronger question is logistics: Waldenbuch requires a deliberate trip. If you're already in the Stuttgart area and want a Michelin meal without driving into the city centre, Krone justifies the effort. If you're weighing it against a comparable venue closer to where you're staying, the stars alone are not reason enough to add significant travel time.
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