Slices of venison served at Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, on Aug. 11, 2023. The dish included potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers and butter filled with spices. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Rarely does a restaurant leave a positive impression when turning down a would-be customer. Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, is that exception.

On a Friday evening, a colleague and I walked in without a reservation, only to learn that no seating was available. Instead of letting us walk out, Martin Marker, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Brunhilde, suggested an alternative five minutes away.

That unexpected tip from Marker produced some inviting vibes, and my hunch was confirmed a week later when I returned, this time with a reservation.

Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, can seat up to 24 people indoors and 30 outdoors. The restaurant opened in a former freight forwarding agency the family ran until early 2008. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The restaurant’s mission is to create a fun, relaxing and welcoming environment. During our meal, the Markers made sure everyone felt as though they were at a neighbor’s home for dinner.

It was a slow process to get the food, but groups still had a good time chatting, munching on some homemade bread and drinking on a beautiful summer night.

Martin and Brunhilde Marker opened Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, looking to create a fun, relaxing and inviting space for customers. The menu changes every couple of weeks. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

While we were there, my colleague had to take a work call. When the meal arrived and he still wasn’t back, our server went out to the parking lot to tell him.

My colleague ordered the oxheart tomato appetizer with burrata, tomato sorbet, basil cream and arugula. He said the flavors were well-balanced.

This appetizer at Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, was a thinly sliced oxheart tomato topped with burrata and arugula and garnished with basil foam and tomato sherbet. Burrata is a cheese made from mozzarella and cream. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, offered a dish of chanterelle mushrooms and ricotta-filled tortelloni. It was served with broccoli, peas, carrots and cauliflower. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

I started with ricotta tortelloni with chanterelle mushrooms and a side of summer vegetables that included broccoli, cauliflower, peas and carrots. The chanterelles were so meaty that at first I thought I had received the wrong dish.

Then came our second course. My colleague selected a noodle “alle vongole” with mussels, parmesan and grilled yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers and onions. I sampled a few of the mussels, and they were delicious.

The pasta “alle vongole” at Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, was served with mussels, garlic oil, Parmesan and grilled vegetables. The meal was a part of the nearly 2-year-old eatery’s menu for the weekend of Aug. 11, 2023. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Meanwhile, I picked slices of venison with herb butter, rosemary potatoes and grilled yellow squash, zucchini and bell peppers. Being from rural northeast Ohio, I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t eaten venison before.

This meal made me feel like that was a grave oversight. The meat was so juicy and tasted so great that I didn’t need the herb butter.

Markers Kleines Restaurant is unusual in another way as well. Every week or two, the menu changes. The Markers base their offerings on what they find at the market, meaning the eatery has no regular dishes.

Martin also said they don’t offer things like schnitzel, which patrons can order just about anywhere. The menu for the upcoming weekend is on the restaurant’s website by Wednesday.

Martin Marker gets together drinks at the bar of Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, on Aug. 11, 2023. The eatery offers an assortment of wines, including those from the Schroth vineyard in Asselheim. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

The restaurant has a wide selection of beverages, ranging from wine, beer and liquor, as well as coffee, tea and other nonalcoholic options. The wine offerings include options from Weingut Schroth of Asselheim, a town about 25 miles east of Kaiserslautern.

As good as our meal tasted, the food was not to be outdone by the atmosphere. The Markers shared pieces of their history, explaining how the family used to run a freight forwarding agency until early 2008.

Martin also showed off a beer stein his great-grandfather received after serving in the German army in Saarbruecken from 1904-1907. He recalled that an American offered him 5,000 euros for what he considers a priceless family heirloom.

This beer stein, seen on the bar at Markers Kleines Restaurant in Weilerbach, Germany, was gifted to Martin Marker's great-grandfather after he served in the German army in Saarland from 1904-1907. An American offered to buy it for 5,000 euros, but he was unwilling to part with the priceless family heirloom. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Overall, this was one of the best meals I’ve had since moving to the Kaiserslautern area, and I can’t recommend Markers Kleines Restaurant enough. Just make sure to call ahead and place a reservation.

Markers Kleines Restaurant

Address: Am Palmenkreuz 9, Weilerbach, Germany

Hours: Thursday through Saturday, 5-10 p.m. (kitchen open until 9 p.m.); Sunday, 12-2:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. (kitchen open until 8 p.m.)

Prices: Meals start from 17.50 euros, with the upper range between the high 20s and low 30s euros, depending on the menu. Appetizers start at 8.50 euros, while desserts cost around 10 euros.

Information: Phone: +40 6374 9912322. See the week’s menu online at markersrestaurant.de.