Handkäse tartar with apple chutney on roasted homemade bread, foreground, and an oven-fresh pretzel with Bavarian obatzda at Henninger am Turm in Frankfurt are good snacks to go with a beer or be ordered as a small appetizer before your main course. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Once upon a time there was a 24-acre brewery in the Sachsenhausen district of Frankfurt whose output was so big that a grain silo almost 400 feet tall was built on the premises.
Crowned by a revolving restaurant, it was called the Henninger Turm after the beermaking company Henninger, founded in 1655.
But in the years that followed the tower’s opening in 1961, Henninger was taken over by Binding, another Frankfurt brewery, which in turn was swallowed up by the Radeberger Group conglomerate.
By 2002, no Henninger was being brewed in Frankfurt, ending an almost 350-year-old tradition. The same eventually became true of Binding, as production of both labels shifted to other breweries owned by Radeberger.
The brewery land was sold, the silo torn down. Apartment buildings were constructed on the site, including the Neue Henninger-Turm, a luxury property whose name translates to New Henninger Tower.
It has a silhouette similar to the original and also is topped by an expensive restaurant. At the foot of the tower is Henninger am Turm, a tavern still serving Henninger brews and German brewery-style food.
Henninger am Turm is a brewhouse in Frankfurt serving Henninger beer on what was once the brewery’s grounds. It is at the foot of the Neuer Henninger Turm, a luxury apartment building with an expensive restaurant on the top. The apartment building replaced the original tower, which was once a grain silo for the Henninger brewery. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The Henninger am Turm restaurant in Frankfurt is spacious and bright. It serves solid German brewhouse cuisine. In the background people watch a soccer game on TV. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The Neuer Henninger Turm, a luxury apartment building with a restaurant on the top, replaced the similar-looking original tower, which was a grain silo and part of the Henninger brewery. Henninger am Turm is in the white building just to the right of the tower. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
On a recent Sunday evening my wife and I decided to try it. As was the case on our last outing in Frankfurt, the city’s pro soccer team, Eintracht, was playing and the game was being broadcast on two big screens.
Luckily, Henninger am Turm is pretty spacious and those more interested in beer and food were seated away from the action. I must say upfront that I was never a big Henninger fan. It’s a good beer, just not quite to my taste.
However, the place does serve a brew that piqued my interest, Sachsenhäuser Kellerbier, or cellar beer. It’s naturally cloudy, and I found it slightly sweet and refreshing. My wife went with the Henninger Kaiser Pilsner, with its traditional, slightly bitter taste.
The handkäse tartar with apple chutney on roasted homemade bread as served at Henninger am Turm in Frankfurt. Handkäse is a low-fat sour milk cheese and a specialty of the south Hesse region, including Frankfurt. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
An oven-fresh pretzel with Bavarian obatzda is a good snack with a beer at Henninger am Turm in Frankfurt, or a small appetizer before your main course. Obatzda is a cheese spread usually made with Camembert and butter and spiced with paprika powder, salt and pepper. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Two of the beers on tap at Henninger am Turm in Frankfurt, a Sachsenhäuser Kellerbier, foreground, and a Henninger Kaiser Pilsner. The Kellerbier is slightly sweet and naturally cloudy, while the Kaiser Pilsner has the traditional slightly bitter taste of a Pilsner beer. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Henninger am Turm’s menu does not have a selection of starters, but its “Brotzeit” (meaning “bread time”) section harks back to the days when Germans ate their main warm meal at lunchtime and had bread and cold cuts in the afternoon and evening.
We decided to share a handkäse tartar with apple chutney on roasted homemade bread and an oven-fresh pretzel with a helping of Bavarian obatzda.
Handkäse is a low-fat sour milk cheese, while obatzda is a cheese spread usually made with Camembert and butter and spiced with paprika powder, salt and pepper.
Both were delicious and went well with the beer. The chutney and the cheese complemented each other and the obatzda was spicy without being overpowering.
Luckily, we had a couple of minutes’ wait before our friendly server delivered the main courses.
The vegetarian brewmaster pan at Henninger am Turm in Frankfurt included carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans in a hollandaise-like sauce and fried potatoes, with an egg fried sunny-side up on top, served in a piping-hot pan. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The Kalbsfrikadelle, or veal patty, at Henninger am Turm was covered in a roast sauce and roasted onions and served with mashed potatoes and a side salad. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The Kalbsfrikadelle, or veal patty, in the foreground and the vegetarian brewmaster pan as served at Henninger am Turm in Frankfurt. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
My wife had the vegetarian brewmaster pan. It was carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans in a hollandaise-like sauce and fried potatoes. It was all topped with an egg fried sunny-side up and served in a piping hot pan.
I went with the Kalbsfrikadelle, or veal patty. It was plump, almost like a meatball, covered in a roast sauce and roasted onions, and served with mashed potatoes and a side salad.
It was moist and well-seasoned. The potatoes really were mashed and not made from a mixture. There were still small chunks of potatoes left over. It satisfied my palate.
My wife really enjoyed the brewmaster pan. The vegetables were al dente, the sauce light but tasty. She is not that fond of fried potatoes but thought these were good.
A warning about the egg: The yoke was still runny, which my wife likes. But if you do not, let your server know that you want it fried firm.
Looking around, we noticed that hamburgers were quite popular. Here, instead of beef for their burgers, they also use veal.
The people at the neighboring table had handkäse served with onions in a vinaigrette, called “mit musik,” and the fitness salad, a variety of lettuces, sprouts and walnuts with gratinated goat’s cheese. Both looked good.
The dessert choices were Belgian waffles, chocolate cake and a baked warm apple cake, but we had to pass up the temptation for lack of room.
We left quite satisfied. Next time though, I might just go with the handkäse tartar and sip a couple of extra cellar beers.
abrams.mike@stripes.com @stripes_photog
Henninger am Turm
Address: Hainer Weg 58, Frankfurt
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays. The kitchen is open from noon to 9 p.m.
Prices: 4.50 euros for a pretzel with obatzda to 24.90 euros for roast beef with a green sauce dip. A small Henninger beer (about 10 ounces) costs 3.90 euros; a big beer (about 17 ounces) costs 4.90 euros. Cola costs the same for a small or large glass.
Information: www.henningeramturm.de
