A Taste of Deutschland

Gorxheimer Straße 9 68309 Mannheim

Breakfast – the most important meal of the day.  Whether you are in the United States or in Germany, in South America or in Asia, eating breakfast increases your metabolism and supplies you with much needed energy to help you function throughout the rest of the day.  Because lunch is the main meal of the day in Germany, you will be hard pressed finding that big, hearty breakfast typical in the States.  That is, unless you make the long journey out to a small diner in Mannheim.  Be sure to go to Benjamins American Diner for breakfast on a Sunday and you will be amazed at the huge assortment of classic morning items awaiting your plate.

Benjamins American Diner is the prototypical American diner.  Outside, the grey exterior and rectangular windows establish the impression of a classic dining car.  The interior includes a long service counter that dominates the dining room, in addition to small booths along the windows that are ideal for groups of four.  The curved ceiling only furthers the illusion.  Stainless steel panels dominate the kitchen area.  The wooden walls aren’t festooned with memorabilia or photographs, but are kept clean and bare.

Surprisingly, the entire dining experience is characteristically American.  Upon entering, there is a sign greeting guests to “Wait to be Seated.”  This is rather unusual in Germany because a diner can oftentimes stroll right in and seat themselves.  The menu is quite large and is brimming with vivid snapshots of the food.  Entrées are written in both German and English and the waiters and waitresses are fully capable of speaking both languages.  Amazingly, the wait staff is also trained to provide exceptional customer service.  During this visit, my friendly waitress came by at least twice and politely asked if everything was okay.  In past dining experiences elsewhere, this has been utterly lacking.

Overall, the food is incredible.  The Sunday breakfast buffet, at 9,90 €, is an absolute bargain considering the massive assortment of meats and starches available.  As expected, the all-you-can-eat buffet is self serve, meaning that guests help themselves to as much food as they want.  The hot items – scrambled eggs with chives, sausage links (Bratwurst), large strips of bacon, hash browns, fried potatoes (Bratkartoffeln), bacon wrapped shrimp, and pancakes – are placed in buffet warming trays with candles underneath to keep them warm.  There are also large, elegant platters adorned with pieces of smoked salmon on baguettes, cuts of ham and prosciutto, slices of mozzarella and tomatoes, wedges of Brie cheese, American sandwiches with slices of cheddar cheese, boiled egg, cucumber, and lettuce in a dish with potato wedges, and a plate of French toast.   There is a bowl of tuna mixed with sliced oranges next to the sandwiches.  Baskets full of sliced breads are placed next to a toaster – you can actually toast them yourself!  Of course, there is also some butter, jam, and small individual packets of Nutella and honey.  Looking for vitamins?  There are mini boxes of breakfast cereal with a pitcher of milk and small bowls. 

Save room for dessert because chocolate muffins drizzled with chocolate and slices of cheesecake await the conclusion of your meal.  On top of it all, each buffet order comes with a cup of coffee and your choice of orange juice or champagne.  Talk about luxurious!

Pancakes come in two types – regular butter and blueberry.  The blueberry pancakes are simply delightful – fluffy and light.  Add a small amount of maple syrup to perfectly enhance the sweetness of the flapjacks.  Astoundingly, the scrambled eggs are cooked perfectly – the chefs at Benjamins Diner understand the art of egg cookery!  Unlike other restaurants, where the eggs are oftentimes tough and rubbery, the scrambled eggs here are soft, light, buttery, and fluffy.  The addition of chopped chives adds that nice hint of onion flavor.  Sausage links (aka Bratwurst) are pretty standard.  Bacon strips are not crisp but still delectable.  As long as it’s not burnt, how can you go wrong?  The hash browns remind me of Rösti – they are delicate and have a butter taste inside.  Bacon wrapped shrimp for breakfast seems out of place.  The shrimp were a little tough and overcooked.  French toast tastes a bit off and isn’t crisp on the outside, just soft all around.  Unfortunately, the cheesecake doesn’t look as good as it looks.  It is a bit sour for my tastes, too shy on the sugar.  Ultimately, the breakfast is enjoyable.  The one item truly missing here are the waffles.

Aside from that, the only downside about Benjamins American Diner is the location of the restaurant.  From the Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, it takes approximately twenty minutes via streetcar to get there.  The diner is situated near a U.S. military community in Käfertal.  However, the journey is undoubtedly worthwhile as you can build your appetite on your way there.  Simply put, the buffets at Benjamins can’t be beat!

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Summary:

Hands down the best diner in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan region, Benjamins American Diner dishes up authentic quintessential American cuisine including traditional American breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches, BBQ ribs, steaks, and chicken wings in a classic, retro style diner.  Prices are reasonable.  Excellent American style service.  All-You-Can-Eat: Mondays – Ribs, Wednesday – Wings, Sunday – Breakfast.  Reservations recommended.

Overall – 5 stars

• Sunday Breakfast Buffet – 5/5
  • Pancakes (Butter & Blueberry) – 5/5
  • Scrambled Eggs with Chives– 5/5
  • Sausage Links (Bratwurst) – 4/5
  • Bacon – 5/5
  • Bacon Wrapped Shrimp – 4/5
  • Fried Potatoes (Bratkartoffeln) – 4/5
  • Hash browns – 4.5/5
  • French Toast – 3.5/5
  • Cheesecake – 3/5
• Service – 5/5

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http://www.benjamins-diner.de