Guller | American Restaurant : Geroldsecker Vorstadt 93, 77933 Lahr/Schwarzwald

Guller’s BBQ, where the Brisket is Soft, But So is the experience: As a genuine full blooded American who has roots in arguably one Americas many BBQ hub (Kansas City) and as a self proclaimed pit master myself, I would like to think I have a refined pallet when it comes to probably one of the only culinary contributions America brings to the world. So when I kept hearing whispers about “the best American BBQ in Germany,” we packed the car, drove two hours, and showed up hungry and hopeful. First impression? Eh. The place looked like every other German restaurant I’ve been to and most importantly zero smoke in the air. Call me crazy, but if my shirt doesn’t smell like mesquite when I walk out, did I even eat BBQ? -1 point for vibes. At Joe’s in KC, the counter’s 3 feet from a fuel pump and the food still slaps harder than a tax bill in April. We ordered the two-person platter for €78, which, credit where it’s due, looked promising. We got brisket, pulled pork, turkey, spare ribs, and sides. The mac and cheese did its job it brought me back to the homeland for a second. The rest, however, felt like a Tinder date who looked better in photos. Let’s talk meat. BBQ should be judged on four pillars: 1. The Rub and Bark: There wasn’t any. The meat looked like it was exfoliated before plating. 2. Moisture: Technically yes, but a wet sponge is also moist. 3. Flavor: It was… polite. Like, handshake-on-the-first-date polite. 4. The Sauce: Perhaps the soul of BBQ. And this one? It had no soul. They only have three sauces and their Texas style is ok but needs work. I’ll also give points to the creativity for their blueberry inspired sauce, but that’s all I can say about it. The kicker was the beef rib, aka the beloved dino rib. I was ready for it to redeem the experience. What I wasn’t ready for was the surprise €40 price tag for a single rib. €9 per 100g, and our waitress didn’t mention the pay per weight part of it. I don’t mind paying for quality, but at that point I felt like I was being charged extra for disappointment. And the service? About as warm as a leftover brisket sandwich eaten straight from the fridge. Not rude, just… forgettable. Kind of like the turkey. Bottom line: If you’re in Germany and craving BBQ, you’ve got three options: 1. Fly to the U.S. (might be cheaper at this point) 2. Buy a €300 smoker and make your own. A few hours of YouTube videos and maybe 1 or 2 messed up briskets you’ll be 80% of the way to beating them. 3. Keep your expectations low and bring your own sauce Calling this the BBQ Mecca is like calling Olive Garden Italian, sure you’ll leave full, but spiritually remain empty. TL;DR: Guller’s BBQ? More like Gullible’s BBQ. Skip the trip, save the euros, and book a flight.

The brisket was probably one of the driest pieces of meat I have ever eaten, and the ribs and mac and cheese were okay but nothing special. Best thing on the menu is draft beer.

I really loved the food, the different meats and the Mac and cheese were brilliant. The Mac and cheese were just quite a bit salty thought in my opinion but tasty still. The different sauces were delicious to the meals. For the price it’s totally worth it and even nearly too much which is great to take home to eat. They were really prepared for takeaway box’s which we put in ourselves. The service was a downside though. It took very long all around. We waited approx. 50 mins for our food. The owner was very nice, talkative and welcoming. The toilets quite shocked me with all the different graffitis and the bathroom floor was wet. Bathrooms could also have been better for such a place 🙏🏼