Food & drink · Bad Tölz

Altes Fährhaus Restaurant

Perched directly on the bank of the Isar river at the southern edge of town, the Altes Fährhaus (Old Ferry House) occupies a converted 19th-century ferry station and serves straightforward, high-quality Bavarian cooking to a crowd that is overwhelmingly local. The riverside beer garden is one of the most pleasant places to eat lunch in the entire Tölzer Land.

Altes Fährhaus Restaurant
Photo by Joerg Hartmann on Pexels

What to Order

The kitchen's signature is Zwiebelrostbraten — a thick slab of Bavarian beef roasted with crispy fried onions and served with hand-scraped Spätzle and a dark pan jus that takes hours to build. It is the kind of dish that makes you understand why Bavarians see no need to eat anything else.

In summer the kitchen pivots toward lighter Isar-caught trout, served simply with brown butter, parsley and boiled potatoes; the fish arrives on the plate within hours of leaving the river, a fact that is immediately obvious in the flavour.

Altes Fährhaus Restaurant
Photo by Arlind D

The Beer Garden

The Biergarten runs along the Isar bank beneath a canopy of horse chestnut trees whose broad leaves create a natural parasol even on the hottest August afternoons. Tables are arranged so that almost every seat faces the fast, green water.

The house pours Tegernseer Hell — the local lager from a brewery 12 kilometres away — which arrives in dimpled litre Masskrüge at a price that seems almost implausibly reasonable by Alpine tourist-town standards.

Altes Fährhaus Restaurant
Photo by Tobi

Getting There and Booking

The restaurant sits at Isarstraße 4, roughly a 15-minute walk south from Marktstraße along the river path — a walk that is pleasant enough to justify the detour on its own.

Reservations are strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday evenings and for Sunday lunch; the beer garden operates on a walk-in basis only and fills quickly after 12:00 on sunny weekends.

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