Hotel ZUM TURM

Stayed here in September. The room was clean but very small and cluttered. I was staying in a single room so it may be better for those who book a double. No elevator, so depending on your room assignment, there may be a lot of stairs to climb. The breakfast was disappointing compared to others I had during the trip (most places I stayed included breakfast). Did not find the proximity to the train to be an issue at all. Had dinner at the restaurant and it was very good. The service was professional and the food and wine very good. If in the Kaub area around dinner time, It would be a good choice.

The Zum Turm dining room provided us an excellent lunch stop during a day of hiking the Rheinsteig. Kaub is one of the many picturesque towns along the river, but not many others offer a restaurant of Michelin Bib Gourmand caliber. The food met the expected standard, with a nice selection of tasty soups, and a large filet of perfectly cooked veal, washed down with a pleasant spatburgunder from the slopes above the town. The price was less than 90 Euros for a very satisfying meal for two, and service was excellent, although there were few customers present at Saturday lunchtime. The dining room is small and cozy, which suggests reservations would be recommended on a Saturday night. As others have noted, a busy Deutsche Bahn rail line runs quite close to the hotel. This did not affect the enjoyment of our meal, and the hourly passenger service means that diners can reach this establishment from Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, or Koblenz without driving. Whether coming by car, by train, or on foot, Zum Turm is worth a visit.

This is a review of Zum Turm's restaurant only. We stopped in for a Saturday lunch before tackling the Rhein Stieg section between Kaub and Lorch. Except for a pair of women who stopped in for soft drinks we were alone in the gasthaus dining room for a Saturday lunch. I still find it odd places like this are empty at lunch time on a Saturday but that being so it enabled up to walk in and get a table without a reservation, Presented with a menu by the single waiter, we were asked about drinks but declined in favor of some wine with our meal and water to sustain us afterwards in what we anticipated to be a long but strenuous walk. We ordered one each of the two soups on the menu because they sounded good for a slightly chilly day. Unfortunately the celery soup was off the menu but as a substitute Kurbis soup (butternut squash) was on. The menu listed my soup as minestrone so I was expecting a tomato based soup. We ordered a small carafe of the local Kaub Spatburgender (red) wine. Drinking and driving isn't a good idea at any time and neither is drinking and walking up and down hills which is why we passed on a full bottle of wine. There were many wine other mostly Rheingau options which we'll try another time. Kaub is in the middle of the Rheingau so Riesling wines are plentiful on the wine carte. A small amuse bouche of warm wild pork meatball nestled on a bed of concasse tomato was offered and consumed. It was tasty and delicious notably the contrast in textures and temperatures. Two varieties of bread, hearty grain and crusty white, was brought to the table along with our ordered wine and water. The brown was as good as any you'll find locally. Our soups arrived shortly afterwards. The Kurbis came decorated with a pair of tempured scampi on a stick alongside a pool of an excellent puree squash soup that was had a perfect thickness that is so hard to achieve with this kind of soup. It's usually so thick you can paste wallpaper with it or too thin with little flavor. But Zum Turm's soup was perfect is taste and texture. My Minestrone was green with a pari of almost raw scallops, a fine macedoine of vegetables and two or three piece of fish. I've never had anything like it and want o go back for more. Every spoonful exploded with an interesting blend of flavors. My dining partner couldn't resist the Veal Steak. I ordered the Smoked Barbarie Duk filet. Both was exceptional in flavor, showing off the skills in the kitchen. A fan of green beans carrots, broccoli, mange tout and turnip decorated the plate. It wasn't fancy Three star decor but each individual vegetable tasted of itself. Accompanying our meal was a bowl of fresh noddles which were an interesting change from the usual German offer of potatoes. Every mouthful spoke of care and diligence with the ingredients. There was no lack of seasoning and it was hard to fault. Though I might have put some butter or oil on the noddles but I'm nitpicking here. Not sure if there was no dessert but at the end of our meal we were only offered coffee which we accepted, after all we needed to be alert on our 14 kilometer walk. We ordered a pair of espressos. We got a thoughtful platter of coffee, with two biscuits, sugar and a small glass of water on a doily. How often do you see that. We couldn't stop taking about the meal for at least the first four kilometers of our walk and would go back to explore the other options on the menu. the dining room is small so maybe if you don't have a reservation and want to stop in a Saturday lunchtime would be the best. Well worth any detour. Zum Turm is all I want in a humble restaurant.

The terrace of the Zum Turm overlooks the Rhine and the Pfalz Zoll Castle. Despite the busy trains this is a great venue, and the cooking and service matched it. The fish was good, the pork and pfifferlinge likewise. As you would expect here, a sound wine list too.

In choosing a hotel, parking was a concern for me as there is no on-site parking at the Zum Turm. However, there is an ample loading zone and free public parking is about 100 yards away. Unlike most Rhine Gorge towns, Kaub has free public parking lots adjacent to the main road. (That could change, but I hope not). As I had hoped, it turned out to be rather convenient for excursions to other towns on the Rhine for the three nights we stayed there in mid September '13. The river ferry is located at Kaub, and two river cruise lines stop at Kaub. Both were very easy to use. The railroad is close by and nosie is somewhat noticealble when the windows are open. However, the railroads have helped many property owners install new windows that shut out the noise quite well so it turned out not to be an issue. The room was very comfortable, good size, mini fridge was well stocked; we had an iMac and HDTV on a built-in desk; bath was up-to-date. We had a very nice view of the Rhine from our room; breakfast was included and quite good, and the evening food was upscale. The chef/manager has a well deserved reputation for fine food. We were running low on clean underclothes, so his wife did our laundry for us. We appreciated that very much. All in all, it was a good stay and worked very well for us as a base to explore the area.....South Carolina travelers.

I have eaten in this restaurant several years ago and remembered it for the excellent food and the very nice wine. We came back yesterday and found the restaurant unchanged, same staff, again excellent food an lovely wine. This is unique to find a restaurant that can maintain its performance over the years. Highly recommended.

The stay was not planned in advance, and after having looked at some B&B's, we came accross this hotel. The people - it seems to be a little family business - welcomed us nicely. The room has a good space, clean and neat. No problem with the room. Just keep the windows closed, since the hotel is almost placed directly on the railway tracks and with a cargo train every 10 minutes you might be entertained. However, with closed windows you hardly hear it. Of course it is not the best ventilated room. Breakfast is okay, not extravagant. However, watch out for the homemade jam. Still, we were satisfied with the service, and left on a positive note.

My friend and I stayed at the Zum Turm for one night whilst walking the Rhinesteig. The hotel is a lovely building located in ther centre of town. Reception was friendly. We had a twin room which was clean and comfotable but rather small. We ate in the restaurant in the evening which was outstanding. Breakfast was a buffet style and of a high quality. Overall, a good experience and i would recommend it.