Exil

The Joint

Weißgerbergraben 14
93047 Regensburg
Germany
Phone: +49 941 5 86 58 16

Cliff

I think this is my #1 absolute favorite restaurant in Regensburg. Since we live in Regensburg, that’s saying an awful lot. This place is worth it.

We originally came to Exil in April or May 2004 to looking for the kind of Middle Eastern food we could get from La Shish. La Shish tends toward the Lebanese cuisine, whereas Exil is definitely Kurdish. Strong, rich flavors in interesting combinations make it a trip to remember for eaters of lamb (yum!), poultry (chicken and turkey), and fish and vegetarians too. Whenever we go, I try to get something with a side of their spinach, whether I’m craving tender skewers of lamb or not.

I still haven’t found my La Shish replacement, but now I get Exil cravings as well. Oh, by the way, if you go often enough, the staff notices and you might get the occasional surprise espresso or coffee after the meal. At least, we do.

Sarah

Cliff and I are in agreement – this place is our hands-down favorite restaurant in Regensburg. We take all of our visitors here and, to a man (and woman), they’ve all given it the thumbs up. We’ve each tried several different dishes and have yet to be disappointed.

The offerings are mostly variations on theme. They all have several of the same components, but they’re all prepared to varying effect. All entrées are served with salad, tzatziki and bulgur as accompaniments to the main event. I’ve tried to recreate the heavenly spinach and ended up with underwhelming results. Now that it’s summer and fresh veggies are abundant and inexpensive, it’s time to try again.

The atmosphere is relaxed and hip. Every month, there’s new art on the walls available for purchase by patrons. The music is usually interesting, often R&B, soul or unusual remakes of old favorites. And the service is outstanding.

And, yes, I would have said that without the free coffee drinks. But they sure don’t hurt!

One thought on “Exil”

  1. cliff1976 September 18th, 2009

    Sadly, Exil appears to have changed hands — perhaps even more than once, and a few months ago we noticed a change in the quality of our favorite dishes, as well as the service.

    Last night, we went back there again as sort of a final “one more chance …” dinner and were disappointed to see a drastically changed restaurant. It’s now billed as a Türkish-Kurdish restaurant — previously it was just Kurdish; and they chopped the menu down quite a bit. And they no longer toast the bread that comes with your entree or appetizer!

    Despite all of those first re-impressions, we were willing to give it a shot. We ordered, and when the food came, it was a disappointment. The meat and the yogurt sauce on my entree was still good, but the bulghur was a disgrace, and it wasn’t just my plate. It seemed like they managed to suck all the flavor out of it.

    When you take the price hike into account, it seems clear to me that I’ll not be eating there ever again.

    Reply

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