Irori moves to Knittelsheim

LANDAU. The Palatinate Michelin-starred restaurant Irori is moving to Landau. As Max Goldberg and Kerstin Bauer announced on their restaurant's social media channels, they are taking over the Isenhof in Knittelsheim. It was previously run by Peter Steverding and Petra Dolt and was awarded one star in the Michelin Guide until 2017. "Petra & Peter are an institution in the Southern Palatinate for culinary delights and hospitality. For over 30 years, they have made the Isenhof in Knittelsheim what it is today with hard work and an understanding of quality. We look back on their life's work with great humility and inspiration and are proud to announce that we will be able to welcome you to a small, crooked half-timbered house from the 17th century from October," reads the Irori posting. Two guest rooms will also be available there. These are a double room and a mini-suite for four people.

This marks the end of what was almost a search for new premises for the restaurant, which was last located in Neustadt-Diedesfeld and closed in August. Irori was awarded a star in the Michelin Guide for the first time this year. The move marks the end of Irori's multi-year search for a permanent location: "When we set up our own business in 2021 in the middle of a lockdown, we knew we were looking for a small, old, leaning half-timbered house in the countryside right from the start. We spent 3 1/2 years searching from Frankfurt to Basel, from Würzburg to the Moselle, looking around, visiting and making contacts or following recommendations. However, everything was always entangled with many compromises, which gave us the feeling that we would have to cut back on quality, personally or logistically. But we simply didn't want to settle for half-baked things," says the Irori newsletter. The previous location in Diedesfeld had offered the opportunity to establish themselves as restaurateurs and hosts. However, the size of the premises and the associated costs, and the "decades of intensive use of the kitchen and restaurant area", as well as their own health, had prompted them to turn their backs on the current location at the foot of Hambach Castle.

According to the newsletter, the 17th century half-timbered house in Knittelsheim is in such good condition that it can be remodelled and renovated at a manageable cost. The guest room has been slightly reduced in size. Instead, there is a small terrace and an outdoor kitchen. Kerstein Bauer and Max Goldberg are not ruling out further customisation to suit their needs and those of their guests.

Reservations for the new location can be made from 4 October, and Kerstin Bauer and Max Goldberg have planned another trip to Japan between 23 October and 13 November.