Bill and I decided to go to Ludwigsburg today and stop by Heinrich’s to drop off some old beer bottles and pick up some new suds.  Because we left our house at noon, we got to town at about 1:00, which is kind of close to the “witching hour” of two.  That’s when some places quit serving lunch.

We’ve been to Ludwigsburg enough times to know where we can get a bite to eat all day, but I’m always looking for new places to try.  Since it’s been awhile since my last local restaurant review, we decided to look a little harder than usual.  Today, we left the main square, which we hadn’t done in a long time.  I think we went that way some time ago and didn’t think there were any restaurants around there.  We were wrong.

I noticed the inviting smells of seafood and a sign that said “Mediterranean Grill”.  We turned the corner and ran into Lavazza, a Greek cafe/coffee bar/restaurant.  They were doing a pretty good business when we came in and sat down at a large table in their small dining room.  A friendly lady gave us a couple of menus and I found myself tempted by a number of different options.  They had some enticing specials available, everything from mussels made with wine sauce to chicken breast with oven baked potatoes.  They also had a nice looking regular menu with many different and appetizing dishes to choose from.

Obligatory shot of Bill, looking happy to be about to eat lunch on the town.

I was really happy that we found a Greek restaurant.  It’s been too long since my last hit of t’zatziki.  Though I was definitely tempted by the fish, I ended up ordering plain old gyros.  The waitress, who spoke excellent English as well as Greek and German, asked if I wanted regular gyros or their gyros salad.  Not being an especially healthy eater, I went with the regular ones…

These were delicious.  The pork was very fresh, well seasoned, and flavorful.  I liked the way they did their t’zatziki, too.  And the pommes, while pommes, were thick and hot.  I paired this with a glass of Chilean sauvignon blanc because at first, I thought I was having fish.  Next time, I will have fish for sure!

Bill had one of the specials.  It was grilled pieces of chicken breast and olives served with baked potato wedges.  He had a glass of very nice St. George wine from Greece.  It was dry and tasted a bit like sour cherries.  Perfect wine for a nasty rainy day like today.  

I really enjoyed the atmosphere in Lavazza.  Though it was a little crowded in the small dining room, their bar area was a little more conducive to smaller parties.  There were pub tables in there.  I noticed they were playing sexy Spanish music on the sound system.  I even had to Shazam one or two songs because I liked them so much.  I also noticed the awesome looking cakes on display.  Had I not been so full after failing to finish my lunch, I might have tried one.  They offer breakfast, too.

The outside.  There’s an umbrella set up out front for those who want to smoke.  

Service at Lavazza was very friendly and competent.  I told Bill I hoped we could go back and have dinner there sometime.  They had some dishes that looked very interesting and were priced accordingly.  The bill for today’s lunch was 38,90 before tip.  It included a house shot of ouzo.

We parked near the train station.  On the way there, I noticed the ebikestation.  You can book one and ride all over town to your heart’s content.

And they have instructions in English, too.

Random graffiti shot.

 

After lunch, we went to Heinrich’s, bought some beer, and proceeded to annoy a bunch of Germans because I picked an item that wouldn’t scan.  We ended up having to leave without it because there was no way to pay for it.

Then, we visited some friends on Kelley and enjoyed a little gathering…  It’s been awhile since I last socialized.  I may need to make more of a habit of getting out and about.