The main entrance at Felix.  We had to walk 3/4 of the way around the building to get to it.

 

As I was searching for a place to eat dinner last night, I came upon an OpenTable listing for a place called Felix, located in downtown Stuttgart (near the Cinemax-Liederhalle complex).  I noticed that the restaurant was notable for its Sunday brunch, which offers all you care to eat at 16,50 euros a person.  The price includes orange juice, coffee (including coffee drinks), or tea.  I asked Bill if he was interested in trying it out.  He said, “Sure!”  So I made reservations for 11:00am.

We were still riding high after yesterday’s successful Mexican food experience in Fellbach.  I was looking forward to trying brunch, since that’s not a meal we usually do.  We also usually save buffets for when we are on a cruise ship or at a hotel.  In retrospect, maybe it would have been better to find a place that didn’t have a buffet, since Bill and I rarely eat enough to justify the cost.

To get to Felix from where we live, we basically had to drive as if we were heading to Robinson Barracks.  Then, just as the houses start to look fancy and Victorian, you hang a right and head downhill into the city.  Unlike our experience last night at El Mero Mexicano, we had no problems finding parking.  There are several good sized garages nearby, as well as parking spots on the side of the road.

We arrived at the restaurant on time and told the lady who greeted us that we had a reservation.  She directed us to the nearest four top with a reserved sign on it and invited us to sit down.  A waitress came by and asked us if we wanted coffee, tea, or cappuccino.  We both had cappuccinos.  Then she left and we sat there for a few minutes, wondering what to do.  You see, Felix does have a regular menu and I wasn’t sure if she was going to ask us if we wanted to eat off of that or do the buffet.  But since she didn’t come back, we defaulted to the buffet.

Obligatory shot of Bill.  He’s looking a little Squidwardish…

I had a pretty good view of the buffet from where I was sitting, but I was more impressed by the attractive looking bar.

To be honest, Felix’s buffet wasn’t particularly special.  They had croissants, rolls, sliced bread, and pretzels.  They had Weisswurst with sweet mustard, bacon, scrambled eggs, and French toast.  Several different types of cold cuts and cheeses were laid out, as well as smoked salmon.  There was an orange juice station.  Several types of cereal were offered.  I didn’t see any fresh fruit, which would have been nice, nor was there any other kind of juice or sparkling wine.  Not that I necessarily would have expected sparkling wine for what they were charging.  Edited to add:  Bill said there was a bowl of fresh melon over by the yogurt, but it was almost gone the first time we went through the line.

This is what I got on my first trip through…  French toast, a boiled egg, a croissant, smoked salmon, and a couple of slices of sausage.  

And this was my tiny cappuccino, half of which was foam.  It was rather disappointing.   I am pretty sure this was made entirely by a pre-programmed machine. 

Bill was good and got himself some cheese…

 

After we ate what was on our plates, we sat and talked for awhile.  I was very aware of how noisy it was in the restaurant.  It seemed to be a popular place for students.  There was a group of young women sitting near us who were having some sort of sales party– think Mary Kay or Scentsy.  They were talking and giggling loudly the whole time we were there, seeming to have a good time.

I also noticed some high pitched shrieking from the other side of the dining room.  There was a family with three young children, one of whom seemed to be very upset and was yelling at the top of his lungs.  The other two kids were making the usual piercing sounds young children usually make.

It’s not that I was necessarily expecting it to be quiet, or even that I would expect young children or young women to be sit still and be quiet.  I’m only mentioning the noise level for those who wonder what the ambiance might be like.  It’s not the kind of place where you’d necessarily enjoy quiet conversation or romance.  My very neurotic, artistic, older sister, for example, would probably not enjoy Felix for many reasons, including the fact that it’s loud.  However, people who aren’t looking for quiet and calm will probably like Felix’s atmosphere just fine.

I seem to remember someone on Facebook asking about buffet etiquette in Germany.  In the United States, there are often signs telling patrons that they should use new plates when they go to the buffet.  At Felix, I did not see any such signs, but the waitress did take our dirty plates and invited us to get new ones if we went through again… which I did.

I decided to try the Weisswurst and a pretzel.  I couldn’t eat the pretzel, so I brought it home.  The Weisswurst with the sweet mustard was probably the best part of the meal.  It was very fresh and tasted good… But I know not everyone likes wurst that fresh.

All in all, our experience at Felix wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t particularly memorable or special.  The food was okay, but I probably wouldn’t make a special trip back there for brunch.  I wouldn’t mind trying the regular menu, though, and we did notice that a couple who came in after us ordering food off the menu rather than doing the buffet.

Patrons can pay with cash or credit card.  Our bill was 33 euros.

So… my initial impression of Felix is that it’s a somewhat pleasant and reasonably priced place to eat, but overall, our experience was decidedly mediocre.  I’d probably give it three stars out of five.  I did like the bar area, though, and would probably rate higher if we’d gone there for drinks.  The patio area looked especially nice for when the weather improves.