Glocke Weingut und Hotel

A wine house on the Plönlein

The Glocke is on Rothenburg's most photographed little square, the Plönlein, and is at once a winery, a restaurant and a hotel. The house appears in documents of 1227 as the hospital of St John the Baptist; afterwards it was a hostel and an inn, and since 1978 it has been a hotel. It is run by the Thürauf family, who have received guests here since 1898. What sets it apart from other houses in the centre is the wine: they make their own Franconian wine, keep it in a cellar of wooden barrels and the whole restaurant revolves around it. At the Christmas market they set up the Weinhäusle, their wine stall.

The restaurant has 120 seats in three rooms. The cooking is defined as Franconian and regional, of the traditional kind.

The menu

The menu, from September 2026, has a section of inn recipes taken from old cookbooks. From there come the Blaue Zipfel, sausages poached in an onion and wine broth, with bread, for €12.90 a pair (they take at least 25 minutes); Franconian sausages with wine sauerkraut, the Krautwickel stuffed cabbage or roast duck with Semmelknödel. The roast dishes are those of the region: Schweineschäufele, pork shoulder with Klöße and sauerkraut, for €21.90, and veal Sauerbraten with Lebkuchen sauce in the old Franconian style, for €24.50. To start, the "Glockenwirt" wine soup, for €8.50. There is Käsespätzle and sea bass for anyone who does not want pork, and several dishes are served in a small portion for €3 less. To go with the wine, smoked sausages with horseradish or the Häckermahlzeit, a board of smoked cold cuts.

Hours and bookings

The kitchen is open Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 21:00 and on Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00; on Sunday evening it is closed. On Sunday it is best to call first. There is no online booking: call +49 9861 958990 or write to [email protected].

What is nearby

You step out onto the Plönlein square and through the Kobolzeller Tor go down to the Tauber valley. The Marktplatz is five minutes away, up the Schmiedgasse.