Mensa Marstall

Decent eats in historical surroundings

Food

Service

Atmosphere

Eating in the Marstall is the least like eating in a student canteen that you can encounter. 

The building is in one of the oldest parts of Heidelberg university and dates back to the 16th century when it was built as an armoury, hence the two watchtowers on either side of the building. Nowadays the Marstall serves as both a canteen and student bar and the inside has been renovated to look more like a trendy hangout, right down to the red leather couches and quite loud music. 

The food is served as a buffet and you pay by weight. It's incredibly fresh and offers a range of salads (the smoked salmon or tomato and mozzarella salad always a winner), meat, fish, soup, staples (rice, pasta, potatoes etc.) and desserts. For the main course try the 'Spaetzle", a regional speciality that resembles fresh, buttery spaghetti... Delicous. 

Vegetarians have a hard time in Germany but the Marstall is totally veggie-friendly, and even the most picky will clearly see that the meat and vegetables are kept entirely separate.

The annoying thing about the Marstall is that if you do not have a "Mensakarte" (a card you top up with to pay for food and other items around campus) you are charged a higher price for your meal. Try to get your hands on a Mensakarte in the main university building on Universitaetsplatz if you're staying a while; otherwise try asking a fellow student nicely if they would mind if you used their card. Without a card you could expect to pay between €5 and €6 for a meal. With a card expect to pay between €4 and €5.

Apart from that the Marstall is also a cafe/bar- so you can enjoy a cheap (€1.50/€2) glass of wine or beer with your meal or an espresso afterwards. The Marstall stays open until about midnight (food until 10pm) and in Summer the convivial picnic tables outside on the lawn become full and the surrounding trees are decked with fairy lights. Major football games are also shown on big screens inside.