Balkan Grill Ideal (Mainz, Germany)

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring 56, 55118 Mainz, Germany

 

Balkan Grill Ideal is a small Bosnian restaurant in a busy street off the main railway station of Mainz in a mostly immigrant neighborhood. The outside tables are full with Bosnian men who probably spend their whole day there talking to each other. The menu is limited but classic: cevapcici, pleakavica, grilled chicken, various soups.

 

I get 7 cevapcici (€7), which come with onions, aivar, and bread. The cevapcici looked more like sausages but have a nice taste, just like the bread (more Turkish than Bosnian).

 

VERDICT: 87/100

Unpretentious but good Bosnian food.

Merakles (Stuttgart, Germany)

Hauptstrasse 170, 70563 Stuttgart

 

Merakles is a pretty famous Greek food truck on the outskirts of Stuttgart that provides a wide range of dishes you’ll usually find at a bigger gyros restaurant: gyros, souflaki, falafel, various salads, deserts, etc. I get a Pita Gyros (€5.80) and a Lahano (€2.90). The pita is huge and has enough fries in it for a side meal. Unfortunately, everything is very salty and most of the (non-salty) tzatziki and tomato are at the bottom. The Lahano is a cabage salad, which is big and fresh.

 

VERDICT: 88/100

I’m not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed. It was good gyros but not remarkable. However, the next day I did find out that I had COVID, so maybe my taste was a bit off.

 

The Flames (Walserberg, Austria)

Grenzwaldweg 1, 5071 Walserberg, Austria

 

The Flames is a US-style “burger and steaks” restaurant at a gas station just outside of Salzburg — they are part of a group of four gas station restaurants. They have usual US snacks, burgers, onion rings, wings, etc. with some bbq options (pulled pork).

 

I’m going fairly light this afternoon, so I choose the Chicken Burger (€13,50) with a side salad. The Chicken Burger comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, and sweet chile sauce. The chicken breast is pan fried and nice and juicy. The sweet chile sauce is pretty mild and makes the mayo superfluous. Overall, a good sandwich.

 

VERDICT: 85/100

Very decent gas stop food.

Würstelstand Mochael Moser (Salzburg, Austria)

Universitätsplatz, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

 

Würstelstand (Sausage Stand) Mochael Moser is one of many sausage stands at the market of the Universitätsplatz in downtown Salzburg that sells a host of different sausages to locals and tourists alike. I get the Pustakrainer (€4.30), two relatively thin sausages that have a serious kick. It comes with a “spicy” mustard and a roll. Pretty good but also very fat

 

VERDICT: 85/100

Good selection of sausages but also quite expensive.

 

Auingler Würstelstand (Linz, Austria)

Taubenmarkt, 4020 Linz, Austria

 

This is one of two sausage stands that are next to each other in the big shopping street of Linz. It is quite busy on this early evening, mostly with people drinking. They serve a broad range of sausages as well as fries and other snacks. The typical Austrian hot dog seems to be the “Bosna,” which comes in many different versions (mostly a difference of condiments).

 

I get the Original Bosna (€3.40), which is two thin sausages in a very crispy (pressed) sandwich, with mustard and onion as well as some powder that usually goes on Currywurst. The sausages are mostly very salty, not very tasty.

 

VERDICT: 72/100

Neither particularly tasty, nor particularly cheap.

GReat (Linz, Austria)

Bethlehemstraße 1d, 4020 Linz, Austria

 

GReat (get it?) is a modern Gyros place in the shopping part of downtown Linz, which serves gyros, souvlaki, Greek salads and other staples, such as pitas and plates. It even has some vegetarian and vegan options.

 

I get a Pita Gyros of pork (€4.90), which is traditional in all ways: a thick pita, onions, tomatoes, and fries with the meat (freshly cut off the skewer). The tzatziki is a bit more yugurty than at other places, and then I like, but this is overall a very tasty pita gyros.

 

Verdict: 91/100

Indeed, a “great” pita gyros. Definitely worth a visit!

Mr. Gelato (Prague, Czech Republic)

Národní 365/43, 110 00 Staré Město, Praha

 

Mr Gelato is a seemingly new chain of gelato places in the Czech Republic with about 20 different flavors, mostly the classics. I visit one in downtown Prague.

 

I get a Large (CZK 125 or $5.15), mixing Banana, Lemon, and Chocolate with Orange. The flavors are not bad but too creamy and sweet for real gelato.

 

VERDICT: 85/100

Good ice cream, mediocre gelato