A family run Sachsenhausen cider house since 1931, famous for its home brewed Apfelwein and long shared benches.
Apfelwein Wagner has poured house brewed cider on Schweizer Strasse in Sachsenhausen since 1931, when Adolf Wagner moved his farm operation into the city and reopened the tavern under his name. It is one of the definitive Frankfurt Apfelwein houses, all long shared benches and blue and white Bembel jugs.
This is the place to do Frankfurt cider the traditional way, elbow to elbow with strangers over a Schoppen. It rewards anyone happy to share a table and order Hessian classics. Skip it if you want a quiet booth or a cocktail list. For more see our Frankfurt craft beer and cider guide and the best bars in Germany.
Apfelwein Wagner runs the length of Schweizer Strasse 71. There is no reservation for small tables, so arrive early on weekends and share a bench. Order the Schoppen and the Handkase.
The tavern stretches back from Schweizer Strasse into a warren of paneled rooms and a courtyard, lined with long wooden benches built for sharing. The look has barely changed in decades, which is the point. Service is brisk and the Bembel keeps coming.
Order the house Apfelwein by the Schoppen, the standard glass, or a full Bembel for the table. Ask for it pur, or sour with mineral water as the locals take it. Pair it with Handkase mit Musik, the marinated cheese that is a Sachsenhausen rite. Compare with craft beer near you and other Sachsenhausen taverns.
The benches mix Frankfurt regulars, after work groups from the nearby banking quarter, and visitors working the Sachsenhausen tavern circuit. It gets loud and communal on weekend nights. Summer pushes the crowd into the courtyard.
Pair Apfelwein Wagner with Lorsbacher Thal and Zum Eichkatzerl along the tavern row, cross the river to Apfelwein Solzer in Bornheim or read about the lost Bockenheim institution Pielok, see our Sachsenhausen guide, or browse the full Frankfurt bar guide.
What to order
- 01
Schoppen of Apfelwein
- 02
Bembel for the table
- 03
Handkase mit Musik
- 04
Apfelwein sauer
