Lo Studente

Lo Studente is an Italian restaurant located in the very centre (Johannisstrasse 18) of Jena. The name says it all - Lo Studente aims at Jena's large number of students looking for an affordable place for dining. It offeres pizza, pasta, salads and desserts in a cosy environment. We went there several times before starting the "Restaurants in Jena" project - the more often we went there, the less impressed we were. If you want to have a good pizza, we'd advise you to invest another 2-3 Euro and go to a proper Italian restaurant (e.g. Versilia). The pasta and salads are alright but then, why go to a restaurant for a dish you can make at home in the same amount of time, and according to your own liking. To be fair, weekly specials such as mussels might surprise you once in a while.

Our verdict: Frozen pizza, here we come!

2.5 Jena towers out of 5

Schnitzelparadies

Since my arrival in Jena and soon after my discovery of the schnitzel, I’ve been looking forward to a visit to Schnitzelparadies. Rarely does a restaurantinterest me so much and it is even rarer that I wait a year to visit such arestaurant. Thus, expectations were quite high for Schnitzelparadies. Located behind Holzmarkt and facing Paradies train station, Schnitzelparadies sits on a busy street, but somehow manages to avoid the bustle. Inside, the décor is cosy and traditional, if not a little dated. Our visit took place on a November Sunday evening (Yes, it took me quite some time to post this. Sorry!). We found that the staff was pleasant and accommodating, the only criticism being the slow arrival of the bill. The menu was a shining star of Schnitzel Paradies. The number and varieties of Schnitzels to choose from were impressive; from a simple traditional dish to an almond crusted schnitzel, all of our tastes were catered for. The side dishes of potatoes were varied and tasty, while the light, dressed, salad was a nice balancing accompaniment. Portions sizes were quite generous, and our waitress was quite happy to wrap-up the leftovers into a beautiful foil swan for my lunch the next day. Dinner cost a little more than we would like to pay normally, but for a large Sunday meal at a nice restaurant, we were not perturbed to pay around €20 for a main meal and couple of drinks. We will defiantly return for the lunch special, which offers select schnitzel dishes at a reduced price.

Our Verdict: We were, indeed, inSchnitzel Paradise.

4 Jena towers out of 5