Hotalo - Full Menu

OK, this is not high cuisine but it is really not bad either. One can get rice or noodles combined with veggies and/or chicken, fish or shrimps with your choice... read more OK, this is not high cuisine but it is really not bad either. One can get rice or noodles combined with veggies and/or chicken, fish or shrimps with your choice of 4 sauces. It is self-service, one orders at the counter and you have your food in a matter of seconds since the menu is limited and the food already prepared. They do a brisk business at their 2 central locations; one by the Schlossplatz, the other down in the Stuttgart-Mitte S-Bahn Station, so they are constantly renewing the supplies so that it is always fresh. The meals are given in take away containers. They do have seating but many people like to take the food and eat in the nearby Schlosspark or sit on the steps by the Schlossplatz and watch the people go by. The portions are not huge but then many German restaurants go overboard and one helping is usually enough to fill me up. The main attraction besides the speed is the price. All meals are around 3 to 4 Euros! Other than a hotdog or hamburger, this is about the cheapest hot meal to be found in the center. Asian food is pretty affordable in Stuttgart and if one wants a sit down meal and bigger portions then the cheapest places will run about 5 to 8 Euros a meal, the fancier places up to double that. Unlike other restaurants this place closes around 8 pm so don’t get there too late if you want dinner.

We stopped by yesterday, to grab a fast meal. We 've noticed that the place is constantly full with people of all ages and profiles. Already while getting the f... read more We stopped by yesterday, to grab a fast meal. We 've noticed that the place is constantly full with people of all ages and profiles. Already while getting the food served the memories of the students ' canteen revived. The lady took a big spoon and just threw the food in the box, impatiently asking all the time anything else, anything else . Moreover, we were surprised that none of the three different meals we took was any better than edible. The biggest surprise was the rice, that didn 't have even the closest taste to what we understand under Asian , at least in Europe. Still, there 's hope that the spring roles could taste decent. While the place is relatively cheap, for a euro more you can get a nice, freshly prepared meal in the Chinese place across the square, at the cost of 10 minutes waiting time.