Restaurant Riff – in Ralswiek – on Rügen

It is only now that I am back home writing this article, that I realise the perfect alliteration of the name.  Restaurant Riff, in Ralswiek on Rügen, Ralswiek being the village and Rügen the island.

And it was at the Resaurant Riff (in Ralswiek, on Rügen) that I spent a pleasant afternoon before going to the Störtebeker Festspiele a few weeks ago.

The restaurant is located next to Ralswiek’s harbour, so the tables outside offer a fantastic view across the area of water known as the Großer Jasmunder Bodden whilst at the same time being protected from the wind coming in off the sea.

Restaurant Riff in Ralswiek on Rügen

Opening at 10am and offering breakfast, Riff stays open until midnight, although only from Easter until mid October.

The menu, quite apart from being a good mixture suitable for most tastes, was also a feast for a linguist’s eyes, with regional names that I had not heard of before.

Would you know, for example, what a “Rügener Badejunge” is?  No?  Then keep guessing and I’ll tell you at the end of this article.

There are also several specials every day and a selection of cakes in the afternoon.

As it was a hot day I decided to order a salad, and went for the signature dish “Salat Riff” which was made up of strips of chicken and pieces of pineapple on a bed of lettuce and tomato with a curry dressing.  It cost €9 and was such a large portion that I was well and truly full up by the time I had finished it, although later on in the afternoon I did find space to try out one of the cakes.

The ‘Salat Riff’

What I particularly liked is that I could just rest between dashing around the island and going to the performance in the evening.  I was able to enjoy the view and just let time go by or finish making my notes on the rest of the day.

Riff is run by Gesine Lippert and apparently it is not unusual to meet the actors from the Festspiele there sometimes (if you don’t spot the connection in the name, then re-visit my article on the Störtebeker Festspiele).

And while many of the visitors who come by coach head straight to the bustle of Störti’s, Riff has a more tranquil and relaxed atmosphere about it.  I hope that one day I will make it back to the island and can go there again.

Oh, and the Rügener Badejunge is the name (and registered trademark) of a locally produced Camembert.

Restaraunt Riff is located at Störtebeker Weg 56 in Ralswiek.