"Can you please just try our mineral water for once?" "Why can't I just get tap water?" "We don't really do that in restaurants here. They usually make their money with the beverages and that means they are not prepared for people asking for free tap water. I'll be honest, I'm a bit embarrassed about asking. They have still mineral water. Couldn't you try that?" "I would rather have tap water."
It was a regular discussion with my friend from the USA when she came here to Germany for the first time many years ago. Why wouldn't she try something new?
We got strange looks, but not always tap water.
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| Picture from pxhere |
The way I was surprised when I first visited the USA in the early 90s for being offered iced water with every meal, my friend just couldn't grasp that tap water in restaurants wasn't something we had - and still don't really have.
In fact, not many people here drank tap water at all back then. We had seen American fridges with water and ice dispensers, but for us that was something very exotic, you couldn't get those easily here at the time. The first time I stayed in my US friend's house, I played with that water dispenser like a little child.
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| Esme and I loved ice cubes (I still do), she from outside of the glass, me from inside the glass |
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| That's what I meant by "outside of the glass", she liked licking off the condensation |
Germans have always loved their water, but that meant mineral water. We have a lot of mineral waters, German and imported ones, most of them in plastic bottles, but also still some in glass bottles (which I prefer), carbonated - medium is the most popular one before the "classic" - or still which comes in third place in Germany (unlike other countries).
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| No machine-readable author provided. Rainer Zenz assumed (based on copyright claims), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
This is the "bead bottle", by the way, designed by Günter Kupetz and produced since 1969 - 5 billion times! This is just a nickname, the official name is really very German, "Normbrunnenflasche" or "Brunneneinheitsflasche" (which could both be translated as "standard fountain bottle").
As a beader, I can't help but love the nickname which is inspired by the 230 glass "beads" which not only mimic the bubbles in the water, but also helps with a safer grip in combination with the narrower part in the center. It works. I like my water cold and I hate smooth bottles with aquaplaning thanks to condensation.
The bottle has won design awards and is so popular that it has even been reproduced in plastic as well.
Actually, my own town has several free filling stations for our local so-called "sour water" which has been a big part of our history, and until a few years ago you could buy it bottled as carbonated water before the plant shut down.
Two of those are next to our local pool and for us kids it was completely normal to go out there when we were at the pool and have a quick drink because we couldn't afford to buy anything. Over the years, some of those stations were closed down temporarily and opened up again, I admit I have no idea what the current situation is.
One of those is the "Brunnenhäusle" (literally "small fountain house") in my neighborhood. It has faucets on each corner and the house itself is a little kiosk where you can get ice cream and beverages, and it's really nice to sit out there.
Many families saved money by filling up their bottles at those stations. Of course the sour water wasn't de-ironed which meant the bottles which kept being reused started looking brownish inside after some time, no matter how much you tried to keep them clean, and it wasn't carbonated which meant if it wasn't cold, it tasted quite flat. Back then, still waters were not popular.
The first documented mention of the bathhouse is from 1404. In the mid-16th century, Christoph, Duke of Württemberg, often visited here because of the water. Other important people followed, but after The Thirty Years' War, interest decreased. In 1839, two physicians bought the bathhouse and surrounding area and opened a hospital there which still exists today.
I have to admit, however, that the carbonated version of our own mineral water was a tad too salty for my taste.
Taste in water is really important for us. We Germans can't just drink any water and like it - unless we are very thirsty and even then chances are we are going to complain.
Water can taste different depending on the minerals, calcium, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, etc.
Water can also change taste. It is possible you have been used to a mineral water and suddenly you don't like it anymore.
It happened to me with my last one (on top of that, they also changed from the "bead bottle" to a smooth bottle!), and since I can't get the one I like delivered, I switched to tap water. That wasn't an easy decision for me. The tap water in my region is rather hard and I had to get used to it first. Some people use filters, I also did that for a while, but then found it didn't make a difference for me, but was a hassle and money I didn't need to spend.
A lot of people here drink tap water now. Not only is it often said that it's our best controlled product, it's also cheaper than bottled water and it's readily available without having to go to the store. For those who can't stand still water - once upon a time I was one of those as well - there are "water bubblers" you can use to make your own sparkling water, as bubbly as you like it.
My town and others have projects to promote tap water, for example by opening filling stations in the city or getting shops on board to offer free fillings.
So yeah, that means you can get tap water in German restaurants now, right?
Yes and no.
According to the EU Drinking Water Directive, it's recommended to improve access by "actions aimed at promoting the use of tap water, for example by encouraging the free provision of water intended for human consumption in public administrations and public buildings or, for free or for a low service fee, for customers in restaurant, canteens and catering services".
That means you can ask, but it's possible you won't get any at all or it may cost you - and the owner decides how much.
According to a survey in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, Germans still don't like to ask for tap water in restaurants.
I guess the reasons are that people want to treat themselves when going out, they think prices are too high for tap water - we all heard one or the other story - or they are simply not used to even think of asking.
By the way, water in restaurants ... did you know there are water sommeliers, about 500 in the world? They often work in the hotel and catering industry and recommend the right water with certain food or offer water tastings.
There are few schools where you can study to be one.
Tired of water yet? 🙃 No worries, I'll let you go now. Thank you if you made it to here!
Sources:
1. Sabine Riker: Das Wasser, das Göppingen berühmt machte. In: Stuttgarter Zeitung, August 15, 2019 (in German)
2. Olivia Logan: How many people dare to order tap water in Germany? On: I Am Expat, June 13, 2025
3. David Hahn: Darf Leitungswasser etwas kosten? On: Südwest Presse, December 6, 2024 (in German)
4. Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2020 on the quality of water intended for human consumption
