RestaurantsWhile you can easily find the typical sausage and sauerkraut meal in Cologne, the city has expanded its culinary repertoire beyond the German stereotype and into the international scene. Michelin stars now decorate the landscape and menus include influences from France to the Far East.
The Cologne restaurants below have been grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over Euro45)
Moderate (Euro25 to Euro45)
Cheap (up to Euro25)
These Cologne restaurant prices are for a three-course meal per person and include taxes but not drinks. Please note that credit cards are not generally accepted in brauhauses. Tipping is a matter of personal preference based on the quality and service of the food and is usually around 10%.
ExpensiveLa Poȇle d’Or
Chef Jean-Claude Bado brings the flavours of France to Cologne in the strategically located La Poȇle d'Or near the Dom. Menus include controversial items like veal with foie gras, as well as more accepted favourites like guinea fowl and sea bass. The small size of the place lends it an intimate atmosphere and its quality marks it out as one of the best places to dine in Cologne.
Komödienstrasse 50 – 52
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 13986 777.
Web: www.lapoeledor.de/
Taku
Armed with a Michelin star, this clean, modern restaurant combines tastes from across Asia with the spirit of hospitality (that's what the name Taku implies, anyway.) Chef Nicolas von Auersperg combines traditions from Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam and Indonesia to create a contemporary, experimental menu.
Excelsior Hotel Ernst, Trankgasse 1-5
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 2701.
Web: www.excelsiorhotelernst.com/en/restaurant-bar/taku/
La Vision
Come here for a special occasion on a summer night to savour Michelin-starred classical French and Mediterranean gourmet cuisine on the 11th-floor roof terrace with a great view over Cologne. It's one of the most famous restaurants in Cologne, in terms of both the quality of food and the atmosphere - and unsurprisingly, it has the prices to match.
Kaygasse 2
Hotel im Wasserturm
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 20080.
Web: www.hotel-im-wasserturm.de/
ModerateHusarenquartier – Restaurant Bistro Herbert Brockel
German cuisine is the name of the game at this gourmet restaurant that focuses on food from the Rhine Valley. Their wine list stocks more than 250 German wines and they buck the current trend in dining by inviting guests to smoke over a digestif or coffee. It's a 30 minutes drive from the city centre of Cologne to reach the spot – but then you will be dining in one of the "Top 100 restaurants in Germany."
Schlossstrasse 10, Erftstadt
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (02235) 5096.
Web: http://www.husarenquartier.de/
Haxenhaus Zum Rheingarten
This 800-year-old beautifully converted medieval hall-like house in the heart of the Atltstadt offers typical hearty Cologne cooking with homemade Bratwurst and pork specialities. While the decor may err towards the cheesy side of life, the food stays firmly where it belongs: in the realm of wild boar knuckle, dumplings and cabbage.
Frankenwerft 19
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 947 2400.
Web: www.haxenhaus.de/
Em Krützche
At Em Krützche, set in a 16th-century house on the river in the Altstadt, you can eat in the same traditional panelled dining room in which Bill Clinton and Tony Blair enjoyed the excellent local and regional cooking. Specialities include herring, sauerbraten (a beef pot roast,) wild salmon and roast suckling pig. Desserts are deliciously over the top.
Frankenturm 1-3
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 258 0839.
Web: www.emkruetzche.de/
CheapCurry Cologne
Embrace the German snack of currywurst (curried sausage) chips and sauerkraut. Curry Cologne offers a range of sauces besides the traditional tomato ketchup-come-chilli creation, so if it turns out you're not a currywurst aficionado then there's always mayonnaise, ali-oli or no sauce at all on offer. Cheap, tasty, fun.
Brabanter Strasse 42
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 589 4556.
Web: http://www.currycologne.de/
Wackes
Long established cosy rustic little weinstube (inn) with gingham table clothes and beams, serving Alsatian dishes and specialising in flammkuchen (the Alsatian take on pizza). This heart-warming and delicious dish loads on cream, sour cream, bacon and more cream into a high-cholesterol, high enjoyment dinner. You can then finish that off with a serving of caramelised banana and popcorn ice cream.
Benesisstrasse 59
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 257 3456.
Web: www.wackes-weinstube.de/
Brauhaus Sion
Eat in the restaurant section of this traditional wooden-panelled brauhaus sampling hearty local Cologne specialities such as reibekuchen (potato pancakes) and sauerbraten (beef marinated in vinegar). The brauhaus often provides a sounding board for local musicians so depending on the schedule you could be in for a raucously good evening.
Untertaschenmacher 5-7
Cologne
Germany
Tel: (0221) 257 8540.
Web: www.brauhaus-sion.de/
