Café Rico
Apostel-Viertel
This gay-owned café in the fashion district - popular with artists, gallerists and politicians - serves up Viennese coffee and one of the best brunches in town....
- Café or Bistro
- Fusion
Hans im Glück
Apostelnviertel
Named after a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the burgers at Hans im Glück are legendary among the crowds of Cologne's central ring. Though already a bit heavy on...
- Casual
- American
Metzgerei & Salon Schmitz
Belgisches Viertel
Always packed, ever pricey, but undoubtedly delicious, this small, attractively staffed butcher with neighboring bar and salon, as well as an underground party...
- Café or Bistro
- Local Cuisine
Achterdeck
Marienburg
Achterdeck is a floating restaurant with indoor dining and terrace beer garden on the Rhine, a relaxed setting in warmer months off the beaten tourist track with a...
- Casual
- Multi-Cuisine
Alfredo
Declared "fresh and unfussy" by the Michelin guide, this second-generation Italian restaurant should be at the top of the list for foodies who want a try at a more...
- Fine Dining
- Italian
Bäckerei Zimmermann
Apostelnviertel
Feeding hungry shoppers on Ehrenstraße since 1875, the bakery is well-loved among locals and tourists alike. With over fifty sorts of house-made bread and...
- Bakery
- Local Cuisine
Beef Brothers
Belgisches Viertel
A cheaper, nearly as tasty alternative to the fancier Hans im Glück. The titular brothers Felix and Jean Paul Windhausen were the avant-garde of the...
- Casual
- American
Brauhaus zur Malzmühle
Altstadt
For tourists and beer-lovers alike, the Brauhaus zur Malzmühle is not to be missed. As Cologne's second-oldest brewery, it has maintained its original location and...
- Casual
- Local Cuisine
Bunte Burger
Ehrenfeld
Another star on the lapel of Cologne's exhaustive burger-boutique scene, Bunte Burger serves vegan versions of the decadent American import. The restaurant keeps a...
- Casual
- American
Café Sehnsucht
Ehrenfeld
A bio-café with an understated, elegant interior and lovely terrace, Café Sehnsucht (Café Longing) was of one of the pioneers of Cologne's slow-food movement....
- Café or Bistro
- Organic
Die Rösterei
Belgisches Viertel
One of the first bistros in Cologne to make espresso from house-roasted beans, Die Rösterei not brews drinks made from the "Moxxa" brand of coffee, but also...
- Coffee shop
- American
Eisfeld
Ehrenfeld
In the vibrant Ehrenfeld, Eisfiled is an ice cream parlor like no other, with additive-free homemade flavors like cucumber-mint and blueberry-sour cream. Coffee,
- Casual
- Sweets
Era Café & Bar
Apostelnviertel
This flirtacious corner-café and bar for queers offers tasty tapas and a nice selection of drinks to accompany the gawking and preening. The pinot gris is especially
- Café or Bistro
- Fusion
Flakes Corner
Südstadt
A novelty-café for the oats-and-flakes fanatics. With more müsli and cereal sorts than one ever thought could coexist in a single a location, there are bags to go or...
- Theme
- Other
Habibi
Rathenauviertel
One of the (if not the) most popular falafel joints in Cologne, near Rudolfplatz, Habibi is always brimming with a vibrant crowd of mostly locals. The dishes are...
- Café or Bistro
- Middle Eastern
Hallmackenreuther
Belgisches Viertel
Blazoned with a Pan Am logo and right next to Brüssler Platz, it is no wonder this bar-café-restaurant is always crowded with hipsters. It's a cleanly-designed...
- Café or Bistro
- Fusion
Heilandt
Belgisches Viertel
With beans shipped from Hamburg and roasted in the shop, it's about a fresh a shot as you'll get in the Domstadt. Great for a spontaneous but high-quality
- Coffee shop
- American
Herr Pimock
Belgisches Viertel
Another popular watering hole among the night-hipsters, this mustachioed locale serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in good-sized, comfort-food portions. It also
- Café or Bistro
- Fusion
Krua Thai
Belgisches Viertel
A fast but flavorful Thai spot in Belgisches Viertel that is rightfully always very crowded. Customers may eat on the premises or take their 4-spicy Thai curry to
- Casual
- Thai
Le Moissonnier
Styled like a French brassiere, Le Moissonnier is the only two Michelin-starred restaurant in Cologne, offering creative and often surprising plates, with an...
- Café or Bistro
- French
Madame Miammiam
Belgisches Viertel
Appearances are not deceiving at Anne Schulte's very famous sweet shop: the cakes, cookies, and other treats taste as radiant as they look. A great place to pause...
- Café or Bistro
- Sweets
Mittelblond Kulturkneipe
Neumarkt Viertel
This "culture-bar" is an extremely campy restaurant paired with a live cabaret show, more often than not hosted by the owner, Marcos Schlüter. Book well in advance
- Café or Bistro
- Fusion
Nada
Agnesviertel
This lounge-y restaurant on sleepy Clever Straße features a half-circle dining room in shimmering gold and a bar framed in mirror tiles, a nice backdrop for a
- Fine Dining
- Fusion
Schamong Kaffee
Ehrenfeld
A family-run coffee roaster now in its third generation, with affordable coffee specialties made from the beans and homemade sweets. Try the Panpepato Nannini, a...
- Coffee shop
- Italian
Simitland
Ehrenfeld
A jewel in the rough, Simitland offers delicious turkish breads and sweets as well as a very affordable, traditional breakfast/brunch buffet every day of the week. A
- Bakery
- Middle Eastern
Ständige Vertretung Köln
Altstadt
The Cologne outpost of the Bonn original has walls decked with exorbitant amount of photographs testifying to its once status as a meeting place for local...
- Café or Bistro
- Local Cuisine
The Coffee Gang
Kwatier Latäng
An espresso not to be matched in all of Cologne: deep and interesting, sour and sweet, round and sharp. Seating can be scarce and not particularly comfortable, but
- Coffee shop
- American
Van Dyck Rösterei
Ehrenfeld
Once a hair salon and now a feel-good coffee shop that carefully roasts on the premises in Ehrenfeld. Although the drinks may not necessarily be as rigorously...
- Coffee shop
- American
Vendôme
Bergisch Gladbach
Located at the Schloss Bensberg hotel in a former nobleman's house, Vendôme is fine-dining within a granite and stained-glass interiors. Highlights include a view of...
- Fine Dining
- Other
Wein am Rhein
Kunibertsviertel
Wine connoisseurs will enjoy the welcoming Wein am Rhein on the river with a fine selection of varietals from the region and one of Cologne's top kitchens. Try the
- Fine Dining
- Local Cuisine