The 10 best restaurants for trade visitors – The culinary scene in Cologne is all colours of the rainbow
Who doesn’t know this? After a long day at the trade exhibition, the need for a good meal in a calm and relaxing atmosphere is especially high. Luckily, enjoyment is a big deal in Cologne, and the city has plenty of culinary delights to offer.
Whether you would like to try some hearty specialities from the Rhineland with a delicious drink – maybe a Kölsch – to toast your evening of leisure, or whether you have a business dinner on your schedule: with our ten restaurant recommendations, you can get to know the most delicious side of the vibrant cathedral city.
Bei d´r Tant brings Cologne’s sense of life to your plate
Himmel un Ääd, Kölscher Kaviar, Halver Hahn — you don’t get more Cologne than this! The bar restaurant bei d´r Tant, which is located in the heart of the cathedral city, is renowned well beyond the city borders. With a good home cooking kitchen, fresh tapped Gaffel Kölsch on tap as well as a cheerful and hearty atmosphere, this bar restaurant encourages you to linger and enjoy yourself, either “along the wall“ – right next to the bar – or in the “snug“, at a cosy table.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating: order some Rheinish specialities and you will discover that “Halver Hahn“ isn’t actually poultry but rather rye buns with cheese.
Address:
Cäcilienstrasse 28 (Corner Antonsgasse), 50667 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 3 km
Opening hours:
Monday – Thursday 11:00 – 24:00
Friday & Saturday 11:00 – 01:00
(Kitchen open till 23:00)
Dine all’italiano at Toscanini
Mm, garlic and tomato sauce are in the air — anyone who loves Italian cuisine can’t miss out on Toscanini. Here, authentic Italian dishes are served. The ambience is Mediterranean and will make you feel welcome in an instant. The open pizza ovens in the dining area, which are fuelled with beechwood, are not just eye-catching but also bake original, crunchy Italian pizzas.
A large selection of Italian wines complements the delicious dishes and transforms an evening meal into an enjoyable gastronomic experience. Just like in Italy. Only the German beers, above all Kölsch, will remind you that — despite the Italian flair — you are still in Cologne.
Address:
Jakobstraße 22, 50678 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 4 km
Opening hours:
Sunday – Friday 12:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday 18:00 – 23:00
Authentic Chinese cuisine at Great Wall Cologne
Cologne is a culinary melting pot. Thus, you will find a Chinese restaurant that can hardly be outdone in its authenticity, just 100 metres from Cologne cathedral. The multiple award-winning restaurant Great Wall offers a large selection of Chinese dishes, which can otherwise only be found in the Middle Kingdom.
Everything – from ingredients to seasoning and preparation methods – is authentic. This lovingly decorated restaurant will take you on a culinary journey of discovery through the various regional cuisines of China.
Address:
Komödienstraße 37, 50667 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 4 km
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday 11:30 – 15:00 & 17:30 – 23:00
Saturday, Sunday & on holidays 11:30 – 23:00
Enjoy an urban-chic atmosphere in Café Lichtenberg
Café Lichtenberg is anything but a standard café. Alongside a stylish interior with chandeliers and a piano, it offers everything the heart desires. Among other things, it offers a particular speciality from Alsace, Metté fruit brandy, which is world-famous thanks to its unique aromas.
Of course, you can also eat at Café Lichtenberg. As well as freshly-prepared dishes with ingredients from the region, on Saturdays there is also live music from 19:00, for a relaxed end to the evening.
Address:
Richmodstrasse 13, 50667 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 4 km
Opening hours:
Daily 10:00 – 24:00
In the mood for some Colognian food? – Brauhaus Reissdorf
The Brauhaus Reissdorf am Griechenmarkt brewery is a real Colognian original. In its quaint atmosphere you can enjoy the odd Reissdorf Kölsch and enjoy real home cooking.
The classic dish here is the hearty ‘Mettbrötchen’ (raw minced beef on bread), which is authentically served with onions. For hungrier guests, various simple dishes – including curried sausage, “Himmel & Ääd“ and various salads – are offered. A must for everyone who wants an authentic experience of the Cologne way of life.
Adresse:
Kleiner Griechenmarkt 40, 50676 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 4 km
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday 12:00 – 24:00
Saturday & Sunday 11:30 – 24:00
In line with the times at the WDR-Funkhaus Café
The WDR is as much an essential part of Cologne as the cathedral or Carnival. The WDR-Funkhaus café, near to Cologne’s main station, offers an insight into the history of one of Cologne’s institutions.
As a bar, café and restaurant in one, it offers something for everyone, from cakes to Mediterranean dishes. One of its unique characteristics is the stage in the dining room, where readings, concerts and WDR discussions are regularly held and broadcast live.
Address:
Wallrafplatz 5, 50667 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 4 km
Opening hours::
Sunday – Thursday 08:30 – 24:00
Friday & Saturday 08:30 – 01:00
Warm dishes till 23:00
At Kamasutra, love is on the menu
This popular restaurant will take you on a culinary journey to India. Above all, you will find many North Indian specialities on the menu. From chicken to lamb and from fish to prawns — you will be spoilt for choice.
As Indian cuisine offers many vegetarian and vegan dishes, nobody will go hungry here. The authentic dishes, prepared with exotic spices and fresh ingredients, will set off a taste explosion for you. But beware: some dishes are spicier than others.
Address:
Weyerstraße 114, 50676 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 4,5 km
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday 12:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 23:00
Saturday 12:00 – 15:00 & 17:30 – 23:00
Sundays & on holidays 12:00 – 23:00
French cooking at La Société
La Société is situated in the heart of the Latäng quartier, Cologne’s student area, and is a declaration of love for French cuisine. Decorated with a Michelin star as well as 16 Gault-&-Millau points, every day, this little gourmet restaurant proves that high-quality dishes and a relaxed ambience with love for detail are not mutually exclusive.
From lobster to saddle of venison — enjoy a culinary taste sensation and a welcoming atmosphere, leaving the chaos and stress of everyday life at the door.
Address:
Kyffhäuserstraße 53, 50674 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 5 km
Opening hours:
Daily 18:30 – 01:00
Kitchen open till 21:30
Fancy a burger? The fette Kuh will provide a solution!
Anyone who really fancies a juicy burger is in the right place at Die Fette Kuh (The Fat Cow). This burger restaurant stands out with a typical American fast-food flair, which immediately catapults you into a small town in the USA. Here, delicious, juicy burgers are served up, filled with all kinds of delicacies such as Gruyère or Avocado.
The best thing is that almost all burgers are also available in a vegetarian version, so that culinary pleasure is not reserved just for meat-eaters. There are also various fries, which – just like the sauces – are all prepared by hand. So tuck in and enjoy!
Address:
Bonner Str. 43, 50677 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 5 km
Opening hours:
Daily 12:00 – 23:00
Aristanbul — cultural-culinary bridge
In the Restaurant Artistanbul, in the Cologne city centre, the Turkish and the German cultures are culinary brought together — multicultural at its best.
The interior is nearly as extravagant as the food itself. Here, modern Mediterranean cuisine, created with passion and quality, await you. They serve cold and hot starters as well as vegetarian dishes. The focus is on meat dishes like Kebab, fish, lamb and chicken skewers, as well as the Dry-Aged Beef on real charcoal. A culinary highlight is the T-bone steak, which helped the Restaurant to win the TV-Show “Mein Lokal, Dein Lokal”. The restaurant is a place of friendship and the numerous Turkish dishes suit perfectly for sharing with each other, so that you can stop off at with colleagues after work. Just the right address for food lovers.
Address:
Komödienstraße 50-52, 50676 Cologne
Distance to Cologne Trade Fair Grounds:
approx. 5 km
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Thursday & Sunday 17:00 – 22:00
Friday & Saturday 17:00 – 23:00
