The Top 10 Restaurants In Ehrenfeld

Cologne’s trendy quarter Ehrenfeld is known for its street art, excellent nightlife and colourful mix of cultures. And the culinary scene is just as diverse with Portuguese tapas, Buddha bowls and Schnitzel on local menus. Here are the ten best restaurants in Cologne’s most vibrant district.

1. Bagatelle Ehrenfeld

Restaurant, French, Tapas

After the concept proved popular in Cologne’s Südstadt and Lindenthal quarters, the Bagatelle has moved into Ehrenfeld. This quaint and cosy restaurant serves French tapas – expect small portions of quiche au saumon, boeuf bourguignon and beetroot carpaccio.

2. Saudade

Restaurant, Portuguese

The small café Saudade wins over its guests with welcoming decor, fantastic Portuguese wines and delicious tapas. The menu changes regularly but you can expect local specialties such as Bacalhau (dried and salted cod) and Bitoque (Portuguese steak with fried eggs). Good news: you can take home some local treats such as olive oil, honey and marmalade.

3. Maifeld

Restaurant, Healthy, German, Soup

The corner café and restaurant Maifeld is open all day. Food is served in the no-fuss dining rooms or on the large panoramic terrace. The typical German breakfast – with a range of bread, cheese, sandwich meats and spreads – makes way for soups, salads, burgers or tarte flambées for lunch. Dinner options include healthy Buddha bowls, Moroccan roast chicken and various fish dishes.

5. Oskar Jäger Deli

Restaurant, Contemporary, Vegetarian

Due to high demand, the Speisesalon catering service opened its Oskar Jäger Deli where they have a weekly-changing menu of their best dishes. Only open for lunch Mondays to Fridays, they serve salads, soups and quiche, plus one meat dish and a vegetarian option daily.

6. Haus Scholzen

Restaurant, German

Haus Scholzen serves hearty traditional German foods in a rustic yet chic atmosphere. The menu changes daily but you’re sure to find some local specialties such as Rievkooche, Soorbrate or Flönz. The chef uses only fresh and seasonal meat, fish and produce.

7. Taverne Alekos

Restaurant, Greek

Cologne’s oldest Greek restaurant has lured locals with its friendly atmosphere and traditional food since 1974. The family-run locale is only a few minutes away from Ehrenfeld train station and serves the best of Greek cuisine – souvlaki, saganaki and moussaka included.

8. Goldmund Literatur Café & Restaurant

Cafe, European, Vegetarian

The café serves great food all day, from fresh croissant and muesli for breakfast, quiche and salads for lunch and Thai curries and Schnitzel in the evening. And that’s not all – even if you’re not planning to eat at all, Goldmund is a great place to just sip on a coffee and browse the hundreds of books that are stacked on the shelves around you.

9. The Shepler’s

Restaurant, American

The American-Italian Tex-Mex restaurant The Shepler’s is dedicated to serving authentic southern food. Meat-lovers face the challenge of choosing between full stack spare ribs, chicken wings, rib-eye steak and burgers with a side of curly fries, nachos or corn on the cob. The vegetarian choices are comparatively puny but they do have baked potatoes and a veggie burger on the menu.

10. Café Sehnsucht

Cafe, European, Northern European

Café Sehnsucht is one of Ehrenfeld’s most popular cafés with excellent organic foods and a home-like atmosphere. The coffee is from the nearby Van Dyck roastery and the local bakery delivers fresh bread every morning. Fresh eggs and french toast are available for breakfast, salads and focaccias for lunch, risotto and steak for dinner, and delicious cake and coffee anytime in between.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.