Hungry? Check Out Where to Eat in Cologne, Germany

Hey, did you hear?! My parents are going on an incredible European river cruise at the end of the year!
I’m definitely feeling a little jelly so I’ll be taking this opportunity to live vicariously through them, creating content for you all inspired by their upcoming cruise. So today I’ll be sharing some exciting and unique on where to eat in Cologne since that’s the third stop on their trip.

Their cruise actually stops at quite a few places on my ultimate world travel bucket list! So, even though I won’t be joining them on this trip, I’ll be sharing tons of blog posts with attractions and activities for each of their stops.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you purchase any of my recommended products at the bottom of the post, I will earn a small commission at no extra charge to you. Keep in mind though, that I only post affiliate links to products and services I personally love and use myself! Purchasing through my page ensures that I am able to keep writing useful content for all of you.

This way, you and I will both get to:

daydream about trips to come, and
get some planning done for the day we do get to visit these amazing cities 🙂

You can find the blog series at each of the links below (to be filled in one per month leading up to their trip in October 😉 )

Things to do in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Free things to do in Kinderdijk, Netherlands
Cologne, Germany (that’s this post lol)
Koblenz, Germany
Heidelberg, Germany
Strasbourg, France
Breisach, Germany
Basel, Switzerland

So without further ado, today’s post is on Cologne, Germany!

Table of Contents

Where to Eat in Cologne: Breakfast/Brunch

Aachener Strasse has a great selection of cafes and cocktail bars that are also lively breakfast spots.

Theater im Bauturm has some great vegan specials and organic options, and Balthasar is an industrial-style space serving dishes like eggs benedict with smoked ham.

And you can’t leave Cologne without trying some cafe und kuchen (coffee and cake) from the very traditional Café Relchard. Here, you can expect chandeliers and Cologne seniors in their fluffiest blow-dries and best gold jewelry.

Restaurants in Cologne: Lunch

If you happen to be near the cathedral around lunchtime, Funkhaus has an upmarket cafeteria vibe, good wine and tasty German cuisine, including salmon with hash browns.

And if you want to accompany your lunch with a glass of Kolsch, Cologne’s crisp beer, try Bierhaus am Rhein, which serves a killer currywurst and has lovely outdoor seating by the river.

Where to Eat in Cologne: Dinner

Haxenhaus is a good beer hall choice for dinner, thanks to its meter-long bratwurst and pork knuckles.

But if a beer hall isn’t really your scene, Café Feynsinn is credited with starting Cologne’s slow food movement. Dishes such as lamb tagine with couscous are made using locally-sourced ingredients.

Where to Eat in Cologne: Desserts

Overlooking the Rhine river, the family-friendly Chocolate Museum (Schokoladenmuseum) has great interactive exhibits on cocoa farming as well as some colorful ceramics from Central and South America. The best part, however, is watching vast mixers churn Lindt chocolate and seeing individual pieces whizz past on a conveyor belt.

Plus… they have an enormous chocolate fountain!

Bars in Cologne: Drinks

When it comes to bars in Cologne, the city’s beer halls deserve at least an evening of your time and are the place to experience the crazy, Rhinelander spirit. Fruh am Dom has some lovely old features and the most attentive waiters, while Peters has the best party atmosphere.

Friesenstrasse is lined with studenty bars; try Friesen Bar, a cocktail lounge with shabby leather sofas, or Cafe Waschsalon, housed in a former laundrette a few streets away. For a little sophistication, some of Cologne’s best mixologists reside at Shepheard.

TL;DR

I’m getting so excited for them – and for myself when the day comes for me to visit Cologne! Have you been to Germany? Out of all the restaurants and bars in Cologne, where’s your favorite place to grab a bite to eat?

And if you decide to go on this cruise, you can find the Viking Hlin on Trip Advisor here.