Brussels/Cologne/Munich

Hey yall,

I'm headed to Belgium/Germany in April and once there doing it all by rail. I'm looking for any contemporary insight outside of these cities' immediate centers. I.e. I've done my due diligence regarding Kolsch beer halls and the classic Bavarian stuff but I'd love to hear any personal favorites even if they're obvious .

If anybody has a good rundown of Turkish or Syrian foods in Cologne that'd be excellent. I've done the least research thus far on Brussels but will have a local there to learn from.

I eat anything and everything. Voraciously.

Thanks,

In Cologne, make a special trip to Lommerzheim. It is on the east side of the river a block south of the train station in a mostly residential neighborhood. It opens for dinner at 4:30 and the street will be filled with people waiting. In April get a table in the patio area, great for people watching.

It has a very limited menu for main dishes. Try the pork chop smothered in onions. You have a choice of regular chop or fatty. You know where the flavor is. Have potato salad as your side.

They make their own Kolsch and it is as good as any in the area. This is a local place and almost all the patrons walk to it from the neighborhood. Be prepared to wait if you don't get there when they open.

Thanks! Lommerzheim looks really cool and is now on my list.

I'm pumped about the Puszta-hütte as well. Random spot I found on google maps that only serves Hungarian goulash. I doubt that'd be a destination for everybody but is most certainly my jam. I dream of a world full of small pubs that serve only one food item and do so exceptionally well.

Looks like Cologne will be an especially good city for Turkish food as well but thats no surprise.

With regards to Munich.....

Elia: A nice change of pace from German food. I think my group was the only non locals in the place (outdoor tables were all in use/reserved, we just walked in and sat inside). Not sure if they have english menus, thankfully gyros is gyro in German (or close to it). I had some pork kabobs that were great.

Herzogstr. 90
https://elia-restaurant.de/


Gasthaus Weinbauer: Great German food, north of the center of town and close to some of the universities so the crowd felt more local. Schnitzel really hit the spot.

Fendstrasse 5

I have not been to the ones below, but they were recommended by my friend:

· Kaisergarten: higher-end German restaurant with outdoor seating as well

· Schwabinger Wasserman: Also very good German food. Awesome Wiener Schnitzel (technically Austrian, but the Bavarians adopted it too)


· Osteria Italiana: Rumor is that a certain evil Austrian man known for his mustache ate here. I can see the appeal, their food is amazing!

· Hostaria Fratelli: Very romantic candle lit Italian restaurant.

· Creperie Bernard et Bernard: Very romantic French creperie. Super small and tucked in a corner. The crepes are amazing in both sweet and savory and the French wine is so affordable and magical

Thank you! these are great.

My fave place for Kölsch and goulash and oxtail soup in Köln is Früh, a very friendly pub that goes back years and years.

Geo

https://www.frueh-gastronomie.com/

Forgot to add some others...

I think in my week in Munich I hit a beer hall/bar/beer garden that was owned by all the major breweries in Munich. Hofbrauhaus is fine for a beer just to say you have been there. Lowenbrau's was just ok, rainy day and hadn't been to a Lowenbrau spot yet so decided to try it out. I think my favorite was sitting out front of the Augustiner aum Dom. Wherever you do eat make sure to at least try some obatzda as well as some schweinshaxe!

Outside of Munich, if you are a big beer person and have some time (kind of a pain to get to) the Andechs Brewery is a fun day trip. Take the S8 to the end of the line in Herrsching and then either cab it or hike to the top. Beware, it is a good hike so if it is hot out, you will be miserable. I took a cab up,the walk back down was pleasant and well marked. I did not have a lot of time to explore the town or view the lake but the views of the lake were stunning. I should say it is a pain because it just takes a long time, two-ish hours. Each step on the journey is quite easy. Mine was made longer because I went there straight from Dachau which is not a direct train ride, had to ride back in and then out again.

http://www.andechs.de/en/brewery/

Wesuilmo, lommerzheim was an outstanding experience. Thank you. We really enjoyed both the massive amounts of kolsch out in the street while waiting to get a table, and the food and atmosphere inside. Truly a highlight of the trip. Everything was great and anybody passing through Cologne should go. Be prepared to pontificate and speak whatever German you have, even if it isn't much.

The rest of the trip was a hoot as well. I can't stress enough how much I liked eating in Brussels. One day when I have the time to commit some notes to a coherent diatribe I will share here.

Lommerzheim
Siegesstraße 18, 50679
Köln, Germany

lommerzheim is one of my favorite places in Germany. Haven't been this year yet, we've been going to Hamburg rather than Cologne. Should be back in the fall. I'm glad you enjoyed it, hope you had the cutlet with fat. A wonderful neighborhood place that welcomes all. And yes the kolsch flows freely. The tally from my last visit had 106 marks on the coaster.

Headed to Brussels for work and expect an early dinner on my own on arrival; any recs?

I don't have specific places in mind but my inclination would be Congolese food in the Matonge ( I think we went to Au Soleil d'Afrique) or a good Belgian brasserie (Greenwich Cafe I remember being good but there's plenty of 'em). These are two food memories that stand out as unique to and a big part of the charm in Brussels.

I went to two of the Noordzee locations and both were a hoot.

Fun city to walk around in. You shouldn't need to plan too much to have fun and eat well.

Looking forward to hearing results -- we've just booked a trip to Brussels later this year, where I'll be speaking, then on to Paris.

We were there a couple of weeks ago. Nothing fantastic but our favorite meal was at Le Rendez-vous des Artistes, near Place Louise on Rue Dejoncker. Definitely not a destination, but if you are nearby it would be a good choice. Fairly typical brasserie style food. Very large menu.

-Will

I saw this video about river cruises with how it differs from ocean cruises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUS3LOU5ZqQ

Interesting take on the cruises. I have only been on one river cruise but I liked it more than ocean cruises, often for the reasons he dislikes them. My favorite ocean cruise was on a much smaller ship on seabourn with 300 passengers, which made it more similar to a river cruise (ours had 140 people), than the giant ocean ships.

-Will