Top Ten
Cologne Cafés for the Cold Season
To help you get through the winter, here is a selection of some of the best cafés in the beautiful city of Cologne.
By Katrin Ackermann
Craving a freshly brewed coffee, tasty cake and cosiness? Then Café Sehnsucht (which means “longing”) has everything your heart longs for. A venerable old Körnerstrasse institution in the lively Ehrenfeld district, the premises comprise a dining room winter garden and courtyard, which gives Sehnsucht a homey feel-good atmosphere, replete with beautiful floor tiles, sofa and wood stove near the entrance. Its varied assortment of sweet treats, beverages and breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes provides all the more reason to while away the hours there on a cold winter day. Address: Körnerstrasse 67, 50823 Köln-Ehrenfeld | Foto (Detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Rotkehlchen (which means “robin redbreast”) is a small café near the Ehrenfeld train station with an impressive assortment of homemade cakes, snacks and lunch menu. The display case is richly stocked with marvellous-looking cakes and pies as well as bagel and submarine sandwiches. Most of the dishes contain no animal products at all, such as the vegan biscoff (i.e. speculoos/spiced biscuit) cake or the bagel with homemade vegan “carrot lox” – which you can also take home in a jar. Café Rotkehlchen now has three locations in Cologne: viz. in Ehrenfeld, Bayenthal and Kalk. Address: Venloer Strasse 400, 50825 Köln-Ehrenfeld | Photo (detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Café Hommage in Friesenstrasse offers international treats including crêpes, Bircher muesli, and Portuguese pastéis de nata pastry. The house speciality is pancakes, which come in several varieties: fluffy pancakes, sweet thin crêpes and savoury filled galettes Their delicious cakes will make your mouth water too. All the food here is vegan or vegetarian. This small café’s interior is cosy and unusual, with a touch of the Orient, so it’s a good place for a quick escape from everyday urban life and a perfect blend of comfort and discovery. Address: Friesenstrasse 73, 50670 Köln–Neustadt-Nord | Photo (detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Walking into the Café Hallmackenreuther feels like a journey back in time: the original retro fittings and lighting in this big two-level café create a cordial, nostalgic ambiance that’ll beam you right back to the 1950s. The Hallmackenreuther is located right at Brüsseler Platz, the heart of Cologne’s Belgian Quarter, which is a popular area for shopping, going out and hanging out. The café’s open late, so you can stick around and segue from coffee or tea and cakes to, say, dinner, wine and music. Address: Brüsseler Platz 9, 50674 Köln-Belgisches Viertel | Photo (detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Café Franck in the Neuehrenfeld district is likewise brimming with mid-century charm. This corner café is located right on Ehrenfeldgürtel, a section of the ring road around Cologne’s inner city, and the soft lighting inside is already quite inviting from outside. Its fixtures and fittings hark back to the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Tradition and modernity intersect on the cake display counter. So if you love creamy classic cakes and pies, you’ve come to the right place. Though coffee and cake make way for Kölsch beer and cocktails every now and then on the weekend when Café Franck metamorphoses into a dance hall and lounge. Address: Eichendroffstrasse 30, 50825 Köln-Neuehrenfeld | Photo (detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Cologne's very popular Südstadt neighbourhood has much to offer in the way of culinary delights, and it’s particularly fun to check out the cafés, bistros and restaurants here on the south side of town. A warm welcome from a young, outgoing and personable team awaits you at Café Walter. For breakfast on a cold winter morning we recommend the apple cinnamon bowl or vegan cinnamon buns, and the carrot cake is an afternoon favourite. Afterwards, go for a digestive walk along the Rhine and have a gander at Cologne’s (in)famous Kranhäuser, three ultramodern 17-storey buildings shaped like harbour cranes, i.e. upside-down L’s. Address: An der Bottmühle 13, 50678 Köln-Südstadt | Photo (detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Go for the pancakes at Café Hinz & Kunz in Cologne’s Lindenthal district. They come in vegan varieties, too, by the way. And every month there’s a new seasonal and unfailingly impressive “Pancake of the Month”. But the lunch dishes and tasty cakes are also worth trying. And the location is ideal for a postprandial walk along the Lindenthal canal towards the Stadtwald forest. Address: Schallstrasse 34, 50931 Köln-Lindenthal | Photo (detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Café Jakubowski in the Mülheim district is a good place for a relaxing break after a stroll along the right (i.e. east) bank of the Rhine. At other cafés, especially in the darker months of the year, it often happens that you get together for a cup and no sooner have you made yourselves comfortable than last orders are called and you’re politely requested to leave. Well, that doesn't happen at Jakubowski, because this corner café is usually open till 11pm and offers a fine breakfast and cake assortment as well as terrific dinners. Thanks to the eye-catching picture of a blue sky with silver-lined clouds on the ceiling, you’re bound to have a heavenly time at the Café Jakubowski. | Photo (detail): © Katrin Ackermann
Located near the Deutzer Freiheit urban rail station, Café Heimisch (which means “local” or “at home”) resembles a hip urban loft with its two levels and a window façade that runs all the way up to the ceiling. But the comfortable vintage armchairs and sofas make for a very cosy ambiance, inviting you to hang out and hang loose. This café puts a premium on regional, seasonal produce. In autumn, for example, the Halloween specials include a pumpkin spice latte, baked pumpkin and pumpkin pie with cinnamon curd. Address: Deutzer Freiheit 72-74, 50679 Köln-Deutz | Photo (Detail): © Katrin Ackermann
A window seat at Café Goldjunge (“golden boy”) in Nippes is the perfect place to sit with a hot beverage in your hand and watch the hustle and bustle in the Neusser Strasse outside. You’ll relish this little café’s laid-back atmosphere, friendly staff and wide range of tasty titbits. The varied breakfast menu and wide range of cakes here are quite convincing, as are the lunch dishes and open-faced sandwiches. Sustainability is a top priority here: most of the food is homemade or local produce. Given the variety of plant-based dishes, vegans are bound to dig the menu here too. The pumpkin spice latte macchiato is a hot tip in autumn. Café Goldjunge has two other locations in town: in Sülz and at Media-Park. | Photo (Detail): © Katrin Ackermann