Guten Tag,
Today I present to you Frankfurt’s Red Light District or in German, das Bahnhofsviertel. (The train station district.) This area is totally going through the process of gentrification right now and I happen to live right in the crux of it. This is your insider’s guide to the best places for food and drink in Frankfurt’s centre.
These are places that you probably wouldn’t find if you were just here as a tourist. These are locally known and cool spots.
Insider’s Guide to the Best Restaurants in Frankfurt
Frankfurt’s best sushi owned by the nicest small-business owner on the planet! Her tuna and salmon will melt in your mouth like butter and the design of the place is trendy and cute too. Definitely one of the best restaurants in Frankfurt.
This is our absolute favourite restaurant in the Bahnhofsviertel. Bento Sushi is owned by the most amazing gal called Thi and her sushi is by far the best in town. The tuna and salmon simply *melt* in your mouth…. just like butter.
From the top floor of Bento Sushi.
Eat Doori
The vibe here is great. High industrial ceilings, a huge space and noisy so you can bring a big group of people. The novelty of ordering your food and attaching the order with clothes pegs above your table is pretty cool!
ABER
Minimalistic design, small and intimate – the perfect place for a date night. I believe their menu changes from week to week and their food is really delicious!
ABER
Walon & Rosetti
Great place for after work drinks and there are lots of nice variations of gin. I’ve eaten there twice and both times I was very happy with the food. Go for the spinach and pine nut salad with sliced rump steak. YUM. You’ll probably need to make a reservation as it’s always pumping inside.
Kinly Bar
This place is amazing and completely random & hidden. It’s a tiny little speakeasy bar which is actually under street level. I haven’t had beautiful cocktails and perfectly mixed drinks anywhere else in the world like I have here at Kinly Bar. Their service is top-notch too. They will always make you the most creative and interesting drinks using very odd ingredients which just work together! My tip is to try and get in around 7 or 8PM because it’s usually very busy. To get in, you need to find a skinny, unmarked black door and ring the bell. You’ll be taken downstairs into the dark, taxidermy-laden bar. A really cool experience!
Chez Ima
Definitely, my go-to place when I have visitors in town or if I’m craving a good piece of steak. Nice vibe, great interior design and a good range of drinks too.
CHEZ IMA: Now this is one place you’re definitely going to want to visit, especially if you are a lover of a good steak. At night time, this place is amazingly lit and they have really great food. It’s a restaurant which is attached to the bottom of Levi’s 25 Hour Hotel on Nidda Strasse.
Chez Ima
Fletcher’s Burgers
Amazing burgers! Good quality ingredients and very simple, but perfectly executed. This is one of the best takeaway restaurants in Frankfurt, so get over there and give it a try. Over the last couple of years, Fletcher’s has opened many other locations all around Frankfurt & the surrounding areas.
Hot off the press ***
Misch Poke is now available inside both Fletcher’s on Oederweg and Ohmstrasse. Poke Bowls are a Hawaiian / Sushi mix filled with delicious ingredients. I had one today and I can confirm: delicious!
Club Michel
Another of the best restaurants in Frankfurt: unique because it never has the same food twice. It’s been set up in an apartment so it’s extremely cosy and a really great space. The staff are always friendly and the food is epic. As far as I know, you can only make a booking if you receive their weekly newsletter with the weekend’s menu. To get the newsletter, you need to sign up for it on their website. Bit of a process but totally worth it. We go almost monthly!
Montana Pizza
Brought to you by the same guys who do Fletcher’s Burgers. These pizzas are unreal and definitely make Montana Pizza on the list of best restaurants in Frankfurt. The Pacman oven was specially imported from Naples and all their ingredients are fresh. I really love the Parma ham, rocket and parmesan pizza.
Looking for other beautiful things to do in Frankfurt? Sachsenhausen, Nordend, Westend and Bornheim are the most ‘popular/wealthy’ areas but in terms of creativity and value for money, the Bahnhofsviertel is certainly the newest hip area in town.
After living here for seven years, I have written a lot of articles on Frankfurt:
Best Food in Frankfurt: An Insider’s List
Where to Find Great Cafes in Frankfurt
Frankfurt Has an Underground Caffeine Scene Brewing
VIF: A Frankfurt Insider’s Food Guide
The Nice Side of Frankfurt am Main: Germany
These are just my personal favourites. Of course, there are many other great places which aren’t on this list of things to do in Frankfurt & which I probably don’t know of. Why don’t you leave some of your personal favourites in the comments for me?
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Tschüß 🙂
A lot of Germans will tell you that Frankfurt is ugly and not worth visiting. That’s not true! If you don’t know the best things to do in Frankfurt, of course, you’ll think it’s a strange mix of traditional with skyscrapers and a few Soviet-era block housing thrown into the mix. If you have a local (like me) to show you the coolest hidden gems, you will find yourself pleasantly surprised.
Unpredictable weather…. always bring an umbrella when in Frankfurt!
This is a little organic bakery on the corner. I’m trying to abstain from bread at the moment due to having lived in breadsville, I mean Germany for the last 5 years but if you’re in the mood for a good croissant, these people do them quite well.