Frankfurt am Main Nightlife

The Cocoon Club is a popular and stylish nightclub on the far eastern edge of Ostend. It caters to the afluent easy going clubbing crowd of Frankfurt, with DJs playing a seamless stream of sound that mixes in something for everyone. It's definitely not hardcore, and it's not absolutely the most hip place in Frankfurt, but it tries hard and it does have a unique selling point: the cocoons.

The cocoons are places within the club where people can lock themselves away with their friends and pipe in their own choice of music and get their own personal service straight to their table. It's only available in the VIP section, however.

The club is spacious and open, with comfy seats and cosy snugs. The floor design makes for complex, and possibly hazardous, landscape. With the dark lighting and unexpected step-ups and step-downs, it's easy for the drunk to make a fool of themselves.

We had the whole place to ourselves the night of our release party and it was a lot of fun. Their caterers put on some great food (there's a restaurant as well) although the portions were so small I had to keep queueing up for more while still eating. Seriously: the bowls were smaller than I'd feed a cat with, and were half full.

Dress Code: Smart casual. Not as strict as some in Frankfurt.

Huge pub located opposite of the Hauptbahnhof in the city center. Mostly frequented by expats. Live sports broadcasted in various areas, you may actually follow at least 6 different football matches at the same time.

Nice terrace during summertime.

Dress Code: Casual.

I've finally managed to go there, after passing by since more than one and a half years. I liked the interior very much.

Good value for money. Big portions. I had a cheeseburger and was very surprised that I also got a delicious salad with it!

In October 2006 I've organized one of our office parties here. Very nice and trendy location. We had a so called "Flying Buffet". Food was fanstastic and service was great, very quick and friendly! - A perfect evening and lots of fun.

Returned yesterday, for some drinks with a friend. I was very surprised when they served me the apple wine in a normal wine glass and not in the special apple wine glass. I felt that this is a little posh but very good that had the traditional apple wine pitcher called "Bembel". Anyway it was a nice evening. And I still like the location!

In business continuously since 1952, the Jazzkeller oozes with tradition and atmosphere in its cozy basement hideaway. I came here on a Wednesday night jam session, and the place was bopping! Lots and lots of young people in the audience: it makes one wonder if the future of jazz is in Europe, not the USA. If you come for the jam, get here early for a good seat.

They have a full program of live music on just about every night of the week. Check out their website.

Centrally located just steps away from the old Frankfurt Oper, and near one of Frankfurt's toniest shopping streets, the Jazzkeller is still completely unpretentious.

Dress Code: casual

One for the summer, but this fantastic club is open all day long to make the most of the hot weather. The place is made up from 40 tons of sand transported from the sea shores, to the banks of the Main river hundreds of miles inland. The scene on a hot summer's evening looks like something from a tropical island adventure, although the murky waters of the Main put a dampner on that.

The place is split into two sections: the standard club and the VIP club. When my company booked out the place for a night of celebration I found out just how exclusive the place was. While we were drinking the owners came up to my boss and asked him if he'd mind a certain gentleman and his friends gatecrashing our party, as he loved the place so much. This person was none other than World Cup winner and former German national team manager Rudi Voller, one of the most famous people in the world.

Of course my boss said "sure" and we spent the rest of the evening feeling special about being in the presence of such a footballing great. He was even generous and patient enough to let people take their picture with him, despite how annoying that must get for him.

The place isn't all that expensive either, at only 5.00 euros to get in.

Dress Code: I don't know if there are any dress codes, as it is a pretty relaxed place, but you judging by the number of brand new BMWs and Mercedes in the parking lot, you'll probably want to dress up for the occasion.

For years, we didn't know the real name of Kyalami, so we just called it the Afrika Bar. It sits in a good central location in Sachsenhausen perfect for ducking in to grab a quick apfelschnapps or a beer. Kyalami has a reputation for being a huge US Army hangout, but we've never had any trouble here.

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The Anglo Irish was many times our first stop of the evening on the rare occasion we were lucky enough to spend a night in the city. It is a friendly bar with mostly English-speaking guests (as the name implies). Seems like every time I was there, there was football or rugby on TV and the place was pretty busy, often standing room only.

The menu includes German, Irish and British beers, German wines, mixed drinks, hard liquors, schnapps, and coffees.

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The Spritzehaus has long been one of our favorite late night spots in Sachsenhausen. With its firehouse theme and live music ranging from 70s rock to heavy metal, you are sure to have a good time. Not so many tourists go here, but rather a good crowd of locals who seem to know each other. Drinks aren't overly expensive for the area and admission is free. The bar is open every night at 7pm and the bands usually start around 9pm. After midnight you will usually find lots of loud metal.

Go to Spritzehaus' website

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Sachsenhausen is one of Frankfurt's top nightlife areas. It has a wide variety of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs where you can spend an entire evening. Our favorite spots in Sachsenhausen were the Afrika Bar, the Irish Pub, the Latin Bar, and the Firehouse (for a little rock and metal). On a typical evening, we'd hit a few other places as well, but these were the old standby spots.

Sachsenhausen is located south of the Main River, just southeast of the Roemer-platz. From the Romer, cross the river on the pedestrian bridge (Eiserner Steg), and turn left. Walk along the river past the next bridge (Alte Brucke) -- this bridge crosses an island. Take the next right AFTER the Alte Brucke onto a street that angles off at a 45 degree angle. This is called Rittersgasse and leads right into Sachenhausen's bar district.

In recent years this areas has become home to Frankfurt's Turkish population, and boasts numerous tasty Doner Kebap stands and other non-German places. The hotel in Sachsenhausen where I stayed was owned by non-Germans as well.

My link below takes you to a Frankfurt map... just click on "Citymap", then zoom into the area labeled Sachsenhausen.

On the U-Bahn, you can take the U1, U2, or U3 to Schweizerplaz or Frankfurt Sud stations. From the S-Bahn, get off at Frankfurt Sud or Lokalbahnhof stations.

A taxi might be even easier!