Essen Restaurants

This is relatively new cafe in the centre of the city. I did visit here at morning or evening, for coffee or beer, service was nice too. By the way, this place is also the usual meeting point for VT members as well.

Favorite Dish: Weizen

Nice and old style , built in 1798 , very charming atmosphere .
You believe you ve come in the 19th century , you get impression of a former farmer .

Favorite Dish: I ve tested the GEBRANDENHOFSPIESS ( grilled meat ) served with rosted potatoes .
My wife got Pasta with "Flusskrebse" with a curry sauce .
Both meals ve been very delicious .

Sandra showed us this hidden secret in Essen: A Dutch pub!!! Normally we have Dutch chippers at German shopping streets but I have never been to a Dutch pub in Germany!!

It's a great place! You will find lots of Kitsch at the walls, great Dutch snacks, a model railway going around the whole pub over your heads, friendly waiters, smelly T-Shirts for sale and we had a great time here during the VT meeting.

Another great reason for going here: It's very very very cheap! I had chips and Loempia here and together with 2 sauces and 2 drinks I paid less than 8 Euro. I couldn't believe my eyes!

Favorite Dish: Chips with Sate sauce and Garlic sauce.

I haven't been there in quite some time, but this used to be one of my fav places on warm summer evenings, when the family was in fancy for a little excursion - this notion usually took us to the Rote Mühle, to sit in the Biergarten, watch the river and have a hot chocolate. I've never been inside the house, but it looks quite comfy in the pix on their website.
The location is rather fine - a little wood on the one side (and behind that the street), the river and its footpath on the other, trees all around and on the opposite riverbank some hills. Very pleasant atmosphere. There's even an old colliery tower nearby. Ach, a classic Ruhrpott scenery :o)

Favorite Dish: Hot chocolate?

All in all very big building - coming with a group of four? Book a table in the restaurant. Coming with a group of several dozens? Book a whole room.
The styling is equivalent to the food - somewhere between sophisticated and rustic.

Favorite Dish: Not sure - have been there two times so far, always with business colleagues. This is the place to organize your after work meeting, somewhere between a sophisticated dinner and the typical Ruhrpott plain fare. And beer, never forget the beer. As the 'Dampfe' is a Brauerei (= a brewery), they have their own beer, quite good too, but I'm not exactly one for beer. Save it is Guinness, Murphy's or Köstritzer... in other words, dark and malty. The Dampfe beer is rather dark too, but not black. I'm sure they have a special term for it, but don't ask me!

A Korean restaurant and the one where my family traditionally goes to celebrate birthdays, successfully passed exams, wedding anniversaries and to impress guests of our humble house ;oP
They have nice fishisssss in the aquarium... and this restaurant is really well-known around here. A lot of relatives and friends also use it as their formal celebration venue - you gotta book ahead, it can get rather crowded. I even saw Jean Pütz there once. Ever heard of him? Pretty famous tv-moderator from Cologne ('Chärchzlisch willkommen zu de Chobbytekk!').

Favorite Dish: Everything I've had so far was very good - and I've had a lot... The pleasure starts with the kroepoek (shrimp crackers), then goes on with whatever you choose for starters, say spring rolls or wan tan-soup; the main dish could be duck or chicken or rice or noodles with shrimps or egg or *ponders* other stuff... I recommend the crispy versions and I recommend peanut sauce.

I really like the style of these cafés. They're quite big, but there's so much decoration and partitions formed of columns, stairs and balconies that the atmosphere is somewhat snugly.
Café Bar Celona has a meditarrenaen style, Café Extrablatt is rather gaudy and flashy.

Favorite Dish: I like Calamaris and all the potatoe stuff, especially the thick, spicy splits, the Cajuns. The Veggie Wrap in Café Bar Celona is muy yummy too. So are the Jalapeno Poppers. I guess, it's all good. Just haven't had the time to try it all so far. ;)
Then again, I spent a total of four hours eating in Café Extrablatt recently... the breakfast buffet... it's gorgeous! You pay around eight euros and then it's all you can eat and as much orange juice as you can possibly drink (other beverages must be payed). The buffet's on on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, starts at 10 a.m. and stops at 2 p.m. - you can probably still continue eating (unless it's a special holiday), only you have to pay more for it then. The food palette goes from cereals with milk over bread with all kinds of toppings, salads, desserts (*yummy* mousse au chocolat!), on to English breakfast with the traditional ham and eggs, baked beans and scramble egg (also *very* yummy!). It's a great occasion to sit and watch people too ;) Quite the meeting point on lazy mornings...

Merlin - die Waldkneipe (the forest-pub)
I already mentioned one of its unique features above: the special names for food items. They also comment the stuff on the menu, funny, the alcoholic drinks above all!
Other unique things... the original Excalibur in its original stone *blah* - draw it, and the pub's owner will knight thee all day long (the traditional way with beating, of course).
A beautiful Biergarten - since the pub is literally in the forest, this is one Biergarten that deserves to be called 'garden'.
Big snake above the bar.

Favorite Dish: Well, so far it was all good and nice, but what I especially like are the titles given to the stuff:
For example you can chose between the North-, East-, South-, West- and G-wing of Camelot to get a baguette of some sort.
Or you order a sceptre and what lands on your table is a Gypsy meat skewer, order a Druid's Gold and chicken nuggets are yours.
The greatest name for me is Boh Frosd for mini spring rolls, cause BoFrost (written somehow) is a vendor of frozen foods :oD
And I also like Pyt Sahr - guess for yourself :oP